Cognitivism as a Learning Theory

As I was reading Bill Kerr’s blog the first thing that popped into my mind was that he is confusing my by constantly using “isms”. Bill Kerr said, “Actions which are followed by rewards are often repeated.” I completely agree that this is a strategy that is still used in today’s classroom. The theory of behaviorism, to me, is one of the most used strategies inside of the classroom. All students receive a grade for their work. I consider grades to be an award. Some students might not agree with that but rewarding a student with an “A” is a reward in response to the correct work being submitted. There were many times in Kerr’s blog that confused me. At one point I was not sure what theory he supported. I am guessing that he believes that all of the learning theories are necessary because he started to lean that way by the end of his blog. I am wondering if anyone else had trouble understanding his points and if they can elaborate further on what he was trying to say.




Reference

Kerr, B. (2007, January 1). _isms as filter, not blinker [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filter-not-blinker.html

Learning Theory and Educational Technology: Module One

For this week's blog I have decided to discuss option one which states, "What are your beliefs about how people learn best? What is the purpose of learning theory in educational technology?"  The problem with answering this type of question is that I don't have one particular belief about how people learn.  Different people learn differently.  There is no one size fits all fix for education.  I believe that educational technology can help with this problem.  Technology can be used to help students get an individual learning experience.  I also believe that the best learning can only occur if the theories are combined.