Week 7 – Re-visit how I best learn, after learning about learning…

In Week-1 of this class, I responded to the question of how I best learn based on my life experiences and what I have learned in other college courses, from the Web, and from personal conversations with other students, family members and co-workers.

I posted in the classroom discussion board that it is important that I retain information I learn, since without retention I really have not “learned” anything. The best method for me to retain and learn is to be able to see in my mind images of the things that I have learned about. The learning theories discussed in the past seven weeks, and my realization as to how much a hot topic “learning styles” is, have changed my idea of how I learn somewhat.

I posted that when it comes to some of the learning theories, I felt that I learn better via the details described in the cognitive learning theory. In the cognitive approach, the memory system is seen as an organized storage and retrieval system for information. Additionally, prior information, in the form or experiences and other stored memories, play important roles in further learning. Cognitivists don’t just rely on behavior to explain learning, they consider how memory is used when learning. Studies of how the brain processes memory, what functions certain parts of the brain perform, and how information is encoded and accessed are big in cognitive theory. Retrieval and pruning of long term memory, as well as how short term memory functions and transfer of information to long term memory are also considered. Furthermore, cognitivists generally focus on the individual learner rather than the environment that they learn in.

Ormrod (2011) stated that teachers and instructional designers want students to begin thinking in ways that are going to help them not only understand the material, but also remember it better (Ormrod, 2011). This course has certainly done that. While I still feel that I prefer to learn with visual imagery, and that I use cognitive processes to encode, store, and retrieve learned information and knowledge, I also have more to add to that.

In recapping the theories we have learned, I present to you the following:

Behaviorists theorize that Learning is what people do in response to stimuli and that we learn from conditioning, or successes and mistakes.

Cognitivism sees the memory system as an organized storage and retrieval system for information. Prior experiences and other stored memories further learning. Cognitivists study how the brain processes short term and long term memory and generally focuses on the individual learner rather than the environment that they learn in.

Constructivism suggests that learners actively construct new ideas or concepts based upon current and past knowledge or experience and that knowledge and meaning come from an interaction between our experiences and ideas.

Connectivism states that knowledge exists in the world rather than in the head of an individual and that learning in achieved through capturing that knowledge from the world. In connectivism, knowledge and learning does not have to exist in the human mind. Connectivism shares some of its core principles with the social learning theory, where in it is believe that people only learn through social contact.

Social Learning Theory suggests that interaction of persons, behavior, and environment create learning and that reality and knowledge are created by humans in a social setting. Yet without humans, learning is not possible. This portion of the theory is in stark contrast to connectivism

Adult Learning (or andragogy) is concerned with how humans as adults learn and how the other various theories can be applied to, and made to work towards, achieving adult learning. Since much of our learning is done as we mature from infant to adult, learning as we age takes on different meaning and can be more or less effective, depending on the methods used. Adult learning takes into consideration the idea that as a person matures he or she moves toward self-direction and that they draw on their experiences to help them learn. Andragogy also analyzes how ready adults are to learn and suggest that adults want to know how what they are learning can be applied in their current role in life (or job). Andragogy also states that adults want to know how to use the new knowledge to solve problems. This is all subject as well to what motivates an adult learner.

Conclusion

After taking all of this in, I realize now that pinning my particular “method” or “style” of learning to one theory is not very wise. Yet at the same time, it is often necessary to choose a path and stay with it. This however is not one of those times, unless I were to choose the path that says I am open to all roads and learning theories and that I can apply a little of all of them to my life.

First and foremost, I am an adult learner. From this starting point, I do use social interactions (social theory), learn from stimuli and trial and error (behaviorism and constructivism), use short term and long term memory to encode and retrieve information (cognitive), and I interact socially with the world to gain access to knowledge and learn it (connectivism and social learning theory)

In essence, I have added pieces of all of the learning theories I have “learned” from this class and stored them all under the roof of an adult learner. I find it hard to commit to one particular theory over the other, but I do feel that having learned about all of these, I am better equipped to take the ideas these theories maintain and use them in instructional design. The only question is how I know which theories to use. I think that as an adult learner, my past experiences will guide me in the right direction. However if I fail to choose the correct path, I am sure that I will learn from that as well and do better the next time.

As far as what role technology plays in my learning, I would have to say that it is the biggest contributor. Sure, printed books, the invention and existence of the written language, and society itself are technology exemplified. However, the newer technologies, specifically those that have an “e” in front of them, have sped up my learning and even more importantly enriched it. Almost instantly I can get on the Web, log onto my “e-campus”, post discussion board entries, search the “e-library” for “e-books”, instant message friends and family, and create a number of “e-documents” for use in class or to present to others. So I would say that today’s “e-technology” super enhances my learning. Not only that, but the amount of information and knowledge that is out there really gives my brain lots of opportunity to prune unused synapses.

Thanks

References

Ormrod, J., (2011). An Introduction to Learning. Los Angeles: Laureate Education, Inc. Podcast retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com