Prior to the last eight weeks, words like constructivism,
connectivism and social learning theory were as foreign to me as speaking a
different language. Throughout the class, I have come to appreciate how
people learn, not just the why. The complexity of learning differs from
person to person, which is what makes instructional design so
challenging. Like an intricately woven web, learning theories, learning
styles, technology and motivation, mesh together to form the basis of
learning. As you move along the behaviorist-cognitivist- constructivist
continuum, the focus of instruction sifts from teaching to learning, from
passive transfer of acts and routines to the active application of ideas to problems.
(Ertmer & Newby, 1993, p. 62)
What I found interesting about how people learned was the
progression of learning that people went through as they aged. From 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, the behaviorist theory was incorporated
by adding in elements of environmental and intrinsic factors. Then learning was constructed and
incorporated it with the social, and cultural environment even more. With the advent of technology, people are
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, people like to be an active participant in their
learning, have problem centered learning with immediate results and are
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 more of a behavioral approach. If I am exploring a new concept or idea, a
more constructivist approach would work better.
One thing that I did not realize before this class was just how big a
part our social environment and interactions play in our learning. “Engagement, social, cultural, and
participation are critical in influencing learning. Motivation is also a key factor that
influences learning. Humans create
meaning as opposed to acquiring it.” (Ertmer & Newby, 1993, p. 62). “Learning is influenced by social
interactions, interpersonal relations and communication with others.” (Ormrod,
Schunk, & Gredler, 2009, p. 214).
It is not enough to read and learn the information, but how we attach
that information mentally to a social or interactive event. Then, when recall is necessary, instead of
recalling just the fact, we recall the event which assists us in great detail
recall.
When I look back at all
we have covered regarding learning theories, learning styles, technology and
motivation, what is apparent is that course content and design cannot be a one
size fits all approach. Learning is as
uniquely different from person to person as is their DNA. While commonalities do exist in certain
groups of students, no two learners are the same. Each learner brings with them their own
individualized social and life experiences on which to draw from. The course designer will have to gauge their
audience and determine what level they are technologically and what motivates
them. They will then need to determine
what theory of learning best suits the material and then decide how to present
the material for maximum learning effect.
While each part, theory, style, technology and motivation needs to be
addressed individually, synergistically they work together to optimize
learning. “The goal of instruction is to
accurately portray tasks, not to define the structure of learning required to
achieve a task.” (Ertmer &
Newby, 1993, p. 64)
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. Technology will be a key component when
coupled with learning theory and style to design effective curriculum and
training.
Lifelong learning is an ever changing, evolving process. As new theories are introduced such as
Connectivism, with the advent of technology and non-human learning, it is
incumbent upon us as instructional designers to stay current with process and
theory to develop materials where the greatest knowledge transfer can
happen. I see design as a multifold
process. Assess the audience, determine
which learning theory or theories work best for the content, design a delivery
system for optimal facilitation, and then follow-up for reinforcement or
knowledge checks to make sure transfer as indeed taken place. It is an exciting time for an instructional
designer, with a plethora of tools and resources at our fingertips. Conceptualize, design, create, facilitate and
learn.
References
