enabling and assessing learning

Learning theories have been influential since the 20th century and are now used as diagnostic tools to help identify styles in which learners learn, (Avis et al. 2010). The summary behind these concepts, propose that all people learn differently, and to ensure individual learning needs teachers need to recognize these styles to address differentiation and learning needs of individual within group of learners, (Jarvis, 2006). The key learning theories from research are; behaviourism, cognitivism and humanist. Key academics Pavlov, Skinner and Watson (1973) influence the theory behind behaviourism. They approach behaviourism as a scientific approach towards a desired goal, consisting of reinforcement to shape behaviour. In thus the teachers act as a stimulant; shaping behaviour via repetition and habit forming to create a response. However influential theorists Bruner (1966), Piaget (1926) and Gagne (1985), argue that this style is manipulative, the learner will know how that learning process takes place but not necessarily know why? Behaviourist looked at the environment stimuli influencing response, whereas cognitivists look at the individual’s mental process in learning and how they gain that knowledge. Bruner (1966) believes people learn with the acquisition of knowledge as social process of problem solving. The focus stems to establishing positive conditions that promote the individuals path of being ‘ready to learn’, establishing a ‘meaning to learning’; with initiative and analytical thinking and finally with relevance of self- fulfilment of what ‘motivates the learner’. This takes away the behaviourist approach of learning without an external reward to learning with independent meaning in which you create your own path. Lastly Humanist approach to learning develops the idea of the learners at the centre of the learning process, (Maslow, 1970 and Rodgers et al, 1983). Rogers (1983) influenced this approach and believed that each learner is free to direct