Melissa’s blog post covers covers the different learning theories learned in the course so far and the impact that it would have on the learning design of a high school course on climate change.
The description of how a behaviourist would design the course is something common to me as it represents a more typical style of a course, where the teacher lectures and then gives quizzes or tests. In my last semester, one of my courses invovled presenting textbook chapters to the class, and people would utilize Kahoot which made the lectures more enjoyable, which at least to me showed that adding gamification to a behaviourist approach can improve the learning experience. I think in terms of this approach it may lead to issues of true understanding of the topic. Climate change is so vast and complex that I feel that this approach could lead to a surface level understanding that could have been expanded with a different learning design.
The cognitivist approach, as Melissa mentions, would try and incorporate things like critical thinking and problem-solving into the lessons, while also relating new information with existing knowledge. I think this design is great for a topic like climate change as students would be able to apply their existing knowledge on climate change, such as acid rain for example, and apply that knowledge to a larger framework to better understand the interconnectedness of it all.
The constructivist, Melissa explains is more focused on ‘real-life’ experiences and bringing an encouragement of solving real-life problems. I think that the examples given, such as the climate action plan for the school is a great example, as it would give students a real-life problem to solve that would ultimately enhance their understanding of the topic.
I think Melissa’s post showcases the benefits and challenges that come from each of the learning designs for this topic. A behaviourist approach would be great for a surface level understanding, and a cognitivist approach could then be used to expand this knowledge, and the constructivist approach could then tie it all together with a real-world problem-solving example. Overall, the post gave me a better understanding of the different theories and how they could be applied in a setting like a high school climate change course.
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