Module 2 - Blog 2 Cognitivism as a Learning Theory
People say that behind
every successful man, there is a woman. In a similar way, behind every big
change in education, there is a theory that will support it. This is where
learning theory comes and it’s full of _isms (Kerr, 2007).
As educators, we have to decide what is best for
our students. Therefore, we should ask ourselves the following questions. These
questions will help us serve our students better.Do we really need learning theory? Can our educational system survive without learning theory? Do we really need behaviourism, constructivisim, cognitivism, and connectivism?
Bill Kerr tried to answer the same questions on the discussion called _ism as filter, not blinker. Kerr (2007) stated that “Because how else could we have a big change without a theory to justify it and help us think about it” (para 2)? In addition, Kerr saw that the use of the learning theory was essential to the curriculum reorganization effort. Moreover, Kerr disagreed with Stephen Downes’ rejection of behaviourism. Downes stated on his blog as cited in Kerr (2007), “this is more than 30 years after the theory was abandoned everywhere else” (para 4). Kerr expressed his opinion by saying that calling “theory was abandoned everywhere else” was a false statement. Karr explained that the reason this was a false statement was because human could not be replaced by a machine.
Learning Theory allows us to dream and hope of a better future in education. It allows us to hope for a better future for our students.
In a similar way, Karl Kapp talked about learning theory by giving us some great ideas on his blog. Karl created a summary on the discussion called Out and About: Discussion on Educational Schools of Thought. In his discussion, Karl Kapp expressed his opinion about learning and theories. According to Kapp (2007), “Learning is not one thing…it is a multi-layered word that tends to get treated as if were just one thing…and it’s not" (para 6). Because learning has different levels, we cannot use one theory at the time. We should use every theory that is available to us. At the same time, we should use the right theory on a learning level to enable our students to learn. This is what Karl Kapp explained on his blog.
In conclusion, I like the idea of using blogs to talk about technology and education in general. It looks that I am talking to myself in a mirror. In fact, I am not by myself but the two members of my group will join me to express their opinions on my block. I have to do the same thing when I go to their blogs. As an educator, I see that our educational system needs to be improved. This cannot be accomplished without the use of learning theory in education. Therefore, I agree with what Bill Kerr and Karl Kapp expressed about learning theories on their blogs.
Reference
Kapp, K. (2007, January 2). Out and about: discussion on educational schools of thought [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://karlkapp.com/out-and-about-discussion-on- educational/
Kerr, B. (2007, January 1). _isms as filter, not blinker [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filter-not-blinker.html
You mentioned "we should use the right theory on a learning level to enable our students to learn". This is where I struggle the most. I have difficulty recognizing which learning theory best fits a particular learning level. Do you have any suggestions that might help me in this area of weakness?
ReplyDeleteYour comment, "Learning Theory allows us to dream and hope of a better future in education. It allows us to hope for a better future for our students" really stood out to me. I think I will tape this to my mirror to keep me motivated.
Lori
Hi Lori,
DeleteI am in the same situation you are when it come to recognize which learning theory best fits a particular learning level. This is where I struggle too. However, I am optimistic for both of us that will be able to use the right theory on a learning level in the near future. One of the reasons I decided to pursuit my doctoral degree is to help my students improve in math and computer science courses where I teach in college. I believe that I will gain more knowledge in my specialization area by the time I will receive my Ph.D. degree. Moreover, I believe that studying about learning theories will continue throughout my doctoral program. The last section of the doctoral degree is to write the dissertation paper. This is a perfect opportunity for both of us to decide to research in an area in education where we will have to apply all these learning theories by proving in our research which one theory will be the right one to enable student to learn.
Best Regards
Konstadinos Alevriadis
Konstandinos,
ReplyDeleteI loved your post. I also agree with Lori about appreciating the comment "Learning Theory allows us to dream and hope of a better future in education. It allows us to hope for a better future for our students." Do you find yourself identifying with many of the theories or just one? If just one which theory applies more with how you approach educating your students? Kapp's (2007) comment about “Learning is not one thing…it is a multi-layered word that tends to get treated as if were just one thing…and it’s not." I truly agree that education is so multi-layered that we shouldn't try to pigeon-hole it by trying to label it with one theory. Each theory is a scaffold of the other. You need each of these theories to create the type of learning environment needed to educate these 21st century learners.
Hi Orin,
DeleteI like all of the learning theories and I want to learn how to apply them correctly in any situation I will have to face in classroom with my students. I believe that when a piece of evidence is missing from one learning theory to solve the puzzle in the classroom the same missing piece of evidence can be founded in one of the other learning theories.
Best Regards
Konstadino Alevriadis