Share a story about your best learning experience (could be a formal course or something more personal). Why did you enjoy it?
During a previous course that I completed, I had the opportunity to be exposed to the cognitivism method. As a result, I learnt so much during that course, I was so impressed with the progress that I made in my learning journey.
Learning was more relatable because I was reflecting on what I already knew and then I was able to link those to the new learning situation. This gave me a lot of confidence because it reminded me of the things that I already knew and then I was able to use my existing knowledge as building blocks to learn something new. This did not only enhanced my knowledge but gave me a better understanding of my capacity to reflect deeply on knowledge and skills that I had previously acquired.
As mentioned by Ertmer and Newby in their article, I also believe that “instruction must be based on a student’s existing mental structures, or schema, to be effective” (Ertmer and Newby; 7).
I recall the use of analogies in the lessons, it was very helpful to use comparison between things to help with explanation and this is stated by Ertmer and and Newby “designers use techniques such as advance organizers, analogies, hierarchical relationships, and matrices to help learners relate new information to prior knowledge”(Ertmer and Newby; 8).
Regarding motivation, I believe some learners are motivated to learn when they receive rewards, it could be tangible by receiving good grades or prizes or intangible; when they know they understood what they were trying to learn, the light bulb moment! I agree with the second video “The Backwards Brain Bicycle” which states that knowledge is not equal to understanding. I find the BC concept-based curriculum and instruction and its effects on learning very impactful; the link between Know, Understand and Do.
I believe that in teaching, a cognitivism approach gets students more engaged and it is a great skill that we develop in students to better equip them not only in their future studies but in their life experiences too.
Ertmer, Peggy A., and Timothy Newby. “Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism.” Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design Technology, 2018, https://edtechbooks.org/lidtfoundations/behaviorism_cognitivism_constructivism. Accessed 2 Jun. 2023.
BC Curriculum . “Curriculum Redesign.”, 1 Jan. 2023, curriculum.gov.bc.ca/rethinking-curriculum. Accessed 2 Jun. 2023.
Hi Joysna! It’s great to hear you enjoyed your class and learned much from your professor. It sounds like they did a great job applying the principles of cognitivism to their teaching.
As per rewards, while they can motivate some students, there are also potential drawbacks to using them in education. One concern is that students may become too focused on the reward rather than the learning process itself. Additionally, rewards can create an expectation for external validation and may not promote intrinsic motivation. It’s essential to consider these potential drawbacks when deciding whether or not to use rewards in the classroom.
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