Learning Theories and Views (Task 1.4)
Learning Theories Reflection
The learning theories and views group task was a big learning curve for me. I had never really considered the fact that learning theories had such an influence on the different digital technologies that have been developed over the past few decades, until I read more about them for group task 1.4. I also didn't realise the ways teachers implement these technologies were so heavily influenced by a range of different learning views and how these align with our personal pedagogies and beliefs. While working on assignment 1, the many activities I recommended for use in the consulting report I discovered were heavily influenced by the constructivist learning theory. This was a theory I really identified with back when I completed my degree 9 years ago, however I hadn't though about it or any learning theories for a long time. This lead me to think back on how I have used digital technologies in my classroom over the past few years and how without even realising it, a real mishmash of learning theories can be identified throughout my implementation of it.
The different learning views I have been able to identify in a few of the apps I have implemented in my learning programmes, include behaviourist, cognitivist and constructivist. The behaviourist learning view I have realised can be seen in many of the drill and practice apps available. Some of the apps I have implemented over the past few years that align with this view are Xtra Math, Hit the Button and Prodigy. These provide instant feedback as to whether students have the correct answer, as well as rewards for successful progress in the form of certificates or points (Ertmer & Newby, 2013). An app I have implemented which aligns with a cognitivist approach is Coggle, where a mind-map tool is provided to help students to organise their thinking and be able to use this planning format to inform the completion of projects and tasks such as writing (Ertmer & Newby, 2013). The majority of the digital tools I've implemented in my classroom fit with the constructivist perspective as they are collaborative, promote high levels of interaction and creativity and require the students to input their own ideas and thinking into them (Ertmer & Newby, 2013). These tools include the Google Suite apps, Scratch and Note.ly to name a few.
Mayes & de Freitas (2013) discuss the need for good pedagogical design to be informed by learning theory. They discuss teaching as always being "focused on what the learner is actually doing: placing the learning activities at the heart of the process" which really resonated with me, as it is my belief that students need to be active in the learning process - to be able to truly learn (Mayes & De Freitas, 2013, p18). The learning students gain from a particular task, may not always be what is intended as there are many factors that impact on a learners understanding. So it is important for the teacher to put themselves in the shoes of the learner to attempt to see the potential impacts of their design on student learning (Mayes & de Freidas, 2013). Mayes and de Freidas (2013) also highlight the important point that when technology is implemented into any lesson or learning experience, it should be done in a way that the enhancements to learning are not possible without it - not just for the sake of it.
Mayes, J. T., & De Freitas, S. (2013). Technology-Enhanced Learning: The Role of Theory. In H. Beetham,& R. Sharpe (Eds). Rethinking pedagogy for the digital age. Designing for 21st century learning. Routledge.
The learning theories and views group task was a big learning curve for me. I had never really considered the fact that learning theories had such an influence on the different digital technologies that have been developed over the past few decades, until I read more about them for group task 1.4. I also didn't realise the ways teachers implement these technologies were so heavily influenced by a range of different learning views and how these align with our personal pedagogies and beliefs. While working on assignment 1, the many activities I recommended for use in the consulting report I discovered were heavily influenced by the constructivist learning theory. This was a theory I really identified with back when I completed my degree 9 years ago, however I hadn't though about it or any learning theories for a long time. This lead me to think back on how I have used digital technologies in my classroom over the past few years and how without even realising it, a real mishmash of learning theories can be identified throughout my implementation of it.
The different learning views I have been able to identify in a few of the apps I have implemented in my learning programmes, include behaviourist, cognitivist and constructivist. The behaviourist learning view I have realised can be seen in many of the drill and practice apps available. Some of the apps I have implemented over the past few years that align with this view are Xtra Math, Hit the Button and Prodigy. These provide instant feedback as to whether students have the correct answer, as well as rewards for successful progress in the form of certificates or points (Ertmer & Newby, 2013). An app I have implemented which aligns with a cognitivist approach is Coggle, where a mind-map tool is provided to help students to organise their thinking and be able to use this planning format to inform the completion of projects and tasks such as writing (Ertmer & Newby, 2013). The majority of the digital tools I've implemented in my classroom fit with the constructivist perspective as they are collaborative, promote high levels of interaction and creativity and require the students to input their own ideas and thinking into them (Ertmer & Newby, 2013). These tools include the Google Suite apps, Scratch and Note.ly to name a few.
Mayes & de Freitas (2013) discuss the need for good pedagogical design to be informed by learning theory. They discuss teaching as always being "focused on what the learner is actually doing: placing the learning activities at the heart of the process" which really resonated with me, as it is my belief that students need to be active in the learning process - to be able to truly learn (Mayes & De Freitas, 2013, p18). The learning students gain from a particular task, may not always be what is intended as there are many factors that impact on a learners understanding. So it is important for the teacher to put themselves in the shoes of the learner to attempt to see the potential impacts of their design on student learning (Mayes & de Freidas, 2013). Mayes and de Freidas (2013) also highlight the important point that when technology is implemented into any lesson or learning experience, it should be done in a way that the enhancements to learning are not possible without it - not just for the sake of it.
Reference List:
Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (2013). Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism: Comparing Critical Features From an Instructional Design Perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, (2), 43.Mayes, J. T., & De Freitas, S. (2013). Technology-Enhanced Learning: The Role of Theory. In H. Beetham,& R. Sharpe (Eds). Rethinking pedagogy for the digital age. Designing for 21st century learning. Routledge.
Comments
Post a Comment