In reality I cannot say that I agree totally with either behaviorism or cognitivism. When looking at behaviorism and cognitivism I see components of each theory that are applicable to the online learning process, depending upon the type of course involved. “When deciding which strategies to utilize, it is crucial to consider the level of knowledge of the learners and the cognitive processing demands. The nature of the learning task and proficiency level of the learners should both be considered when incorporating strategies” (Haberkorn, 2003).
If one were taking an introductory course in which concrete information is needed to be assimilated, this would require a different focus than one in which an individual is required to focus on researching a particular topic in an area of study. When I think about behaviorism I think about teaching math to young students who need the benefit of teacher modeling, practice and reinforcement (Szapkiw, in order to learn the basic skills. They are given steps to solve problems. Their teacher also might set up learning labs in the classroom in which active math learning is experienced, etc. A higher learning course which would benefit from the behavioristic strengths would be in a course similar to a New Testament Survey course in which concrete material would need to be assimilated and content reflection used as a basis for further studies. Similarly, a chemistry course would require basic knowledge assimilation and reinforcement in order that students have basic knowledge to support other courses in their field of study. The strength of behaviorism is in building a foundation for further studies. Its weakness falls into the category of stifling students by categorizing them as the same types of learners and designing courses accordingly, instead of recognizing the individual characteristics of students and their various learning preferences, etc. Cognitivism takes over when learning steps is not enough to solve problems or issues. It requires that students pull from prior knowledge in order to solve or learn something new. They might be required to ask self-questions in order to uncover the information to be learned or it might require students categorize and organize information for their further use. It also enlists the educator as a facilitator whose role is more of a support than the behaviorist educator. When one looks at online learning, cognitive learning theory would be the most effective, considering the fact that most online learners are adults or older teenagers who are more self-motivated to learn but it would still depend upon the maturity of the learner involved. As cognitive learners, most adult online learners have some life experiences from which to draw in order to enrich their online study and they will willingly take ownership of their learning (Finlay, 2010). In teaching adults online, I liked what Merrill declared to be the three essential components of successful learning: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ References Finlay, J. (2010). Andragogy (Adult Learning). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=vLoPiHUZbEw Haberkorn, J. (2003). Lesson 11-question 4: Cognitivist and behaviorist teachers. Technology Studies in Education Research Portal. Retrieved from http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/jhaberkorn/edpsy399ol/l11q4.html Merrill, D. (2008). Merrill on instructional design. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=i_TKaO2-jXA Szapkiw, M, Szapkiw, A. (2010). Module2: Theories and Foundations of Instruction Design. Retrieved from http://www.amandaszapkiw.com/elearning/principles-of- design/module-2/index.html
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