ICT-Mediated Learning -- reflect on an activity-reflection cycle

ICT-Mediated Learning
An activity-reflection cycle (Richards, 2004; 2005)



After reading this essay, I am interested in the activity-reflection cycle. It is interested that there is the difference of learning between the western countries and the eastern countries. Eastern countries focus on this line: content—process. It should be traced back to the eastern education system. Take Taiwan for example. The education in Taiwan emphasizes on the content of textbooks. The teachers ask the students to memorizing lots of theories, sometimes even cramming the knowledge without digesting it well. Some of the students do not know how to apply what they have learned to practice. Therefore, the knowledge they have learned becomes “dead”. What’s worse, the idea of cramming kills the creativity of students. They fail to think and reflect what they have learned and do further research. That’s why even though we eastern people stand out in the academic Olympic but fail to achieve the Nobel Prize. Another example is English teaching in Taiwan. The teachers focus too much on the grammar and ignore the importance of listening and speaking. Therefore, many students end up learning English for many years but not able to communicate with foreigners. It is such a pity! On the other hand, western countries focus on another line: doing —thinking. The teachers in Western countries encourage creativity. The students are not afraid to ask questions. They have more opportunities to do the projects, which will apply what they have learned and they really absorb the knowledge. That’s what our education should emulate.