Learning Theory and Ed. Tech. Module 2

Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, connectivism...Bill Kerr asks the question in his blog:

What should we do about these _isms?

This has led me to ask myself the question, why do we have learning theory? Why is it important to try to find a different way of thinking? I then started to think about my Engineering and Design technology program in an urban, inner-city part of Los Angeles. I have several grants and other sources of funding that I completely rely on to run my program. In total, I can go through about $80,000.00 per year to keep up-to-date. This is through new equipment and software purchases, professional development for teachers, office supplies, buses for field trips, etc. Every time I apply for a grant I have to fill out some sort of application that gives a rationale as to why I need the money. Citing new research and theories that support my curriculum is the best and most effective way to gain credibility. Throughout all of the years that I have been doing this, I have studied and read about many different theories. I agree with Karl Kapp when he states in his blog that, "What we need to do is take the best from each philosophy and use it wisely to create solid educational experiences for our learners." If there is one thing that I have learned in life, it is that change is inevitable. We, as educators, must continually keep up with evolving theories about education and learning, and make positive contributions through research and being a part of learning communities.

Learning Theory and Ed. Tech. Module 1

What is my belief about how people learn best? What is the purpose of learning theory in educational technology?

What I believe about learning can be summed up in the following quote:

"We Learn . . .
10% of what we read
20% of what we hear
30% of what we see
50% of what we see and hear
70% of what we discuss
80% of what we experience
95% of what we teach others.”

- Willam Glasser

I don't believe that the traditional brick and mortar classrooms in which students sit in rows of desks facing the teacher in the front work very well to prepare our students for their futures. Students don't need teacher focused instruction, they need to be active participants in the classroom.

Learning theory is important in educational technology because it forms links between observed changes in performance with what triggered the process to occur (Driscoll, 2005, p. 9). Creating a learning theory is sometimes a well thought out process in which can be a very formal process. It can also be "on the fly" in the middle of a lesson when a teacher has that "AH HA" moment when he/she creates those links between students actually learning the lesson and finding out why it has occurred. Click here for an interesting professional blog posting describing this "AH HA" moment. I had one of these moments when I had my students complete a cardboard chair building project. The first year that my students did this project was fantastic - they were motivated, excited, and did a terrific job. The second year was a disaster! My students had no enthusiasm and their designs lacked any sort of creativity. What happened? I then had that "AH HA" moment - during the first year I was learning with the students, and I already knew what to do the second year. I now present brand new projects to my classes every year, and it works! My learning theory has expanded to include teacher learning linked with student learning.

References:

Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.