Drob MAET

Learning is not simply the transfer and storage of information. It is an active process shaped by the learner’s state of being, behavior, and the quality of the learning community. My theory of learning centers on the idea that students learn most effectively when they are emotionally regulated, affirmed, and actively engaged in making meaning. When students are dysregulated, disconnected, or disengaged, they cannot fully access or retain new knowledge. Trauma-informed practices emphasize the necessity of safe, affirming, and supportive environments by acknowledging how adverse experiences affect attention, behavior, and social trust. Drawing on behaviorism, information processing theory, sociocultural theory, constructivism, and trauma-informed approaches, this theory seeks to explain how learning happens and what conditions are necessary for it to thrive. Learning is best understood as an interconnected process—one influenced by emotional regulation, behavioral patterns, and social c...

Throughout my studies—both in CEP 800 and during my undergraduate years at Michigan State—I’ve engaged with a wide range of theories related to the psychology of learning. Initially, I approached these theories as separate tools, each with its own use. But over time, I’ve started to ask: Why are we so quick to separate them? What if breaking things up like this actually shows a bigger problem with how we think about teaching? One example of this attempt at separation is the popularity of "learning styles" When I was in high school, this idea was highly emphasized. Teachers often had us take surveys to determine our preferred learning style—such as visual, auditory, or kinesthetic—and then tried to tailor instruction accordingly (Leonard, 2025). However, rather than supporting students with a diverse range of  needs,limited the ways we were taught, rather than encouraging a flexible environment that integrated multiple strategies. How can varied methods of instruction that dra...