Christine Forrester/Journal Post 1

Well, I am overwhelmed! There are so many ways that people think and learn. I have learned the following: When you just memorize new information, the likelihood that you will forget it is increased. I also learned that through cognitive and behaviorist learning, experience and mental recognition and reward for a given response is a natural part of how we learn. Application of what we have learned is proof of comprehension and making connections with prior knowledge and is aligned with Bloom’s Hierarchy of learning. As an educator, I love that there are so many styles of thinking and learning. For me, this keeps me on my toes and constantly looking for new ways to present instruction to my students and new ways to help them apply what they are learning in my class. I also like the postmodern approach in that there is more than one answer to a problem instead of just one. I like this because it accounts for all learning styles. The very best way to approach content is to choose the appropriate learning style that will be necessary for thinking and learning to take place. The dynamics of a group of students should also be taken into consideration; the approach that works successfully with one class, may or may not work with another class. I find that every year, each of my five academic classes present unique ways of thinking and learning. Again, a combination and room for flexibility in planning is necessary, in order for effective learning and connection to take place within my students.
The questions I have, with regard to this week’s readings, are how to choose the best approaches to instructional design and effective learning. I don’t think that I always make the best choices for my students. Is one approach better than the others? Does this decision depend on the types of students and dynamics of a class? In my opinion, Pavlov’s approach is useful when teaching skills- based lessons. If higher level thinking, and rigor, are to take place in a classroom, I believe that steps 4, 5, and 6, application, comprehension, and knowledge must be instilled in a lesson plan.
One last note: that while reading about cognitivism, constructivism, and postmodernism, I agreed and identified with these perspectives to a degree. Mental processes can be identified in many cases and the human mind, hence thinking, is very complex. I totally agree with the constructivist view in that learning and thinking are directly connected to a person’s understanding of the world and their experiences. Postmodernism piggy-backs on this thought, in that a person’s reality is based on their experiences and the realities in their life. This is constantly changing and depends on a person’s interpretation of the world in which they live.