Fitting the Pieces Together

Fitting the Pieces Together

Now that my Walden class on Learning Theories and Instruction is coming to a close, I would like to reflect back to the beginning of this course and consider how my views on learning theories and styles have evolved.

As I am both fairly new to the online classroom and just in my third semester as an instructor, my experience concerning learning theories and learning styles is limited. At the start of this class, I seldom gave a thought as to how learning occurred or even the fact that there are several ways in which individuals can and do learn. Little did I know that there were six widely held theories that describe most types of learning. These theories are: Behaviorist, Cognitive, Constructivist, Social Learning, Connectivism, and Adult Learning.  

At the beginning of this class, I classified myself as being between a cognitive and constructivist learner because my memory plays a large part in the learning process yet I develop a deeper meaning through firsthand experience (Ertmer & Newby, 1993). Now that I have been exposed to different theories, I would have to say that I more closely relate to the connectivism and adult learning theories. Connectivism because I draw on prior knowledge to connect to and process new information (Davis, Edmunds & Kelly-Bateman, 2008), and the adult learning theory as I am an active participant in my own learning as well as being self-directed and self-disciplined. I also have life experience from which to draw knowledge from (Conlan, Grabowski, and Smith, 2003).       

With that being said, the most important lesson that I have learned thus far is that there are multiple ways that an individual can learn and that individuals often learn utilizing more than one method. It is important that I keep this in mind if I am to be an effective instructional designer. I must strengthen my repertoire of instructional techniques in order to help my students utilize various learning methods so that their learning potential is maximized.

Today’s learner is more apt to utilize technology than ever before. With mobile devices and handheld smartphones, the quantity of information available is limited only by one’s creative imagination. Information can be obtained, researched, drafted, and submitted all from the comfort of your favorite easy chair. The proliferation of on-line learning has increased exponentially over the last several years as has the quality of that education. Long gone are the correspondence courses that the distance learner of yesteryear was relegated to. Those have been replaced with professionally designed and supported online learning that is today’s standard (Foley, 2004).

In conclusion, I have learned that there is much more to learning and education than I would ever have imagined. There are many learning theories and technologies that a novice such as myself can spend many years attempting to master. Rather than becoming mired in technological ambivalence, it is important to remember that each learner will have their own learning style and that an effective instructional designer will find creative methods of instruction to maximize the learning potential of each student.

References:

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

Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?

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.

Foley, G. (Ed.). (2004). Dimensions of adult learning: Adult education and training in a global era. McGraw-Hill Education, 200. p 189.