Over the past 8 weeks, I have formally learned a lot about learning theories and styles. I now have a solid working knowledge of behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, connectivism, social and adult learning theories. I have been previously exposed to some aspects of each theory/style informally throughout my life.
My understanding is now more organized and enriched. This is a result of exploring how these learning occur and the factors that influence learning. As I further my knowledge on how people learn, I will be able to appreciate the diversity of different perspectives of learning styles. I was surprised with how most of the theories were mostly distinct from each other. There was little focus on the overlap of the possibility of more than one learning theory being applicable to an individual. The various theories seem to almost be in competition with each other.
I found the use of technology tools to be useful and I will continue to utilize them. I had never created a blog before and was happy to realize it’s a fairly simple process. I found it to be a great source of information, especially for brain-storming. The mind mapping program, webspiration is something I found extremely useful and will continue to use it to no end. I had previously used RSS aggregators before, but now I am much more efficient and productive with them.
As a future instructional designer, having knowledge of the different learning theories will help me create effective learning experiences. Being aware of the variances of learner profiles in my audiences is the first step in being able to adapt to their needs. I am also more aware of my own learning style and that I’m high on the meta-cognitive scale. With this being the conclusion of my first course, I’m anticipating using more of the technology resources.
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