What is a ‘theory’?

A theory can be described as a set of hypotheses that apply to all instances of a particular phenomenon, assisting in decision-making, philosophy of practice and effective implementation through practice.

Learning Theories and Interaction

In this section we will relate interaction aspects and the roles within learning processes with the pedagogical/learning theories. Since, there is little space to do justice to the wide range of literature on the subject, so what will follow will involve brief introductions to three of the main theoretical currents of thought that have had an influence on e-learning. Each of these currents of thought makes assumptions about the nature of the mind and of knowing, the nature of knowledge, and about how learning takes place. These assumptions, whether implicit or explicitly expressed, influence the way each of these broad perspectives view the teaching and learning process.

The main didactical models in (e-)Learning are:

• Behaviourism

• Cognitivism

• Constructivism.