Fitting the Pieces Together

As I begin to reflect and fit all the pieces together of what I have learned in my Learning Theories and Instructions class over the last 7 weeks. I can see that my initial assessment of how I learn still holds true. I still believe that I use a combination of philosophies and theories to learn. Where the difference comes into play is I thought I was using around three different theories. I am actually using more. What have I learned about these learning theories?

Over the weeks I have dived into behaviorist, cognitive, constructivist, social learning, connectionism, and adult learning theories. I looked at how learning occurs, What factors influence learning, what is the role of memory, how does transfer occur, what types of learning are best explained by the theory, and how is the technology used for learning my industry. To see a breakdown of all the information I have gathered into a Learning Theory Matrix please click here. For the purpose of the length of this assignment, I will focus on answering the questions, what I have learned about various learning theories, which theories are my own personal learning preferences, and what role technology plays in my learning.

The theories mentioned here do not stand for all time. As new information is discovered and new questions emerge from the changing social context, the earlier theories like behaviorism, cognitive, and constructivist theories give way to redefined relationships and new generalizations (Ormrod, J. Schunk, D., & Gredler, M., 2009). Especially with technological advancements, theories like social learning and connectionism are worth exploring as an instructional designer.

Working toward my master’s degree I relate most to the adult learning theory. I learned that learning occurs either through action learning where participants work in small groups on real projects or problems. Adult learning also includes self-directed learning. Learning is classified as informal where learner takes responsibility for his or her learning process by identifying their learning needs, setting goals, finding resources, implementing strategies, and evaluating their learning (Conlan, Grabowski, & Smith, 2016).

In my work environment, I tend to lean toward cognitive, constructivist and connectionist theories. The types of learning that are best explained by the cognitive theory are complex forms of reasoning, problem-solving, information processing (Ertmer & Newby, 2013). Learning occurs for me when I am an active agent, internalizing, reshaping, or transforming information and constructing meaning or understanding passed down from my organization (Ponticell, 2016), which is seen with constructivist theory. I get to utilize connection theory when I am learning through the collaboration of current ideas as seen from a present reality working with my team (Duke, Harper, & Johnston, 2013).

What role does technology play in my learning and the theories I have been researching? I find the internet allows me a wonderful way to continue research in my role as an instructional designer. It allows me to take a problem I may run across and search for solutions. An example of this is many times I find myself wanted to push the software tools I use to build eLearning modules. If I cannot figure out the variable that may need to be set to have the tool perform the way I would like for the learner I can go to many blogs, wikis, and even the software companies forums to see if I can find a solution. This is a great example of connectionism theory where the learner is required to actively find knowledge (Duke, Harper, Johnston, 2013).

My job as an instructional designer is to ask the critical question. Which theory is the most effective in fostering mastery of specific tasks? Then I need to figure out what theory(s) are going to help me achieve that goal.

References

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

Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K. (2003). Adult learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.pho?title=Adult_Learning

Ermer, P. A., and Newby, T. J. (2013). Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism: Comparing Critical Features From an Instructional Design Perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 26(2). 43-71. Doi: 10.1002/piq. 21143

Ponticell, J. (2016). Learning, Theories of. Encyclopedia of Educational Leadership and Administration. Thousand Oaks: CA. SAGE Publications, Inc.

Duke, B., Harper, G., and Johnston, M. (2013). Connectivism as a Digital Age Learning Theory. HETL Review. Retrieved from https://www.hetl.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/HETLReview2013SpecialIssueArticle1.pdf