Reflecting on Learning, Theories, and Instruction

 

I have learned a great deal over the course of the last 8 weeks. Throughout the EDUC 6115 Course I feel that I was enlightened. The vast majority of what I learned was new information to me. As an online instructor I am familiar with some of the online learning to a certain extent, however I did not realize how much I did not know about learning theories.  One of the most striking things that I have found as I gained a better understanding of how individuals learn is that there are some many influential factors that affect the learning process. Some of these factors include mental factors (attitude), personal factors (emotional and social), environmental factors (physical conditions), and learning factors (Mondal, 2015).

My Personal Learning         

As I further reflect on this course, I definitely feel that it deepened my understanding of my personal learning process. Interestingly enough, I had never really given any in-depth thought to the way that I learn. I have given much thought to the way that others learn, but not myself.  When I think about the definition of ‘learning’, what comes to mind is the transference of knowledge. There are conventional and unconventional methods of learning and again I have never really given this much thought when it comes to my personal learning.  The method that seems to work best for me is linguistic or verbal learning. The use of words in both writing and verbally helps me to learn most productively.  I use many electronic resources for learning, many of which are mobile devices. Several months ago, I learned that the use of mobile devices such as phones and tablets in learning is referred to as mobile learning (m-learning) and the delivery of electronic materials on these devices is electronic learning (e-learning). During this current course, I have learn more about the learning theory that best best aligned with the way that I learn and that is Connectivism. Interestingly enough, of the theories that we discussed in the course, it was the one on that I have not heard of.

Learning Theories, Learning Styles, Educational Technology, and Motivation

The Learning Theory Matrix assignment really helped me to understand the connection between learning theories, learning styles, educational technology, and motivation. Prior to understanding the connections between these elements, I had to first learn to decifer what they were and the differences between them. Learning theories provide a framework that can be used to describe how information is absorbed, processed, and retained during the learning process. An individual’s learning style is the manner in which he or she understands and comprehends information. Educational technology allows us to better serve the diverse learning styles among individuals. Motivation is the willingness to do something. In terms of enhancing learning, motivation is perhaps one of the most important factors that educators need to take into consideration.

The Field of Instructional Design

There were many useful pieces of information within this course that will help me as I further my career in the field of instructional design. I have learned that one of the key element to connecting the instructional designer, the learner (and their learning style), and education technology is motivation.  Also useful, is an understanding of information processing. From an instructional design perspective, when thinking about teaching adult learners, it is important to know what they already know so that they can relate the new information to their existing knowledge. In Week 6’s learning resource video, Dr. Ormrod explained the significance of accounting for the differences in the way individuals learn and taking them into consideration in any instructionally designed learning environment. The goal of instructional design is to make learning more efficient and effective as well as resolve instructional problems. There is no single perfect approach to instructional design or one size fit all learning theory. Although some are more suitable for certain instructional tasks than others, they all have major benefits. A good design model is one that offers flexibility (customizable), leads to instruction that meets the needs of the learner, cost effective, and includes an evaluation component.

Putting the Pieces Together

We have indeed explored many of the learning theories in this course. It goes without saying that I have a deeper, richer understanding of the different learning theories and learning styles. Prior to starting this class, I thought that I knew what my teaching and learning philosophy was. As this class comes to a close, I have to reflect further on my learning philosophy and the realization that I did not know nearly as much as I thought. Based on what I have learned I recognize that more of the theories are applicable to my philosophies than previously thought before.

Since learning more about these learning theories (i.e., connectivism, behaviorism, constructivism, and the like) I cannot say that my view on how I learn has necessarily changed a great deal. Its more that I have a better understanding of the way that learn as well as how to improve the way that I learn. I have found that some of my beliefs about learning turned out to be not so great, meaning that they are not the best learning methods. For instance, I have always believed that reading and rereading and other repetitious tactics were the best way for me to learning. I have also always learned through memorization. As it turns out, these methods are not effective learning styles. Now I realize why I have forgotten so much of what I ‘thought’ I had learned. Its seems that information that I memorized for the moment of a test, has long since evaporated from my mind. At least I can say now that I know why. As an adult learner, I now find that the formation of connections between networks of data and people for that matter heavily influences that way that I obtain and deliver information. As such, I have learned through this course that the connectivism theory seems to be the most appropriate conceptual framework to describe the way I absorb, process, and retain information that I learn.

The EDUC 6115 Learning, Theories, and Instruction course has had me to critically examine how technology has been effectively incorporated into instruction. Technology plays a significant role in every aspect of my life. I use technology frequently in my daily activities and it is a huge part of my learning. I earned my doctoral online and am working on my second master’s degree online. As a student of an online university, I am constantly using computers and my cell phone to search for and gather information. Online course delivery platforms and the ways that we communicate, send information, and complete assignments. I also have been involved in the working world of instructional design, teaching, and administration of online learning. As an instructional designer, I know that I will be tasked with taking into account all of this foundational knowledge and delivering instruction that utilizes the latest technology. In both face-to-face and online instruction, the integration of technology will be a powerful tool in the learning process.