Went to the Vancouver Aquarium and watched the beluga show.
In the show, the trainers asked the belugas to do many things as they explain to the audience how they create trust with the animals. Trainer: "We train them everyday. We do a lot of positive reinforcement. One of the ideal treats would be fish, but we would like to make a bond with them... so that they will not only come to us for food just like we don't want our children to only come to use for food. We play with them, massage them... and one of the most important part of the training is helping them with health care. Help them do gestures that will make them healthy. Other than the health care, we also ask them to do somethings for the show.
The success we have with these sea animals is mainly based upon this good relationship we have with them. We always want a positive cycle... if they do not want to do something we ask, that's ok, we ask them some other time or for something else we saw success in the past... so in the end they will all end up with a positive feedback or fish treat. Then when they are ready, we will help them move on to the next level of move or other things. "
This reminds me of the "i+1" theory (similar to Vygotsky's ZPD theory) in English teaching. When teaching English, or any other knowledge, the teacher is suggested to design lessons that are not too easy nor too hard for the learners. The "i" is the current level of understanding and prior knowledge of the learner, and the "1" means to go one level above so the learner will learn something that is reachable. This theory is important because sometimes, learners are given tasks that are "i+3", "i+7"...etc... too many levels ahead of them that they cannot reach and thus loses confidence and motivation. In the beluga case, the trainers constantly find the "i" of the animals and help them reach the next 1 level. Positive feedback is an important element in the "i+1" equation, because it empowers students to believe in themselves; this mental state will facilitate the speed and quality of the movement.
