End of Course Reflection

Reflecting upon the experiences this course has offered in terms of reading, activities, and group discussions, this paper will highlight the areas that I have found most useful as a learner and instructional designer.

First and foremost, I have become more aware of how I learn. Initially struggling with the amount of reading and responding to discussion posts in short time frames, I now have a better understanding of how to effectively organize my time in order to have the necessary time to reflect on what I'm reading. This in turn has helped me better understand the content and contribute to the online discussions. I also realize how important it is to gain feedback from my classmates and instructor regarding my perspectives so that I can test and grow my knowledge. In addition, some of the study advice from other classmates has been helpful. For instance, Sharifa spoke about how meditation helps increase learner capacity to retain information and I have begun this practice with the hope that it will help me better retain what I read (Adisa, 2012, February 12).

This course has also served to broaden my perspectives about the way in which I design instruction. For instance, previous to the information learned in this class I had always believed that because people possess different learning styles such as kinesthetic, auditory and visual, it was important to design instruction that met the needs of these different styles. Now I understand that designing instruction to match content may be just as effective for learners as matching it to learning styles (Artino, 2012, February 12) – although I will likely continue to add activities that align with learner styles as well.

Additional research into Instructional Strategy has strengthened my knowledge about how to connect content with different instructional media (Dick & Carey Model).

“Different types of media should be chosen based on the type of learning your objectives fall in to. Verbal information requires less elaborative feedback, so there is less need for interactive media. With intellectual skills elaborative feedback is more important, so some form of interactive media would be a better choice. Examples include direct instructor feedback, tutors, or interactive computer. Motor skills eventually require a performance of some sort from the learners, so the instruction should include the actual physical environment or the actual equipment that will be used for the assessment. When teaching attitudes it is usually desirable to have a model of some sort who chooses to exhibit the desired attitude. In this case visual media, such as television or video, can be used. Keep in mind that a single lesson or course may involve instruction in several domains, so you may end up selecting several different forms of media. Or, you may have to make a single form of media fit in with the various domains.”

Metacognition, or thinking about thinking, was new information to me in this course and it was interesting to learn that it evolves very slowly over the course of a lifetime and people who possess it are typically the most effective learners. Rather than constant repetition of information, metacognitive learners analyze a learning task by asking questions such as “How long will this take me to effectively learn? Do I understand what I just read? Can I do something with it? Can I apply this? If so, Can I think of new examples?” What I found surprising about metacognition is that while most people aren't trained to do this, they can learn how to do it and an online learning environment is a good place to do this. In an online setting, instructors not only teach content, but they have the ability to simultaneously teach people what to do with the content as they learn it - metacognition (Laureate Education, Inc., 2012). This will be something for me to keep in mind with the computer-based courses I'm currently developing.

Additional information presented in this course was that of Howard Gardner's work on multiple intelligences which was also new to me. It was amazing to learn that by studying the organization of human abilities in the brain, Gardner discovered how different parts of the brain are dominant for different cognitive functions. He named these abilities “Multiple Intelligences” which have been categorized as (Armstrong, 2000, pp. 10-11):

• Linguistic – Sensitivity to the sounds, structure, meaning, and functions of words and language.
• Logical-Mathematical – Sensitivity to and capacity to discern logical or numerical patterns; ability to handle long chains of reasoning.
• Spatial – Capacity to perceive the visual-spatial world accurately and to perform transformations on one's initial perceptions.
• Bodily-Kinesthetic – Ability to control one's body movements and to handle objects skillfully.
• Musical – Ability to produce and appreciate rhythm, pitch, and timbre; appreciation of the forms of musical expressiveness.
• Interpersonal – Capacity to discern and respond appropriately to the moods, temperaments, and motivations, and desires of other people.
• Intrapersonal – Access to one's own “feeling” life and the ability to discriminate among one's emotions; knowledge of one's own strengths and weaknesses.
• Naturalist – Expertise in distinguishing among members of a species; recognizing the existence of other neighboring species; and charting our the relations, formally or informally, among several species.

Something to note is that there are two key processes in the development of intelligences called “crystalizing” and “paralyzing” experiences which are “turning points” in the development of a person's talents and abilities. Often, these events occur in early childhood, but may also occur at any point in a person's life. Experiences can so excite a person that they achieve great heights with certain skills sets – these are crystalizing experiences. The course readings related the story about how when Albert Einstein was 4 years old, his father showed him a magnetic compass which filled him with the desire to figure out the mysteries of the universe. In other words, this experience activated his genius was the catalyst for many discoveries.

In contrast, paralyzing experiences refer to experiences that “shut down” intelligences. Paralyzing experiences are often filled with shame, guilt, fear, anger, and other negative emotions that prevent intelligences from growing and thriving (Armstrong, 2000, pp. 28-29). This information highlights the responsibility of learning professionals to be aware of the types of experiences we create and contribute to for learners.

A final thought with regard to key ideas presented in this course is that of motivation. In my opinion true motivation is internal; however, there are things learning professionals can do to contribute to the motivation of learners. Dr. Ormrod suggests adding simulations in web-based training in which the learner can interact with the program in a way that resembles real-world tasks and receive immediate feedback. She further suggests motivational techniques in classroom instruction include teachers/trainers/professors being enthusiastic about the topic and empathetic when learners may have been 'forced' to attend. Instructors can also present something unexpected and keep the learners physically involved in activities (Laureate, Inc., 2012).

Being aware of how I learn and how others learn as well as having a better understanding of the many tools, techniques, methods and theories available to guide instructional designers offers me the opportunity to incorporate these ideas to be a better learner and also a better designer in engaging and motivating learners.

References

Adisa, S. (2012, February 12). RE: Understanding How the Brain Processes Information [Discussion

Group 1]. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learnCourseID=6290448&Survey=1&47=11086390&ClientNodeID=984650&
coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Artino, A., Jr. (2012, February 12). RE: Recognizing Learning Style Differences [Discussion Group 1]. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learnCourseID=6290448&Survey=1&47=11086390&ClientNodeID=984650&
coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Armstrong, T. (2000). Multiple intelligences in the classroom (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association

for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Dick & Carey Model. (February, 2012). Lesson 8: Instructional Strategy. Retrieved from

http://www.itma.vt.edu/modules/spring03/instrdes/lesson8.htm

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2012). Learning Theories and Instruction [DVD]. In Information

Processing and Problem Solving. Baltimore, MD: Dr. Jeanne Ormrod.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2012). Learning Theories and Instruction [DVD]. In Motivation

in Learning. Baltimore, MD: Dr. Jeanne Ormrod.

Fitting the Pieces Together

Having broadened my understanding of learning theories and styles throughout this class, I maintain strong connections with the Behaviorist theory. For me there must be repetition involved and I require the freedom to experiment/test my knowledge and I expect feedback to guide me into additional possibilities.

Making symbolic mental connections as outlined in the Cognitive theory is a struggle when I do not possess a context from which to connect newly learned information. I find that I rely on others to help me make the connection which should lend well in an online learning setting. However, there must be some willingness on the part of those whose knowledge surpasses mine, to respond to my comments and suggestions or I have no opportunity to learn from them.

In my opinion, Constructivist, Social, Connectivism and Adult learning theories all connect in some way. There must be meaningful associations with what has previously been learned the new knowledge presented as well as a connection with others and the ability to socially interact to learn from one another. Specifically for adults, and which relates to Constructivist and Social learning theories, it is important for learning settings to include components of (Conlan, Grablowski & Smith, 2003):

• Action learning – participants work in small groups on a real project/problem and learn how to learn from that activity.

• Experiential learning – holistic learning approach in which the learner utilized his/her experiences and learning strengths in the process of constructing knowledge - “learning by doing.”

• Project-based learning – participants work in small groups to solve a challenging, interdisciplinary problem using group-chosen strategies and activities.

• Self-directed learning – an informal learning process in which an individual takes on the responsibility for his/her learning process by identifying their learning needs, setting goals, finding resources, implementing strategies, and evaluating their results. 

In any learning setting, true satisfaction or fulfillment for me is in helping others learn, or at least helping to contribute to an environment (classroom, online or instruction) that helps people feel safe to learn because this promotes learning possibilities for everyone. There can be criteria and expectations set around discussion boards, but it's those participating that create the culture of inclusiveness (or not).

With regards to learning theories and styles, while I initially thought a combination of instructional methods that met the needs of many different learning styles (auditory, visual, kinesthetic) would be the best way to design instruction, I have learned that designing instruction to match content may be more effective. Even though there's no proof that matching instruction to Multiple Intelligences is any more effective than matching it to content, perhaps using a combination of instructional methods for different learning-styles and content may be worth consideration.
 
Technology plays a large part in my learning process and I frequently use the Internet to search for articles related to content I'm developing, authoring software web sites and blogs to learn new development techniques and trouble-shoot issues experienced in developing. In addition, there are useful tutorials, videos, and discussion boards in which to participate and learn.

A good reminder to myself of is to not become overwhelmed with the ever-changing and ever-increasing amount of information there is to learn about everything.

References

Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K. (2003). Adult learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Adult_Learning