Many theorists have explored several concepts on how learning takes place. Theorists from B.F. Skinner, Bandura, and Vygotsky have all shared their studies and beliefs of how individuals learn. Throughout these many theories, the idea that one person can be confined to one learning theory may be unrealistic. Based on experiences from an educator perspective and a student, the process of learning has changed based upon the components of the situation. Many others may share the same this same perspective.

The theory that best aligns with society from a personal angle is connectivism. Connectivism, developed by George Siemens, states that it’s theory is motivated by the rate of how information is being gathered and how it continues to change based upon the current status. (Davis, Edmunds, Kelly-Bateman, 2008)  Society now is digital driven. Everything is instant and motivated from a technology perspective and how technology can improve the way of life.   The methods of technology we have today will not be relevant ten years from now.  As the internet is a component of connectvism, the internet has bridge a gap between the world of the unknown to being instantly informed. Such markets of the internet include Youtube, social media sites, and other resources that help people to share information.  

            The choice to join the ranks of education, along with many colleagues, was received through observation as a young adult.  Viewing how an educator had the ability to make a difference and shape the outcomes of an individual. That’s what observation and modeling provided from a personal perspective. This would be considered part of social learning, changing ideas and behaviors based on what’s been observed, modeled or imitated.  Social learning theory also allows individuals to create mental images and connections from sensory experiences as well. (Deaton, 2015)

Social learning can have negative as well as positive results. An individual may decide they want to model or imitate many of the negative behaviors they’ve been subjected to.  They may or may not be aware that their exposure to such behaviors will impact their behavior and become aware that environment is critical to this aspect of the theory. From personal observations, as an educator, we often see the product of what our students’ have experienced based simply on their actions in our classrooms.     

How can technology be best utilized in learning? Technology has become a critical part of learning with adult education. Allowing learners to use technology as a tool to engage in active learning is becoming more of a necessity than a choice. All of the students that enter our program fall into the age range of “the millennials.” This age group must have that instant gratification or pleasure. In order to ensure active learning is taking place, implementing parts of connectivism, social learning, cognitivism, and behaviorism theories must all be used.  For that reason, becoming a lifelong learner is essential in order to continue a career in adult learning.

  

References

Adult Learning - Emerging Perspectives on Learning, Teaching and Technology. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Adult_Learning

Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Connectivism

Deaton, S. (2015). Social Learning Theory in the age of Social Media: Implications for Educational Practitioners. Journal Of Educational Technology, 12(1), 1-6.

Exploring Instructional Blogs(Class member)

I reviewed a blog that was posted on one of my classmate's blog, Cathy Moore, http://blog.cathy-moore.com. As I explored this site, it provides different resources to help you design curriculum for adults. Ms. Moore provides tips of what strategies what works and what doesn’t work depending on your audience. As instructional designers, the key to creating an effective curriculum is knowing knowing your audience and knowing how to keep them engage for the entire learning activity. 

Brain Based Learning

This week we explored brain base learning and information processing. Both of the articles examined provided theories of how the brain works and how instructional design can help students improve in the classroom. The first article, Learning to Learn: Understanding the Brain and Learning, written by Dennis Ryan, takes a look at how the brain process and retains information. The second journal entry, Examples of Instructional design for Social Studies According to Meaningful Learning and Information Processing Theories written by, Cem Babadogan and Fatma Unal examines the use of instructional design from theory to practice using examples from a social studies curriculum.

The first article provides key tips to extending short-term memory into long-term memory. Ryan examines the use of assessments of learning styles that have been created throughout the 20th century such as Myers-Briggs, Blooms Taxonomy, and the theories of Howard Gardner. Ryan presents eight study tips that will provide students with the tools to retain information long-term. Those tips are 1. Exercise-it provides stimulating proteins for the body; 2. See the Big Picture-summarizing materials can help the student connect the relevance of the material; 3.Set Goals- Write down information and study when they’re at their best; 4. Stay in Focused Mode- Remove all distractions if possible; 5. Take Breaks- Reward yourself to avoid fatigue; 6. Plan, Monitor and Assess- Ask how what, and why to gain deeper understanding; 7. Chunk- Break the information down into sections; and 8. Repeat to Remember-Repetition of new material is recommended. (Ryan, 2017)

In article two, Ausubel, a theorist and cognitive psychologist believe that learning occurs through remembering useful learning materials.(Babadogan and Unal, 2011) The teacher in this study provides the student with different concepts of human and natural elements; and the teacher provides several instructional examples such as short films, 3D drawings and photographs, and a map. As the lesson continues, the students are expected to provide feedback of what they knew from prior experiences and what they learned from the examples presented. At the end of the activity, Gagne, the developer of “ Instructional Design Model,” concludes that memory is the key component to learning. (Babadogan and Unal, 2011)

These two articles provide some insight of what I believe how the brain works, through memory and practicing retention of the information gained. They provided me with examples that I’ve found myself to have used in the past and currently use to retain information. As an educator, I strongly believe in repetition, the more it’s repeated, the better it’s remembered.

 References

 Babadogan, C., & Ünal, F. (2011). Examples of instructional design for social studies according to meaningful learning and information processing theories. Procedia - Social And Behavioral Sciences, 15(3rd World Conference on Educational Sciences - 2011), 2155-2158. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.04.070

Ryan, D. (2017). Learning to learn: Understanding the brain and learning. Techniques, (4), 8.

Welcome to my brand new blog.

This blog is dedicated to those adult educators who work every day to help adults make a difference. In my opinion, adult educators often go unnoticed because they’re not working in the “K-12” arena. But yet, someone has to teach adults basic math and reading skills, employability skills to get that new job, basic life skills or any skill that will help them become a better person.