Reflection

Learning Theories and Instruction was extremely interesting for me because it allowed me to see instruction from the viewpoint of the learner. I have taken several classes in the past and I was familiar with what I considered “learning styles”. I thought learning styles only reflected the preference most individuals have towards being a visual or auditory learner. This class has helped me to see there is so much more to the learning styles than listening and visualization. Dr Ormrod talked about the impact of learning style on teaching effectively in the Introduction to Learning podcast


“To teach effectively, you've got to know how students learn. And you've got know in particular how they think, what's going on in their heads as they're studying, as they're reading, as they're responding to questions, and so on. Because without knowing how they think through things, you're not in a good position to help them think more effectively about the subject matter that you're teaching” (Ormrod, 2009)

Personaly I have learned a great deal about my own personal learning style. As an adult learner I have experienced some of the unique challenges faced by the adult learner. I am motivated and I enjoy the learning process but because of the large number of personal issues which require my attention it is sometimes dificult to fucus on my assignments. I have never been a hugh fan of group work but after reading our resource articles I can see the positive effects of group work in the motivational process of the adult learner for example “participants work in small groups or teams to take action to solve their project or problem, and learn how to learn from that action”(Conlan, Grabowski & Smith, 2003). I think an instructor with experience in the study of instructional design can make group work a positive experience for learners espacialy if groups are arraned in a manner in which the learners individual skils can bring unique experiences to the group.

Learning theories, learning styles, educational technology, and motivation are connected by their overall attempt to enhance the learning experience of indvidual learners. Learning theory provides the base for instuctors as they create the most beneficial environminet for learners. Instructors can compare and contrast the various theories and determine what works best based unon the learner and the subject matter. For example we have learned behaviorism responses to stimili are not an efective learning tool for many mature learners. Instructer will do thier best to deterine the learning style or combination of styles which are the most beneficial for the learners but the ultimate objective is to always find ways to get the learner to retain the information. Educational technology such as online podcasts can be used to reinforce subject matter. This technology can be combined with the most appropriate learning style to increase the learners understanding and retention of the assignments. Motivation is critical regardless of which learning style is chosen. The learner must be engaged by encouragement and positive feedback.

I plan to use several of the techniques I have learned in the past eight weeks. I really want to engage the employees I train. I think it will make me a more effective trainer to be able to understand my classes are made up of individuals who are all learning in different ways. I realize I cannot tailor one class for everyone but I can group learners in ways in which they can help each other.

Conlan, J. G. (2003). Adult Learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology.

Dr. Jeanne Ormrod Video Program: “ Motivation in Learning" (2009). [Podcast].

Week Seven: Learning Theory Reflection

     My view of how I learn has definitely changed since taking these classes. I now understand that learning style entails much more that being an auditory or visual learner. I definitely believe there is an advantage to knowing the learning styles of your students to assist in their overall learning experience. I believed this was true before I began this program, but in taking this class I have learned the importance of prior knowledge of these theories. I have also learned helpful tools which will assist me as an individual learner such as elaboration. Elaboration helps me to understand a topic I have read and reinforces my ability to retain it for the long term.


      Several topics we have covered over the past few weeks have given me a better understanding of my own learning experiences. The reason it was difficult for me to learn multiplication times tables and addition was because rote memorization is difficult for most people. This was definitely Behaviorist Theory in action. Learn or be punished in a negative way. I know now there are less stressful techniques which can be used to make this experience much more pleasant. The use of a more group related theory would be helpful. For example bring Social Learning Theory and Cognitive Theory together and observe how children would help each other to learn the multiplication tables.

      As an adult learner I know some of the unique challenges faced by adults returning to school. Reading about Adult Learning Theory helped me understand more of the issues facing the adult learner. I was able to look at ways to help the learner to be more engaged such Action Learning and the use of small groups. I now understand the reason for so much group work in training classes.

      Technology is essential to my learning experience. I use the computer to do research, my phone to read blogs and upload podcasts for review on the bus or during my lunch. I use a word processor to write my blogs. Blogging in itself has been a new experience for me. I have really enjoyed it and I am going to try to start my own blog about something. I am really looking forward to learning about Adobe Creative Suite 4. Technology is a part of my everyday life and I love it.

Connectivism Reflections

       Networking has really changed the way I learn because of my ability to take classes online. This was not possible when I was an undergraduate. College meant going away to school. Correspondence courses where advertised on television but no one knew if they were legitimate or accredited. I can now read and study in the comfort of my home. I can also study during my breaks at work. I can also read the blogs on the way home on the bus using my cell phone. These connections allow me to multitask.


      I use several tools in learning including my computer and cell phone. Most of my work is done using my computer to access class and discussions but I am using my phone more to read blogs. I now download the assigned resources podcasts to my phone and listen to those during my commute. I located a free podcast called The Learning Theory Podcast (Campbell, 2008) which has also been somewhat helpful for me. These are short descriptions of some of the theories we are studying. I find it helpful to use several sources and take notes as I try my best to work on the matrix assignment and learn the differences and similarities of each theory.

     I use the Google most of the time when I have questions. I have not been familiar with some of the terminology so I have used “m-w” or www.merriam-webster.com/ which is my favorite word resource. I have also started to use the Walden library as a resource to learn more about each theory and the individuals noted in the development of each theory. Library searches are really fast and the numerous resources are great. I wish I had more time to research and read more of the entries.

      The principles of connectivism include the following two tenets (1) learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions and (2) the capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known (Siemens, 2001). I agree with these principles because we need different opinions in knowledge gathering. People will usually perceive the same topic in various ways. These different perceptions can sometimes slow the overall process but we need to be able to observe a topic from all sides before a decision is made. Individuals never stop learning. There is not a time in your life when you can say I know it all because learning is a continuous process.

Campbell, D. (2008). The Learning Theory Podcast. Retrieved November 6, 2009, from Daniel J. Campbell, Ed. D: www.dancampbell.us/podcast.html

Siemens, G. (2001). Retrieved December 6, 2009, from Connectivism:A Learning Theory for the Digital Age: http://jotamac.typepad.com/jotamacs_weblog/files/Connectivism.pdf

Connectivism

Tracie's Network

The Robot can learn!

      I wanted to add an attachment to my post which is actually from the post of one of my classmates. I was so fascinated about the learning capabilities of this robot I wanted to add it to my blog. The way the robot moves reminds me of my son when he was a baby and the way Monk (from the TV show) sizes up a case when he is trying to solve it. I can envision corporate and military uses for this robot. I hope it will be used for good and not evil.


ASIMO the Robot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9ByGQGiVMg

http://asimo.honda.com/

Learning to Teach

I wanted to point out an additional resource which I have found be helpful. It is an article which addresses issues of adult learners. My goal is to work with adult s in an online teaching environment. The article is “There Is No End To Learning” (Pearsall, 2009).


Reference:

Pearsall, T. (2009). “There Is No End to Learning". American Music Teacher , 26(4).

Blogging Continues...

       So far blogging has been great. Setting up my reader Google was much easier than I expected. I subscribed to my classmate blogs and then the blogs within their blogs. I then got a little over zealous I realized Google reader has blog group suggestions so I subscribed to several of those. I now have about 600 to read. I hope to continue this and start my own blog.


       The subject matter this week addressed the complexities of the brain. It is now clear to me how several people can read a passage and interpret it in several different ways. I thought the video done by Dr.Ormrod mentioned some really good strategies in for long term memory."A metacognitively sophisticated learner is likely to monitor his or her learning. And by that I mean that the learner is constantly checking himself or herself. "Do I understand what I just read? Can I do something with it? Let me explain this to myself, or let me explain it to somebody else. Can I apply this? If so, how? Can I think of new examples?" All these are things that the sophisticated learner will do to remember effectively. It's not something that most people are trained to do" (Ormrod, 2009).

Loginquitas, E. (2009, November 11). Roger McHaney: Virtual Collaboration in Academic Courses.