Activity 7.5 (What Makes a Successful Learner)

Pink (2009) offered an interesting perspective being that intrinsic motivation generally can’t be brought about with carrots (rewards) or sticks (punishment). However, in situations or for tasks where carrots and sticks could be deemed fruitful, careful assessment and implementation is necessary (easy vs. challenging, routine vs. creative). Researchers have found that individuals perform better at tasks or problems where incentives were either not given or they were minimal in comparison to what they were being asked to do. Incentives such as rewards, money, or other tangible items switch the view of the task or problem from play to work.

I think the factors discussed by the author fit somewhat in the social cognitive theoretical framework, the majority lying mostly within personal factors. It seems to me that the way in which the task is perceived (cognitive) as well as the moral and emotional aspects (affective) has the most merit. If we see the task as work instead of play or helpful versus burdensome, then that shifts the amount of time and effort we care to put into something.

Throughout the entire article I couldn’t help but think about Behaviorism and how this idea of carrots and sticks fits in with reinforcement and punishers. As a whole this would be the most obvious connection; however there are others mixed in. I saw how James’ view of will or effort and attention (passive vs. voluntary) could be applied. For example, one of the experiments discussed was that of artists completing a piece where some were being paid and others weren’t. The pieces that were non-commissioned were evaluated as having more creativity and vice versa. When asked about the process the artists felt as if there were more constraints for the paid pieces and were more concerned about the outcome and the client than about the act of painting. I associated this with non-commissioned artists have more passive attention, therefore resulting in a sense of putting forth less effort. Not to say that either way had more or less effort, but the thoughts and feelings about the effort being put forth is what I’m referring to.  There are several other theoretical views that the author’s perspective could coincide with, a few more connections with James, motivation and drive theory, and information processing. However Behaviorism is the stand out for me.

I think Pink would believe that the role of failure in learning is ineffective identification and incorporation of reinforcement. James would probably tag several elements to it, but the main ones being associations and habits, memory, and self-regulation. Behaviorists would most likely align with Pink’s perspective of inaccurate placement of reinforcers or faulty conditioning. I think Bandura would point at a piece (or pieces) missing from the triad of reciprocality, since each factor contributes and relies upon the other. It could be the individual’s self-efficacy, which is probably the first place he’d look, and then the social factor of environment along with behavior related to motivation. Piaget and Vygotsky would probably isolate a few areas as well, the main ones being assimilation and accommodation along with proper assistance during the learning process.

Is there a recipe for success? I don’t think there is one specific recipe for success because individuals provide different ingredients based on personality, experience, schemas, culture, and so on. I think there are certain ingredients that are staples, such as attention perception), associations, will/motivation/persistence/self-regulation (take your pick), self-efficacy (at least at a medium level, it’s difficult to learn something when you don’t believe you can), and memory (repetition, retrieval cues, connections, etc…). This is much like most food recipes that usually have salt, sugar, or oil/butter. I do think however that learning is similar to what I do when I am preparing most meals. I look at what ingredients I already have (skills, abilities, knowledge, and experience) and I either connect with a recipe I’ve done before while putting a little spin on it or I look up a recipe in a cookbook, pinterest, or google to see what new dish I could make with what I already have on hand. Now, will it turn out to be a fabulous and tasty dish? Maybe, maybe not, but at least something was made and we won’t starve.

1. Does reinforcement carry as much weight for intrinsic motivation as the authors believe? What do you think?
2. What are some examples of properly identified and appropriately placed reinforcers in the classroom? Or at home?
3. How would you connect Behaviors (reinforcement) and Motivation? Short of reading Dr. Usher's mind, which can't be done unless you're psychic, why do you think she would have chosen this chapter from a book on motivation to be one of our last readings?

Found this gem today. (TED talk on consciousness)

John Searle talks about his take on consciousness and debunks a few misconceptions related to it. He also discusses behaviorism and consciousness being objectively subjective. A fascinating TED talk and I would love to get this guy in a corner to ask him about the various theories we've been discussing in this class.

Activity 7.4 (Implicit Theories of Ability)

In this video I acted out scenes in which a fixed or growth mindset could unfold in our adult lives.





- I'd like to thank the Academy, my public speaking instructor, and the cameraman/film editor Mr. Brandon Norris.

Activity 7.3 (Responding to Bandura)

Can we still consider something to be scientific if it doesn’t rule out, but actually takes into account, chance or coincidence? I wonder how many more doors would open in the field of psychology if the experiments and studies looked into, instead of away from, the not statistically significant occurrences. This is an interesting path to explore. In western culture, as well as others, we attach various labels to these outcomes, be it fate, chance, opportunity, luck, higher power, etc…, yet Bandura talks about individuals having more control over these events than originally thought of. He said, “They can make chance happen by pursuing an active life that increases the number and type of fortuitous encounters they will experience” (p. 9). People will often ask me, “Why Owensboro?”, and wonder how I got here. Bandura points at that it’s those individuals who pursue an active lifestyle, take part in various events, and cultivate new endeavors that “enable them to make the most of opportunities that arise unexpectedly” (p. 9). Call it whatever you want, either way it’s comforting to know that I had some part (control) to play in it.

Speaking of cultural differences, while reading Bandura’s thoughts on the global application of his theory I couldn’t help but think of a unique hypothesis in the realm of language and perception. It’s known as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis and essentially is the notion that language shapes our perceptions, just like modeling shapes behavior. It would be interesting to see if the two interrelate, I would think that they do. I remember discussing this concept once in a theories of interpersonal communication class and being blown away by the idea that if a culture does not have a word associated with an emotion, then this hypothesis posits that individuals who grew up in that culture would not know of or experience (feel) that emotion. Let’s just say, we had a great class discussion!

My favorite passage/quote from this reading; “Modeled new ideas, values, and styles of behavior are now being rapidly spread worldwide in ways that foster a globally distributed consciousness” (p. 4). With all that we discussed in the last two weeks about how technology affects learning, it seemed only fitting that I was drawn to it. Although I do wonder what James would have thought about it? Hmmm……

Activity 7.2 (My Own Self-Efficacy Experience)

            In some circles I would have been called a nontraditional and first generation college student. However my college experience started out more from the lure of socializing and entertainment than from learning. In 1991 when I first attended college I would not have believed it if someone told me that twenty years later I would be a college professor. I probably would have literally laughed out loud. My academic and career journey has a lot to do with my self-efficacy; it started out weak but has continued to grow stronger with each milestone and goal that I achieve.

            As I stated before I started college in 1991 at the ripe young age of eighteen and thought I had the world at my fingertips, which came crashing down on me just 8 short months later when I was asked to leave the dormitories because of an outstanding debt that I had owed. I’m not proud of it; I was financially foolish back then, as many young adults are. However, it was that shocking and scary event that altered my life in a way that started a domino effect of future 'forks in the road'. I left college believing that I would never return, not just because I couldn’t afford it but because I wasn’t smart enough. You see I left in the third quarter of my first year with a GPA of 1.6! This communicated to me that I was not good enough; I lacked the skills and abilities to succeed in college. Don’t get me wrong, I did alright in high school, in fact I graduated with a 3.2, but it was my parent’s GPA not mine (I couldn’t get less than a C or I’d either get grounded or a really lengthy lecture). I went on with my life working in jobs ranging from restaurant work to a gas attendant to loan officer, which was more like a glorified secretary really, and I hated every one of them.

            Although I lacked confidence in my academic abilities, for some reason I always believed there was something better out there for me. Now this could have been my own stubbornness or arrogance, probably a little bit of both. However it wasn’t until I was 22 and involved with a man who was in college that I had even begun to toy with the idea of going back to school. In January of 1996 I enrolled in my first semester back in the college saddle and boy did I have a lot to make up for. I will never forget my first writing class and how I would stare at the computer screen having absolutely no idea how to form my thoughts and then communicate them in writing (shocking I know!). It was as if those five years out of high school took all the skill out of me and squashed it like a bug. As Pajares said “But if she lacks confidence in her academic capabilities, she may well shy away from challenging courses, will approach the SAT with apprehension and self-doubt, and may not even consider college attendance.” I was terribly apprehensive about attending college and had talked about quitting several times. It took me about a year to shrug the doubt off my self-efficacy plate. But as time went on, semester after semester, cleaning up my old nasty transcripts and replacing them with passing grades, I began to believe in my ability to be academically successful.

            It wasn’t so much what other people told me I was capable of doing, trust me I did not have a lot of supporters, it was what I told myself I could do. I had what’s discussed in Pajares’ chapter as reasonable efficacy appraisals (p. 17), “which are the most functional self-efficacy judgments that slightly exceed what an individual can actually accomplish that increase effort and persistence”. Class after class, semester by semester, experience after experience; all of this built up my self-efficacy and self-belief. I eventually got my Bachelor’s degree and quickly enrolled in a Master’s program. However one thing I noticed, when I first started the graduate school process, was that my self-efficacy started to weaken again. Not to the extent that it was before the start of my collegiate journey, but enough that I started second guessing my writing and research ability. I would finish my sentences in class with a question mark communicating uncertainty. Why did I doubt myself again? I think it had a lot to do with how I invariably interpreted my mastery experience. According to Pajares (2005), “This can lead to situations in which inappropriate interpretations can diminish the very self-efficacy beliefs required to push on in the face of adversity” (p. 345). I find that my self-efficacy tends to be a tad weak in the beginning of a new academic adventure (for example it happened with this class), but with experience moves more quickly from weak to strong in a shorter amount of time. It doesn’t take me a year as it did back in 1996, now it’s a few weeks, and sometimes only a day or two.

            I hope that I model to students the self-efficacy that I have in my own abilities but in their abilities too. “Teacher self-efficacy also fosters student achievement and students’ achievement beliefs across various areas and levels. Self-efficacy is contagious, which is to say that students can easily “catch” a teacher’s own sense of confidence” (p. 361). If I can do it, they most certainly can as well.

Activity 7.1 (Social Cognitive Theory, Motivation, and Self-Beliefs)

For the sake of specificity I will discuss the model of triadic reciprocality with collegiate academia in mind. Much like an organizational consultant or public speaker it is important to be aware of one’s audience, and I believe just as equally for teachers to understand their students. Although the items listed below are discussed categorically they rely upon and influence each other, they are interdependent.

Personal Factors (The Who & What)

A.      Biological - The brain and nervous system, how it all works together to communicate various messages from listening, to speaking, watching, and movement (note taking, moving pages, highlighting, etc…). Perception and Memory begin to have a conversation of sorts with our cognitions, pitching information back and forth similar to that of a game of catch.

B.      Cognitive – Perception and Memory take on a more active role in our cognitions within this domain along with associations, assimilation, and accommodation. Another layer of thought processes to insert are that of the self; self-regulation, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and self-reflection.These can affect a students learning experience in various ways, both positively and negatively.

C.      Affective – Emotions and feelings, being the most human element of us in my opinion, allowing us to experience and express a plethora of different states, both in the mind and the body. The emotional highs, lows, and mediocrities that a student inhabits throughout a day, week, and semester.

Behavior (The How)

A.      Habits – Acquired behaviors from previous education contexts that the student may or may not be aware of. For example, coming to class on time, raising one’s hand, and study habits. The habits students use in and out of the classroom are essential to their academic success.

B.      Will – The effort, be it minimal or great, in attending to the coursework. Self-regulation and procrastination, passive and voluntary attention, along with self-awareness about their academic goals. Reactivity is a useful tool that assists students with recognizing their study habits and efforts made towards completing the assigned coursework.

Environmental (The When & Where)

A.      Context – The place in which the student learns information related to a specific subject, the classroom being one and a personal space the other. The classroom should reflect an environment that ignites and enriches the learning process, but just as equally should be so in the student’s personal space. Often times our personal space can be a detriment to the learning process.

B.      Social – Our social network which consists of family, friends, and work, among other examples. It is important that the social network be supportive in the pursuit of a student’s educational goals. I find that this one domain can significantly affect other areas such as self-esteem and self-efficacy.

C.      Culture – Various domains make up a person’s culture, be it race, ethnicity, religion, age, gender, and sexual orientation; all of which can influence personal and behavior factors. For example, where a person grows up or their socioeconomic status could also be connected with their personal and behavioral factors.

D.      Technology – The evolution, progression, and ever changing world of technology not only influences the way in which we learn but how we learn. Technology can be an effective tool for the learner but can also be a detriment if not properly managed. 

*All of these factors and the components within them makeup each individual student. No two people are alike. From a learning perspective however, it is possible to view these factors, this triadic reciprocality, as ‘the learner’.