Week+One+5368

=Instructional Design Theories=

I learned this week that my personal learning theory most closely adheres to the basic principles of cognitivism in which the learner is viewed as an active participant in the learning process and the outcome is not only dependent on what is presented by the teacher but also on what the learner does to process the information.

The results of my teaching style inventory indicated that I prefer rote learning, focus on practical application, and prefer to have students learn through hands-on activities completed collaboratively.I would agree that I do tend to focus on practical application when preparing my lessons and enjoy working with students in an environment which allows them to practice the skills they are learning. Bransford states that “Ideas are best introduced when students see a need or a reason for their use—this helps them see relevant uses of knowledge to make sense of what they are learning.” (Bransford, 2000) In the same article he later states that "From the standpoint of the child, the great waste in school comes from his inability to utilize the experience he gets outside…while on the other hand, he is unable to apply in daily life what he is learning in school." (Bransford, 2000) I would disagree with the results of the inventory which indicated that I prefer rote learning but I do tend to provide step by step instructions for students to use when instructing them in new processes. Of the students I surveyed, 60% were visual learners, 20% were auditory, and 20% were tactile. Although, I observed that most of the students learning styles indicated only two points between two types of learning styles. My personal belief is that every student has a primary and a secondary learning style and so it is important that we vary our teaching methods to ensure that students experience many opportunities to gain new skills in the way that they learn best. My belief coincides with Mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning which states that “people learn more deeply from words and pictures than from words alone”. (Mayer, 2010)

Bransford, J., Brown., & Cocking, R. (Ed.). (2000). //How people learn//. pp. 139 (Chapter 6). Washington DC: National Academy Press. Retrieved on April 15, 2010, at []

Learning Theories Knowledge Base (2010, March). At Learning-Theories.com. Retrieved April 15, 2010 from [] I can see where a behaviorist style of teaching would appeal to anyone because it would tend to give the teacher a sense of accomplishment. Once a student has demonstrated the desired response, then we would be tempted to say that learning has been achieved. Matthew, I am sure that you probably incorporate the other "isms" as you stated even if you are unaware of it, such as encouraging class participation. As stated in the Instructional Design Knowledge Base reading, "Traditional behaviorist assessment makes no evaluation of the knowledge structure or mental processes leading to a student's response." (2010, March) If you do any formative assessment, then you are using the Cognitive learning theory. When I think of true behaviorism, I think of Pavlov's dog and classical conditioning. I don't think any of us want to see our students turn out like Pavlov's dog, where they are simply salivating content at the sound of the bell. Learning Theories Knowledge Base (2010, March). at Learning-Theories.com. Retrieved April 15, 2010 from [|__http://www.learning-theories.com__]













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