Dicussion Questions Learning Theories

 Modes of Cognitive Representation
Please respond to the following:

· Describe a simple instructional activity using all three of Bruner’s modes of cognitive representation.

· Discuss why you included the elements you did. Explain your rationale.

· If you created the same bit of training for someone from a vastly different culture than your original audience, explain what you would need to modify, and why.

Zone of Proximal Development
Please respond to the following:

· Describe an instructional program (hypothetical or actual) that makes use of Vygotsky’s “zone of proximal development.”

· What is being taught and by whom?

· What instructional strategies are being utilized?

· How could the program be tweaked (leveraging Vygotsky’s theories) to make learning more impactful?

Biological vs. Conditional Theories
Please respond to the following:

· What do biological theorists contribute to the discussion of learning and development?

· Does the evidence they present support one position more than the other concerning whether development influences learning or the other way around? Why?

· What implications for instruction would result if learning and development turned out to be mutually interactive?

Nature vs. Nurture
Please respond to the following:

· Which side of the “nature vs. nurture” argument has the weight of evidence on its side?

· What implications do your findings have regarding the education of ethnic minorities and other special populations?

· What steps could be taken to address these implications? Explain your rationale

Top of Form

Motivation and Learning
Please respond to the following:

· Of the three origins and determinants of motivation (curiosity and interests, goals and goal orientations, and self-efficacy beliefs), which one tends to have the biggest impact on instruction? Explain your rationale.

· Which of the three is often the easiest to address? Explain.

· Describe a time when you experienced low motivation concerning a learning task and describe what might have been done to help you overcome it.

Bottom of Form

ARCS Model Applied
Select any scenario presented in the text up to this point and respond to the following:

· Using the ARCS model, analyze the situation for its probable motivational characteristics.

· Create a set of motivational objectives and suggest strategies that would be effective for stimulating motivation.

· Generate an instructional plan that would help learners become more efficacious.