Learning Theories - Coursework Example

Learning Theories Name Course Date Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Section A 3 Introduction 3 Analysis 3 Learning and Experience 3 Learning and situation 4 Enhancement of Individuals 5 Active learning and online experience 5 Conclusion 6 Section B 6 Introduction 6 Discussion 7 Analysis 7 Tangible rewards and its effect on the mentality of learners 7 Effects on other learners and the general performance 8 Effects on the task 9 Conclusion 10 References 11 Section A Introduction The theory of situated cognition suggests that there is a relationship between knowing and doing. This theory suggests that the learning outcome depends on the given situation (Driscoll, 2004). As a result of this, the outcome of learning does not depend on the stored knowledge but the situation. The learning process of an individual is thus enhanced through the situations that they find themselves. The learning process is also enhancing through experience according to the theory. The use of technological tool is also important for learners as it affects their methods of obtaining knowledge. This section thus discusses situated cognition in relation to the online learning. Analysis Learning and Experience In cognition learning, the learner is able to learn by listening and watching which is applicable in online learning. It is thus evident that situated cognition learning is useful in online learning. Most of the current users of the internet are conversant with the technological tools. According to Shadish (2002), the online learning is also increasingly becoming popular among the learners. Through their experiences in watching articles on the internet they are able to learn new concepts as cognitive learning is mainly about knowing and learning through experience. Remembering the experiences is also an important concept of learning. However it is also important to note that situation concepts are applicable for online learners. This is due to the fact that the online learners relay on examples from the internet which gives them adequate experiences to understand the concepts at hand. The use of the internet is also important in terms of ensuring that the learners are able to watch the ideas being taught to them. The use power point presentation to enhance the experience of the learners is a good example. The use of the internet involves watching videos which involves real life experience that is relevant to the situation cognition. This ensures that the learners are able to appreciate what they learn online and hence translating them into real life experience (Engle, 2006). Learning and situation One of the most important concepts of situated cognition is that the activity and learning depends on the situation that they occur. This therefore means that the learning process does not necessarily depend on the context but the methods used during the learning process. The online learning is thus one of the processes of learning. This process is thus, relevant to the learners as it exposes them to different experiences from the normal methods and hence enhancing their experience. The transfer of knowledge does not depend on the tasks but it varies depending on the previous tasks. Most of the online learners have experienced the ordinary learning methods. This is important in terms of equipping them with the required skills that enables them to comprehend what they learn. Through the use of online learning, they are still able to gain more knowledge and it does not affect their transfer of knowledge. The use of examples is also important in terms of situated cognition. Most of the learners require examples in order to comprehend what they are learning. Through the use of online learning, most of the examples are available online and are accessible to the learners. This is also important as it enhances their learning experience and hence enabling the transfer of knowledge (Eysenck, 2005). Enhancement of Individuals During the ordinary learning process, instructions are always used to ensure that the learner is able to comprehend what is being taught. However, the online learning depends on the individual capabilities. This does not affect the learning process in any way as the individual efforts are also important in terms of enabling the learners to comprehend what is being taught in the classroom. The focus on the individual skills is important in the situated cognition and it determines the amount of efforts that an individual has to make. The online learning process may also require a lot of individual efforts but the instructions are also available although they are limited. The goals and objectives of the learner also influence the learning process and the transfer of knowledge. This is important during the online learning as most of the learners know their goals and objectives. This acts as a guide to the transfer of knowledge as it acts as motivating factor. Most of the work has to be done individually by the learners and hence the need of establishing the goals and objectives. This is also important for the learners as the situation equips them with the required set of skills (Golas, 2005). Active learning and online experience According to Scardamalia (2003), the cognitive learning process is also passive in most of the aspects as it involves listening and watching. This is also applicable in the online learning process as the learner has limited opportunities of interacting physically with the teachers or lecturers. However, the learner is always very active during the process of learning. This is achieved by answering questions and conducting research online. This is also a situation that the learner has to face during the process. The continuous research and answering of questions therefore enhances the experience of the learner. It also enhances the capacity of the learner in terms of remembering the things that they have learned and the new concepts that they have to understand. Observing and learning is also an important concept of cognitive learning. Most of the online learners have to make observations during the learning process in order to enhance their capacity. This is due to the absence of the tutor or teachers who has to guide them physically. The learning experience of the online learners is thus guided by the observational skills which enable them to make judgments. It is thus evident that the online learners are able to learn new ideas through experience and observation (Ormrod, 2004). Conclusion In conclusion, it is important to note that the concepts of situated cognition are applicable to the online learners. Most of the concepts are derived from the observational skills and the ability of the learners to read and watch. The situate cognition is also important for the learners in terms of enhancing their learning skills. Experience is also an important aspect of the situation cognition and the online learners gain experience by dealing with different situations. On the other hand, the transfer of knowledge is also an emphasis in the situated cognition process. The transfer of knowledge does not depend on the accumulated knowledge but the experience and the situation that faces the learners. Section B Introduction It is a common practice all over the world for learners to be rewarded when they perform highly. This is brought about by the fact that many people believe that the practice will boost the morale of the learners and hence encouraging good performance (Knowles, 2011). However some of the impacts of the tangible rewards are never considered. The tangible rewards have negative results to most of the learners and in some instances it reduces their performance. This is one of the negative results of rewarding he learners whenever they perform well. This section thus discusses the negative impacts of the tangible rewards to the learners. Discussion The use of tangible rewards to motivate the learners has negative impacts on both the learners and the learning process. This is due to the consequences that it has on the learners. Some of the consequences of tangible rewards are direct while others are indirect. The negative impacts of the tangible rewards are also far much greater than the positive impacts that it has on the learners. According to Eisenberger, et al (2001), most of the learning institutions have also discovered the negative impacts of tangible rewards and are changing the system of motivating the learners. The objectives of this section is thus to critically analyze the negative impacts of tangible rewards. Analysis Tangible rewards and its effect on the mentality of learners Rewarding the learners with tangible rewards whenever they perform well does them more harm than good. The system of rewarding top performing learners has a potential of affecting their mentality. Most of the learners will always believe that they deserve to be rewarded whenever they perform well and any failure to reward them will be misinterpreted. The system of rewarding the learners also makes them fail to understand the real reason of performing well. Most of the learners will work hard for the wrong reasons and hence failing to appreciate the importance of performing well. The rewards also create temporary changes on the learners as most of them fail to perform well once there is no reward. The learners only perform well when they are aware that they will be rewarded for good performance. This change is quite temporal as the rewards may not be available every time. The tangible rewards are also more of a bribe as compared to a tool for motivation. This also impacts negatively on the mentality of the learners. It is for this reason that some of the learners believe that they must be rewarded in order to perform well. This mentality is dangerous especially to the young learners who always want a certain favor in order to perform a task appropriately (Wu, 2010). Effects on other learners and the general performance This system also discourages the other learners from trying to tackle classroom problems as the rewards are usually given to the top performers. Those who do not perform well ends up being discouraged and hence their continuous poor performance. This is also considering that some of the learners are naturally top performers and will be the only ones receiving the rewards. Giving the learners rewards in most cases encourages external focus. Most of the learners will always expect to be rewarded once they perform well. This is especially common with the tangible rewards and hence misleading the learners. In other instances, the desired performance is never attained once the rewards are not given to the learners. This leads to low morale and poor performance and hence affecting the learning outcomes. Some of the top performers have always posted poor results once the tangible rewards have been withdrawn. The tangible rewards are usually withdrawn in some instances due to their expensive nature. This also has a negative impact on the expenses of both the teachers and the parents. Most of the tangible rewards are usually bought by the teachers and the parents. It may end up increasing their expenditures and hence affecting their personal expenses (Zhi-zheng, et al, 2011). Effects on the task Although not all the rewards have a negative impact on the performance of the learners, most of the rewards have negative impacts. It is common for most of the learners who are used to the rewards to ask what they will be given whenever they are told to perform a certain task. This is quite negative as it reduces the self motivation of most of the learners. In other instances, not all the learners are motivated by the rewards. According to Malik (2009), different group of learners have a different learning pace and hence some will always perform poorly regardless of whether there is a reward or not. This system also shifts the attention of the teachers from helping the weak students perform better. The concentration is always based on the rewards as opposed to the individual problems facing the learners. In cases where the tangible reward is given to the first student to get the correct answer, it discourages the spirit of trying to solve the problem. Most of the learners will stop trying to solve the problem once the one of the learner has solved it. This has a negative impact on the learning outcomes as those who do not try ends up ignoring the problem. This has a potential of affecting them in future in case they came across the same problem in future. However, it is important to note that not all rewards have negative impacts but the tangible rewards system has negative outcomes for the learners (Parrish, 2011). Conclusion In conclusion, the system of rewarding the learners with tangible rewards has a negative impact. This is due to the effects that it has on the learners and the learning experience. It is evident that the learning outcome is usually impacted negatively once the tangible rewards are withdrawn. It is also evident that the use of tangible rewards impacts negatively on the self motivation of the learners. This also benefits only the top performers while ignoring the individual needs of the poor performers. The use of tangible rewards is thus inappropriate for the learners. The system also impacts negatively on the teachers and it influences negatively on the behavior of the learners. It is also evident that the use of tangible rewards only benefits a few learners and does not play the motivation role. References Driscoll, M. (2004). Psychology of learning for instruction (3 ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Allyn & Bacon. Engle, R. (2006). Framing interactions to foster generative learning: A situative explanation of transfer in a community of learners classroom. 15. pp. 451–498. Eysenck, M. (2005). Cognitive psychology (5 ed.). New York: Psychology Press. Golas, K. (2005). Principles of Instructional Design (5 ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Ormrod, J. (2004). Human learning (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Scardamalia, M. (2003). Knowledge building. In J. W. Guthrie (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Education (2nd Ed., pp. 1370–1373). New York: Macmillan Reference. Shadish, W. et al. (2002). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for generalized causal inference. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. Knowles, M. (2011). The adult learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development. Butterworth-Heinemann. Wu, H. (2010). Factors affecting learners' knowledge sharing intentions in web-based learning. In Computer Communication Control and Automation (3CA), 2010 International Symposium on (Vol. 2, pp. 83-86). IEEE. Zhi-zheng, L. et al. (2011). Investigation of the Effects of Content-based Instruction on EFL Learners' Motivation and Proficiency. Journal of Lanzhou Polytechnic College, 6, 024. Parrish, P. (2011). Transformative learning experience: Aim higher, gain more. Educational Technology, 51(2), 10. Malik, J. (2009). Effects of Motivation on Student Behavior. Available at SSRN 1520846. Eisenberger, R. et al. (2001). Incremental effects of reward on creativity. Journal of personality and social psychology, 81(4), 728. Read More