learning theories
During my first course, ETEC 512: Application of Learning Theories to Instruction, I was challenged to confront my conviction that transmission teaching was necessary to solid academic instruction. After moving from our exploration of the behaviourist and cognitive information processing (CIP group presentation) theories of learning to the theories of Piaget and Vygotsy, my thinking began to change. One idea in particular became prominent and a framing influence in the program: "Enculturation is an active learning process that is collaborative in nature because learning is focused on the shared needs of the culture" (Wagner, 2012, Thought Question 2). Our culture has placed a high value on individual, independent learning and achievements, so egocentric learning activities have been advocated and encouraged; however, collaboration is a 21st Century skill, and we need to embrace teaching practices that involve collaborative, shared learning. I also saw value in the Distributed Cognition approach because we build knowledge together and it becomes the shared knowledge of our society. When learners engage with a particular discipline, they are sharing in the collective knowledge of all the learners who have contributed to the discipline. Developing one's knowledge is a shared practice and learners should work collaboratively and cooperatively on meaningful tasks. Online learning must also be grounded in the learning theories to allow the learner to assimilate and accomodate knowledge, engage in meaningful social and constructivist interactivities, and employ higher order thinking skills to solve problems.
innovate
Artifact: Learning Theories Concept Map
Ongoing during this course, we created a concept map using the VUE program to represent our understanding of the learning theories. We were encouraged to prune our maps as we attempted to combine our understanding of the theories and make connections between them. Concept mapping became a key process to me in this program that I now share and advocate to learners as a thinking tool to make connections between prior and new knowledge. (The map opens in a new window for zooming and path exploration.)
Reflection:
By the end of this course, my map was rich and complex using a variety of the affordances of the program. I tailored my map to reflect learning in an English class context. The higher the placement of the theory, the higher importance it has to me in my teaching. Note that technology is presented as tools separate from the process at this point in my learning. I would like to create a new concept map of the learning theories to demonstrate the transformation of my thinking.
How does embracing different modalities assist learners in developing 21st Century Skills?