I believe my current instruction style is more cognitivist. Cognitivism focuses on how information is received, organized, stored and retrieved by the mind. It uses the mind as an information processor, that helps to understand how thought processes influence learning.
Reflections are a great mode of learning that allows students to make sense of an experience in relation to oneself, others, and the conditions that shaped the experience. Reflecting on one’s experience is an important method of learning using the cognitive learning strategies. I have had to write reflections all the way from middle school up until university; and I bet I’ll have to write more reflections in the future. It is about questioning, in a positive way, what you do and why you do it and then deciding whether there is a better, or more efficient, way of doing it in the future. This allows people to think back on and learn from their experiences, constructing new knowledge and applying that knowledge to new experiences. I have no doubt that I’ll still be reflecting in the future.
I agree with the statement that “cognitivists work with the learner to help them uncover and use appropriate learning strategies and make connections to prior understandings.” from the readings as it perfectly depicts what I experience in my workspace. I believe my supervisor is a cognitivist because when we code and run into errors, he reminds me that I may not be proficient with the PHP programming language, but I can apply my Python programming skills to understand a general idea of how one can make it work in PHP. Since my work is based on a similar programming language, I find that my existing understanding and knowledge of a typical programming language has had a major impact to help me succeed in my tasks.
Hi Shaafi! Thank you for sharing your insights into your current instruction style! I am surprised to learn that you wrote reflections throughout your schooling. Even though it’s effective, many learners do not like it.
Reflecting on personal experiences helps strengthen metacognitive strategies and make links between learning & actions. Ellen Rose (2013) also argues, “The essence of reflection is synthesis: the creation of new ideas, perspectives, and possibilities” (p. 8), which requires quietude, slowness, and solitude. It is some sort of thinking meditation – an in-depth conversation with yourself about yourself and your past life. Students can be invited to write learning journals and observations or simply point out some takeaways from their learning experiences. Thinking through the pieces and returning to their reflective writing can spark many ‘aha!’ moments.
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References
Rose, E. (2013). On reflection: An essay on technology, education, and the status of thought in the 21st century. Canadian Scholars’ Press.