Good piece in the Times Educational Supplement by Mike Gershon proving an overview of four different theories of learning, paraphrased as:

1. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

• Physiological needs such as food, water and sleep;
• Safety needs: protection from violence and harm;
• Needs for love, affection and belonging;
• Needs for esteem; and
• needs for self-actualisation (fulfilling potential).

2. Bruner’s scaffolding

• Modelling
• Giving advice
• Providing coaching

3. Vygotsky’s proximal development

• Assess where pupils are in terms of independent capabilities.
• Create open tasks that can be accessed on a number of levels.
• Build different levels of challenge into each section of your lesson.
• Track pupils’ targets in the front of their books.
• Identify particular groups of pupils to work with one-to-one, according to their ZPD.

4. Dewey’s experience and interaction

• Get out of the classroom.
• Use discussion.
• Give pupils opportunities to be independent and to make decisions.