What are your beliefs about how people learn best? What is the purpose of learning theory in educational technology?
I believe that people learn in a variety of ways. Being an educator for eight years I have experienced the different ways that students learn. Learners may be auditory, visual, or kinesthetic. In order for the learner to be actively engaged and retain information presented the lesson must align with their learning style. Some learn best by hearing the information, others learn by seeing pictures, models, and graphic organizers. Still others must learn by doing. Since I teach primary students I must gain insight of how my students learn. As an educator it is up to me to meet the individual needs of my students. I have learned by experience that hands-on learning works best with younger students. They learn better by acting out the lesson or using manipulative to solve the problems. It I simply stand in front of First graders and lecture most of them will be lost in the lesson. However, when adding audio, graphic organizers, technology, and hands-on then the students grasp the skills being taught. A difficult skill for First graders to grasp is counting money. They have to use manipulative coins in order to learn to correctly count the coins.
There are three main learning theories. The learning theories are: Behaviorism, Cognitivism, and Constructivism. Educational technoloy encompasses aspects of all three of the learning theories. Technology shows aspects of behaviorism because when using certain programs such as interactive websites their is instant feedback. Technology relates to cognitivism because it deals with the environment and how the learner reacts to the environment. When learners begin to use technology they may use caution or choose not to implement the technology because they do not know how to use the technology correctly. The goal within educational technology is getting the learner to Constructivism. When the constructivism theory is evident the learner is comfortable with the learning and has become independent to create, explore, and think outside of the box!
Reference:
http://www.child-central.com/learning-styles-children.html
http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/802papers/mergel/brenda.htm#The%20Basics%20of%20Cognitivism
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Rhonda,
ReplyDeleteI agree that individuals learn in different ways. I think that what they learned is determined by how they learn. When designing lesson plans for my students I think about the learning experience I had. Learning occurs through observation, hands on experience, trial and error, and etc… I think that the best learning method overall is the one that helps each individual to learn/master a new skill or expand on an existing skill.
Emmorfia
Rhonda,
ReplyDeleteInteresting post, I think that dealing with first graders is a real challenge. They are like little energizer bunnies. You are in a positions of nurturing their learning abilities and watching it blossom. I think you have an excellent position to verify each of the learning theories but testing them on the children’s.
Rhonda,
ReplyDeleteI can relate when you say students learn best by doimg. I've taught kindergarten for 6 years. This year will be my first year teaching first grade. Students at that age do learn by doing and being actively engaged in the lesson. When I think of Constructivism, it does make me think about of distance education. Constructivism seems to be the foundation of distance education programs.