Cognitivism as a Learning Theory Module 2 -7105

According to Cuban, the author of "Oversold and Underused", the purpose of education has shifted to meet economic goals of society.  When the public school originated it was to provide literacy and prepare students for their civic duty and it was not for the purpose advancing the economy.  Today's educational goal according to the 21st century organization is to prepare students to compete in the global economy (21org. 2010). According to Cuba, the constructionist believes technology can expose students to real world situations that they would not have access to otherwise (Cuban, 2001). Cuban asked the question, "Are computers in the school worth the investment?  I would say yes, because computer skills are necessary in every aspect of 21st century working and living.  However, students and teachers must have the skills needed to effectively use the technology or it will not promote learning.  Anderson states, that it is more important what the learner does with the technology than what the teacher does with it.  He further states,  that the instructor must be media competent instructors (Anderson, 2008, p. 171). Technology can be an effective tool and our schools have been intimidated with the latest and greatest technology, but training for instruction using the technology is not providing the expertise needed.

My Middle School has experienced the disparity between available technology and training to use the technolgy.  In the Race to the Top program we have equipped every classroom with a SmartBoard   (US Dept of Ed, 2009), but have failed to give teachers the needed time and training to master the technology. Consequently, the technology is not being used as intended, which is a detriment to the desired outcomes.  Classroom teachers have resorted to using the SmartBoards for display of lessons rather than interactivity. Teachers do not have  time to learn new technology and there is a lack of funding to provided training to use the technology effeciveley.  Unfortunately, this technology has been "oversold and is being underused", Cuban proposes in his book.  Even if teachers could use the technology as intended, I do  not think the technology would engage the entire class of students.  I would call this an attempt at connectivism, which has grossly failed in my school.  This brings me to the point Bill Kerr makes about "isms", they come and go.

Bill Kerr makes reference to a statement made by Stephen Downs, who said he did not understand why the education community was still continuing practices of behaviorism when it had been abandoned 30 years ago (Kerr, 2007).  Kerr holds that we can take something from each of the "isms", which I concur.  The way in which a person learns is a change in what they know and with each theory there is something that can be helpful for the learning process.  Learning is dynamic and ever evolving, therefore to be open minded is necessary to open doors for new "ism".  Some behaviorist theorist hold that develop and maturity played a role in the learning process.  This is true because an infant, as far as I know,  cannot be taught to drive a car.  However, I will not totally disregard that notion.

The Cognitive Theory is important for learning in today's digital format.  The cognitive theory of conecttivism in particular is useful for the collaborative learning environment.  However, Educational design is still using the standardized model of the "No Child Left Behind" era,  and we are leaving children behind.  According to Karl Kapp, schools have not updated the way in which they address the explosive digital world of young people.  Schools have the technology but are not utilizing it to educate in a dynamic game based learning environment, which will engage students (Kapp. 2010).  Is this a new "ism" evolving,  "gamism", which can fall into the Cognitive Learning Theory for today's learning needs?

References

21st Century Organization (2010) 21st Century Skills. Retrieved from: http://www.p21.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=504&Itemid=185#maps

Anderson, T. (2008). The Theory and Practice of Online Learning, 2^nd Ed. Edmonton, AB. Athabasca University Press

Cuban, L. (2001). Oversold and Underused., Cambridge, MA. Harvard University Press.  

Kerr, B. (2007, January 1). _isms as filter, not blinker [Web log post]. Retrieved fromhttp://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filter-not-blinker.html

Kapp, K. (2010, July 16). Out and about: Discussion on educational schools of thought [Web log post]. Retrieved fromhttp://karlkapp.com/change-our-traditional-approach-to/

United States Department of Education (2009). Race to the top executive summary. Washington, DC. US Department of Education.

The Purpose of Learning Theory in Educational Design

Learning theory is according to Driscoll's definition it is the laws and principles learning. (2005, p. 3.) of how people learn based upon what can be explained by observation.  As an instructional designer it is important to identify ones believe about how learning occurs.  In order for the instructional design to be effective it must be structured to meet the learning theory criteria.  For example, if the desired theory is that of the behaviorist which would be suitable for teaching a skill such as keyboarding, then the instructional design would follow that theory.  The objective would be clearly stated and activities specified with feedback and reinforcement for changed or improved techniques  I would have to say I would lean more towards the constructive learning theory.because of how today's students are designed to learn in a digital and social environment.      However, when a specific skill is needed the behaviorist theory because of the necessity of drill and practice design.   Certainly, the circumstances of the learning environment would dictate the learning theory needed.  For instance, not every skill to be learned can be done by inquiry so instruction has to be flexible to fit the need.          

I would lean more towards the constructional theory of learning because today’s student is wired to build knowledge based upon their own inquiry.  They are good at multitasking and become disinterested when learning is structured in the traditional model of lecture and discussion.  I  have found students like to be self directed but still need coaxing.  I started the year with giving students one week of assignments and I let them set their own goals to complete the objective by the end of the week.  They did not keep up with their goals and I had to give them a little more direction.  We have not trained the students to be self directed.  They are still expecting the teacher to poor in the learning, but yet want to be independent learners.  Marie Montessori's  theory of 1909 that would work for what society desires of learners today, which was not accepted for her time. The theory was based upon respect for the individual learner and freedom for the learner to choose his or her learning path .  The teacher would gently guide or redirect towards the learning goals (Saettler, 2004. p. 62).This I believe can be compared to the modern version of constructivism because learners are in charge of their own learning through inquiry.  Montessori understood that small children are predisposed to learn on their own.  We need to implement this theory early on so that students realize the importance of being self directed in the learning process.  I have seen in my own middle school that children are not interested or motivated to build their own knowledge through inquiry.  They still want to be spoon fed.As a society we need to make the change to have the youngest leaners develop the skill to be self directed so that they can be self directed.  I believe this theory will work, but learners have to be trained to be self directed, which I find to be difficult at the middle school level.  According to Siemens (2008), constructionism involves meaning that is constructed by the individual learner within the current context, and involves a social aspect for transfer (Siemens, 2008). This is what Montessori tried to implement, and this is the the constructionist model.  I also want to train students to learn this way.

References

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

Saettler, P. (2004). The evolution of American educational technology. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.

Siemens, G. (2008, January 27). Learning and knowing in networks: Changing roles for educators and designers. Paper presented to ITFORUM. Retrieved fromhttp://itforum.coe.uga.edu/Paper105/Siemens.pdf


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