Learning & Cognitive theories Essay Example for Free

Learning Cognitive theories Essay Learning in my life is an ongoing process; one that carries on as I come across various situations, every single one of them increasing my learning experience. It is rightly said that learning starts the day one is born and continues till one’s death bed. So in this respect there have been various stimuli that have repeatedly crossed my life. I have made several associations with different kinds of objects or situations for that matter which I have remembered and used to make various inferences. Who does not remember the jingles of the ice cream man, stimulating and beckoning the kids to crave for ice cream and inquire for money from the parents? Out of the many situations, one that has truly left an indelible impression on my mind is a childhood recollection of the horrific car accident that I went through with my family. Although I came out unscathed from the accident as did my family who just suffered minor injuries, the very thought of screeches of a car just triggers a whole array of thoughts and nightmares of my accident ordeal. It was a fine day with no unusual surroundings or conditions of the highway. Our car was also going at a steady pace maintaining the speed limits. The car was functioning well with every smallest detail of the car scrutinized by my father, a perfectionist at work. But as it happened that the heavy truck two cars in front of ours carrying logs of wood, its lock that fastened the logs broke free from its bolt which sent the logs tumbling down. This is what I last remembered out of my flashbulb memory, besides the incessant screeches and the wails of the people struck by this horrific incident. It is from that moment onwards that I shudder at the slightest screech of a car so much so that I cannot even stand my friends drifting their modified cars, much to their surprise and disgust. Such a fear that I have developed is largely due to that horrific incident that I went through. This has set a feeling or a sensation at the back of my mind about staying away from fast cars on the roads. I can attribute my fear to the concept of classical conditioning wherein an unconditioned stimulus (screech of a car) has turned into a conditioned stimulus. That conditioned stimulus sets off a conditioned response (fear of an accident). The concept of classical conditioning says exactly that learning is associated with a person responding to a neutral stimulus which normally does not bring about that response. So more often that not whenever I come across and hear a screech I relate it with a fear that somebody will have an accident. If I had not experienced that accident, such a screech of a car would not have meant anything abnormal or out of the ordinary. Such a behavior of mine can also be explained by the concept operant conditioning where a person learns a voluntary response and the extent of it is strengthened or weakened depending on its positive or negative consequences. In my accident scenario, the accident is a negative consequence which I associate with a screech of a car. So the screech or a high speed develops the fear and reinforces it as well. Such reinforcement may happen if somebody in my family also has an accident on a highway or I myself get into an accident. The reinforcement has also stemmed from media which has also done a sufficient bit to sustain my fear of car accidents. One can usually see in the car chases in the movies where the bad guys being chased by the cops or police in their cars get into accidents and get busted. There are several other instances where certain programs reinforce my fear of speeding and screeching cars like the reality car shows. They show cars getting into horrific and deadly accidents as the drivers over speed their vehicles. There is another approach to learning which is called cognitive social learning. One such learning is latent learning. In this type of learning a new behavior does not get registered properly though it is acquired till one receives reinforcement encouraging one to adopt or develop a behavior. But in my accident scenario, I can largely put it down to classical conditioning. This is where I have started making associations with certain stimuli which in turn leads to the development of fear. Reference ATHERTON J S (2005) Learning and Teaching: Cognitive theories of learning http://www. learningandteaching. info/learning/cognitive. htm Accessed: 2 February 2009 Frietas, S Neumann, T. (2009). The use of exploratory learning for supporting immersive learning in virtual environments. Computers Education Moriyama, J Kato, Y. (2009) Self-efficacy and learning experience of information education: in case of junior high school. AI Society

“Ships at a Distance”: Dreams in Their Eyes Were Watching God Essay

Zora Neale Hurston opens Their Eyes Were Watching God with an eloquent metaphor regarding dreams: â€Å"Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others, they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time (Hurston 1).† Hurston describes here how some dreams are achieved with time while others lurk out of reach until the dreamer gives up. Janie Crawford, protagonist of Their Eyes Were Watching God, encounters numerous ambitions throughout her life, mainly concerning a desire to somehow achieve something in life, and to not just go through the motions. While Janie’s dreams and my own do not exactly correspond, we both aspire to discover a greater passion in life and find a voice that will enable us to make a difference. When Janie is growing up, she is eager to become a woman and is ready to dive into the strain, maturity, and exhilaration of adulthood. In the beginning of Janie’s life story, Hurston introduces the metaphor of the pear tree, a symbol of Janie’s blossoming, and describes how â€Å"she had glossy leaves and bursting buds and she wanted to struggle with life but it seemed to elude her,† which successfully captures her excitement and perplexity of entering the adult world (11). Janie’s anxiety of growing up is also articulated with the image of her â€Å"looking, waiting, breathing short with impatience. Waiting for the world to be made† (Hurston 11). In her teenage years, it seems as if her life revolves around the anticipation of womanhood. Even as Janie grows older, she continues to hold on to her aspiration of living an adventurous, invigorating, and passionate life. In criti... ...le. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2006. Print. 4 Jordan, Jennifer. "Feminist Fantasies: Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God." Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature 7.1 (1988): 105-117. JSTOR. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. 464063>. 7 Kubitschek, Missy Dehn. â€Å"’Tuh De Horizon and Back’: The Female Quest in Their Eyes Were Watching God.† Black American Literature Forum 17.3 (1983): 109-115. JSTOR. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. . 8 Rosin, Hanna. â€Å"New Data on the Rise of Women.† Dec. 2010. TED Talks. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. . 2 â€Å"Their Eyes Were Watching God Reader’s Guide - Introduction.† The Big Read. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. .

Laws of Life

People are afraid of death but I think life it’s self is so much scarier because you do not know what life will bring you and sometimes it will not be easy. You see I am not really sure what I want to do with my life and it scares me. It scares me that I might mess up my whole life because I do not know what I want to do but I do know one thing I want to do in my life. The only thing I do know is that I want to be a great person. Loyal, kind, and adventurous, that’s what I want to be and know for when I am gone. Loyalty gives you something to stand for, something to fight for. Being loyal is sticking with your words and promises. I try my best to be loyal, when my friends tell me secrets I keep them, when something happens in the family that other people should not know I do not tell them. Also, being loyal shows that you care about something and you want to keep its trust. Not telling someone’s secrets is not the only way to be loyal; you can be loyal to your country by supporting it. The most important way to be loyal is to be loyal to god by showing that you are very grateful for what he has given you. â€Å"Treat everyone with politeness, even those who are rude to you – not because they are nice, but because you are† This saying showed me that just because people are mean to you does not mean you should be mean back. Being kind shows that you have generosity and courage. Generosity is by spending time, money, or labor, for others, without being rewarded in return, but you do get rewarded with the feeling of happiness that you did something for the ones in need. Courage is when your go out on the limb for someone else and their might be risks. For example, your friends are being mean and calling a kid names and you stick up for them; even with the risk of losing your friends because you know you’re doing the right thing. Which makes being kind is a great quality to have. There are so many doors to be opened, and I'm not afraid to look behind them. † This saying showed me that I want to be someone who embraces life; who wants to be on a long journey but has no particular plan or destination in mind. An adventurous woman, open to the concept of living life in the moment. I want to try new things and face my fears; if there is an opportunity to climb a mountain, or to go sky diving, or some adventurous activity, I will always be happy to do it. I always want to be known for this because I want to be adventurous, spontaneous and crazy. Loyal, kind and adventurous are three quality’s that define me. If I am brought up in a conversation, I hope their saying that I am nice or trust worthy. Loyal is being trust worthy, kind is being generous, and adventurous is being open. These three qualities are different but they are all great to have and be known for. I will always try my best to be the greatest person that I can be in my lifetime.

Boston Latin School Of Boston - 1556 Words

Quite simply, the first public school in America was Boston Latin School. This school was established on April 23, 1635 in the town of Boston, Massachusetts (â€Å"BLS History†). The location of Boston was prime for a school considering that this city was the center of much settling and growth. Boston Latin School was founded by Reverend John Cotton, who was a Puritan minister, a Cambridge University graduate, and a free-thinker. Boston Latin School modelled after the Free Grammar School in Boston, England (â€Å"America’s First School†). Classes were first originally taught in home of headmaster Phillip Pormort from 1635 to 1643 while the school was being built (â€Å"BLS History†). At this time, school was only open during summer and winter. There was a morning session lasting from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the summer and from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the winter. From there, students and headmasters would get a two-hour break for lunch and play. The afternoon session would then begin at 1 p.m. and finish at 5 p.m. (â€Å"BLS History†). Contrary to this school’s set schedule, Thursdays were a bit different. The Thursday morning session ended at 10 a.m. for a church service. Afterwards, there would be an opportunity for lecture over English heritage (â€Å"BLS History†). Five of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were students of Boston Latin School. Among these students were Inventor Benjamin Franklin, American statesman Samuel Adams, American merchant John Hancock, Lawyer Robert TreatShow MoreRelatedEssay on John Hancock1621 Words   |  7 PagesHe kept an attentive watch over the morals and religious well-being of all members of the parish. Ever since John#8217;s (Jr.) birth, he was perceived to go to Harvard. At the age of six, his parents sent him to a local dame school. Later he was sent to another school, in which he might have met John Adams, with whom he struck up a casual acquaintance. 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