After reading three articles about learning, motivation, and theory, I have some subjective ideas to share with. The first article introduces the notion of Behaviourists, Cognitivists, and Constructivists. The second article does a perfect job of explaining the reason and importance of learning. The second article also provides backwards brian bicycle video as an example to show the difficulty of changing our thinking. As well, the third article exhibits the importance of motivation for learning. It gives us a model called Keller’s Arcs Model to show the categories of learner motivation.
In general, I agreed with most parts of these articles, but there is one point that I want to disagree with. In the second article, the author said that it’s very difficult to change someone’s mind due to confirmation bias. From my perspective, sometimes is not that difficult to change people’s mind, and confirmation bias is related to people’s own characteristics. If someone is a stubborn or arrogant person, his/her mind may tough to change. However, if someone is a humble and gentle person, he/she may change his/her mind due to certain circumstances. I also think young children or high-level educators are possible to change their confirmation because they willing to accept new ideas. On the other hand, it’s a little difficult to understand the terms of Behaviourists, Cognitivists, and Constructivists. I tried to understand these terms base on my experience and daily example, and I read the definition of these terms several times.
Secondly, I would like to share a story on how to use the left hand for playing basketball. I am a right-hander for playing basketball, so I have to overcome the challenge of using the left hand. This challenge is similar to backward bicycle example, and I need to deal with the inflexibility for patterns of thinking. I became a behaviorist to develop left-hand habits. Also, I had the motivation to engage and persist on my task, and I practice almost every day. Practicing my left hand for basketball could be my best learning experience. I realized the neuroplasticity in learning, and I had to overcome my natural body habits for playing basketball. It’s like playing a chess game with my brain. I’m glad I broke my body’s natural limitations.
Finally, the three terms Behaviourists, Cognitivists, and Constructivists have different meanings for learning. Behaviourists care more about interaction and feedback for developing habits, so it’s the main point is action. Cognitivists focus on understanding and making connections to prior knowledge. Constructives focus on interpreting their own learners’ ideas through experiences. Furthermore, I will consider myself as a behaviourist. I like to act and interact with my professors or classmates for getting useful feedback. Due to this special period, learning is not easy for me because I need to have good self – discipline. Thus, becoming a behaviourist is good for my learning, and I can justify myself through feedback actively.