Class 1

Educational Technology 11 – Educ 4039

September 15, 2009

Class 1 (3 Hours)

Dr. Diane P. Janes – Diane_Janes@cbu.ca – Office hours by appointment – Phone: 563-1236

Our blogs:

http://chezziex.blogspot.com/

http://loismacintyre.blogspot.com/

http://brawks.blogspot.com/

http://cbuedtech.blogspot.com/

Learning Theory

In psychology and education, a common definition of learning is a process that brings together cognitive, emotional, and environmental influences and experiences for acquiring, enhancing, or making changes in one's knowledge, skills, values, and world views (Illeris,2000; Ormorod, 1995). Learning as a process focuses on what happens when the learning takes place. Explanations of what happens constitute learning theories. A learning theory is an attempt to describe how people and animals learn; thereby helping us understand the inherently complex processes of learning. Learning theories have two chief values according to Hill (2002). One is in providing us with vocabulary and a conceptual framework for interpreting the examples of learning that we observe. The other is in suggesting where to look for solutions to practical problems. The theories do not give us solutions, but they do direct our attention to those variables that are crucial in finding solutions.

There are three main categories or philosophical frameworks under which learning theories fall: behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. Behaviorism focuses only on the objectively observable aspects of learning. Cognitive theories look beyond behavior to explain brain-based learning. And constructivism views learning as a process in which the learner actively constructs or builds new ideas or concepts.

Conceptions of Teaching

Our assumptions about what is knowledge (epistemology) and how it is acquired (learning theory) tend to influence how we teach. Our philosophy or conception of teaching can also impact on our choices in the classroom or in the creation of learning courseware.

For many teachers, teaching is like riding a bike. Once they learn how to do it, it becomes second nature, an activity that one just does without too much thought. But there are many different ways of teaching and I believe it is an activity that needs to be constantly reexamined and reflected upon.

Dan Pratt has written extensively on teaching in adult and higher education and has investigated teaching in a number of different cultures. His research suggests that it is useful to think about teaching in five fundamentally different ways, what he calls five perspectives on teaching. I think his work also has value in the K-12 environment.

Perspective	Description
Transmission	Effective delivery of content
Apprenticeship	Modeling ways of being
Developmental	Cultivating ways of thinking
Nurturing	Facilitating self-efficacy
Social Reform	Seeking a better society

Multiple Intelligences

One of the most remarkable features of the theory of multiple intelligences is how it provides eight different potential pathways to learning. If a teacher is having difficulty reaching a student in the more traditional linguistic or logical ways of instruction, the theory of multiple intelligences suggests several other ways in which the material might be presented to facilitate effective learning. Whether you are a kindergarten teacher, a graduate school instructor, or an adult learner seeking better ways of pursuing self-study on any subject of interest, the same basic guidelines apply. Whatever you are teaching or learning, see how you might connect it with

	words (linguistic intelligence)
	numbers or logic (logical-mathematical intelligence)
	pictures (spatial intelligence)
	music (musical intelligence)
	self-reflection (intrapersonal intelligence)
	a physical experience (bodily-kinesthetic intelligence)
	a social experience (interpersonal intelligence), and/or
	an experience in the natural world. (naturalist intelligence)

Learning Styles

Definition:

1. "the complex manner in which, and conditions under which, learners most efficiently and most effectively perceive, process, store, and recall what they are attempting to learn" (James and Gardner, 1995, p. 20).
2. "an individiual's characteristic way of processing information feeling, and behaving in learning situations" (Smith, as cited in Merriam and Caffarella, 1991, p. 176).
3. "the cognitive, affective, and physiological factors that serve as relatively stable indicators of how learners perceive, interact with, and respond to the learning environment" (Keefe, as cited in Swanson, 1995, p. 2).
4. "the preference or predisposition of an individual to perceive and process information in a particular way or combination of ways" (Sarasin, 1998, p. 3).

With a mission statement underscoring learner-centredness, understanding how learning and teaching styles influence student learning is increasingly important. Research has demonstrated, for example, that the relationship between teaching and learning style is a factor in the success of many students. Identifying, then, the modes in which students learn best becomes useful in two ways - first, in helping students understand and become aware of how they themselves learn and study best (metacognition) and second, in helping instructors achieve a more holistic approach to selecting and designing teaching strategies, lessons, and activities that maximize student learning and understanding.

Learning Styles Can Become Teaching Strategies provides a brief introduction and overview of issues and concerns to be considered when exploring the use of learning styles in teaching.
By: W. J. McKeachie, University of Michigan.

Available online at: http://www.ntlf.com/html/pi/9511/article1.htm