Fitting the Pieces Together

Fitting the Pieces Together

This week, we have been tasked with revisitng “how we learn” and responding to a few questions about how our views have changed after seven weeks of exploring learning theories and styles.

Now that you have a deeper understanding of the different learning theories and learning styles, how has your view on how you learn changed?

While I enjoyed the opportunity to re-visit learning theories in this course, I cannot say that it has changed my view on how I learn.  I still see that I learn physical tasks best through behavioural strategies, only wish to learn things which have immediate relevance to me which is addressed through cognitive strategies and see that I am an active participant in constructing knowledge in many domains.  Praxis is still important to me as well.

Where my views did change, were in applications of learning theories such as connectivism outside of the audience that I am most familiar with (adults).  I found a great deal of value in exploring this and expanding my perspective in this domain.

What have you learned about the various learning theories and learning styles over the past weeks that can further explain your own personal learning preferences?

How I learn, is very much linked to the type of task.  I found great value in the exploration of the conversations that occurred in Karl Kaplan and  Bill Kerr’s blogs, which were summed up in the phrase “using _isms as a filter and not as a blinker” (Kerr,2007).  There is value in looking at all approches – and using them where they suit the goal best instead of sticking to any one.

I also appreciated the clarification made by Dr. Ormond that there really are only two different learning styles – and that there is value in focusing on strategies over styles (Ormond, 2009).  There has been significant conversation around learning styles in the ID and Educational spheres over the years.  Howard Gardner summed it up well in that “Whether a student falls into one or more of Gardner's nine dimensions of multiple intelligences: linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal or naturalist intelligence, the focus of instructional design should be the educational goals (Gardner, 2008).

What role does technology play in your learning (i.e., as a way to search for information, to record information, to create, etc.)?

Technology plays a significant role in my own learning.  Technology assists me in searching for information, recording it, creating it – and connecting with others to help me construct knowledge.  Technology (in many different forms) also provides me feedback on how I am doing, and whether or not I am meeting my learning goals.

References:

Gardner, H. (2008). The 25th anniversary of the publication of Howard Gardner's Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Retrieved from http://www.howardgardner.com/Papers/papers.html on February 20, 2011.

Kerr, B. (2007, January 01). _ism as filter, not blinker [Blog]. Retrieved from http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filter-not-blinker.html

Ormrod, J. (2009) Video:  Learning Styles and Strategies.