Cognitivism as a Learning Theory

Bill Kerr questions learning theories on his Blog, and especially asks how can we choose from all of the learning theories? We should cherry-pick different useful ideas out of the various theories according to what and who we are educating. Theories do evolve and interlace; the behaviorist aspects can even be observed through games associated with cognitive and constructivist theories. A game’s intent depends on understanding the motivation verses the reaction behavior of the player. An example is a player’s decisions in the game which are proportional to the rewards gained. Games teach behavior by reinforcing positive rewards. George Siemens underlines this on his website: “Constructivism suggests that learners create knowledge as they attempt to understand their experiences (Driscoll, 2000, p. 376). Behaviorism and cognitivism view knowledge as external to the learner and the learning process as the act of internalizing knowledge.”
My goal is to enhance knowledge through understanding and interest rather than pure memorization. I would like my students to be able to learn how to construct knowledge independently and be able to place it in context. To achieve this goal, I evaluate the outcomes through assessing the learning progression of the students and by evaluating the students’ interest through their engagement in the class. Some projects are done individually and some are done as part of a collaborative effort to simulate the working environment outside of the classroom. I provide the guidance on how to use and assess the needed tools and take on the role of an adviser and guide for the students to achieve the optimum results. Since each student comes to the class with a varied knowledge base, through individualized and collaborative projects, they construct and enhance individual knowledge skills.
The information technology age and especially the advancement of mobile devices have changed the working environment. Neither the employee nor the students are confined to a particular location or time to work or study. Due to the ubiquitous and mobile nature of technology, work and school have become “anytime and everywhere.” With that, the expectations of the employee have changed. The employee is required to have cognitive skills, be problem solvers and able to work in a collaborative and dynamic communication driven environment. Therefore, Karl Kapp is correct to state on his blog: “We need to take pieces from each school of thought and apply it effectively.”

Reference:
Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Kapp, K. (2007, January 2). Out and About: Discussion on Educational Schools of Thought. Retrieved December 23, 2009, from : http://karlkapp.blogspot.com/2007/01/out-and-about-discussion-on-educational.html

Kerr, B. (2007, January 1). Retrieved December 23, 2009, from : http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filter-not-blinker.html

Siemens, G. (2004, December 12). A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. Retrieved December 23, 2009, from : http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm

Learning Theory and Educational Technology

Critique Siemens’s “metaphors of educators.” Which of these metaphors best describes the role you believe an instructor should take in a digital classroom or workplace? Is there a better metaphor to reflect your view of the role of instructors?

As I read Siemens (2008) “metaphors of educators,” the metaphor that especially grabbed my attention was “educator as curator” and “educator concierge,” by Curtis Bong. The reason is because although the information on the web is available online, it is fragmented, unlike a textbook where the information is collected in an organized manner. In online education, an instructor can bring together resources for the student in order to have an effective learning and teaching environment. The resources can be posted in a class “library” as a suggestion. It is the instructor’s responsibility to be present as an expert or a “curator” who presents a “map” by providing clear instructions and enhancing the education of the student by navigating the student to new resources or learning devises that the student might not be aware of (p.16). In order to do so, an effective instructor has to create opportunities for the learner to express his standpoint in a more engaging form, thereby allowing him to reflect on the reading and to emphasize his point-of-view. I compare Siemens’ (2008) metaphor to my own instructions in the classroom. At the end of the eBusiness Technology class, students have to create a fictitious eBusiness. Throughout the semester, I provide them with tools in-class and online, but the students are the ones who generate new ideas and approaches and thus build upon acquired knowledge. When a student is an active participant, I believe there is also a better understanding of a subject.


References
Siemens, G. (2008, January 27). Learning and Knowing in Networks: Changing roles for Educators and Designers. Retrieved December 7, 2009, from Presented to ITFORUM for Discussion: http://it.coe.uga.edu/itforum/Paper105/Siemens.pdf