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You Be the Professor Essay
While it is easy through the study of psychology to acknowledge that not every person learns
the same, there are specific approaches to learning that work better for others. In this essay, we
will explore the different approaches of studying, learning, and multitasking.
Many times, students often operate on more of a behaviorist approach style of learning. This
approach emphasizes a focus on repetition, contiguity, and reinforcement of the learner to
achieve the desired outcome. (George, et al., 2023, p. 172). This approach is more seen and
evident in our education system, as students learn the material to become familiar with it to
complete assignments or testing. This is not, however, showing that the student has learned the
material and stored it into long term memory. With the behavioristic approach, the result may be
inconclusive by some standards because the end result of learning is a changed behavior; which
is not the consistent result when using this approach. (George, et al., 2023, p. 157).
Another way that I would recommend students to assist with learning, is taking a
cognitive approach. I would emphasize that this style of learning is more analytical in its
approach. George, et al. (2023) states in our reading that this is more for events of, “problem-
solving, information processing, reasoning, and imagining.” (p. 172). With this approach, the
way to create a habit or routine of critical thinking in someone is to have them consistently and
continually solve problems, whether they be complex or simple. One suggestion in our text was
to use the “IDEAL” steps, which assists someone in identifying the problem, defining goals,
exploring strategies, anticipating outcomes, and looking back and reviewing what was learned.
(George, et al., 2023, p. 175).
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While multitasking can seem very effective for getting multiple things done at one time, I
would give fellow students caution regarding this because of the brain dividing focus. George, et
al. (2023) stated in our text that, “…people try to multitask, their cognitive resources get
“stretched” to their maximum ability, which interferes with performance as well as results in
more rapid fatigue.” (p. 176). While not all multitasking is overtly bad, it can have negative
consequences if there is something that demands a higher level of our attention. This is because
when we are multitasking, the cognitive function of our brains is having to shift from one thing
to another. Each of these shifts of attention, create an overall loss of attention and cognitive
momentum such as of our time or energy. (George, et al., 2023, p. 176). While we may be
getting more than one thing done at a time, we may be losing the ability to do at least one thing
well.
In conclusion, we can see that there are different approaches to learning that have
benefits based on the type of learner a person may be. We can also see that while multitasking
has many benefits, there are still times to exercise caution to maximize the more important tasks.
Multitasking may help save time but does not always produce excellence. In academics, this is
not a gamble students should be willing to take; however, they should be willing to explore the
different options that best fit their learning style to succeed.
