Just for fun...

WK 1 - Activity 4

What do I think about the learning theories?

I believe that successful learning approaches will be best informed by all 4 learning theories:

-          Behaviourism – I found there were key ties to this theory in the video presentation, in particular to the idea that a learner’s behaviour and information processing is determined by their emotional/physiological experiences of the educational context. It is not enough to teach the material, the teaching experience must be conducive to learning, and this involves positive reinforcement within a safe and happy environment.

-          Cognitivism – Well this always reminds me of the old adages of ‘practice makes perfect’, and ‘if you don’t use it you lose it’. The idea that we need to tailor learning experiences to ensure that information is converted into long-term memory makes quite a lot of sense to me, however I am cautious as to the adverse impact that multi-sensory stimuli may have on learners with neurological or sensory difficulties, or ASD in particular. I believe that in the future ‘inclusive’ classrooms the teaching delivery modes and resources may differ between each learner in particular.

-          Social Constructivism – Anthropologists will often remind you it takes a community to raise a child; learning is determined by what is modelled and scaffolded by our societies, our cultures, and our local communities; those who enter school with the desired cultural capital are more likely to have a positive educational experience. It is vitally important to ensure learners have opportunities to interact in ways that will develop their experience and knowledge, with an aim to include a diverse cohort of students in the educational experience.  

-          Connectivism – we really are in the digital age! With all the information at our fingertips, I would surmise that the focus may expand from not just simply learning how to use the “pipeline and it’s connections” but analysing, evaluating, and challenging this pipeline and it’s connections.

One further theory which I can find a few positive arguments for implementation in the classroom is Choice Theory (but please do not think I am an avid supporter, as it does have its flaws, and I am professionally more inclined to advocate for CBT and ACT). Currently I have seen this used as an approach in the Tertiary Education sector, as part of the implementation process for student adjustments when creating an inclusive environment. The idea being here, that learners will have a better experience in a context where they are aware of their choices and the outcomes of those choices, and that they are more likely to go into learning as participants rather than voyeurs if they have ownership of the process.

WK 1 - Activity 3

What struck me in the video and Edutopia reading? 

Can I just say that I went to work and shared Dr Judy Willis’ video with my colleagues; in the context of my work environment (tertiary education, welfare and disability support),  I found the idea of particular learned behaviours (fight, flight and freeze responses) being masked by ‘diagnoses’ especially  enlightening. When examining these in light of Rubenstein’s contention that “the act of learning can change the brain”, we are provided with the idea that we may be able to manage some behaviours in the classroom by providing supportive and inclusive learning experiences where students who feel safe/secure may be less inclined to have a fight/flight/freeze response.

Implications for my classroom - In the broadest sense my take home message from Dr Willis’s video and Rubenstein’s Edutopia reading is that we not only need to be aware of the multiple literacies, and learning types (and likely multiple intelligences) of our learners, but we need to ensure that our pedagogy accounts for these dynamics. It is not hard to take a look at the lead causes of stress in school that Dr Willis has identified and attribute these as symptoms of a non-inclusive, non-supportive learning environment.

Benefits of using ITC in my classroom - I really like the idea of encouraging reflective, rather than reactive learning and teaching, and I believe that ICT provides us with unique opportunities to implement reflective teaching via digital technologies in a classroom environment. By designing scaffolded multi-sensory lessons and focussing on developing “weaker” skills, we may be able to help our learners develop each of the different areas of the brain. By giving learners the opportunity to learn within different modes, we are able to support different learning styles and help our learners develop their identities.

What shortcomings do I experience in the traditional classroom and curriculum?

To preface my criticism of traditional classrooms and curriculum, I would like to first say that I absolutely LOVE the TED presentation from Sir Ken Robinson; it is actually a filler-resource I had previously used with students in a Tertiary Prep Course to introduce them to the idea of embracing multiple intelligences and multiple literacies – something that we as teachers will have the opportunity to foster and explore with our learners. I particularly love the idea of moving away from the stigma associated with being ‘wrong’.

I believe that the traditional classroom and curriculum are particularly inhibited by this concept of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ answers, and personally feel that the stigma associated with being a ‘failure’ is an inherent flaw in education. While our learners are at fundamental phases in their psychological development, focus should be on developing ‘whole persons’, not just literate persons.

To give a personal example of what I believe it means to develop a ‘whole person’, my Math B Teacher had a favourite quote “Rachelle, have courage in your convictions”; obviously Math was not my strongest subject, but what I learnt in this class were lessons I have continued to apply in life.  1 - it is OK to get things wrong, often these are the most effective learning experiences; 2 – be confident in yourself, take a chance and trust that you will learn (eventually).