The most surprising thing I learned
during this class was about all the different types of learning theories. I
never realized how many there were and how detailed they were. After completing
the matrix on the different learning theories, how important each theory was. I
had heard of behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism from my undergraduate
psychology classes. I always thought I would never need to know these theories,
and I always had a hard time paying attention. Now I realized after this class,
that I use one or many of the theories many times a day and I never noticed it
before. Another thing I learned is there are three other learning theories,
Connectivism, Adult Learning, and Social Learning Theory. I have learned about
many of the theorists that were described in all six theories, but I never
remembered their theories, I guess. It is funny, out of all the theories we
reviewed I think the most interesting theories for me was Adult Learning and
Connectivism. Adult Learning is known as
Andragogy, and this is the art and sciences of helping adults learn (Conlan,
Grabowski & Smith, 2003). I think I find this one the most interesting
because I can relate to many things that Conlan, Grabowski & Smith discuss.
I thought many of the problems I was having with balancing my other
responsibilities were just me, here I find out that many people have the same
problems. Being an adult learner, I realize why I am sometimes struggling to
read topics, it is because adults are more interested in learning about subjects
that have immediate relevance to their job or personal life (Conlan, Grabowski
& Smith, 2003). I also found Connectivism very interesting because this is learning
theory that integrates technology, social networks, and information (Laureate Education Inc.,
2009). I am the type of person that loves to stay connected via the internet
with emails or Facebook, and I like to surf the internet to learn new
information.
After this class, I have learned a lot of
information about learning processes. Before
this class, I just knew I was visual and kinesthetic. Now after learning all
the information about learning processes, I understand why I learn the way I
learn. "People learn in many
different ways and may even have distinctive styles for learning and processing
new information" (Laureate Education Inc., 2009). This sentence sticks out
to me because I have to always remember, being a teacher, not every student
will learn the same way. This class helped me to have a better understand of how
some of my students learn.
I
have learned that learning theories, learning styles, educational technology,
and motivation are all connected because it helps a student learn. Learning
theories help students or teachers to understand what approach, or theorist,
they can relate to and why they learn the way they learn. Then, this feeds into
learning styles. The three different types of learning styles are Visual,
Auditory, or Kinesthetic. Each individual student has a specific learning style
that may be different from every other student. Educational technology is
connected to learning styles because some students may learn better by seeing
things on a computer, or just by learning from the technology on the computer.
There are many educational topics to do on the computer, and students seem to
learn better, when they are on the computer. Lastly, motivation is very
important to students learning. Without motivation, the students will not learn
the necessary topics needed to move forward in life. With motivation, students
are able to understand and take with them the topics that they are being
taught. Doing different types of activities, visual, auditory, or kinesthetic,
may motivate more students to want to learn. For example, Science classes
should not take notes all the time, you should be doing labs which would change
the notes (visual or auditory)to labs (kinesthetic) because they are up moving
and creating their own learning by what they are doing. We need to get students
more motivated, and many times using the educational technology can help
achieve this goal. Many of my students are more motivated to work when I tell
them we will be using a computer. Something to always remember, the motivation
of your learners is important factor that can affect the learning environment
and the overall effectiveness of the learning experience (Laureate Education
Inc., 2009).
To
be a successful Instructional Designer, you need to realize what types of
technology are better for learning, and which would hinder the learner. After
this class, I know I need to create appropriate learning environments that
include different types of learning styles. I also, if it is an adult learning
situation, I need to try to incorporate ways for the information to relate to
their work or personal life. I have to be able to motivate the students to make
them want to learn. In doing this, I need to plan lessons/activities that are
more directed towards the students. This may increase motivation, and they will
want to learn more.
References
Conlan, J., Grabowski, S.,
& Smith, K. (2003). Adult learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging
perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Adult_Learning
Laureate Education, Inc.
(Producer). (2009). Introduction to scholarly writing: Purpose, audience, and
evidence [DVD].Connectivism.
Baltimore, MD: Author. George Siemens
Laureate Education, Inc.
(Producer). (2009). Introduction to scholarly writing: Purpose, audience, and
evidence [DVD].Learning Styles and
Strategies. Baltimore, MD: Author. Dr. Jeanne Ormrod
Laureate Education, Inc.
(Producer). (2009). Introduction to scholarly writing: Purpose, audience, and
evidence [DVD].Motivation in Learning.
Baltimore, MD: Author. Dr. Jeanne Ormrod
