Fitting the Pieces Together

Fitting the Pieces Together

Behaviorist theory, cognitive theory, constructivist theory, social learning theory, connectivism, adult learning, multiple intelligences, visual, auditory, kinesthetic learning styles are all concepts and terminology that has enhanced my view of learning.  When we started this course, I attempted to explain how I learn in the most simplistic of terms.  What I did not realize at the time, was that my description was a loose interpretation of the learning theories and how understanding, and maturing affect the progression of learning.

Behaviorism, typically a rewards and consequence based learning theory typifies early educational rote memorization skills.  Get it right, and you get a sticker.  Get the problem wrong, and a sad face accompanies the paper.  Moving through middle school, and cognitive learning, I added to the behaviorist theory by adding in elements of my environment and intrinsic factors.   Then I constructed my learning and incorporated it with my social, and cultural environment even more.  With the advent of technology, I am able to learn by making connections to non human objects for leaning.  Smart phones, computers, and Ipads all make learning richer and more meaningful.  Finally as an adult, I like to be an active participant in my learning, have problem centered learning with immediate results and I am motivated for internal factors rather than the sticker on the paper (Conlan, Grabowski, & Smith, 2003).

What has intrigued me the most is, that I cannot say I learn in any one particular way.  I would have to say that I learn using all of the theories presented, depending on the subject matter, and type of learning.  If I am practicing for a speech, I will use a more of a behavioral approach.  If I am exploring a new concept or idea, a more constructivist approach would work better.  The one constant in all of my learning though is technology.  Since the beginning of the internet, smart phones, Ipads, and tablets, being connected technologically has had many advantages.  You can easily scan through many documents to get the information you need, whereas 20 years ago, it would have taken all day in the library just to pull your resources, only to hope that you had the correct ones. 

Technology has revolutionized how we all learn.  Everything from YouTube to Facebook, electronic libraries to Google searches, technology has integrated into most facets of everyday life.  One downside I see if we as designers are not careful, the students can soon outpace the instructor, and every care should be made for the designer to stay on top of technology trends and improvements.  This was quoted in the Chronicle of Higher Education. "New communications technology and platforms in particular are arriving fast and furiously. Our college freshmen grew up wholly within the era of the commercial Internet. Eighteen-year-olds have seen their lives permeated by social media for almost a decade. Our young up-and-coming scholars, in their 20s and early 30s, are probably the most tech-oriented generation of educators yet."(Perlmutter, 2011).  It is incumbent upon us as future instructional designers to stay up to date with technology, and design curriculum and course work that is relevant and current.

References

Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K. (2003). Adult learning. Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching and technology. Retrieved from http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Adult_Learning

Perlmutter, D. (2011, July 24). Great Colleges to work for in 2011. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/Bridging-the-Generational-Tech/128304/