ABSTRACT
Theories of learning are more than hunches about why students may or may not learn what one has taught them. Instead, theories are robust explanations that one can use to explain, understand, predict, and interpret science learning. Behaviorist theory views learning as a change in behavior. This change is caused by providing feedback after an individual responds to a stimulus. Classroom applications of this theory can be immediately noticed, but effects will wear off over time. Memory theory explains learning as a process whereby previous knowledge interacts with sensory data within working memory. Teachers can use this theory to guide decisions about how much information to supply to students during a given science lesson. Jean Piaget is credited with proposing a theory of individual constructivism. In relation to science, individual constructivism describes the mechanisms by which students take their observations of the world and create mental frameworks called schema to help make sense of their science experiences.
