Learning theories and pedagogies in teaching sustainable consumption

Summary

Behaviorist learning theories view human behavior as a response to external stimuli. Cognitive learning theories emerged as a countermovement to behaviorism and turned to internal cognitive processes instead of behavior as the domain to explain learning. Constructivist learning theories differ from social-cognitive learning theories in that they assume that the human sensory functions, perceptions, and memory actively construct realities for the purpose of successful action rather than representing objective reality. Transformative learning theories are a subset of learning theories that draw from constructivist understandings of learning while critically expanding on them. Social theories of learning recognize that learning occurs in communities of practice, through interactions with others. Different learning theories are differently suited when it comes to specific learning requirements and objectives for specific learners. Sustainable consumption teaching is a relatively young field of practice that is developing dynamically.