By: The Capella University Editorial Team with Irene Abrego Nicolet, PhD, NCSP, LSSP, Dean of the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Reading time: 8 minutes
Every teacher knows that engagement changes everything. When students feel inspired in the classroom, they not only learn more effectively, but also start to believe in what’s possible for their future.
But classrooms today are complex spaces. Teachers balance technology, varied learning styles and rising expectations while trying to keep lessons meaningful. To meet these challenges, they need a clear understanding of how people learn.
Learning theories help translate that understanding into strategies teachers can use every day. Explore five key theories that shape modern education and learn how to apply them in your classroom.
Learning theories are frameworks that explain how students build knowledge and develop new skills. They help teachers understand what drives learning and how it can be supported in different contexts.
Teachers and educators use these theories to design lessons that are meaningful, comprehensive and aligned with how students think and grow.
The five major theories are behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, humanism and connectivism. Each offers a different perspective on what helps people learn.
Here are some of the ways learning theories can help elevate your teaching:
Understanding these benefits provides a strong foundation for exploring the key learning theories that shape modern education.
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From shaping behavior to inspiring creativity, these five learning theories reveal what drives students to learn and how teachers can help them succeed.
Behaviorism is one of the earliest and most influential theories of learning. It focuses on observable actions rather than internal thoughts and feelings. It suggests that learning happens when behavior changes in response to external cues or reinforcement.
Early work by Ivan Pavlov and John Watson explored how associations form; Skinner expanded the theory by showing how reinforcement and consequences guide behavior over time.
In education, behaviorism emphasizes practice, repetition and consistent feedback to help students build new skills and habits. Positive reinforcement encourages desired behaviors, while removing rewards or using mild consequences helps reduce undesired ones.
Behaviorist strategies can help teachers build structure, reinforce positive habits and maintain consistency in the classroom.
Behaviorist techniques are often used to support classroom routines and foundational skills. When applied consistently, they help students recognize patterns of success and develop productive learning habits.
Cognitive learning theory emerged as a response to behaviorism. It shifts the focus from external behavior to the internal processes involved in learning. Cognitivism views learning as an active process in which students organize, interpret and connect new information to what they already know.
While behavior may still change, cognitivism explains that these changes result from how students think, reason and process information rather than from external rewards or consequences.
Psychologist Jean Piaget helped shape this perspective through his stages of cognitive development. He described how children progress through distinct stages as they engage with their surroundings, gradually moving from basic understanding to more complex and abstract thinking.
In the classroom, cognitivist strategies focus on how students think, organize and recall information. Here are some examples of approaches teachers can use to help learners make meaningful connections and retain new material:
Cognitivist principles continue to influence modern teaching methods, from instructional design to technology-enhanced learning and curriculum planning.
Constructivism views learning as an active process where students build understanding through experience and reflection. Instead of passively receiving information, they connect new ideas to what they already know and make meaning for themselves.
Psychologist Lev Vygotsky introduced the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development, which describes the space between what a learner can do alone and what they can accomplish with guidance. Teachers help bridge that space by offering the right level of support at the right time.
This approach, known as scaffolding, involves providing temporary help and gradually reducing it as students gain confidence and mastery.
Vygotsky also emphasized that learning is deeply social. Collaboration, discussion and cultural context all shape how knowledge is built and shared.
Constructivist teaching centers on active participation and shared discovery. Teachers create opportunities for students to explore, question and apply new ideas in meaningful contexts.
Constructivism supports a student-centered approach that helps learners build independence, confidence and a lasting sense of curiosity.
Connectivism is a modern learning theory that reflects how knowledge is created and shared in the digital age. It suggests that learning happens through networks – both online and offline – where people, information and technology are connected.
Developed by George Siemens and Stephen Downes, connectivism views learning as the ability to find, evaluate and apply information across different sources. This theory shifts emphasis from memorizing facts to developing digital literacy and critical thinking.
Connectivism views learning as the process of connecting specialized information sources. It focuses on a learner’s ability to find accurate and reliable information by effectively navigating sources like websites, videos, communities and individuals.
Connectivist teaching encourages students to build and use networks to learn from a range of resources and perspectives.
With 80% of teachers saying they were optimistic about tech tools being beneficial to their students’ overall education, connectivism is increasingly seen as a valuable framework for helping educators integrate digital tools in purposeful, engaging ways.
Humanism focuses on the whole person and their capacity for self-directed growth. It emphasizes that learning is most effective when it addresses both academic and emotional needs, helping students develop self-awareness, motivation and a sense of purpose.
Psychologists Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers were central to this approach. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs suggests that learners must have their basic physiological and psychological needs met before they can reach higher levels of learning and creativity. Rogers expanded on this idea with his concept of student-centered learning, where the teacher’s role is to create a supportive environment that encourages autonomy and self-direction.
Humanistic teaching encourages autonomy, empathy and personal relevance. Teachers create spaces where students feel respected, valued and motivated to take ownership of their learning.
Humanism reminds educators that learning is deeply personal. When students feel supported and capable, they are more likely to engage fully and carry that confidence beyond the classroom.
Together, these five learning theories show that effective teaching is both an art and a science. Each offers a different lens for understanding how students grow, think and stay engaged. With the help of these ideas, educators can better create learning experiences that inspire curiosity and confidence.
Deepening that understanding through advanced study can help you bring these theories to life in new ways. Capella University offers online programs that let you explore how learning happens and how to create environments where it thrives.
Capella’s online degrees are designed for educators who want to keep teaching while advancing their education. With our flexible degrees, you can apply what you study directly in your classroom and continue growing as the kind of teacher who inspires lifelong learning.
Ready to turn theory into practice? Explore Capella’s online degrees.
There is no universally effective learning theory. Your approach to teaching should be based on your students and their learning styles. Many educators combine elements of different learning theories like behaviorism, constructivism and humanism to create balanced, student-centered instruction.
Connectivism is the newest educational learning theory, developed for the digital age. It emphasizes learning through online networks and technology.
There are many learning theories, but five core ones are most widely recognized in education: behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, humanism and connectivism.
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