Lecture 2

Assignment:

1. Blog your reflections on the three theories and on their application to the different types problems.
   
2. Respond to one and read at least three other students' blog.

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After my attempt to understand the readings and the lecture, I guess this week, we are learning about the different approaches to learning. So here are my thoughts.

Behaviourism

I personally think this is the most primitive method of teaching but also quite an effective method as well. The whole idea of humans being selfish is blatantly true, to a certain extent. This particular method is especially efficient with children. In order to motivate them to study/read more, we give them incentives such as sweets, sticker stars, grades, a praise etc. When they do badly in a test or refuse to learn, punishments would be enforced such as scolding, caning or shaming them in class or publicly. These rewards and punishment method still hold true for adults as well.

We live in a highly meritocratic society where punishents and rewards shape our behaviors. When we commit an activity deemed by the society as a 'crime', we would be punished by being sentenced to jail or fine. When we do something good, we get acknowledged by the public and receive awards, etc. We, as adults, work hard to earn money for survival. We look good to get attention or a good mate. We reproduce so we would be taken care of in the future. Basically we do things out of our own needs and desires. We study hard to get good grades for our future. To give us an edge when it comes to competiting for jobs.

The readings said that the mind is like a black box. Does he mean the mind is non-existant? I am not sure what he meant but I personally feel humans are not purely reflexive in nature. That we do not respond like how our legs jerk on its own when the doctor hits the knee. We have mental processes going on before executing our actions. We learn to do better in future more complex matters like we learn basic mathematics to solve more complicated problems in the future. Hence a case of Behaviorism would be teaching students English, Maths and other basic stuff in the primary/pre school level. However this does not mean behaviorism ends after we mature. Behaviorism is still present but instead of rewards such as sweets, rewards and punishments come in other forms such as success or failure and etc.

As primitive as it is, Behaviorism is, to me, a very efficient approach to learning.

Cognitivism

This seemed quite similar to Behaviorism but a little more abstract and treat the learning subject more humanely. Unlike Behaviorism, Cognitivism is focused on the Internal Process of the subject.

We do think and like what is mentioned in the readings, we have mental theories of how the world works. And we base our actions and judgements on these mental theories. Cognitivism is also effectively used in social institutions as well. Through trial and error, individuals will refine their mental theories and learn from their mistakes (embarassment) or rights (praises).

Cognitivism is more advanced than Behaviorism but not necessarily a better theory for learning. It is more apparent at the later parts of our life when we encounter more complicated problems. Like solving mathematics equations or solving a sudoku puzzle. The person must go through mental processes to solve the problems and get the answer.

Furthermore I agree with the reading that there is an innate desire to learn/curiosity in everyone and how it would be undermined by extrinsic motivations.

Sociocultural Approach

From the emphasis on the individual, the sociocultural approach has a different approach. They say people learn using tools. The system the individual is in allows the individual to form abstract knowledge aka context and despite not fully equipped with the necessary skills, these external tools such as the environment you are in and the other visual/audio/verbal cues will help you understand things better and learn something from it.

Despite being more obviously used in the more advanced method of teaching such as on-the-job learning method, it is also used quite often like what Dr Wortham used to explain in the readings. It is used in helping a fresh engineer to better understand his working conditions and solve more hands on problems. The practical side of learning is more closely associated with the Sociocultural approach.

In conclusion, the three different approaches are different in abstraction. Behaviorism is the least complex and more direct approach while Sociocultural is the most complex method. Institutions used these three approachs together rather than individually. As we age, our approach to learning has to be more complex than before. Hence although I believe more strongly for Behaviorism, but I think all three approaches as to be used together for a more comprehensive approach in learning.

Lecture 1

Perspective of E-Learning

1. Educational delivery and interaction via technology
2. Computer mediated.
3. Educational technique (pedagogy)

What is e-Learning?

e-Learning is an online interaction program of which individuals can do from anywhere and anytime. Despite its functionality, accessibility and instantaneous advantages, it still cannot replace the conventional classroom.

I always thought e-Learning to be a stand-in teaching tool if anything were to disrupt all activities in the physical classroom, such as a disease outbreak or some sort of danger that interrupts the academic scheduling.

By the term ‘stand-in’, I mean it would never replace the mainstream way of schooling. However this is my personal opinion and as stated by Rosenberg, it might be because I had a bad experience with e-Learning before.

I always thought e-Learning was expensive to maintain and even more difficult to execute. I also thought, despite its ease of uploading and removing information and scalability, the information might not be very accurate. However Rosenberg’s reading proved me wrong. But please take note that things always seem easier and better theoretically speaking and not so much when placed into practical use.

After reading and attending the first lecture, I was still bewildered with the strong emphasis on e-Learning. After receiving all the different definitions of e-Learning, I conclude that e-Learning is basically an enhanced learning experience in an electronically stimulated environment that can be done anywhere and at anytime.
The history of e-Learning and apparent trend towards e-Learning is apparent but bleak at the moment. Until more reliable and user friendly activities are done with e-Learning programs/experiences, my impression of e-Learning is pessimistic.

Technology eases our ability to interact with people breaking barriers in both distance and time. But it does not necessarily mean people are comfortable with it.
As mentioned in the readings, e-Learning makes learning for an individual personal and at his time and place. This means more discipline on the user’s part to sit before his computer to ‘study’ and not distracted by the comfort and other uses of the computer. As mentioned also, e-Learning lacked the critical essence of human interaction, it lacked the human factor. Conventional classrooms allow the teacher to interact with the students. This gives meaning to the relationship and by converting everything into the matrix, interaction through the computer lacks reality and realness to the relationship even though it is synchronous and you see the other person’s avatar. Furthermore, not everyone is comfortable with using technology. Those that are technologically challenged rely heavily on the people around them to obtain more information and by confining them to their computers to study means ‘enclosing’ them to their computers hence disrupting the teaching process.

In conclusion, I have a brand new understanding of e-Learning, but does it mean it is the next best step to education? I’m not too sure.