Module 2- Cognitivism

At http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filter-not-blinker.html, Bill Kerr wrote, “I've also noticed that learning theorists, who have a different favourite _ism to mine, might still come up with significant findings in their empirical studies that I find hard to reject or ignore”

I agree with Bill Kerr’s comment regarding relevant aspects in the different theorists’ _isms that are difficult to dismiss even though the theory is not all encompassing on its own. As I go through and consider the components of several of the _isms, I find descriptions about learning I have observed in classrooms as well as in other social settings where learning takes place. When considering how learning occurs, it makes sense to see a variety of methods or processes that are productive. Learning takes place in a plethora of settings involving a diverse group of individuals, which would suggest a variety of learning processes. For example, individuals tend to like praise or recognition and will acquire learned behavior in response to receiving positive feedback. Children will learn behaviors in response to being given praise for a job well done. Teenagers will improve homework skills in response to positive reinforcement from parents and teachers. Adults will learn and follow procedures at work in response to positive recognition from a boss. It is easy to observe behaviorism in action; however, it is not proof behaviorism will absolutely be true for all situations. Other _isms such as cognitivism and constructivism, which have premises of learners like computers where information is input, processed, and output in some form and learners must construct meaning to learn. Yes, there is a great benefit in the learning process for students who are actively engaged; however, not all learning experiences are necessarily active processes. I have observed learning in a foreign language class that occurred in what would be considered an immersed environment where some learning was the result of unconscious modeling. Some of the students had not even realized they had incorporated some of the vocabulary at first.

As Bill Kerr discussed, it is definitely possible to acknowledge findings throughout the different _isms that have merit when considering the process of learning. Since learning occurs in many different areas, with many different people at many different stages it is logical to consider a variety of paths to understand how it occurs.

At http://karlkapp.blogspot.com/2007/01/out-and-about-discussion-on-educational.html, Karl Kapp wrote, “The issue many forget is that “learning” is not one thing…it is a multi-layered word that tends to get treated as if it were just one thing…and it’s not. It is multi-facetted and that is why developing new models for “learning” is so difficult…there are too many levels for one school of thought or one model to do it all”

Karl Kapp’s statement seems to center in on a crucial aspect of understanding how learning occurs, and that is to understand that the process of learning is a diverse and complicated issue. When you consider how different individuals are from one another and how diverse their environments can be from day to day as well as from one another, it would be difficult to automatically accept that their learning experiences and processes would be the same. If this premise is accepted, then it would have to assume that both genetics and environment have no bearing on the functioning process or path in which an individual learns. This is to say that all humans would be exactly the same in how their body functions in the overall learning process for every situation. We know not all individuals will have the same perceptions of a situation or gain the same meaning from the occurrences that happen, so why would we decide that all individuals would be exactly the same in how they learn? Why would we decide that all situations are the same for how the learning would need to take place? It would seem more logical that the learning method or mode would be a combination of the requirements for the intended learning and the predisposition of the learner. For example, does the intended learning involve an active process or a passive process?

We know that the physical natures of individuals are remarkably different to the extent that medicine and treatment will have varied effects on the individuals. Basically body chemistry varies, which means the responses to outside forces and influences can vary. This is the same body chemistry that affects how the brain perceives, stores, and access information in the brain. This would imply that the how and why of processes dealing with the brain would vary as well. This does not mean there will not be similarities; however, probability would also tell us there would definitely be differences as well.