ABSTRACT
The discussion in this chapter analyzes the learning component of school systems through the realm of educational psychology. The influence of the learning theories of behaviourism, cognitivism and constructivism on school systems is studied. The works of Ivan Pavlov, B.F. Skinner, Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner and Lev Vygotsky are discussed, along with the lives and works of Friedrich Frobel and Maria Montessori. The three fields of psychology are collated with practices that are common within school systems. The concepts are presented though real-life cases and anecdotes with a special focus on their relevance to postcolonial education systems. A contrast is presented between the behaviourism-dominated postcolonial educational systems and that proposed by Plato.
