Learning, Motivation & Theory
After reading Chapter 11: Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism by Ertmer and Newby, I came to the realization that I was exposed to behaviourist instruction styles during grade school, though in university there has been a drastic shift to cognitivist and constructivist styles. I find cognitivist instruction styles much more effective for learning comprehension than other styles; I tend to grasp onto concepts and ideas by the emotions displayed during instruction and the emotions provoked within myself during the lesson. If a professor is transparent and open with the class about their experiences within academia or aspects of their personal life, I connect with the content more profoundly and develop emotional bridges to the material.
Previous Experiences with Learning Methods
I’d now like to reflect on past experiences with behaviourism, cognitivism, and constructivism. In the table below, there are examples of what worked for me and what didn’t for each instruction style. I wasn’t able to find an example for a cognitive style that didn’t work for me, which is why the space was left blank.
| What Worked | What Did Not Work | |
| Behaviourism | Participation being rewarded with prizes, usually snacks | Participation being rewarded with more work |
| Cognitivism | Being encouraged to draw on personal interests when completing a task or assignment | |
| Constructivism | Research a topic in a group, then present findings to another group, then that group presents it to the rest of the class. | Research a topic in groups with materials provided by the instructor to then present to the class. |
Overall, my best learning experiences are when I can decide the main focus for an assignment under a broad scope provided by an instructor. Most recently, I had an assignment where I had to analyze and critique a governmental plan, in which I could decide which type of plan to analyze and what municipality it was provided by. With this amount of liberty, I was able to choose a town of interest and a plan that involved personal interests. I ended up picking the municipal district of Halifax and its most recent climate action plan. As a geography and environmental studies student, I am deeply involved in climate action, so when I inevitably move away from Victoria, I want to ensure this matter is prevalent in the local government I decide to reside in. There ideally must also be jobs in the sector and an active community committed to climate action. As a result of this project, I came to the conclusion that Halifax is an excellent place for me to move to one day.
Motivation Autopsy
To situate myself and acknowledge previous experiences with online courses, I completed a Motivation Autopsy. I am no stranger to online courses, although, since there isn’t a universal format, nor are there individual motivation resources usually built into or supplied for courses, what I get out of online classes varies dramatically. I will be taking my motivation autopsy into consideration throughout my time in EDCI 335 and for other online classes I wish to pursue in the future.
References
Ertmer, P. A. & Newby, T. (2018). Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism: Comparing Critical Features From an Instructional Design Perspective. In Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design Technology (1st Edition): Historical Roots and Current Trends (pp. 133-151). https://edtechbooks.org/lidtfoundations/behaviorism_cognitivism_constructivism
Hi Kirsten,
From reading your blog post, I totally get what you mean, when a prof is real and open, itâs so much easier to care about what theyâre teaching and actually remember it. I relate to your example on rewards, because being ârewardedâ with more work would make anyone stop participating, and that has been my experience with some classes, and it led to me not enjoying that class as much. I also connected with your constructivism example too, researching in one group, sharing with another, and then having that group teach the class feels like the kind of learning that actually sticks because youâre building the understanding together and explaining it to others.
Iâd say I have a constructivist mindset as well, because I learn best when I can talk ideas out, compare perspectives, and practice teaching what Iâm learning to someone else. Furthermore, your Halifax climate plan example is such a good proof of how freedom within a broad assignment can make learning feel personal instead of forced.
Thanks for sharing !