Why do people do what they do?  Did you ever wonder what trigger people’s mannerisms, actions or even phobias?   All these make up human behavior which are manifestations of how individuals think, act and react.

In one of the homilies about obedience, a Filipino priest emphasized in a funny story how hard-headed we, Filipinos can be.  How, even at the expense of our health we would choose to do wrong – because we cannot resist the temptation of good food, especially pork and meat.

A businessman visited his doctor.  He complained of headache, palpitation and dizziness for days.  The doctor examined the patient and had the bloodwork done. After getting the results of lab tests the doctor told his patient that he is hypertensive, has high cholesterol and uric acid.  The doctor ordered the businessman, “From now on, you are to avoid eating meat of animals that walk on the ground and eat only the meat of creatures that swim, in addition to fruits and vegetables”.   

A month passed the doctor did not hear from his patient.  He decided to visit the businessman at home.  As soon as the housemaid opened the gate the doctor asked, “Where is your boss?  How is he doing?  I have not heard from him for a month since his last visit to my clinic.”  The housemaid replied, “Oh, boss is doing good! Now he’s at the backyard in the pool teaching a pig to swim.” The congregation burst into laughter.

In the discussions about Behaviorism, learning is facilitated by changes in human behavior that we see as responses to external stimuli which are observable, measurable and independent of an  individual’s thought processes. In the preceding funny story the doctor ordered his patient to stop eating unhealthy food to improve his well-being.  Negative punishment.  Conditioning and reinforcements/punishments are used to change a behavior.  We may not be aware of it but behaviorism is widely used in daily life. 

In the teaching-learning environment the application of behaviorism has been proven important, useful and effective but it is not without loopholes.   For one thing, not all students learn the same way.  Some students when punished become shy, uninterested and even aggressive.  It also does not guarantee that a negative behavior will not occur again because of differences in students’ personalities.   In some instances student’s behavior worsens.  Similarly in the case of positive reinforcements, students may display a pleasant behavior but for how long will such behavior last?  Using rewards especially of material nature is not sustainable. There could be change in a student’s momentum and motivation in the absence of rewards that they got used to.  Keeping students motivated to learn is a challenge. 

A professor I know who taught Thermodynamics to mechanical engineering students once said he has practiced the same old strategy in teaching that has proven to work for years.  He uses wit in entertaining students, starting his class with funny stories and a bit of casual talk before he begins the formal lesson to get students’ full attention.  He observed that doing this his students start to get interested in what he says and eventually participate in discussions.  It will be a tedious, (even silly a task for some) to evaluate each and every student’s personality in order to have an idea what theoretical learning approach will work for them.  I think one thing that can be done is for  teachers to practice due diligence in doing timely intervention if a behavioral approach obviously doesn’t work in order to control potential damage and avoid disappointments.

 

   

Reflections on Assignment 1

I consider intelligence a constant;  learning, a variable and education, an option.  The interplay between education and learning is undeniable.  In as much as  we acknowledge one’s innate abilities to play an important role in learning, so should we acknowledge one’s innate limitations, too which mean that the learning process differs between people.  What works for one may not work for the other.  Some may have faster grasp of ideas than others, some are adept at mastering skills or solving practical problems.    A single, perfect universal approach to pedagogy that will work for all is impossible because of these differences.

For the longest time the teacher-centered learning have dominated the education system that we know. Coming from old school, I remember we would not even dare challenge the teacher about the information being transmitted to us.  They did most of the talking in the classroom and we considered all that they said as right. We were heavy on textbooks, literally and relied heavily on them but over time the approaches to pedagogy and the tools used have evolved.   The use of textbooks has obviously diminished because of technology. It is astounding  that with the many approaches to learning  and teaching available it seems there are still ways that can be explored as suggested by the new breed of keen observers amongst us whose proposals can potentially revolutionize the way students are being taught and how students learn from early childhood through adult years.   Some schools have already started implementing a combination of conventional and alternative approaches to teaching and learning with the use of technology, immersion and involvement of parents.   An example is the home study program which is in fact not a new concept but is reinvented, re-introduced, and is gaining popularity even for grade schoolers. Many parents have started considering this option these days out of safety concerns for their children and due to incidents of bullying in schools. Home schooling was the option of the old rich in the past. Many famous personalities in history have been home-schooled like the Queen of England, George Washington, James Madison, Leonardo Da Vinci, Claude Monet, to name a few.

Perhaps an ideal pedagogical approach is one that would satisfy the needs of students based on their strengths, weaknesses and circumstances;  that which will allow them to interact with peers and teachers, and enjoy while learning. If students enjoy what they are doing their enthusiasm will not falter, they become passionate and learning comes spontaneously and will stick with them permanently.  We grow rich in knowledge with what we learn in school but we grow richer with the lessons taught by our experiences, environment and interaction with people.

Module II – Theories of Intelligence

A man looks out from the small window grill of his cell in a mental facility keenly observing a driver who had a flat tyre across the quiet street.  Curious, the man called out to the driver.  Pssst! Hey, driver come here!  The driver came and stood by the perimeter fence  which was the closest distance he could go to talk to the man.  The man asked, “What is the matter?  I’ve been watching you for half an hour and you’ve been staring at the manhole.”  The driver replied, “Tough luck, I had a flat tyre and tried to fix it but I  accidentally nudged a pair of bolt and nut which fell into the manhole.  I was figuring out how to get them from the manhole so, I could fix the tyre”.  As if analyzing, the man asked, “How many bolts and nuts are needed to fix one tyre?”.  “Four sets”, the driver replied.  “Hmmm… if you take one pair of bolt and nut from each of the three remaining tyres, you can fix the fourth tyre.  Now, all the tyres will equally have three bolts and nuts.  With that, I think… I think  you can try to drive very slowly and carefully until you reach the nearest car repair shop where you could have them fixed”.  Realizing this is possible, the driver scratched his head and said, “Oh yes, that is possible!  Why did I not think of that?!  Thanks for that brilliant idea, mister!”   The driver was about to go back to the car but turned around and asked the man, “By the way, you are an intelligent man, what are you doing in a mental asylum?”.  The man replied, “Well, I am here only because I am mentally sick but, thankfully I am not stupid!”

Imagine this:  a mentally sound person confronted with a dilemma couldn’t figure out for himself what to do;  and a mentally sick person presented with the same  problem, analyses it and comes up with a possible solution.  A compelling contrast of cognitive abilities.  

I have always believed that intelligence is hereditary but I doubted my personal assumption after seeing a few evidence that disprove it.   Take for example an Arab couple I know of average intelligence who has three kids.  The first two children are of average abilities. The youngest of the three was able to read at age 2, can count to 100 and do multiplication at age 3. Now at four, his reading ability is what his teacher says, a 7^th grader level.  He has been sent overseas for a number of assessments and each time he exceeds what he did in the previous tests given to him. The boy attends two schools – a regular school in the mornings and twice a week he goes to a school for gifted children.

There is no doubt intelligence is an innate human ability which involves learning (acquisition of knowledge), reasoning, recognizing and solving problems.  Our talents, our resolve, emotions and even the way we relate with people form part of intelligence which can be nurtured.  Scientists have been studying human intelligence for over a 100 years in an attempt to unravel its complexity that various theories have been published; each proposal either building upon the previous findings, objecting it or presenting new discoveries.  The research and debates continue to this day.  I do not understand why scientists have to dig deep into solving the ‘mystery’ of intelligence when we already know and accept  that it is a natural phenomenon, an innate combination of various abilities.  So, why can’t we just let nature be?  I could not think up of any excuse  but what is obvious to me is that discovery is  a competition, scientists keep trying to outsmart each other.   Albert Einstein said, “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex… It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction”.

One issue related to the study of intelligence which evokes controversy is the IQ test. Can numbers really measure one’s overall abilities?

I remember taking the mandatory NCEE (National College Entrance Examination) a few months before graduating from high school.   It was used to determine if a student is qualified to pursue a 4-year college education or vocational/technical education.  Well, to me it was like a test that measured if you’re smart or stupid, nothing in between.   I honestly thought it was discriminating and at the same time embarrassing if you failed it.  Even if I had confidence in my abilities somehow after taking the heavily-proctored exam that lasted half a day I couldn’t take off my mind negative possibilities because computers are used to check the exam sheets and could be erratic.  The anxiety of waiting for test result was a torture (like my head was hanging by a guillotine!) that it overshadowed the excitement of our approaching high school graduation.  I was relieved when I finally got my test result.  I passed!  The whole batch did.  Still, I wondered how many students’ dreams were shattered at the time for failing the NCEE?  How sad.   After many years the NCEE was abolished in 1994.

To date many are still not aware that an IQ test is used to gauge one’s reasoning ability and its result cannot be used to judge a person’s overall abilities.   Many have been disadvantaged by misuse of test results, especially in job applications.  Add to that the frustration caused by organizations’ preference for hiring those who graduated from what they considered top, best or exclusive schools which has been the widespread practice in the Philippines for so many years.   I’m glad that there has been a paradigm shift on this recently for the sake of equality.   

I think teachers should educate students on what IQ tests are used for and what they intend to measure to correct the wrong notion about it.  One’s success in school and in life are not determined by IQ test scores (or influenced by the school where they graduated from).  I personally believe that prayers, intelligence combined with hardwork, right attitude and luck are factors that can propel a person to success.

If you’re given a choice, would you rather be one with high IQ and impoverished or below average IQ and super rich ?

Cheers!

Who would have thought that at this age I will be creating my first ever e-journal/blog ?  Yikes!  For someone who belongs to the  demographic cohort Generation X, this is outrageous!  I am no tech-savvy.  Other than emails, Whatsapp and LinkedIn (which I have not updated since God knows when) I do not own the more popular social media accounts – not that I am technophobic,  it’s just that I do not have the luxury of time to have and maintain one; and perhaps because I prefer the face-to-face social interaction over online discourse; and perhaps because I value privacy. My privacy.  But times change and so we should, I should … embrace change.  That’s  what learning is all about. Unfortunately, I have to deal with this e-journal because I have to.  Gosh! I did not even bother writing a diary when I was younger and now this?  Well, there’s always a first time.  Writing this, I suddenly recalled my first-day-of-school jitters in KG.  I said to myself what the heck, who cares?  Just do it!

Dear reader/s, welcome to my thoughts and reflections on discussion topics in EDS_103 (Theories of Learning)! You may not always agree with what I write or say, but come on … give this “lowla” (lola) a chance to speak her mind and pick your brains, too! 

Module 1 – Perspectives and Conceptions About Learning

Home is our first school. Our family can be credited for our first life lessons with our parents as our first teachers who molded us during the cognitive years from our first walk through our first formal school attendance. I thought I’d share with you here a link to a poem full of wisdom reflecting life’s learning realities by Dr. Dorothy L. Nolte.

Many of you may have known and forgotten this, but just in case – here’s to remind you. And for those who are reading this for the first time, I hope it inspires you. http://www.empowermentresources.com/info2/childrenlearn-long_version.html

I’ve read most of the given reference materials for the module but I took a while because my eyes get strained easily I had to take breaks in between and I admit  after going through them I got perplexed I thought my brains are gonna come out!!  While I agree with what the proponents of learning have written, there is not a single, perfect definition that could  describe it because there are different kinds of learning and it involves a process which is not always the same. This was mentioned in Kendra Cherry’s article. However we define it, for me the most important factors for learning are change and experience.

We cannot refute the theories about learning by the other experts since they are based on facts, experiments and experience but it seems to me they are focused on and are more applicable in the classroom setup and academic environment. One article that caught my attention was Joanne Yatvin’s, which discussed the diminishing role of textbooks, although they are still significant in school. There is truth in this claim.

In the university where I am working porters do the rounds to collect the textbooks lying around the whole campus which are dumped by students every end-of-term. An unbelievable waste of resources! Five years ago I was overwhelmed with the tons of used and unused new textbooks collected around the campus that were to be thrown. I gathered my courage to ask one of the Deans if I could take some of them, and he agreed. I managed to collect two jumbo boxes of the newer textbooks and sent them directly to the library of a technical institute in Manila. Those textbooks deserve better students who know its value in cost and in learning. With the advent of internet which provides information on almost every single thing we could think of, what could be the future of textbooks and for how long could they be around? I wonder. For such old-schooler like me, I still derive pleasure out of reading books. How about you ?

Driving a colleague home on late Wednesday evening last week, I had this curious urge to ask her whether learning should always result in positive outcome in order for it to be called “learning”. Her answer was no. Well, I thought so, too and I’m glad we share the same view. Again, in her article, Kendra Cherry mentioned learning can involve both beneficial and negative behaviors. A person can learn new things that can either be good or detrimental for them and could affect people around them.

I’m not sure maybe I missed on readings but I do not remember negative learning (if I may call it that) being discussed much in the reference materials.

Dale Schunk’s essential constituents of learning (change, endurance over time and consequence of experience) obviously resonate with the more practical form of learning – from life which I guess all of us can relate to.

Last night while waiting for my turn to see the doctor I was reading on E.L. Thorndike. He believed that ability to learn did not decline until age 35 and only at the rate of 1% yearly. Later on it was shown that speed of learning and not the power of learning declined with age. That pretty much opposed the old saying, “you can’t teach old dogs new tricks!” Take it from me, I’m over 50 and still learning!

Ciao!

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton