Learning is such a complex concept. The more I read about how people learn, the more I realize this is a never-ending topic. There are so many factors that are involved in learning that it is no wonder the topic itself has many theories and models proposals. Through my learning process about how we learn, I have found of great value the legitimacy of informal learning. This encompasses 90% of our learning (Jennings, C., 2010). It is through being within a community that we learn best because we use what we learn in real life practice (Wenger, E., 2010). The use of technology has increased opportunities for informal education to take place, however there is little research studying the ways in which people learn through informal settings (Schwier, R. A., 2010).
Much like metacognition which is thinking about how we think (Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M., 2009), learning about how we learn is influenced by our own experience as much as by others’ experiences in our social network. In fact, learning about how we learn is a metacognitive process in itself, but the value or need for us to learn about something comes into play when we are within a community of practice or if we want to belong to one (Wenger, E., 2010; Kim, B., 2001).
As I began my journey as an online student, I have changed the way I used to learn. I had to change it for this experience to be an effective one. Organizing files in my computer has been wonderful and the document with resources (which continues to grow in size every day) is becoming invaluable to me. Furthermore, through our readings and in depth discussions about multiple intelligences I have learned that if I really wanted to, I could finally learn to play the guitar as my brother has since he was four years old. I also have learned that even thought I always thought of myself as a “people-person”, that does not mean I do not have the capability to learn about the different technologies and use it effectively (Gardner, H., 2003, April 21). Additionally, learning how to use the technology for educational purposes means expanding and increasing ways to communicate, learn from and reach even more people than I ever would without the technology.
Among all the information I have gained, the connectivity of it all is what continues to amaze me. How we learn, teach, create, implement and evaluate lesson plans is all connected with why we do all these. I began with metacognition and ended with motivation. At first I thought metacognitive strategies solely were what make us successful learners. I know how I learn best, therefore I follow my cognition and that’s it. However, with motivation being an “internal state that arouses us into action” (Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M., 2009) this explains why I use metacognitive strategies to begin with.
When the source of my motivation comes from within me, it is called intrinsic motivation. When it comes from external venues, it is called extrinsic motivation (Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M., 2009). Which one comes first is not clear to me, but what is clear is that maintaining my intrinsic motivation is a key to my own success. After all, one of the factors describing adult learning within the theory of andragogy is that adults are “motivated to learn by internal factors rather than external factors” (Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K., 2003).
Learning theories might be identifiable within any content being taught. However, these are not laws, but frameworks which attempt to address how people learn (Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M., 2009). They do not necessarily apply all at once within a lesson but are an excellent guide for planning these lessons depending on content, venue and/or audience and levels of knowledge (Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J., 1993). Jonassen (1991) as cited by Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993) described an introductory, advance and expert stages of knowledge. He concurs that behaviorism and cognitivism are theories better applied within an introductory stage and constructivism within advance or expert stages of learning.
I’ve realized that learning styles are much like intrinsic motivation. They exist; they can change, instructors cannot see or feel these, but have to be ready for their appearance within a course. Learning styles are not static within a lesson (Gilbert, J., & Swanier, C., 2008). Hence, we prepare for adjustments ahead of time and continue to provide for effective instruction in spite of all the changes from learners whether these are learning styles or motivation levels.
All the information I have read in the past eight weeks, has made me realize that aside from needing the knowledge for completing this class successfully, I truly enjoy reading, doing research and writing. The interaction with classmates and my professor on discussion boards made it ever interesting, keeping my attention and focus on our content. With the use of technology and infinite amounts of information available it was very easy to go from one piece of research to another and get out of content very quickly. However, having specific guidelines and deadlines helped me a lot to stay on track.
The way I learn is but one example of how adults learn on an online class. However, through reflecting on my learning process and reading that of my classmates, a great deal of information was shared about the variety of students which could join a class through this venue. Therefore, when becoming an instructional designer I not only will have my own experience to draw from while designing online classes, but that of the shared experiences in this class.
There are probably as many factors involved in the design of online classes as there are factors that involve learning in general. But if I could narrow down how my learning from this course will help me in my field it would be by keeping in mind the following:
1. Learning theories are important because it gives us a framework of how to design instruction for effective learning to take place. Depending on the content of the course, the most effective theories should be applied. Though modeling what is expected is one strategy that should be use independently of content or learning theory (Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J., 1993).
2. Courses should be design with variety of choices in terms of tasks and levels of engagement because there are various learning styles within each learner and these vary within lessons (Gilbert, J., & Swanier, C. (2008). Also, attention and relevance can be maintained through variety (Keller, J. M., 1999).
3. Drawing from real life experiences makes course content meaningful and relevant to the learners (Keller, J. M., 1999).
4. Extrinsic Motivational strategies should be embedded within a course to try to maintain intrinsic motivation and also confidence and satisfaction (Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M., 2009; Keller, J. M., 1999).
5. Providing venues for interaction within classmates and professor increases personal connections within the community of learners and this in turn increases cooperation (Chickering, A. W. & Gamson, Z. F., 1987).
The knowledge I gained in this course is the foundation for becoming an instructional designer. One could not really design effective instruction without learning about how people learn, the different ways learning could take place, learner’s capabilities and how to present the content information the most effective way for successful learning. All of this involves analysis which is the first step in the process of instruction design following the ADDIE model for instructional design (Clark, D., 1995) and one of the most valuable tasks we have engaged in throughout this class.
Resources
Chickering, A. W. & Gamson, Z. F. (1987) "Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education" American Association of Higher Education Bulletin vol.39 no.7 pp.3-7 Retrieved from http://www.psy.gla.ac.uk/~steve/best/chickering.html
Clark, D. (1995). Big Dog’s ISD Page. Available at http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/sat1.html#model.
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
Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4), 50–71.
Gardner, H. (2003, April 21). Multiple intelligences after 20 years. Paper presented to the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL. Retrieved from http://www.pz.harvard.edu/PIs/HG_MI_after_20_years.pdf
Gilbert, J., & Swanier, C. (2008). Learning styles: How do they fluctuate? Institute for Learning Styles Journal [Vol. l]. Retrieved from http://www.auburn.edu/~witteje/ilsrj/Journal%20Volumes/Fall%202008%20Volume%201%20PDFs/Learning%20Styles%20How%20do%20They%20Fluctuate.pdf
Jennings, C (2010) 8 Reasons to Focus on Informal & Social Learning. Slide Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/charlesjennings/8-reasons-to-focus-on-informal-social-learning
Keller, J. M. (1999). Using the ARCS motivational process in computer-based instruction and distance education. New Directions for Teaching and Learning (78).
Kim, B. (2001). Social Constructivism.. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved Feb. 18, 2011 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Laureate custom edition). New York: Pearson.
Pemberton, L., Fallahkhair, S. and Masthoff, J. (2004) Towards a theoretical framework for informal language via interactive television In: Proceedings of IADIS international conference of cognition and exploratory learning in digital age (CELDA) 2004. IADIS, pp. 27-34. ISBN 9729894779. Retrieved from http://www.iadis.net/dl/final_uploads/200407L004.pdf
Schwier, R. A. (2010). Focusing Educational Technology Research on Informal Learning Environments CONTEMPORARY EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY, 2010, 1(1), 90-92 90. Retrieved from http://cedtech.net/articles/118.pdf
Wenger, E. (2010) Digital Habitats and Community Practice Presentation. Retrieved from http://mediasite.ics.uwex.edu/mediasite5/Viewer/?peid=08fd5f11580c476ab1da01afe92a7aaa
Much like metacognition which is thinking about how we think (Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M., 2009), learning about how we learn is influenced by our own experience as much as by others’ experiences in our social network. In fact, learning about how we learn is a metacognitive process in itself, but the value or need for us to learn about something comes into play when we are within a community of practice or if we want to belong to one (Wenger, E., 2010; Kim, B., 2001).
As I began my journey as an online student, I have changed the way I used to learn. I had to change it for this experience to be an effective one. Organizing files in my computer has been wonderful and the document with resources (which continues to grow in size every day) is becoming invaluable to me. Furthermore, through our readings and in depth discussions about multiple intelligences I have learned that if I really wanted to, I could finally learn to play the guitar as my brother has since he was four years old. I also have learned that even thought I always thought of myself as a “people-person”, that does not mean I do not have the capability to learn about the different technologies and use it effectively (Gardner, H., 2003, April 21). Additionally, learning how to use the technology for educational purposes means expanding and increasing ways to communicate, learn from and reach even more people than I ever would without the technology.
Among all the information I have gained, the connectivity of it all is what continues to amaze me. How we learn, teach, create, implement and evaluate lesson plans is all connected with why we do all these. I began with metacognition and ended with motivation. At first I thought metacognitive strategies solely were what make us successful learners. I know how I learn best, therefore I follow my cognition and that’s it. However, with motivation being an “internal state that arouses us into action” (Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M., 2009) this explains why I use metacognitive strategies to begin with.
When the source of my motivation comes from within me, it is called intrinsic motivation. When it comes from external venues, it is called extrinsic motivation (Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M., 2009). Which one comes first is not clear to me, but what is clear is that maintaining my intrinsic motivation is a key to my own success. After all, one of the factors describing adult learning within the theory of andragogy is that adults are “motivated to learn by internal factors rather than external factors” (Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K., 2003).
Learning theories might be identifiable within any content being taught. However, these are not laws, but frameworks which attempt to address how people learn (Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M., 2009). They do not necessarily apply all at once within a lesson but are an excellent guide for planning these lessons depending on content, venue and/or audience and levels of knowledge (Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J., 1993). Jonassen (1991) as cited by Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993) described an introductory, advance and expert stages of knowledge. He concurs that behaviorism and cognitivism are theories better applied within an introductory stage and constructivism within advance or expert stages of learning.
I’ve realized that learning styles are much like intrinsic motivation. They exist; they can change, instructors cannot see or feel these, but have to be ready for their appearance within a course. Learning styles are not static within a lesson (Gilbert, J., & Swanier, C., 2008). Hence, we prepare for adjustments ahead of time and continue to provide for effective instruction in spite of all the changes from learners whether these are learning styles or motivation levels.
All the information I have read in the past eight weeks, has made me realize that aside from needing the knowledge for completing this class successfully, I truly enjoy reading, doing research and writing. The interaction with classmates and my professor on discussion boards made it ever interesting, keeping my attention and focus on our content. With the use of technology and infinite amounts of information available it was very easy to go from one piece of research to another and get out of content very quickly. However, having specific guidelines and deadlines helped me a lot to stay on track.
The way I learn is but one example of how adults learn on an online class. However, through reflecting on my learning process and reading that of my classmates, a great deal of information was shared about the variety of students which could join a class through this venue. Therefore, when becoming an instructional designer I not only will have my own experience to draw from while designing online classes, but that of the shared experiences in this class.
There are probably as many factors involved in the design of online classes as there are factors that involve learning in general. But if I could narrow down how my learning from this course will help me in my field it would be by keeping in mind the following:
1. Learning theories are important because it gives us a framework of how to design instruction for effective learning to take place. Depending on the content of the course, the most effective theories should be applied. Though modeling what is expected is one strategy that should be use independently of content or learning theory (Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J., 1993).
2. Courses should be design with variety of choices in terms of tasks and levels of engagement because there are various learning styles within each learner and these vary within lessons (Gilbert, J., & Swanier, C. (2008). Also, attention and relevance can be maintained through variety (Keller, J. M., 1999).
3. Drawing from real life experiences makes course content meaningful and relevant to the learners (Keller, J. M., 1999).
4. Extrinsic Motivational strategies should be embedded within a course to try to maintain intrinsic motivation and also confidence and satisfaction (Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M., 2009; Keller, J. M., 1999).
5. Providing venues for interaction within classmates and professor increases personal connections within the community of learners and this in turn increases cooperation (Chickering, A. W. & Gamson, Z. F., 1987).
The knowledge I gained in this course is the foundation for becoming an instructional designer. One could not really design effective instruction without learning about how people learn, the different ways learning could take place, learner’s capabilities and how to present the content information the most effective way for successful learning. All of this involves analysis which is the first step in the process of instruction design following the ADDIE model for instructional design (Clark, D., 1995) and one of the most valuable tasks we have engaged in throughout this class.
Resources
Chickering, A. W. & Gamson, Z. F. (1987) "Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education" American Association of Higher Education Bulletin vol.39 no.7 pp.3-7 Retrieved from http://www.psy.gla.ac.uk/~steve/best/chickering.html
Clark, D. (1995). Big Dog’s ISD Page. Available at http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/sat1.html#model.
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
Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4), 50–71.
Gardner, H. (2003, April 21). Multiple intelligences after 20 years. Paper presented to the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL. Retrieved from http://www.pz.harvard.edu/PIs/HG_MI_after_20_years.pdf
Gilbert, J., & Swanier, C. (2008). Learning styles: How do they fluctuate? Institute for Learning Styles Journal [Vol. l]. Retrieved from http://www.auburn.edu/~witteje/ilsrj/Journal%20Volumes/Fall%202008%20Volume%201%20PDFs/Learning%20Styles%20How%20do%20They%20Fluctuate.pdf
Jennings, C (2010) 8 Reasons to Focus on Informal & Social Learning. Slide Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/charlesjennings/8-reasons-to-focus-on-informal-social-learning
Keller, J. M. (1999). Using the ARCS motivational process in computer-based instruction and distance education. New Directions for Teaching and Learning (78).
Kim, B. (2001). Social Constructivism.. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved Feb. 18, 2011 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Laureate custom edition). New York: Pearson.
Pemberton, L., Fallahkhair, S. and Masthoff, J. (2004) Towards a theoretical framework for informal language via interactive television In: Proceedings of IADIS international conference of cognition and exploratory learning in digital age (CELDA) 2004. IADIS, pp. 27-34. ISBN 9729894779. Retrieved from http://www.iadis.net/dl/final_uploads/200407L004.pdf
Schwier, R. A. (2010). Focusing Educational Technology Research on Informal Learning Environments CONTEMPORARY EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY, 2010, 1(1), 90-92 90. Retrieved from http://cedtech.net/articles/118.pdf
Wenger, E. (2010) Digital Habitats and Community Practice Presentation. Retrieved from http://mediasite.ics.uwex.edu/mediasite5/Viewer/?peid=08fd5f11580c476ab1da01afe92a7aaa
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