Plain English Meaning

An organised set of ideas about how people actually learn, used by instructors to teach more effectively.

Full Definition

A body of principles, supported by research in psychology and education, that explains how people acquire, process, and retain knowledge and skills. In aviation instruction, learning theory provides the framework instructors use to design lessons, evaluate student progress, and adjust teaching methods.

Context Anchor

Seen in the Aviation Instructor’s Handbook when discussing how flight instructors teach students effectively.

Derivation

From the Old English 'leornian' (to get knowledge) and the Greek 'theoria' (a way of looking at or considering something). A 'theory' here is not a guess — it is a tested explanation of how something works.