Final Reflection

As this course draws to a close, I have spent some time reflecting upon what I have learned and how I will apply this new knowledge in future courses and in my career in the field of instructional design.  There were quite a few things that I found surprising, including the existence of immense amounts of current research regarding motivation to learn, learning styles, current learning trends, current learning theory trends, and instructional technology.  I am already integrating the knowledge I’ve learned about these topics into my classroom lessons, and I plan to continue to apply this knowledge as I move into the realm of online instruction.

 

Studying “student motivation” research was particular helpful to me as an educator.  A paradigm shift occurred for me when I read the research regarding motivating students.  According to Keller, motivation can absolutely be affected by systematic method of attack by the instructor (Keller, 1999).  As I perused the assigned reading about student motivation, I was also reminded about the existence of motivation dispositions and the importance of viewing assessments as feedback not a measure of self-worth (Ormrod, et al., 2009).  Revisiting MIs and LSs was helpful to me as an instructor.  In their article, Gilbert and Swanier say, “Students often become uninterested and restless during class when there is no correlation between the way students learn and the way instructors teach. Students also become: bored and inattentive in class, do poorly on tests, get discouraged about the courses, the curriculum, and themselves, and in some cases change to other curricula or drop out of school” (2008, p. 30).  As I continued to read about “student motivation,” it became apparent that novelty motivates students (Ormrod, 2009).  The novelty that instructional technology brings to a classroom motivates students to participate in instruction and work to create quality products.  I have already begun to incorporate Blogs, Blogsters, Prezis, PhotoStories, QR codes and Online Discussion Panels (Johnson & Brown, 2012) into my current face to face classroom instruction.  I already adjust my instructional design to motivate my students.  However, this course encouraged me to both continue to adjust my instruction and adjust it to a greater degree, especially in the area of assessment and technology.

 

Throughout this course, we spent a lot of time discussing the importance of solving a problem, relevance, connection and feedback in an online learning environment and / or collaborative learning situation.  We concluded that these four factors greatly impacted motivation over a period of time.  Here are a few of the comments that I will take with me from our discussion:

 

“I think that your comment about expectations is directly related to feedback. If we state expectations and then never return to them, in the form of feedback, we breed attrition and lack of motivation” (Artino, 2012).

 

“Great example! I was thinking specifically about instructor feedback when I posted my response, but peer feedback is extremely important while collaborating towards a product. I'll be sure to instruct my students to encourage one another in the future as they work on collaborative projects” (Artino, 2012).

 

“I think that the biggest factor affecting motivation, which is often lacking in an online classroom, is emotional connection (affect). As an instructor, I would work to provide specific, personal, prompt, sometimes unexpected reinforcement and feedback” (Artino, 2012).

 

At the beginning of this course, my understanding of my personal learning process was rather shallow, based mostly upon the learning theory psychology I learned during my undergraduate work in education.  I had never considered Connectivism or Adult Learning.  “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, N.p.).  My favorite learning activities in this course have been the mind web and the blog, which allowed me to gather and classify information in an organic manner and to present this information in a dynamic and flexible format.  I enjoyed exploring alternate methods of connecting my world, and I enjoyed evaluating the network by which I attempt to connect my world to itself.  As I explored Adult Learning Theory, it became apparent to me that perhaps my learning has shifted since I was in undergraduate school.  I am now an Adult Learner.  As such, discussing theoretical topics, solving problems, reflecting and integrating learning into my daily life in a practical manner are vital to my learning process.  I will remind myself of this and adjust my participation level accordingly the next time I experience a lack of motivation as I continue working towards a Master’s Degree from Walden University.

 

 

 

References

Artino, A. (2012).  EDUC. 6116: Learning theories and instruction [Discussion Board].  Online: Walden University.

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

Johnson, L. & Brown, M. (2012).  The Horizon Report (2012 ed.).  Austin, TX: The New Media Consortium.  Retrieved from http://wp.nmc.org/horizon2012/

Keller, J. M. (1999). Using the ARCS motivational process in computer-based instruction and distance education. New Directions for Teaching and Learning (78).

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

Siemens, G. (2005, January). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning, Retrieved November 03, 2008, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm

Reflection: Learning Theories and Learning Styles

Throughout this Instructional Design Course, I have been reflecting upon learning theories and learning styles.  I still believe that I learn most productively through group discussion (Social Learning Theory), reflection (Cognitivism), and debate (Social Learning Theory) as well as through hands on discovery learning (Constructivism).  Thus, I am a verbal and a kinesthetic learner.  I mentioned in my first reflection that learning often is a slow, digestive process for me.  Ideas, rather than details, are most important to me, so I have to be creative in the processes by which I learn specific facts and details, such as utilizing mnemonic devices.  In this manner, understanding my own learning processes is beneficial to me.  I can adapt my methods of learning when I get stuck on something, such as learning specific facts and details.  I can now give a name to the learning theory that describes my learning and teaching styles and preferences best: Connectivism.  “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, N.p.).  My favorite learning activities in this course have been the mind web and the blog, which allowed me to gather and classify information in an organic manner and to present this information in a dynamic and flexible format.  I enjoyed exploring alternate methods of connecting my world, and I enjoyed evaluating the network by which I attempt to connect my world to itself.

 

Siemens, G. (2005, January). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning, Retrieved November 03, 2008, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm

 

Reflection: My Learning Network

“I don’t see networks as a metaphor for learning and knowledge.  I see learning and knowledge as networks.  In global, digital, distributed, and complex settings, a networked model of learning and knowledge is critical… Everything… is a function of connected specialization.  Novelty and innovation arises when we collide ideas or specialties that previously had not been brought in relation to one another” (response to posting on blog: Connectivism: http://www.connectivism.ca/).

“Collide” is exactly the word I was looking for!  It describes my learning network perfectly.

As a child, I learned information and skills by reading, listening, and imitating others.  As an adult, especially as I learn and practice new teaching methods, I acquire information and skills through personal exploration of journals and online databases and through interactions with my colleagues or peers.  I am challenged best academically and professionally best by technology through online discussion boards and professional databases.  Although I learn well using technology, when I have a question, the first place I look for the answer is to a colleague or peer.  Then, I’ll confirm their knowledge or search the answer using a reliable online source, sometimes including online blogs and discussion boards.  If I still cannot find the answer I will access published materials, such as books.  All these sources tend to “collide” with one another to produce the final answer.

My learning network matches up well to Connectivism, which relies heavily upon “chaos theory, importance of networks, and the interplay of complexity and self-organization” (Davis, 2008).  Often I find myself recognizing and adjusting to pattern shifts, using other people in my network as sources for information, interacting in a way that produces organized ideas, “nurturing and maintaining connections,” seeking current information, enjoying diversity of opinions, and creating connections among a variety of fields, ideas and concepts (Davis, 2008).

References

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?title=Connectivism

Connectivism: http://www.connectivism.ca/

 

Connectivism: My Learning Network

Learning, the Arts, and the Brain -- The Dana Foundation

A report issued by The Dana Foundation in 2008 expresses some interesting implications regarding how the human brain learns, specifically addressing the correlation between the arts and learning processes. The report states the following:

1.      An interest in a performing art leads to a high state of motivation… that leads to improvement in other domains of cognition.

2.      Genetic studies are beginning to show genes that may help explain individual differences in interest in the arts.

3.      Specific links exist between high levels of music training and the ability to manipulate information in both working and long term memory.

4.      In children, there are links between practice of music and skills in geometrical representation.

5.      Correlations exist between music training and both reading acquisition and sequence learning.  One of the central predictors of early literacy, phonological awareness, is correlated with both music training and the development of a specific brain pathway.

6.      Training in acting leads to memory improvement.

7.      The tempermental factor of openness is influenced by dopamine-related genes.

8.      Learning to dance is related to observational learning.  This organization of complex actions done by neural substrates may transfer to other cognitive skills.

As an instructional designer, this report fascinates me.  First, it expresses the importance of genetics and brain functionality to the learning process.  Second, it expresses the importance of including the arts in every day instruction.

However, this report also leaves me with many questions.

Are some students predisposed to excelling in the arts?

Do some students read sooner and have better reading comprehension due to predisposed factors, such as musical talent?  Is it possible to overcome these?

 

Can early exposure to the arts enhance the “neurological pathways” in order to help children later in life as learners?

Gazzaniga, M. (2008) Learning, arts, and the brain: the Dana consortium report on arts and cognition.  New York: Dana Press.

 

www.dana.org

Should teachers study the brain in order to improve their instructional design?

Should teachers study the brain in order to improve their instructional design?

Last June, Sarah Sparks examined this question in her Education Week article, “Neuroscientists Find Learning is Not ‘Hard-Wired.’” Sarah says that recent research shows that human brains do not function as computers. Rather, the human brain changes shape and function as a result of learning, or experiences. 

Here are a sampling of quotes from the article:

"What we find is people really do change their brain functions in response to experience," said Kurt W. Fischer, the director of Harvard University's Mind, Brain, and Education Program. "It's just amazing how flexible the brain is. That plasticity has been a huge surprise to a whole lot of people."

 “…Mr. Fischer and other mind-brain-education researchers said, helping teachers and students understand how the brain changes in response to experience may be the best way to link neuroscience findings to classroom experience.”

 "A student's brain physically changes every day, and the way we teach either enhances or impairs it," she [Principal B. Lynn Brown] said, noting that she and her teachers hold summer seminars for other district staff on the brain's flexibility and response to instruction. "We have to ask ourselves as educators, what does our practice say about what we believe? We are explicitly teaching thinking skills."

According to this article, recent research indicates that instructional designers must be aware of thinking processes in addition to behavior processes in order to teach students effectively.  It seems as though the quoted research is sound.  However, it does not seem as though the research has been repeated in many different environments with multiple people groups represented. 

That said, the most interesting part of the article outlines myths that many teachers believe, such as the “myth” that learning improves when a teacher teaches to a child’s learning style.  There are several listed instructional "truths" that this author debunks as myths.  This is unsettling to most educators.

What other instructional “truths” are now classified as myths?  Follow this link to see how well you know your brain…

 

www.edweek.org/go/brainquiz

Sparks, S. (2012).  Neuroscientists find learning is not “hard-wired”. Education Week, 31(33), 1-17.

 

How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition

Excellent resource describing the difference between novices and experts.  It points out that experts in a field are able to quickly problem solve and find patterns.
How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition

Dear Curiosity, perhaps technology will help you survive

“It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.” – Albert Einstein

As I journey toward creating engaging online learning opportunities for students both globally and locally, I am exploring where others have gone before.  Reinventing the wheel has never been my style.  Here are three teachers from whom I am gaining great insight into online learning.

1.      Online Learning Insights

Resources for online teachers are not scarce on Debbie Morrison’s blog.  As one example, I will outline the article “How to encourage online learners to take responsibility for their learning.”

Beginning with a provocative quote by author Vincent Tinto (“To single out the institution as being solely responsible for student departure, as do many critics, is to deny an essential principle of effective education, namely that students must themselves become responsible for their own learning.”), this author points out the essentials of mandatory engagement in order for learning to occur.  She refers to J. Bruner’s theory of constructivism and connectivism as she explains how online learners must possess the following in order to succeed:
§  Time management and organization skills where the learner is able to complete assignments within due dates, manage course materials and content effectively.
§  Motivation and drive to learn demonstrated through participation in forums and/or group work.
§  The drive to ask questions and seek instructor support.
§  Strong writing skills where the learner can create discussion posts and interact with classmates.

She also outlines specific steps online instructors can take in order to improve responsibility in online learning situations.

This blog will prove valuable to me as I begin my journey / transition into “online classroom management” – a topic of which I did not consider important until I perused this blog.

2.      Larry Ferlazzo’s Theory ofKnowledge Class Blog

This classroom blog is littered with excellent links to philosophical web sites regarding theories of knowledge on the arts, emotions, ethics, history, human sciences, languages, and perception.  I will use it as an excellent resource throughout this Walden University course on theories of learning and knowledge.  I will also use it as an example of online instruction and collaboration in a traditional classroom.

3.      The Edublogger

This blog outlines specific teaching strategies I can utilize to engage students in my classroom.  The teaching strategy outlined in her latest blog is called memrise, which refers to an online vocabulary wiki aimed at teaching ESL students new vocabulary over a period of time.


It is my hope that implementing a few of these web 2.0 teaching strategies will engage the curiosity of my students and allow them to step into a more meaningful, authentic learning environment.

Mesmerize Your Students With Memrise

Great idea!
Teach vocabulary using Web 2.0 tools and strategies:

Mesmerize Your Students With Memrise