Pedagogy

=Beliefs on Learning=

By today's standards, Thorndike's beliefs play into the idea that some people have higher abilities than others. Most people today believe that anyone can do anything, especially gain more information, if they put their mind to it. Thorndike did not feel this was particualry true. He proposed that neural bonds or fibers in our minds are created everytime a behavior elicits a response. If an individual has many neural bonds, the smarter they are. These people can deduce if a situation will benefit or restrain them. Individuals with fewer neural connections cannot readily tell what kind of response a behavior will elicit. He did feel that the ability to form these bonds were genetic, while the actual intellect of an indivdual was based soley on experience. In a teacher/student example a teacher would present a project. The student looks at what is required of him and takes the neccessary steps to complete it on time. He may know, without being told, that completion of the project will result in a good grade. This may in turn result in accolades from family, and maybe a few more presents under the Christmas tree. If he could not make the connection that an incomplete would result in negative consequenses, Throndike would argue that student has fewer neural bonds than the productive student.

Links: [] []