I remember a statement that was made to me when I was in college, we are born knowing how to eat, sleep, cry and use the bathroom. We are nothing but animals. We need to be taught to be civilized; we are the only mammal upon this earth that can be educated. With this said I believe all learning theories are important. How was the first man educated? Which learning theory was the best one for him? Can we all learn? This is where the learning theories come into play.
I agree with Kerr, when he stated –isms (learning theories) “They evolve; they listen to criticism and move on” (Kerr, 2007). The first human learned by doing, but how did he learn to read and write? This is where the learning theories come into play. We have different theories that explain the learning process, but as Kerr also noted they do not stand alone. As we evolve so must our learning change, in order to explain this we need to have different theories. I also agree the behaviorism had its place in time and to this day the education system still uses a tremendous amount of the behaviorism programs in our curriculums. The education system is just now starting to make a big change, they have finally realized just like Kerr that all theories need to come into play.
Karp also agrees with Kerr that we need to take all learning theories into play, because not everyone learns the same. I also agree with Karp, “Cognitivism doesn’t explain 100% how humans process information and neither does Constructivism or Behaviorism” (Karp, 2007). Karp talks about the “lower cognitive” which he feels requires the behaviorist approach; I could not agree more, with this statement. We are told to teach our students their multiplication tables, how do you learn multiplication tables, except to memorize them. Yes, students need to know the process behind multiplication, and once they see the tables 100 times they might recognize them, through memorizing them. I also agree with Karp on the creativity in part of the Constructivism theory.
In conclusion, I agree with Kerr and Karp, all theories need to come into play, because we do not all learn alike. I also agree will are not computers, and we cannot be programmed like a computer, we make the computers and we program them. A computer is not human and it only knows the information we put into it.
References:
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
Kapp, K. (2007, January 2). Out and about: Discussion on educational schools of thought [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.kaplaneduneering.com/kappnotes/index.php/2007/01/out-and-about-discussion-on-educational/
Great post! I couldn't agree with you more. Society is beginning to realize that we need to incorporate all of the learning theories and apply them where necessary. We need to focus more on how each theory is connected to one another and allow them to evolve as people evolve and the learning processes evolve.
ReplyDeleteHi, Lou Ann, nice post! I completely agree with you that all theories need to come into play. All of us learn differently and with all the -isms, this is how we can all be successful. As educators, we need to develop a way that we can quickly determine a students most effective way to learn so that we do not waste valuable time by trying to determine their learning theory.
ReplyDeleteLou,
ReplyDeleteYou bring up many areas of cognitive development from infancy to adulthood. However, can we actually pinpoint which theory can be applied to specific instances of learning along the way? I do not have the answer to that question. One thing is certain. If you want a specific result, you must create the correct stimulus and reinforcer to achieve the goal. To a certain degree behaviorism will always be embedded in the education system whether by inference or by modeling the behavior desired.