Educational Theory and Theorists

Educational theory is the foundation upon which learning and teaching practices are built. Where educational philosophy defines important challenges embedded within education through asking and attempting to answer Big Questions, educational theory works to develop ways to create solutions for helping to overcome such challenges. This chapter delves into the Big Three educational theories and their other sibling – behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, and positivism. Within each section covering an educational theory, one or more of the most influential theorists are profiled. The final section provides some information about theorists who worked in educational equity, an emerging field of educational theory that has been around for over 100 years but is just now being acknowledged on a broader scale.