Through the videos by Derek Muller and Destin Sandlin, I was intrigued by the concept of credibility bias and how it has impacted me throughout my education. In regard to credibility bias, I believe that students learning sciences are naturally curious and though I agree with the notion that when students are learning a new subject they often subconsciously agree with their own thesis and ideas, understanding that this must come from a position of wanting to learn, rather than being told to learn is vital. This is an important part of schooling that I have struggled with in my education journey and pertains to this idea that we agree with our own misconceptions rather than understand what we are being taught.
As somebody who did well in high school and entered into the field of engineering, I was always “told I needed to learn a subject” rather than choose to learn a topic on my own that I am directly interested in. I can acknowledge the level of understanding that is required to merely pass a course rather than fully wrap your head around the topic and coherently understand the material. This “drive” to learn comes from your own desire to understand a topic, not the necessity of understanding a topic.
In Derek Mullers video, he spoke to the downfall of online teaching within Khan Academy and how it promotes users to agree with their own misconceptions and pre-constructed ideas rather than understand the material being presented to them. Granted that the configuration of how information is displayed can certainly affect the learning process, I think that the learners own desire to understand the information far outweighs this. The attitude that the learner has towards a topic is significant to the amount of effort and focus that is invested. I believe that creating an atmosphere that increases this learning “attitude”, and reinforcing the reasoning for young learners to understand a topic is just as significant if not more, than the order that the information is provided. This also involves the teaching methodology mentioned in chapter 11 of the Foundations of learning and Instructional Design Technology reading, in which each student learns in a different way as a behaviorist, cognitivist, or a constructivist. Personally, as a constructivist, Khan Academy limits my form of learning as it does not promote hands on learning and collaboration in its teaching style but rather a cognitivist style where repetition and mental engagement are most significant. In my experience with post-secondary education, I have performed significantly better in classes that I am directly interested in than rather than classes that I am only taking because they are required. Learning is an attitude just as much as it is a science, and if you do not have the desire to learn you will not put in the effort to do so.
how might you help yourself feel more “desire” to learn in a class that doesn’t initially interest you? Would love to hear more about intrinsic motivation!
Thanks for the question Jess! As I spend more time in classes I have realized that I do much better when I change my attitude towards the class and find small things that interest me. The more I study a topic the more I become invested and begin to find much more “desire” to learn. I am still working towards this but I have a much better understanding of how big of a factor your attitude plays in your learning.
Great blog post colby. As a fellow engineering student, i can relate to the importance of fully understanding a subject thoroughly instead of just grasping the material and passing the class. I understand your opinion on how Khan academy isnt the greatest learning resource for some, as everyone has different learning styles which suit them best. Well spoken on how learning is purely motivationally driven!