Week 1 - Learning Theory

Welcome to my new blog

Engagement Activity 1: Learning Styles

 

I think this first activity was a great way to get us to discover our own learning styles. Please have a look at the results of my learning styles test.  As seen in the results I have a balance of active and reflective learning, which is desirable and I agree with. I generally like to give things a go which helps me gain a better understanding of the concept, however sometimes I prefer to reflect on a topic that may be slightly harder for me to grasp.  The test results show that I am more of a sensing than intuitive learner. I believe this to be true as I like learning facts, am practical in the way I go about most things and like to be able to relate newly learnt information to a real life situation. Felder and Solomon’s questionnaire suggests that I am more of a visual than verbal learner. I think that I would be slightly more balanced as I like diagrams and pictures; however I also like verbal explanations to help me understand what is happening in the diagram and extra information about the topic. I totally agree that I am a sequential learner over a global one as I understand concepts best when they are explained in steps. Overall, I think that these test results are very accurate of my learning styles and that this questionnaire could be a useful tool for teachers to gauge an understanding of their students learning styles in order to teach in a way that the students will learn best.  

Learning Styles Results

Results for: Emma Fernie           ACT                  X                                REF            11  9   7   5   3   1   1   3   5   7   9   11                               <-- -->         SEN          X                                        INT            11  9   7   5   3   1   1   3   5   7   9   11                               <-- -->         VIS          X                                        VRB            11  9   7   5   3   1   1   3   5   7   9   11                               <-- -->         SEQ              X                                    GLO            11  9   7   5   3   1   1   3   5   7   9   11                               <-- -->

Engagement Activity 2: Multiple Intelligences

The multiple intelligences questionnaire also gives an insight to how people learn best. The test results show that I learn equally as well through a number of ways. According to the test my kinaesthetic, music and intrapersonal skills are not as effective as the rest. I agree that I am not very music smart, however I learn well from hands on activities and from studying on my own therefore think I should be more body and myself smart than the test suggests. This test can be used by teachers to help them discover in what ways their students learn most effectively so that activities can be designed around their strongest intelligences. As their will be an array of diverse intelligences in any classroom lessons can be designed with the incorporation of ICT’s in order to capture the attention of all students.

Lesson example using ICT’s to capture attention of all students: Year 4 mathematics lesson on an ipad

·         The students have the option to read or listen to the question/problem  before commencing work

·         The number smart students may choose to work quietly on the questions while the body smart students have the option to utilise blocks  and other objects to visualise and set the question out

·         There will be both intrapersonal and interpersonal students in a class, seeing some work best on their own (intrapersonal) and the interpersonal students plugging an ipad into a projector and working through the questions as a group

·         For the visual/spatial students, links could be available which describe the questions in picture form

·         At the end of the mathematics lesson all students in the class will have hopefully finished and understand the questions by being allowed to use the skills that they learn best with through the use of technology in the classroom   

 

Engagement Activity 3: Reflection on Prensky's ideas

What is your belief and understanding of the nature of today's learners? Do they really "demand" technology in the classroom?

 

After reading the articles I agree with Prensky in respect that technology is in children’s lives from a very young age (Prensky 2005). This see’s them become very depend on technology in a way that they quiet possibly could not get through a day without it. In order to keep up with the rapidly advancing world which we live in it is my opinion that technology is required not ‘demanded’ in the classroom in order to prepare students for the “real world” that they will enter when they finish their schooling. Without an extensive knowledge and ability to use the advancing technologies people will be left behind and miss out on valuable opportunities. Therefore it would be in the best interest of students if technology was utilised in the classroom as frequently as subjects classified as important, i.e. Mathematics and English to accustom children with the skills and knowledge they will require upon finishing school.       

Is there substance to the "engage or enrage" argument?

I believe that there is substance to the “engage or enrage” argument as it falls into a similar category as technology being used in the classroom. The advancements in technology and children’s lifestyles from previous decades has made them disrespectful to the current education system. Most children are engaged by their plans for the weekend, video games and online interactions with friends. These out of school engaging activates see children becoming less engaged in what teachers are trying to educate them on in the classroom. As most lessons do not involve advancing technologies or something students might be interested in they shut out the teacher’s voice and use their mobile phone or become a distraction to the rest of the class causing other students to also become disconnected from the lesson.

It could be said that students should suck it up and learn the current curriculum or on the other hand teachers could redesign the curriculum to include technology where possible, which would engage a higher percentage of students and see better learning outcomes in the classroom.       

Engagement Activity 4: Reflection on Connectivism

A number of authors contest Siemens' ideas. It is unsettling to be challenged about existing perceptions of "knowing", in particular, the lack of purpose in asking our students to KNOW and be able to RECALL what they know in assessment. Many academics contest these ideas because they are not yet supported by research, rather, they are a position about the nature of learning. They also contend that learning is a state within the individual, and therefore connectivism cannot be regarded as a theory of learning, rather a theory about how learning is best supported.

 

Do you agree with them? Can you see Siemen's point of view? What is your position?

 

 No I do not agree with them because Siemens’ idea is how more people should be thinking today. The knowledge that is useful today may not be useful in a few months or years time; therefore it may not be necessary to assess students on facts and figures that might not be required by the time they get a job (Siemens 2005). All in all students should be taught useful skills and information that will allow them to excel in the ever changing world.

 

Give an example of ways in which you could use this theory in your classroom/learning context?

 You are doing a topic on weather with your class and a flood occurs somewhere in the country. You can use the real life occurrence to engage your learners and allow them to research flood information and possibly blog their views and thoughts. After completing the research and each student shares their thoughts through their blog, a class discussion could occur and they could all pool their knowledge and possibly add more to their blog from what they have learnt from other students in the class.  

To take the activity further the students could connect with a school in the flooded area to ask questions and receive firsthand knowledge and photographs of the damages. The students could do a climatic assessment and report of their own area to share with the students from the flood affected area.       

By undertaking their own research on the web, blogging what they have learnt, discussing it with their classmates, hearing from students in the flood affected area and adding to their blog they will have increased their knowledge on floods greatly, have an increased change of retaining the information as they have done an exercise on it and have more appreciation for real life situations.

References

Prensky, M. (2005). Engage Me or Enrage Me, What Todays Learners Demand. Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0553.pdf

Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism, A Learning Theory for the Digital Age, Retrieved from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm