Ism Consideration Over Regulation: Cognitivism and Behaviorism

Reading blogs by Bill Kerr and Karl Capp, they both highlight great points to different learning theories. Cognitivism was developed in response to behaviorism. Behaviorism describes thinking as a behavior. Cognitivism describes thinking as affecting behavior, therefore, thinking can not be a behavior. Kerr discussed that the isms will keep evolving. I agree, and think that we should not view these theories as yes or no answers, but different ways to identify trends in our own work. I study education to become a better instructor and in the end, the most important part of my job in to educate my students. By analyzing different learning theories, it may help me to understand the thinking process, but I still have to develop the best ways for me to reach my students. These isms can unlock understanding, but my mind must be open to new theories. 

Some days I feel like throwing isms out the window. The video that follows describes isms as a way not to have to think at all. By relying on someone else’s theory, we shut out new possibilities. I started teaching with no educational background. I had to develop my own styles of what worked to reach my students. I had to get them to think, without ever having taken a class on “how students think”. This was a liberating beginning; I learned what worked for me without any isms. Fast forward to the present, and now I am studying education. Although theory opens my mind to new concepts, sometimes it can be very limiting. I will move forward looking at isms as possibilities, not rules, to discovery.

Bill Kerr's Blog

Karl Kapp's Blog

ism video describing isms as a way not to have to think:

Learning Beliefs and Theories

To begin a conversation into how I believe people learn best, it is important to know that I teach video and film production at a state college. I teach a subject that students want to study. My first belief into how people learn best, is to relate the subject with what they want to do, rather than what they need to do. What can they gain from from class? This is the first step to motivation. Once motivated, I feel that keeping the students actively involved in the kinetic process of making videos will expose the important lessons to proper film production technique. When I teach editing, it helps for me to tell the students where and how they will use a technique they are learning and relate it to music videos or movies they like. For example, I’ll explain an editing technique used in a Rihanna video and then we’ll reproduce it. They never forget the practical uses of procedures they admire executed by industry professionals.

In educational technology, building a theory of how the above mentioned ideas work to educate others, allow us to reproduce the success. When creating podcasts like: http://www.rippletraining.com/categories/final-cut-studio-courses/final-cut-pro-products/final-cut-pro-10-core-training.html it is important to show the students the results of what they are learning. Videos instructing how to edit often get turned off after a few moments. By developing the theory of keeping students involved kinetically, we can supply footage for the students to practice the techniques they are learning. In developing mobile course for distance education of video production, I have to find new ways to get students involved in lessons. Lessons that follow the learning theories at www.brainpop.com could be a promising solution. 


I responded to:
Brandy Collins http://bcollins-learningtheoryeducationalte.blogspot.com/
and

Sonja Pugh http://sgpugh3.blogspot.com/2011/09/learning-theories.html