What did you find surprising or striking as you furthered your knowledge about how people learn?
As I reflected on the past 8 weeks I believe the thing I found most striking, and perhaps I could even use the word disturbing, was the vast number of theories and styles that exist in the learning and instructional design world. It is bothersome to me in a way because I feel the process of instruction has been so inundated with theories and philosophies on how people learn that at times I believe it takes away from the learning. It seems there is always a new theory arising that contradicts a theory from the past and it makes you wonder, “Is the type of instruction we are doing today going to be found “improper” or “ineffective” in another year because a contradictory theory arises?” I definitely agree as instructors and educators we are responsible for the transfer of content and the learning process in general, and a large part of that responsibility is staying up to date with the latest technology, theory, and instructional practices. What I do not agree with; however, is getting so involved in learning the latest and greatest learning theory that we lose site of the learners.
How has this course deepened your understanding of your personal learning process?
Throughout this course I have learned a great deal about a number of learning styles that can further explain my own personal preferences. For example, I have always learned best by “doing”, or by applying the new concept to actual experience. This type of learning I would connect with behaviorism. Behaviorism is tied to observable performance, and a kinesthetic way of learning is hands on, and therefore extends itself to a performance that is observable. Again, as an instructional designer I attempt to incorporate activities that allow the learners to apply what they are being taught in order to address the needs of the kinesthetic learners. Another learning theory that has enlightened my understanding of my own style is the Cognitive. Cognitivism introduced a number of tools to instructional design such as graphic organizers, “chunking” information, and organization of information from simple to complex so learners can build upon prior knowledge. All of these are things I utilize in my role as an Instructional Designer, but also utilize as a learner since these tools are a great way to organize your thoughts and map the concept in a way that is easily visualized.
What have you learned regarding the connection between learning theories, learning styles, educational technology, and motivation?
I have learned that each learning style seems to have a number of theories that connect to that style and reiterate the needs of a person with that type of learning style. I have learned that different learning styles require different means in order to comprehend and be able to perform the task they are learning, and I have learned that each learning style has much different things that serve as motivators for them to perform to their greatest ability. I have also learned a great deal about when educational technology will be impactful, and with which learning style it will not be as successful. Technology definitely has its place in learning and instruction, but it may not be the best mode of communicating information for all learners.
How will your learning in this course help you as you further your career in the field of instructional design?
In my career as an educator, and now an Instructional Designer, I consistently try to focus on the different learning styles and develop my training material/curriculum in a way that incorporates a variety of learning styles. Through this course I have gain a greater depth of knowledge about the learning styles and how they can be incorporated into instructional material through a variety of activities and mediums. I have also learned what type of external factors might impact a learner’s ability to comprehend material, which will assist me in designing instructional material that will have the greatest impact on the learner. I believe my future design and development of training material will take into account a number of the suggestions and tools I have gained through this course, and as a result will have a greater return on investment for my customer and a greater learning impact on the participants.
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