How Do We Learn?

I don't think there's a single catch-all theory of how we all learn. I think that we learn best by using a combination of approaches, and it depends on the subject matter being presented. For instance, I've had classes where we had to basically teach ourselves, and that works great as long as the instructor is there to provide feedback. Otherwise, you could be learning something incorrectly. There are also times where it is good to learn in groups; yet again, the instructor has to be present and available to provide mentoring and coaching to make sure that we are learning correct information. And when I'm learning something like mathematics or computer programming, I'd rather have someone explain it to me. I don't want to discover it myself, since I don't have a lot of personal experience or background and I would probably end up frustrating myself and not having a good learning experience at all.

So, my theory would probably be a combination of the objectivist theory, where the instructor dispenses knowledge and the students absorb it; the constructivist theory, where I teach myself the information based on what I discover; and the cooperative model, where I work with my fellow classmates to acquire new knowledge.

I'm honestly not sure how the cognitive information processing theory fits into my personal learning theory. I see how it fits as an adjunct to the constructivist theory. We all process information, rehearse it, and commit it to memory.