Week 7 Post


After assessing my progress in this course thus far, I have seen quite a bit of change and growth. During the course of our class, we studied six different learning theories which have greatly broadened my understanding of how others learn, as well as myself. For the first week's discussion, I stated that I learn best auditorily. However, after reading about Adult Learners, I feel that I relate more closely to that idea. I feel that I have demonstrated the principles of Adult Learning especially well in this class. Adults have accumulated a foundation of life experiences and knowledge that may include work-related activities, family responsibilities, and previous education. They need to connect learning to this knowledge/experience base. To help them do so, they should draw out participants' experience and knowledge which is relevant to the topic. They must relate theories and concepts to the participants and recognize the value of experience in learning (Lieb, 1991).


I tend to use a combination of several of the learning theories in my learning. I utilize some of the behaviorist ideas when teaching my elementary school class. I especially use the concepts of positive reinforcement and feedback. The instructional designer/instructor will provide the stimulus for learning to occur. The instructor provides the rewards, goals, information, structure, reinforcement, and feedback. The instructional designer/instructor must determine which cues can/will elicit the desired response (http://eev.liu.edu/). While working in my coursework, and in my personal life, I use a combination of Connectivism and Cognitivism. I stay connected to others through Facebook, and the Walden Portal. Cognitively, I have to rely on background knowledge and previously learned material. For the cognitivist, learning is equated with discrete changes between states of knowledge. Learning is concerned with what learners know and how they come to acquire it (not what they do behaviorally) (http://eev.liu.edu/). Knowing that there are many different avenues I can take to learn and teach will benefit me in the future. 


My understanding of technology has also deepened tremendously. Just figuring out the right tools and programs I needed to create the Learning Matrix was a big eye-opener for me. However, now that I have it completed, I can see how the matrix helped me to compare the learning styles so well. Prior to this course, I relied only on the textbooks and course readings to get my citations. Now, I feel completely comfortable searching the internet to acquire my information. I know that as I continue along in my Master's work, I will be prepared to venture into a different career, which was my original goal. 

References

Eev.liu.edu., Learning Theories: An Overview. Retrieved October, 2011 from http://eev.liu.edu/know_base/index.htm

Lieb, S. (1991). Principles of Adult Learning. Retrieved October, 2011 from http://www2.honolulu.hawaii.edu/facdev/guidebk/teachtip/adults-2.htm