Category: Post 1

I agree with Colby’s feelings of only being motivated to learn when I am directly interested in the learning material. I also find that post-secondary undergraduate education (especially in engineering) has a very rigid framework and gives little freedom to students to choose what they want to learn. There is a distinct difference between the level of knowledge required to pass a class, and the level of knowledge required to fully understand and grasp all concepts from the class material. Thus, it is up to students and learners in general to take it upon themselves to invest in the learning that interests them and further their understanding of the topics. I also agree that I have performed much better in the courses for which I have a passion, and that staying motivated to study during other classes is a complete struggle.

Describe an example from your life of when you were taught using each method described in this article: behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism.

Behaviorism:

I was taught using behaviorism in elementary school, where a token economy system was used to reinforce good behaviour such as achieving high marks on quizzes/assignments, helping fellow classmates out with tasks, and having a positive attitude. These tokens could then be exchanged for various rewards at the end of each month, further reinforcing the effects of good behaviour. Inappropriate behaviour such as late assignments, talking during class, or unkind acts would result in tokens being taken away from students. The students with the lowest number of tokens at the end of each month would have to conduct a form of community work for the class that would benefit everyone, such as cleaning the classroom or other classroom chores.

Cognitivism:

In high school, I remember studying for Biology classes and using acronyms and visual imagery to help me remember concepts, ideas, and key points from the class material. This was a tremendous help as I was able to remember and retain much more information by linking and associating body parts, organisms, chemicals, and processes to create a picture in my mind that I could visualize and repeat on the tests and quizzes. Furthermore, to this day I use my knuckles and the spaces in between my fingers to remember how many days are in each month. For example, I know January has 31 days as it is a ‘peak’, as well as March, June, etc.

Constructivism:

I have experienced constructivism while in an Escape Room, where a group of people must collaborate to solve puzzles and find clues to figure out how to escape the enclosure in a certain amount of time. This involves lots of problem-solving skills, communication, constructive criticism, decision making, and collaboration among people with various backgrounds, educations, experiences, and perspectives. Thus, it makes for a perfect case of constructivism where I learned how to escape the rooms by working together with my group to find the most optimal solution.