Reflection Paper

Course Reflection

Edward Sampson

Walden University

Dr. Shirley Weaver

Learning Theories and Instruction EDUC-6115-2

August 21, 2011

               Learning theories and instruction takes you on a journey through the learning maze and allows an individual to process and understand learning through many different forms.   The one thing that I find striking was the different types of learning styles and strategies but most are similar in a lot of ways.  The course differentiate be learning styles and learning theories.   Ertmer and Newby, 1993 state the way we define learning and what we believe about the way learning occurs has important implications for situations in which we want to facilitate changes in what people know and or do.  Learning theories provide instructional designers with verified instructional strategies and techniques for facilitating learning as well as a foundation for intelligent strategy selection. The article looks at behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism.  These were theories that I found to be striking.  Behaviorist theories are where learners relate to physical/visible stimuli and responses (Omrod, 2011). Cognitive Theories connect to what is already known (Ormrod, 2009) and Constructivist theory is where learning is self led.  Learners construct theories of knowledge and know truths only by what they construct through their self-led instructions guided by their theories (Ormrod, 2009). 

  As I went through the course, I often find experiences from personal things throughout my life that relates to one or more of these theories.  From these experiences I am now able to form an understanding of how I learn and what way of learning is best for me.  From this process, I am able to say that I have at one point or another in my life learned from each theory or strategy.  Currently, I am an adult learner and learning is self directed for me.  I learn through participation starting with determining topics through final results (Lieb, 1991). Also, connectivism is also something that has deepened my understanding of my learning process.  We live in the social media age now and we connect through social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Blogs. 

Learning theories are defined as an attempt to describe how people and animals learn; thereby helping us understand the inherently complex process of learning. Learning theories have two chief values according to Hill (2002). One is in providing us with vocabulary and a conceptual framework for interpreting the examples of learning that we observe. The other is in suggesting where to look for solutions to practical problems.  Learning styles such as visual, kinesthetic or practical are closely connect with learning theories in that it offers ways the student is able to learn the different theories. 

            Educational technology is the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources Richey, R.C. (2008).  Again educational technology is at work with learning theories, styles all connecting the pieces together to help us learn and grow and instructional designers.  The last part of the puzzle is motivation.

               Motivation has many different theories and strategies as well.  One that I love is Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs.   Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs is one that is significant to adult learners.  Maslow theory has five levels.  Maslow believes humans are not pushed by mechanical forces but by potential.  The five basic needs are physiological needs which consist of the need for oxygen, food, water.  The second is safety needs which are the need for security.  Thirdly, we have the need for love and affection.  The need to belong is the key component.  Fourth, we have the need for esteem.  For example, the need for respect in the work place.  Your manager has given you a project to complete and you are commended on a job well done in front of your peers and other managers.  The person feels self confident and valued.  The last need is self actualization.  The individual feels a sense of purpose is achieved.  The worker believes in his job and understands he is able to accomplish all aspects of the job.  

               This course is the launching pad for me as I continue to pursue my degree in instructional design.  I can use each learning style or theory as I progress through other course.  I know that I can apply any one of these and have a great outcome in the course.  

References

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.

Ormrod, Jeanne. (2011). Behaviorism and Instructional Design. Video for Walden University.

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

Pear Lieb, Stephen. (1991). Principles of Adult Learning. VISION. Retrieved on April 16, 2011 from http://

honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/adults-2.htm.son

http://www.answers.com/topic/learning-theory

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_technology#cite_note-0

Fitting the Pieces Together

At the beginning of the course I believed I learned through social cognitive behavior and constructivism.  The course is almost to an end and the question is how my view on how you learned changed.  We have studied six different types of learning which are behaviorist, cognitive, constructivist, social learning, connectivism and adult learning.  It is my conclusion that I have learned from all of these at what time or another during my years from the time I was born until now. 

I have learned from the various learning theories and learning styles that most of them correlate or complement each other.  We have learned that learning isn’t something that is set in stone.  Each theory or style has added another viewpoint to the overall learning environment.  As I have progressed through this course I have realized that learning is subject to many different factors such as environment, social interactions, students, teachers, and advances in technology.  Students have taught me through their experiences whether it is work related or social experiences.  We come from different paths but our common thread is that we are learning through different styles and strategies. 

Technology has become a major part of how we learn today.  Adult learners depend on computer based programs to help us achieve our learning goals.  We have learned about smart objects, semantic-aware applications, Google Earth and Geo applications which are the future of technology.  We can search for information using different search engine such as Edutopia.  We can use mind mapping to create our connections.  Because technology has evolved, it has become easier for us to find information in a timely manner.  The future is bright in the area of technology and education.  Adult learners can blog with other adult learners from anywhere in the country and share their ideas and beliefs.

I have learned that learning never stops and there is always a different way of learning and understanding.  It is not based on one way or style. 

Connectivism

Learning has involved overtime for me. I have never been one to learn by reading the book and then the teacher teachers on the subject.  In this type of learning I often zone out because it is boring to me.  The way I learn now is by observing and watching what is around me.  I love to listen and watch the news for what is going on around the world.  I am a minister in training and I love studying the Bible and scriptures.  One of the sites that I used on my map was biblegateway.com.  This site offers many valuable tools which help a believer understand the Bible.  One area that I love about this site is the face that it has every translation of the bible.  When I study the word, I love reading the different translations to get a good revelation of what the scripture is talking about. My network has changed because I gain insight from people at work, church and conversations with friends.  I am always asking for their thoughts because it opens up dialogue and everyone has an opinion. 

The internet is my number one digital tool that I use.  I search the internet for hours when I am trying to find information on a topic.  I teach Sunday school and I research the internet to gain knowledge on a subject from different sources.  The different sources allow me to gain perspective from every possible angle.

Knowledge is powerful when it is used correctly.  I gain new knowledge by doing my research and asking family and friends about a particular subject.  You always can learn something from someone who has experience in an area you are learning something about.  For example, if I am trying to learn how to bake a cake; I would ask someone who is knowledgeable in this area. 

My personal learning supports connectivism in a major way.  The world is more than what we see on our streets and in our neighborhoods.  I learn so much from watching television about other countries and the way things are done.  I believe diversity is important when it comes to  learning.  There is more than one way to aspire our children to learn. 

connectivism

Problem Solving Methods

I reviewed this article on www.teachervision.fen.com that deals with problem solving methods.  According to the article problem solving is the ability to identify and solve problems by applying appropriate skills systematically.  It is a process where we take what we know to discover what we do not know.  There are three basic principles that are associated with problem solving.  They are seeking information, generating new knowledge, and making decisions.  Problem solving skills are essential to the growth development of students as they progress through school and even into the workforce.  Students should have the ability to take a situation given and find a solution from beginning to end. (retrieved from www.teachervision.fen.com. The article list five techniques that are helpful to problem solving.  They are list all related relevant facts, make a list of all the given information, restate the problem in their own words, list the conditions that surround a problem, and describe related known problems.  It is said many different ways but trial and error is an excellent tool in problem solving.  The article says try out a solution.  Trial and error allows you to try many different ways of getting to your solution. Algebra is a  good example.  There are sometimes a couple of ways you can work the problem to end up at the right answer.  Perhaps you may try one way but it doesn't work for you. The end result after trial and error is you have the correct answer.

Information Processing Theory

The blog http://jaylordlosabia.blogspot.com discusses information processing theory.  Information processing theory explains acquisition of knowledge in a step-by-step manner. (  http://jaylordlosabia.blogspot.com)  The article discuss the three primary process which are encoding, storage, and retrieval which goes back to the computer model that has been taught about processing in times past.  Briefly encoding is when information is perceived, storage is when the information is stored in the short or long period of times and retrieval is reproducing this information when it is needed.  There are three main stages on information processing which are sensory memory, short-term memory and long-term memory.  Sensory memory is the first stage of information processing.  The brain receives electric impulses or synapses and process this information for the next part of information processing.  Short term memory is also called working memory.  It is a snapshot of our mind at that moment.  An example is I am in the grocery store buying fruit.  The fruit is the only thing on my mind at this particular moment.  Long term memory is the final stage of information processing.  With long term memory, the information is stored for later user.  In this phase, I can use the same example.  I stored in my memory that in two weeks I have to buy fruit at the grocery store.  Once I am at the grocery store I can recall the information from my long term memory which was I needed to buy fruit.

http://jaylordlosabia.blogspot.com

My second blog post on Instructional Design and Development blog.

The blog that I am writing about comes from Professor J blogs.  She chose the Instructional design and development blog from Depaul University.  This blog has been created by the instructional technology department at Depaul and the purpose of this blog is to enhance instructions through the use of technology ( (http://www.iddblog.org/).  It is composed of several instructors from Depaul University who blog concerning the world of instructional technology.  The blog offer categories on administration, conferences, digital living, hardware, and web tools to name a few.  Since I am a new comer to the world of blogging and earning a degree in instructional technology and design; I believe this website offers a wealth of knowledge on the subject.  The greatest part is that it is being delivered by instructors in this area.  The blog also offers past archives of blog.  You can also search the website for a topic and it will provide information on the subject matter.  Finally as you read the blogs you can comment on what you've read which also is a great feedback tool as I move forward in instructional design.

My blog sites

I am new to this.  I am posting some sites that I think will be helpful.  The first site is http://ideas.blogs.com/ which stands for instructional design for elearning approaches.  This site focuces on reflections and insights on elearning strategies and instructional technology design by Ferdinand Krauss. I believe this will be helpful for me as I learn the blogging world and progress in my career. 

http://edublogs.org/ is also another blog that I believe to be helpful.  This blog offers blogs for students professional and college students.  This blog  lets you easily create & manage student & teacher blogs, quickly customize designs and include videos, photos & podcasts.

Finally blogger.com/ is a good blog that I think will be helpful.  This is the site I think most of us have subscribed too.  We can add our RSS fed and we can view other people blogs and reply.This site makes it simple and easy to navigate which is most important. 

welcome to my blog

Hello my fellow Walden Univesrity class mates.  Welcom to my Blog.  I am looking forward to blogging with you during this class.  I believe we are going to learn alot and have a lot of fun.