Helping People Learn

A science of education based on cognitive psychology and constructivist epistemology to aid development of successful educational programs.

Learning is synonymous with a change in the meaning of experience, rather than behavior change. This book presents a science of education that explains why so many schooling efforts fail, and demonstrates how successful methods can be devised from sound foundations.Educational theory and practice are historically influenced by the view of behavioral psychologists that learning is synonymous with behavior change. Helping People Learn argues for the practical importance of an alternate view, that learning is synonymous with a change in the meaning of experience. Based on the foundations of cognitive psychology and constructivist epistemology, this book presents a science of education that can guide the development of successful and meaningful educational programs. It serves as a sequel to the best-selling Learning How to Learn and includes ideas developed through the author's research and training programs conducted over the past thirty years. It emphasises the power of the knowledge representation tool 'concept maps', designed to facilitate meaningful learning and creativity. This book capitalises on the advances in technology and is of interest to students, professionals and researchers in educational psychology and learning theory.