The global learning community, led by researchers in fields such as psychology, sociology and pedagogics, had arrived at a consensus about the social "and" biological nature of learning until work in epigenetics brought new insights. After a brief overview of learning theories and the role of the environment, recent findings from…

Tensions between constructivist learning theories and objectivist learning theories in online courses implicate a need for a theoretical balance. This article describes organizing and enacting tasks that elicit constructivist learning of mathematics in an online mathematics teacher education course. The results focus on a conceptual framework that…

In this theoretical review article I discuss the relationship of dialectic materialism, Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) and analyses of work, learning and political economic consciousness. The purpose is to help researchers reflect on how they might be more effective in their analytic work. Specifically, its goal is to help expand the…

Purpose: This paper aims to revive the old idea of the Learning Organisation by providing a fresh conceptualisation and illustration. The New Learning Organisation is conceptualised, focussing on the common good through responsible action. It is positioned as responding to the VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity, Bennett and…

In a general sense, psychology is a science that studies human and animal behaviours, and the reasons of these behaviours. The symbolic foundation date of psychology is 1879. In this year, Wilheml Wundt (1832-1920) established a psychology laboratory in Leipzig. Psychology is accepted to have started as a science with the establishment of this…

Professionals responsible for the delivery of education and training using technology systems and platforms can facilitate complex learning through application of relevant strategies, principles and theories that support how learners learn and that support how curriculum should be designed in a technology based learning environment. Technological…

For Extension educational programs to meet the educational needs of today's youths, families, and communities, Extension needs to expand "what counts" as learning. The purpose of this article is to define learning in the context of Extension. We summarize key aspects of the educational research literature by comparing two prevailing…

Learning from examples is a very effective means of initial cognitive skill acquisition. There is an enormous body of research on the specifics of this learning method. This article presents an instructionally oriented theory of example-based learning that integrates theoretical assumptions and findings from three research areas: learning from…

As a psychotherapist and meditation instructor, this author was drawn to what mindfulness teachings say about function of mind and heart in learning. Sakyong Mipham (2003) teaches that the mind is naturally compassionate, open, and receptive. The question becomes, what prevents the arising of these inherent characteristics of love? These same…

The importance of reflection in higher education and across disciplinary fields is widely recognised and it is generally included in university graduate attributes, professional standards and programme objectives. Furthermore, reflection is commonly embedded into assessment requirements in higher education subjects, often without necessary…

This paper develops a dialogic theory of thinking and of learning to think that has implications for education. The theory is offered as a contrast to theories that are based on both Piaget and Vygotsky. The paper proceeds by unpacking and interweaving three key concepts: dialogue, thinking and learning in order to argue that learning to think can…

The "Vygotsky on Education Primer" serves as an introduction to the life and work of the Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky. Even though he died almost eighty years ago, his life's work remains both relevant and significant to the field of education today. This book examines Vygotsky's emphasis on the role of cultural and historical context in…

Good educational ethnography whether done by sociologists or anthropologists, makes the familiar strange. The history of that proposition is outlined, and five strategies available to all ethnographers focused on teaching and learning, whether sociologists or anthropologists of education or not, are outlined. The vital importance of the working…

In this paper, I explore the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning through the lens of transformative learning theory and critical theory. In doing so, I expand the notion of a Scholarship of Teaching so as to go beyond the solving of practical problems in teaching and the improvement of teaching effectiveness. I focus on an emancipatory…

This article addresses the myriad of pedagogical and andragogical issues facing university educators in the student learning process. It briefly explores the proliferation of learning theories in an attempt to develop awareness among faculty who teach at the university/college levels that not all theories of learning apply to the adult learner. In…