This blog entry was created in fulfillment of an assignment to answer the following questions after revisiting a private discussion which I have re-posted here.
• Now that you have a deeper understanding of the different learning theories and learning styles, how has your view on how you learn changed?
I think my discussion in week one actually demonstrated some grasp of all of the learning theories we discussed except possibly Connectivism (Lloyd, 2010, January 6), but I had an unrefined teaching style that was based on a belief that learning is transferred through a variety of experiences. Now I have a more refined understanding of how different learning styles interact together from person to person, and even from activity to activity, because everyone has multiple strengths and weaknesses that may interact in different ways at different times (Gilbert & Swanier, 2008). Previously I would have likened my approach to using a shotgun to insure a target was hit. Now, with my understanding of various learning theories, I will refine my “shotgun approach” into an arsenal of precision tools, starting with an emphasis on my own strengths and weaknesses as an instructional designer.
• What have you learned about the various learning theories and learning styles over the past weeks that can further explain your own personal learning preferences?
In this class, we have explored seven perspectives on learning.
Behaviorism treats learning as a "black box" in which learning is influenced by positive and sometimes negative reinforcement until a learning objective is achieved.
Cognativism explores how new information is accommodated into an existing framework of understanding.(Omrod, Schunk, & Gredler, 2009, p. 50)
Constructivism recognizes that no one has a complete handle on reality, but each person constructs their own imperfect view of reality from new and previous experiences.(Omrod, Schunk, & Gredler, 2009, p. 185)
Social learning theory explores how the culture and multiple talents of individuals in a group combine to enhance the learning of members of a group.(Kim, 2001)
Connectivism focuses on how people use the resources at their disposal to continually update their view of the world around them.
(Davis, Edmunds, & Kelly-Bateman, 2008)
Adult learning focuses on differences between how children and adults learn, especially in the context of career-focused learning.(Conlan, Grabowski, & Smith, 2010)
As I have been studying instructional development, I have been “trying out” new ideas with my ESL students and with my homeschooled students.
I have clearly become a more effective teacher, although some of my experiments have failed miserably such as attempting to use facebook to help ESL students practice English. I learned a valuable lesson in how technology can get in the way of learning. I underestimated the importance of “computer literacy” to using technology in the classroom. I found myself teaching students to use a computer rather than using a computer to teach English. One (only one) of my students is making new online friends, and will likely benefit from my efforts eventually, but my students were intimidated by the attempt, and one student has apparently dropped out of the class.
• What role does technology play in your learning (i.e., as a way to search for information, to record information, to create, etc.)?
My learning will never be the same because I now understand how to incorporate social learning and Connectivism in an organized way. I have already benefited in some of my own personal research by having these new tools at my disposal such as Delicious.com social bookmarking, and zotero.org’s online citation management tool which I discovered as a result of my new discipline of following educational blogs.
References
Lloyd, D. (2010, January). Revising "Week One" of my course in instructional design [blog]. Recharge Point. Retrieved from http://rechargepoint.blogspot.com/2010/02/revisiting-week-one-of-my-course-in.html
Omrod, J. E., Schunk, D. H., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Custom ed., p. 50). New York: Laureate Education, Inc.
Omrod, J. E., Schunk, D. H., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Custom ed., p. 185). New York: Laureate Education, Inc.
Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K. (2010). Adult learning. Emerging Perspectives on Learning, Teaching and Technology. projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Adult_Learning
Gilbert, J. E., & Swanier, C. A. (2008). Learning styles: How do they fluctuate? Institute for Learning Styles Journal, 1. Retrieved from http://www.auburn.edu/~witteje/ilsrj/Journal%20Volumes/Fall%202008%20Volume%201%20PDFs/Learning%20Styles%20How%20do%20They%20Fluctuate.pdf
Kim, B. (2001). Social constructivism. In M. Orey [Ed.]. Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. cmapspublic3.ihmc.us/rid=1166849164796_503796730_2566/Social Constructivist Theory.doc
Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey [Ed.], Emerging perspectives on learning. projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Connectivism
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