Emmasdale Baptist Church dedicated!

Last Sunday on 13 May 2012, Emmasdale Baptist Church in Lusaka had a dedication service for the new church building. Emmasdale Baptist Church has come a long way having commenced work in the late nineties. The church first met at a school before moving to meet from a house on the church premises and then finally in the new church building. The current pastor is Isaac Makashinyi, who was previously pastor at Trinity Baptist Church in Kitwe. The preacher at the dedication service was Pastor Thomas Winn from Grace Baptist Church in Mississippi in USA. His text was from Matthew 16 where he expounded on the characteristics of the Invisible and Universal Church. He later officially opened the church building (see photo below). The photo's below capture this great and momentous event!

Emmasdale Baptist Church, front view

Pastor Thomas Winn preaching

Pastor Jeff Storck from Grace Baptist Church, USA preaching

 Sanctum group of Lusaka Baptist Church singing

Congregation listening to sermon

Paul Masebe, a founder member giving a brief historical background

Pastor Winn with Isaac, Dennis and Jeff after unveiling the plaque

Visitors and members after service

Tribute to Albert Kayamba

This is the first tribute I am writing in memory of someone that I have worked with. This blog is a tribute to Albert M Kayamba (in photo to the left) who passed away at the age of 55 on 14th March 2012 after a short illness in Livingstone. The late Mr Kayamba had just retired from the civil service on 10th March 2012 where he faithfully served for thirty years in various capacities upto the position of Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Science and Vocational Training. Mr Kayamba was born on 10th March 1957. One can imagine the shock of those that had worked with Mr Kayamba on the fateful day on 14th March when news began to filter of his demise. In my case I had travelled with Mr Kayamba with other Ministry staff on 7th March to Mumbwa where we had gone to formalise land that had been handed over by His Royal Highness Chief Moono for the construction of Mumbwa Trades Training Institute.

While in Mumbwa, Mr Kayamba then Director of Planning and Development, led the delegation and highlighted the purpose of the visit by the Ministry to the Mumbwa MP Dr Brian Chituwo, the District Commissioner and His Royal Highness. He also read a speech on behalf of the Permanent Secretary to His Royal Highness. Thereafter we visited the site for the Trades Training Institute (see photo below) together with Council officials. We then had late lunch and headed back to Lusaka.

His death then came as a great shock to his family. Here is a husband, dad and son just retired and just turned 55 with so many plans for his retirement. But before he can even get his retirement package he is snatched away from this life by death. May God comfort the family in ways that only He can. May God use this death to bring family members and former workmates to Christ the Prince of Peace.

During this visit and the few years that I worked with Mr Kayamba the following things I observed about him:

1. Punctuality: The late Mr Kayamba was punctual for meetings and wanted to do things on time and in time. This is a lesson to be taken to heart. For generally in Zambia and most of Africa punctuality and time keeping are not our strengths. If ever we are to

2. Dedication to duty: Mr Kayamba was dedicated to duty. Apart from the fact that he had dedicated 30 years of his life to working in public service, he worked hard and with dedication to whatever task he was assigned. He would ensure that minutes and reports were well written and circulated to everyone concerned.

3. Being a people person: Mr Kayamba (in the middle next to Chief Moono fourth from the left in photo below) ensured those that worked with him became friends with him. He was serious with his work and yet joked with those who worked with him despite their position. He was a boss that was not bossy!

In Memory of Percy Chisenga

Today 3 March 2012, the late Percy Chisenga, who died on 1st March while serving as missionary pastor at Zomba Baptist Church in Malawi was led to rest at Lusaka Memorial Park Cemetery. The funeral service was held at Kabwata Baptist Church in Lusaka where Rev. Joe Simfukwe preached on Preparing for Death...Below is a letter that Percy Chisenga wrote to the HearCry Missionary Society December 2011 issue a few months before his death....

Dear Praying Friends,

I am now about three months away from my station of service due to the bladder cancer that I was found to have. Having undergone surgery to remove the tumour at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) I was handed over to the Cancer Diseases Hospital (CDH) for review. After a CT scan I have been informed today that the tumour was not completely removed. The residue of the cancer extends into the tube that connects the bladder to the right kidney, making the kidney to swell with accumulating fluid which is hindered from flowing into the bladder. The CT scan has also shown that there are other small masses in the right pelvis resulting from the cancer. The doctor says these swellings could not be removed by surgery and that the only treatment is radio-therapy in conjunction with chemo-therapy. I have been given an appointment for 27th December to go and make up a program for treatment. After this appointment I will wait for two to three weeks before the treatment starts.

Beloved friends, this period is not easy for my wife and I as we contemplate upon the therapies and their side effects in the waiting. However, we give thanks to the Lord – the Prince of peace – whose word assures us of His presence and of the fact that He is in control of all events in our lives. In the past three months I have come to see more clearly the importance of redeeming the time. One Scripture has made a strong and new impression upon my heart and mind. “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil,” (Eph. 5:15-16 NKJV). Having been laid aside from my battle field for three months I see anew the importance of making the most use of every opportunity God gives me for His glory.

I have over a month before the prescribed therapy starts which will weaken my body and take several months. By the Lord’s help, I will make the most use of this time by going to Malawi to encourage the church and some pastors of other churches there whose hearts God has stirred to desire biblical reformation in their churches. I had an opportunity to visit the church for a week just before attending the CT scan. I praise the Lord that things have been going on well in the church though there were some challenges that helped the leaders I am training to exhibit their strengths and weaknesses.

Brethren, continue praying for us that we may not fail to bring glory to God in our time of trial, for to this end we were created and called in Christ.

Percy Chisenga

Source:http://reports.heartcrymissionary.com/coordinator-blogs/blog-africa/december-update-from-percy-chisenga-pray/

Exploring Zanzibar the Spice Island

Right: Kilimanjaro Ship that we used from Dar to Zanzibar and back

On 28^th May 2011, Christian Kasumo (close friend of mine) and I set off from Dar-es-Salaam to Zanzibar. Our mission was to explore the famous spice island of Zanzibar lying on the Indian Ocean. Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous state that is part of Tanzania. The capital of Zanzibar, located on the island of Unguja, is Zanzibar City, and its historic centre, known as Stone Town, is a World Heritage Site. Zanzibar's main industries are spices, raffia, and tourism. In particular, the islands produce cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper. For this reason, the islands, together with Tanzania's Mafia Island, are sometimes called the Spice Islands. Zanzibar's most famous event is the Zanzibar International Film Festival, also known as the Festival of the Dhow Countries. Every July, this event showcases the best of the Swahili Coast arts scene, including Zanzibar's favorite music, Taarab.

Right: Christian (in cap) aboard the Kilimanjaro Ship

In history, Zanzibar was famous worldwide for its spices and its slaves. It was East Africa's main slave-trading port, and in the mid-19th century as many as 50,000 slaves were passing annually through the slave markets of Zanzibar. We left Dar-es-Salaam in the morning using a luxury ship. The ship was fully packed. The journey to Zanzibar took 2 hours. It was made shorter by watching Mr. Bones, a South African comedy that was being screened on the ship. The journey was smoother much smoother than the return trip (more on that later!). When we arrived in Zanzibar we had our passport’s stamped and then quickly found a local tour guide for the island. We opted for a two hour walking guide of the old Zanzibar. So then what did we see?

Right: Gabriel at Indian Ocean coast

The first building we saw was the Mercury House. This is named after the famous musician Freddie Mercury of the popular band Queen who was born in Zanzibar. We were then taken to a mosque that had doors more than 100 years old but still looking strong. It’s worth mentioning that Zanzibar’s main religion is Islam. It is said to account for 95% of the island’s religion. One interesting feature of the streets in old town in Zanzibar is that they are very narrow. Only pedestrians, those on bicycles, motor bikes and those riding donkey’s can use the streets. We then went to the gardens with an open space overlooking the Indian Ocean. We were informed by the guide that every day at 18 00 hours, locals and visitors gather to sample the various foods that are found in Zanzibar. We missed this part as we got back to Dar-es-Salaam well before 18 00 hours.

Right: Christian with tour guide take a stroll at Old Stone City

The next place we saw was an old fort (see photo below). We then went to a fish market where we saw fish that we had never seen before or heard of. This included some little white shark! Incredible that such is eaten! After that we went to a spice market. What a market! Christian and I bought a number of spices. Among the spices we bought was also banana coffee, masala tea (a mixed spices tea with numerous health benefits), vanilla tea and so on. Zanzibar is truly a Spice island!

Right: Christian and myself relaxing at the old fort

Our next stop was an old bath house built over several hundred years ago. Though the building is very old, it looks very old! A look at the design of the bath house gives some insight into the design of modern sauna’s. The bath house had components for the men to leave their clothes, a hot bath area, an area for showers, including showers from the natural rain!

After all the walking we had done for almost 90 minutes, we were tired and needed to refresh ourselves with some food and drink. We were guided to a small cute restaurant where we had samsooa’s, burgers and chips. Not forgetting the special Amazon Thunder drink made out of the local tropical fruits. It was a very refreshing drink! I just wish we had got the recipe for the drink for it sure thundered in our taste bud’s (at least mine!). After the meal, it was time to get back to Dar-es-Salaam. We bid farewell to our tour guide and paid the fees to him. We then boarded the same ship we had come with in the morning.

Our return trip was a bit interesting. There were quite some serious waves on the ocean. Some people that were on the open upper deck of the ship were vomiting due to the waves. For the first time, I got a true understanding of what we had learnt about sea-sickness that sailors of long ago that ventured from America, Europe and Asia suffered when they travelled by boat on the ocean’s. The waves were quite strong that at some point it felt as if we were on a small boat even though the ship was quite big! Our colleague with whom we visited Zanzibar made a wise choice when she travelled back by air. (To our wonder some local Tanzanian’s rowed past us in a small boat that looked like a canoe. The boat was very packed with people standing. The risks people can take!) We got relieved when we saw the lights of Dar-es-Salaam on the shore lines. We were glad to be back on land again after our brief visit to the Spice Island! With the beautiful shores and coral reefs on the Indian Ocean and the blend of ancient and modern buildings and culture in Zanzibar, it is no wonder that some newly-wed couples have made Zanzibar their honeymoon destination!

Dag Hammarskjöld Remembered

Introduction

50 years ago on 18 September 1961, in the thick forests of Ndola a plane carrying then United Nations Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld and other officials crashed and burst into flames. The Northern News (Northern Rhodesia's National daily Newspaper) dated 19 September 1961 then reported "The body of Mr.Dag Hammarskjöld, United Nations Secretary General, was found amid the wreckage of a UN plane  seven miles from here today. There was one survivor form the 14 aboard. Sabotage has not been ruled out. There is some official speculation that the plane may have been shot down". Dag Hammarskjöld was on a peace mission to Congo, where there had been fighting between rebels and the government. Who was Dag Hammarskjöld and what is his legacy as the world remembers him? Dag Hammarskjöld was a Swedish diplomat, economist, and author. An early Secretary-General of the United Nations, he served from April 1953 until his death in a plane crash in September 1961. He is the only person to have been awarded a posthumous Nobel Peace Prize. Dag Hammarskjöld remains the only U.N. Secretary-General to die in office, and his death occurred en route to cease-fire negotiations. Praised by many, President of the United States John F. Kennedy called Dag Hammarskjöld “the greatest statesman of our century". 

   

                                                                 Dag Hammarskjold                                                                                                                  

Early life and career

Dag Hammarskjöld was born in Jönköping, Sweden, but spent most of his childhood in Uppsala. The fourth and youngest son of Hjalmar Hammarskjöld, Prime Minister of Sweden from 1914 to 1917, and Agnes Hammarskjöld (née Almquist), Hammarskjöld's ancestors served the Monarchy of Sweden since the 17th century. He studied first at Katedralskolan and then at Uppsala University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws and a Master's degree in Political economy. During this time he served for a year as the first Curator at Uplands Nation later moving to Stockholm. 

Appointment as UN Secretary General

When Trygve Lie resigned from his post as UN Secretary-General in 1953, the United Nations Security Council recommended Hammarskjöld for the post. It came as a surprise to him.[3] Seen as a competent technocrat without political views, he was selected on 31 March by a majority of 10 out of eleven Security Council members. The UN General Assembly elected him in the 7–10 April session by 57 votes out of 60. In 1957, he was re-elected.

During his term, Dag Hammarskjöld tried to smooth relations between Israel and the Arab states. Other highlights include a 1955 visit to China to negotiate release of 15 captured US pilots who had served in theKorean War, the 1956 establishment of the United Nations Emergency Force, and his intervention in the 1956 Suez Crisis. He is given credit by some historians for allowing participation of the Holy See within the United Nations that year.

In 1960, the former Belgian Congo and then newly independent Congo asked for UN aid in defusing the Congo Crisis. Dag Hammarskjöld made four trips to the Congo. His efforts towards the decolonisation of Africa were considered insufficient by the Soviet Union; in September 1960, the Soviet government denounced his decision to send a UN emergency force to keep the peace. They demanded his resignation and the replacement of the office of Secretary-General by a three-man directorate with a built-in veto, the "troika". 

Legacy of Dag Hammarskjöld

Hammarskjöld's death was a memorable event. At the site in Ndola exists the Dag Hammarskjöld Crash Site Memorial, which is under consideration for inclusion as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A press release issued by the Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo stated that, "... in order to pay a tribute to this great man, now vanished from the scene, and to his colleagues, all of whom have fallen victim to the shameless intrigues of the great financial Powers of the West... the Government has decided to proclaim Tuesday, 19 September 1961, a day of national mourning." 

                                                     Scene of plane crash. Source: BBC

Dag Hammarskjöld received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1961, having been nominated before his death. On 6th April 2011, the Bank of Sweden announced that Hammarskjöld's image will be used on the 1000 kronor banknote, the highest-denomination banknote in Sweden. After Hammarskjöld's death, U.S. President John F. Kennedy regretted that he opposed the UN policy in the Congo and said: “I realise now that in comparison to him, I am a small man. He was the greatest statesman of our century.”

In Zambia apart from the memorial site, a football stadium was named after him, though it no longer exists after being brought down to have a new one constructed. A new stadium has since been constructed on the Ndola-Kitwe dual carriage way. Maybe this should be named 

Dag Hammarskjöld stadium? There is also a library in Kitwe at the Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation named after him. At the time I last used the library and also served on the user group in 2002, it was the one of the best libraries in Zambia. My serving on the library's user group also enabled me to attend the 40th anniversary of Dag Hammarskjold's death in September 2001.at the Dag Hammarskjold memorial site (see photo below).

Conclusion

In closing, let me end by saying that Dag Hammarskjold has left a legacy of peace. He died in the course of duty while to broker peace between warring factions. No wonder the Financial Times of 2011 reported that Dag Hammarskjold has remained the benchmark against which later UN Secretary-Generals have been judged. The circumstances of Dag's death remain a mystery. One theory is that the plane was shot down by a second plane. Read here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/17/dag-hammarskjold-un-secretary-general-crash. The account makes for some compelling reading as it raises a lot of unanswered questions surrounding Dag Hammarskjold death. Even if we do not know the truth here on earth, we will in eternity. Let me end by quoting Dag Hammarskjold's words on life "We are not permitted to choose the frame of our destiny. But what we put into is ours. He who wills adventure will experience it - according to the measure of his courage. He who wills sacrifice will be sacrificed according to the measure of his purity of heart".

References

Hammarskjold, D. (1964) Markings Leif Sjoberg and WH Auden (trans) London: Faber and Faber.

Wikipedia (2011) Dag Hammarskjöld   [Online]. Available from:  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dag_Hammarskjöld. 

Sola 5 Conference starts in Livingstone

The 7th Annual Sola 5 conference started today in livingstone in Zambia. The theme of the conference is 'living God's way in God's world: Christians impacting culture. Bruce Button from the Sovereign Grace Theological Seminary in Lusaka, Zambia delivered the first sermon on the Cultural Mandate Expounded and Illustrated: the biblical basis for the cultural mandate. Bruce noted that the climax of the creation native in Genesis 1 was the creation of man. Bruce gave eight reasons why the creation of man is significant. Some of the reasons were: the space given to the narrative (Genesis 1:26-31) and the commission given to man, which was described as the climax of the climax of the creation narrative. Bruce also pointed out how the cultural mandate was restored in Christ as seen in Ephesians 1:21-2 and Colossians 1:15-20. The application of this was illustrated in Ephesians 6:5-9. Bruce emphasized that exercising dominion over creation was a very spiritual thing.

Earlier Michael Bwembya, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church, the hosts of the Conference welcomed all to Livingstone. He appealed to delegates to enjoy the preaching of God's word and the mighty Victoria Falls in Livingstone. Livingstone is a historic colonial city and present headquarters of the Southern Province of Zambia, a tourism centre for the Victoria Falls lying 10 km (6.2 mi) north of the Zambezi River, and a border town with road and rail connections to Zimbabwe on the other side of the Falls. In the last ten years, although manufacturing industry has continued to decline with the closure of textile businesses unable to compete with Chinese imports. Livingstone has enjoyed a influx of investment in the industry from modern and sophisticated hotel chains like Sun International, local guest houses and lodges to modern shopping centres and restaurants.

Mowbray Baptist Church - Spiritual Home Away From Home

Poster on Church building

I have been attending church services at Mowbray Baptist Church in Cape Town since June whenever I go for week long residential classes at University of Cape Town. How did I find myself at this church? It was after making enquiries from a Baptist pastor in Cape Town, whose church (Reformed Baptist) I had planned to attend but could not do so because it is very far from University of Cape Town (UCT). Mowbray Baptist Church is a multi-national, multi-cultural church in Cape Town, South Africa. As Mowbray is a cosmopolitan area, close to the University of Cape Town, Medical School, and Cape Town University of Technology campuses, there are members and adherents from many different countries in sub-Saharan Africa as well as the rest of the world. The church was constituted in 1903 in Observatory and moved into newly-built larger premises in Mowbray in 1979.

Church Pastors

The church is led by Pastor Geoff Milligan and Pastor Joshua Lungu. Pastor Geoff Milligan is a Bible-based conservative evangelical ministry and a missionary vision, who enjoys ministering in a multi-national church with a wide cultural diversity. In 2001, he became the pastor of Manor Community Church, where he served until coming to Mowbray. He and his wife, Gill, responded to the Lord’s leading to begin their ministry at Mowbray Baptist at the beginning of March 2007. The Milligan’s have two children, Craig, a married teacher in Johannesburg, and Debra who is a qualified occupational therapist working in Mitchell’s Plain.

Gill and Geoff Milligan

Joshua Lungu

Pastor Joshua Lungu, a Student Pastor, whose ministry is mainly to students and in leading corporate worship, hails from Kitwe on the Copperbelt in Zambia. He grew up with an Ngoni stepfather and Bemba mother. After graduating from high school, he studied and gained a certificate in general agriculture. He was very active as Youth Director in his church, completed a course in church planting, and served as an assistant pastor in Mufulira. After working for a time as a farm manager, he heard God’s call to study for the ministry and came to South Africa. Here he has gained a Diploma in Pastoral Theology at the Trinity Academy Theological College in Pietermaritzburg and a BA Theology Honours degree at the Bible Institute of South Africa in Cape Town. In addition to his busy schedule, ministering especially to students, and preaching and leading worship on Sundays, he is currently also studying for his Masters degree in the Old Testament.

Church Ministries

Some of the ministries of the church include Growth groups, Ladies’ and Seniors’ Growth Groups, Women in Action, Men's Fellowship, Missions, Peakview Pre-Primary School, Quiet Mornings, Sunday School, Youth Fellowship and Students.

Sunday morning worship service

Impressions

• Some of the impressions that I have had of the church include the worship service which comprises English and vernacular songs (mostly Xhosa). The songs are all projected using a projector. Most of the English songs are familiar to me making me feel home away from home.
• Another thing that has impressed me is how the church e-mails visitors within a week. Also I had a call from one of the pastors within a week. Churches need to learn that first time visitors need to be made to feel at home early.
• Something else that has made an impression to me is the regular online monthly newsletter. This carries a devotional letter from the Pastor and also news of what is happening in a church. For a visitor this is useful for knowing what has been and is happening in a church. The church website is regularly updated and provides useful information for members and visitors.

Conclusion

In a nutshell this is a brief account of Mobwray Baptist Church whose vision for 2011 is “Getting it RIGHT … getting it DONE … for the glory of GOD.

For further information visit the church website: http://www.mowbraybaptist.za.org

Pastor Joshua Lungu with Gabriel

Learning Theories Overview

Behaviourism

Learning, Cognition and Technology Seminar

by Gabriel S Konayuma, Munyarari Ndoro, Jarome Reitz
Postgraduate Diploma in Education (ICTs in Education)Class
University of Cape Town
26 July 2011

1. Definition of Behaviourist Learning Theory
Behaviourism, also called the learning perspective (where any physical action is a behaviour), is a philosophy of psychology based on the proposition that all things that organisms do—including acting, thinking and feeling—can and should be regarded as behaviours (Skinner, 1984).

Behaviourism as applied to learners is the idea that the learner is an empty container to be filled with “the learning”. What the learner does after learning is called his “behaviour.” The behaviour can be shaped by putting various things into the container and observing what happens (Focal Works, 2011).

Behaviorism is a worldview that assumes a learner is essentially passive, responding to environmental stimuli. The learner starts off as a clean slate (i.e. tabula rasa) and behavior is shaped through positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement. Both positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement increase the probability that the antecedent behavior will happen again. In contrast, punishment (both positive and negative) decreases the likelihood that the antecedent behavior will happen again. Positive indicates the application of a stimulus; Negative indicates the withholding of a stimulus. Learning is therefore defined as a change in behavior in the learner. Lots of (early) behaviorist work was done with animals (e.g. Pavlov’s dogs) and generalized to humans (Learning Theories, 2008).

Radical behaviorism, developed by Skinner, describes a particular school that emerged during the reign of behaviorism. It is distinct from other schools of behaviorism, with major differences in the acceptance of mediating structures, the role of emotions, etc.

2. Leading Behavioural Theorists
Originators and important contributors: John B. Watson,
Ivan Pavlov- Did his study with dogs where he used a bell to indicate the presence of food therefore stimulate a behavior which is the dogs salivating in anticipation, B.F. Skinner, E. L. Thorndike (connectionism), Bandura, Tolman (moving toward conce of gnitivism)

3. Key principles of Behaviourial Learning Theory
(a) Learning is manifested by a change in behaviour.
• new knowledge leads to change in behaviour. Once someone learns something it changes how they perceive something.
(b) environment shapes behaviour.
• Example: In South Africa & Zimbabwe good academic performance is found among in schools that were once pre-dominantly white, (A schools) in Zimbabwe .
(c) contiguity (how close in time two events must be for a bond to be formed) as well as reinforcement are central to explaining the learning process.
• Repetition enforces the learning process. Sometimes this is done out of context since behaviourist believe that students can be taught best when the focus is directly on the content to be taught.

4. Behaviourial Learning Theory principles in relation to ICTs
(a) Learning is manifested by a change in behaviour.
• When using ICTs more of the senses of the human being are being used. This stimulates change in behaviour as it is a more effective learning process. Visual, audio and hand co-ordinations versus just audio although this is all still instructional learning.
(b) environment shapes behaviour.
In an environment with ICTs the users sees the learning process in a new light and thus this effects a change in their behaviour. This give the sense that the gap between the learning environment and the outside world is bridged by the ICTs
(c) contiguity (how close in time two events must be for a bond to be formed) as well as reinforcement are central to explaining the learning process.
With the use of ICTs reinforcement is easier as information is stored in its original form and can be easily made reference to at any time. New information is also made available that can support what is already there.
How behaviourist approach teaching

1. Breaking information and skills into small units
2. Providing regular feedback as well as encouragement
3. Teaching is direct
4. Direct or teacher centered instruction

The word: Behaviourism
The people: Ivan Pavlov, B F Skinner, and others
The good: Gives the instructor full control
Izzet Kara did an experiment with grade 7 students to find out which method of instruction between the Traditional Instruction (TI) and Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) lead to better understanding and retention. During the experiment the teacher remained in full control of the content that was to be learned which was the same for both groups. The two groups started with the same pretest and after the delivery of the content the groups were given a post test and after 5 months the groups were given another test. It was found out that the group were CAI was used performed better in both the post test and the last test which proved that the more aids you use in the instruction the better the retention of learning.
The bad: Thinks of learners as empty containers.

B. F. Skinner proposed a teaching machine but the problem is that it does not have human qualities. The machine instructs the different set of activities. If the student does not understand the sequence of instruction then there is no one to explain. By using a teaching machine this theory views the student as an empty container that is there to receive and be filled with knowledge.

Summary
This is the one that actually caused the problem—the problem that other learning theories try to rectify! While talking about behaviourism, the phrase “operant conditioning” comes up often. Stripped of the details, this scientific-sounding word means: “Reward someone for doing something good, and punish him for doing something bad. He will automatically do the correct activities after some time” (Focal Works, 2011).
As adults, what we remember about our schoolroom is close to this. The teacher teaches by filling the students with facts they should know. The exam tests how much they know. If the student “behaves” correctly by showing that he has learnt, then he is rewarded by being promoted. If he has behaved incorrectly, he/she is demoted. Teachers hope that in this way, the student will eventually behave perfectly, that is, that he will be filled with the correct knowledge (Focal Works, 2011).
There is no single theory of learning which supplies a total explanation of human learning. Some of the major agreements among educational psychologists which ICT education teachers need to bear in mind:
(1) Motivation is essential for learning
(2) Transfer of training is not automatic. Transfer of training is more likely to occur when experiences are meaningful in terms of goals of learners.
(3) Mere repetition or drill is not necessarily conducive to learning, but they are likely to be where drill or repetition is experienced because learners see that these activities are related to their goals.
(4) Learning is not merely a matter of chance, it is related to goals of learners toward their goals are more likely to be learned (J. D. Millet, 1962).


References

Focal Works (2011) Learning Theories 101: What they mean. Available from: http://focalworks.in/articles/learning-theories . Accessed: 25 July 2011.

Kara, I (2008) The Effect on Retention of Computer Assisted Instruction. Journal of Instructional Psychology in Science Education, 35(4):357-364.

Learning Theories (2008) Behaviorism. Available from: http://www.learning-theories.com/behaviorism.html. Accessed: 25 July 2011.

Millet, J. D. (1962) Learning Theories. Cited in Mathematics Education Reader, University of Zambia, 1989.

Skinner, B. F. (1958) Teaching Machines. Science, 128(3330):969-977.

Skinner, B.F. (1984) "The operational analysis of psychological terms". Behavioral and Brain Sciences 7 (4): 547–81. Available from: http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=9212556. Accessed: 25 July 2011.

Wikipedia (2011) Learning Theory (Education). Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_theory_(education). Accessed: 25 July 2011.

Bring Your Computer to Class Day

Copyright By John Orlando, PhD

Our student newspaper recently ran a story about students bringing their cell phones and computers to class. Not surprisingly, all of the teachers interviewed were against the practice on the grounds that these devices distracted students from class material. Some went so far as to forbid students from using them in class, although you have to wonder if they can really enforce such a rule.


I was interviewed in the next issue of the newspaper and mentioned that I don't object to computers and cell phones in class at all. In fact, I wonder if we should be encouraging students to bring them to class. For one, students will eventually be entering the working world where these devices are ubiquitous. Look at any business meeting and you will find everyone with smart phones or laptops. The restriction on their use amounts to telling students that they need to go back to using pen and paper for notetaking, like the 60's. We are preparing students for a world that no longer exists.

But more importantly, I'm using the devices to increase student participation. This idea occurred to me when a student asked a factual question in class that I couldn't answer off the top of my head. A few minutes later another student volunteered the answer, which she had looked up on her smart phone.

At that point I started telling students that they could bring their digital devices to class, but if they did they must be prepared to do research on the spot. For instance, I might say "Jerry, in what year did the Tuskegee Syphilis Study end?," requiring him to research the answer for us.

This policy makes students collaborators in the learning process. It's too easy to fall into the trap of believing that only teachers have valuable knowledge for students. While we may be the primary experts in our classroom, there is no reason why students cannot offer up information to advance the discussion.

I'm sure that the smart phones and laptops are a distraction at times, and no doubt students are checking text messages (email is passé among today's students, in case you haven't heard), and Facebook. But digital devices can also make them more engaged in the material, and can be of particular benefit to shy students who are afraid of saying something dumb if they speak up. This is not a concern when they are reporting someone else's research.

So instead of fighting the digital movement, try treating it as a collaborator in the learning process and a way to get all of your students involved in class.

What do you think about computers in the classroom? As always, I encourage your comments, criticisms, and cries of outrage in the comments section of the blog.