Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, connectivism...Bill Kerr asks the question in his blog:
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.
Karl Kapp's same exact quote also spoke to me. Here is what I posted on my blog http://cathymarzialiedtech.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteHe has expressed what I believe to be the most critical component of learning theory…the individual learners. Each student comes to us with his/her own set of needs, own prior knowledge, own particularly wiring in their brains. How could we even begin to assume that each learner needs the exact same thing? If I am serving dinner to a group, I must take into consideration that one guest is lactose intolerant, another is allergic to eggs, one is vegetarian and one is diabetic. I cannot design one meal for all. I need to provide a menu of items that addresses the particular dietary needs of all. I do not think that one learning theory is absolute and can meet the needs of every student.
Great input! I am not a K-12 educator, but I would also wager that the needs of the individual learner evolves as their education progresses. Hence, what's being "served" also has to continually change.
ReplyDeleteLewis,
ReplyDeleteYou used a key word when talking adout theories of educational technology and that word is credable. The use of researched based theories will give creditability to online teaching. Research will give us more theories in the future.