Describe your understanding of what learning is and how students learn.

The process of learning is defined differently, according to different theorists. A behaviorist theorist would say that learning is the process of students retaining information by responding to external stimuli and relaying information must be facilitated by positive reinforcement. The theorists then observe the effect the stimuli has on the students. Cognitive theorists focus more on the mental process, which can't be openly observed. Rather, cognitive theorists test thier philosophy through assessment and testing. Constructivist theorists combine these two theories and create a student-centered learning experience, which focuses on how the students learn and how they best retain information. Constructivists would argue that how information is conveyed should depend on how the students best understand the information. Also, students learn according to schemas. If a schema is already formed, it is the job of the teacher to cause disequilibrium within the schema, that is if new information is being presented, and urge the student to strive for equilibrium. Once equilibrium is reached, the student's schema is reformed and the information is learned.