Margaret Ann's Thoughts on Design

There are a variety of ways in which people learn, and therefore an infinite number of ways in which to approach teaching. For decades, educators have been using different learning theories to help explain students’ learning and how to best understand their thinking. These theories range from behaviorist to social learning and each have an impact on how we design instruction today. As a future instructional designer, I know that students must have a variety of learning opportunities that relate to each of their strengths in order to be successful.

Prior to taking this course, I was confident that two particular learning theories were the most relevant to my own job as a both a teacher and instructional designer. I know, through experience, that learning is social, and so I have been an advocate for social learning for many years. Additionally, I know that students must be able to construct knowledge and build onto their previous experiences, which are major caveats for the constructivist theory. I have learned, through my research, that each learning theory is relevant in situations, which was a surprising revelation. Even though the behaviorist theory may seem outdated, it does in fact have benefits when teaching skills such as multiplication facts.

As for my own learning process, I am more aware of how I learn and process information than ever before. I said at the beginning of the course, and still maintain, I am a visual and kinesthetic learner. I know that my environment plays an important role, but I have come to realize how much of a role technology plays. It is a learning tool in that it provides information and challenges my own thinking. In learning about all of these theories and styles, I know how important it is that my students are given opportunities that will benefit them, regardless of how they process information.

The connection between learning theories, learning styles, technology, and motivation are clearer now than ever before. The various learning theories are educational scientists’ ways to describe how students learn and transfer information. The students’ methods of actually doing this are their learning styles. In our ever changing world, technology is quickly becoming a necessity in the world of education. We must give our students tools with which they can learn, including creating blogs, editing wikis, posting podcasts, and performing webquests. These each help to improve their motivation by keeping their attention and the information relevant to their own lives.

As I approach the field of instructional design, I look forward to using the information I have learned in this course. I must make sure my students are motivated to learn, whether it is through maintaining attention or appealing to their need for achievement. I am also more aware of how the different learning theories and styles affect different students. Each style is beneficial for various students and situations. As an instructional designer, I will use a variety of situations and motivational factors to improve my students’ learning.

At the beginning of this course, I knew only the basics of my own learning style. I knew that I am a visual learner and that I shy away from auditory-based curriculum. Throughout the course, I have been able to pinpoint aspects of my own learning style that coincide with various learning theories. I now know that the behaviorist theory does not apply to the learning I am now doing; instead, I know it was effective when learning basic skills – multiplication facts, for example. In this aspect, rote memorization was needed. I had to be able to give a desired response to a given stimuli. As I have moved beyond such skills, so have my learning needs. I have also learned that, as described in the constructivist theory, my knowledge must be gained by finding ways to relate it to my own life. I need to construct my knowledge and not just told information. In terms of social learning, I know that my knowledge is encouraged and expanded through discussions with my peers. In essence, the understanding of my own learning has deepened a great deal. I still do believe that my learning is dependent upon hearing information and actually performing actions myself, but I have come to understand that learning styles are more than surface needs. They are fluid and change based on situations.

Within all of these learning styles, technology plays a vital role in my learning. It is a means to an end – it provides research, discussions, and introductions of information. Technology allows me to create products based on my learning and to further my understanding of concepts. For example, I was recently learning how to use Dreamweaver to slice comps from Photoshop. In doing this, I learned by creating a product. Of course, help was provided and I was talked through each step, but the performing of the action and the learning were synonymous with one another. In a more traditional approach, technology allows me to create documents, spreadsheets, and graphics much faster.