Learning Theories and Instruction - Reflection

What did you find surprising or striking as you furthered your knowledge about how people learn?

Students learn when they are given a reason to learn. Through this course I was astounded how Dr. Jeanne Omrod suggested "teaching strategies for learning effectively rather than cater to these preferences" of learning styles. (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). The techniques or rather “strategies” are practical and effective. The application of elaboration, comprehensive monitoring and mnemonics can aide in improving learning.

How has this course deepened your understanding of your personal learning process?

The course broadened my knowledge base, yet more importantly confirmed what visual journalists have been doing intuitively for years without the proven research to support it. It also helped to deepen the understanding of my personal learning style by giving me a concrete definition (connectivism) of it and how increasingly valuable it is in the learner process for many learners.

What have you learned regarding the connection between learning theories, learning styles, educational technology, and motivation?

Learning theories, learning styles, educational technology and motivation are integral parts of the learning experience. A solid grasp of these components aids instructional designers to deliver content in light of how people learn, various platforms of delivery and what keeps them motivated.  To gauge motivation and interest, Keller’s (1999) ARCS model of motivational design can be applied. As technology continues to filter into education, a dire need to understand the new technologies and accept their limitations are key to learning.

How will your learning in this course help you as you further your career in the field of instructional design?

Learning Theories and Instruction has given me a solid foundation of learning theories, learning styles, educational technology and motivation – which will aid me in my development as an instructional designer. This experience has given me tools to make instruction practical, relevant and engaging. Kathryn Green identified that Howard Gardner’s work shifted from “wanting to see instructional development for different minds" rather than "wanting us to develop for certain minds" (Green, 2011, February 9).  Gardner (2008) highlighted the importance of “Five Minds” (Disciplined, Synthesizing, Creative, Respectful and Ethical) as the competencies needed for the future. There has been remain a constant drive to educate, while considering fluctuations in learning styles across concepts/lessons, staying abreast on new technologies and a deep desire to giving students a reason to learn (Gilbert & Swanier, 2008).

References

Gardner, H. (2008). Five Minds for the Future. Retrieved from http://www.howardgardner.com/Papers/papers.html on February 27, 2011.

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 on February 27, 2011.

Green, K. (2011, February 27). Re: Learning Styles and Strategies [Online discussion group]. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4744627&Survey=1&47=8147176&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Learning Styles and Strategies [DVD]. Baltimore, MD: Dr. Jeanne Ormrod.

Keller, J. M. (1999). Using the ARCS motivational process in computer-based instruction and distance education. New Directions for Teaching and Learning (78). Retrieved from: http://library.waldenu.edu on February 23, 2011.

Fitting the Pieces Together

Now that you have a deeper understanding of the different learning theories and learning styles, how has your view on how you learn changed?

 After acquiring knowledge of different learning theories and learning styles, I now can attach a concrete term to the way that I learn (or strategies that I use).

Dr. Jeanne Ormrod (2010) suggest "teaching strategies for learning effectively rather than cater to preferences" of learning styles.  These have been the cornerstone strategies that I’ve used to learn.

Ormrod outlined three learning strategies that are effective:
1. Elaboration: the learner takes in new information about a topic and adds to it. You add to it based on what you about it (from direct of indirect knowledge).
2. Comprehension monitoring: the learner stops and ask questions about what was read or presented. Did I understand that? What can I do with this?
3. Mnemonics: the learner uses a sequence of letters and/or letters to recall information.

For example, if I wanted to remember the sections and number of vertebrae of the spine I would create the following mnemonic (C7, T12, L5, S5 = Cervical 7 vertebrae, Thoracic 12 vertebrae, Lumbar 5 vertebrae and Sacrum 5 vertebrae).

What have you learned about the various learning theories and learning styles over the past weeks that can further explain your own personal learning preferences?

 As a visual, audio and text learner, I process and retain information/knowledge differently based on format. My learning style fluctuates. Making personal application is key to memory retention. My experience plays a key role is in this process. According to Beaumie Kim (2001), social constructivism is based on specific assumptions about reality, knowledge, and learning. The following are foundational structures that uphold the theory.

1. Reality: For the social constructivist, reality cannot be discovered: it does not exist prior to its social invention.
2. Knowledge: create meaning through their interactions with each other and with the environment they live in.
3. Learning: Meaningful learning occurs when individuals are engaged in social activities.
Also, I believe that culture and customs need to be accounted for in instruction. According to Lev Vygotzy theory, the cultural-historical is relevant to all forms of learning because learning does not occur in isolation (Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M., 2009).

What role does technology play in your learning (i.e., as a way to search for information, to record information, to create, etc.)?

Technology plays a vital in the way that I learn. As a visual journalist for the past 13 years, I used computer-aided research (CAR) to find data, information and diagrams that helped me to create compelling and effective informational graphics.

Here are a few that I have used consistently:

Politics

Roll call votes
Senate: http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legislative/a_three_sections_with_teasers/votes.htm

House: http://clerk.house.gov/legislative/legvotes.html

Biographical Directory: http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp

Visual training

Video tutorials (Video Copilot, Lynda.com, Creative Cow, Stratacafe), online portfolios (carbonmade.com)

Kim, B. (2001). Social Constructivism.. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Social_Constructivism on February 18, 2011.

Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Laureate custom edition). New York, NY: Pearson.

Ormrod, J. (2010). Video: Learning Styles and Strategies. (Laureate Education).

Connectivism (reflection)

How has your network changed the way you learn?

As a visual journalist for the past 13 years, my network has challenged my knowledge and the way I gather information. Initially, information was given to our department by reporters and editors and we forced to make the information look appealing.

In more recent years, visual journalist began to do their own research, write content and drawn charts, maps and diagrams to tell stories. Computer assisted reporting, searching government to public databases, software online communities aided in my growth to analyzing data better and becoming more efficient in my software knowledge.

Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you?

Several digital tools facilitate my learning. Here are a few:
video tutorials (Video Copilot, Lynda.com), databases (public/government), medical journals, online software communities (i.e. Creative Cow, Stratacafe), online portfolios (carbonmade.com), blogs and RSS feeds.

These tools allow for immediate feedback, inspire creativity, cooperative learning, healthy dialogue, contain multileveled experienced users, which aids in the learning process.

How do you gain new knowledge when you have questions?

Most often, I refer to an expert in the field associated with my inquiry. If I have a software question, I refer to Creative Cow. If I have a medical-related question, I refer to a medical doctor. If have an auto mechanical question, I refer to a certified mechanic.

While receiving the information, I process the data, try to make sense of it and sometimes compare it to acquired indirect knowledge. Once processed, I usually talk to other people within my network about it. This approach makes allows me to make the knowledge gathering an experience, thus making the information easy to retain.

In what ways does your personal learning network support or refute the central tenets of connectivism?

As a constant seeker or knowledge, connectivism aligns with my personal learning network. Connectivism can be likened to a well-woven basket – where each fiber touches and connects to another forming network. The cross hatching are synonymous to the exchange of information.

I remember getting trained in AC3 this past summer. After the training, I had questions about code. I would turn to teammates for assistance, browse the web, make inquiries on different visual design sites, and conduct live chat with colleagues and friends around the globe.

From the experience I learned that you could gain the same result by using different coding. Yet some code was more simple and clean.

According to George Siemens, “connectivism is driven by the understanding that decisions are based on rapidly altering foundations. New information is continually being acquired and the ability to draw distinctions between important and unimportant information is vital. Also critical is the ability to recognize when new information alters the landscape based on decisions made yesterday” (Siemens, 2005).

Connectivism is rooted in networks. It’s vital to access networks – of people, of technology, of social structures, of systems, of power grids, etc. – so that communities can exchange ideas, expand thinking, thereby “cross-pollinating the learning environment (Siemen, 2005).

One of connectivism principles states, “While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision” (Siemens, 2005). What do you think? Is connectivism unparalleled to other learning theories that factor in the digital age?

David Armano provides a great diagram depicting networks:

References
Siemens, G. (2005, January). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning, Retrieved February 6, 2011, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm

Constructivism

My mind-map network:

The brain and learning

It's all about the medulla oblongata - the area of the brain responsible for autonomic functions —
blood pressure and breathing. Are there connections between the between brain functionality and educational practices?

The Brain Connection site is provides content about how the brain works and how people learn. The site is a source for discoveries relating to the brain from memory and behavior to illness and injury. Their aim is to provide informational tools for teaching and learning.

One featured article by Eric P. Jensen found on their Brain Connection's site outlines how understanding the brain and the complementary research can have practical educational applications. Jensen provides relevant historical context from critics of brain-based research to current advances made in the field.

As a result of advancements made by the brain-based community, educators are using knowledge related to brain-based education to shape education policy and practice.

Another sight worth noting is New Horizons for Learning. Their section on "New from the Neurosciences" contains articles on research, brain science, learning and the brain and brain-based teaching.

One article in particular by the primary author Timmi Jo  Forbes was intriguing. The author found that most parents, teachers and students misunderstood learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). As a result, Forbes uses neuroscience in the classroom to assist special needs students in discovering how they can learn.

A more in depth understanding of the brain can aide the educational field, from training material to instructional design in a plethora of ways. As research in neuroscience advances, I hope that a balance exist between brain-based research and fundamentals on education/learning. Experience is one the greatest teachers and coupled with science can be more impactful.

References
Retrieved from Brain Connection's website: http://brainconnection.positscience.com/
Retrieved from New Horizon's website: http://www.newhorizons.org/neuro/front_neuro.html

Diving into Instructional Design

What is this blog about?
This blog will be used to learn about Instruction Design.

The goal is to include content (articles, other blogs, bookmarks and newsletters) of interest to aide others how to do ID better. Below are a few for starters.
 

Instructional Design & Development Blog

IDDblog.org is maintained by the Instructional Design and Development department at DePaul University. The site’s primary goal is to provide information on enhancing instruction through the use of technology. 

Experiencing E-Learning
The author makes it plain. The blog is about: Building Engaging Learning Experiences through Instructional Design and E-Learning!!

Trans World Expedition
In the summer of 2009, my previous Art Director, Nick Rapp decided to take a break from his job at the Associated Press and attempt a one-year overland travel around the world in a 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser.

His blog Trans World Expedition chronicles his trip. The contains a map of his trip, informational graphics (i.e., truck and equipment), expenses and a list of people who helped with the expedition.

Nick careful planned out the trip. He identified places that could be problematic while traveling.  

With the use of infographics, Nick provided a snapshot of the number of days in each country, cumulative miles traveled, expenditures for fuel, food and lodging and cost of gas per mile driven by country.

As an instructional designer, this site provides the various methods that can be used to educate and instruct. Photos, text, informational graphics (charts, maps and diagrams) and video used strategically, not only captivates and audience but aides in educating  individuals who learn differently.

According to Richard Felder, students preferentially take in and process information in different ways: by seeing and hearing, reflecting and acting, reasoning logically and intuitively, analyzing and visualizing, steadily and in fits and starts.

Felder contends that teaching methods also vary. Some instructors lecture, others demonstrate or discuss; some focus on principles and others on applications; some emphasize memory and others understanding. 

In this video, Felder provides an Introduction to Learning Styles: How Students Learn, How Teachers Teach and What Usually Goes Wrong with the Process. 

Felder (2005), suggested that students are motivated differently, have varying attitudes about learning and teaching, and respond in different ways to instructional methods and instructional settings. Understanding the varying ways in which students learn can aide instructional designers in many ways.

Ermer & Newby (1993) explained that information that is "chunked" in such a way that can be assimilated and/or accommodates is easily obtained by learners. Such structure in my experience has been most effective in self-absorption of information.