My Philosophy of learning

           My learning philosophy is informed by the various learning theories I have studied.  I believe each theory has something to offer teachers as they endeavor to meet the learning needs of students.  Examples include the behaviorist’s drill and practice and chaining, the cognitivist’s rehearsal and chunking processes, the constructivists’ experiential learning experiences (Driscoll, 2005) or the connectivists’ networked learning (Siemens, 2008).  Teachers should locate, explore and practice innovative ways to meet the needs of learners, to inspire and motivate a desire to learn in any environment whether face to face or online.  While teachers should be conscious of students learning styles, they should teach not only to their strengths but also challenge them to learn in other ways as well since this will help develop well rounded individuals.  The teaching learning process should be learner centered and provide opportunities for learners’ active involvement with the environment and collaboration with others.  The learning environment should authenticate the everyday problem solving information seeking context in which the learner is able to build and expand their personal information network.  Teachers should be flexible, engaging students and embracing their ever changing roles (Siemens, 2008).

          It is critical that today’s learning environment allow the student to slip seamlessly from an everyday classroom into the digital world.  I believe that student’s should be comfortable in both spaces as teachers allow students to explore beyond the classroom.   I believe that a caring supportive environment should be established whether online or face to face.  I believe that the teaching/learning process is not only top down but also bottom up, that it is an interactive, collaborative process through which both teachers and pupils are changed.  While I do not embrace connectivism as the sole learning theory for this era I agree with Siemens (2006) that learning is not strictly linear but the learner now has the opportunity to learn beyond the bounds of the classroom.  I believe that one of the purposes of teaching/learning is to stimulate inquiring minds and develop independent, self-directed, life-long learners.  All of this I believe is critical and non-negotiable if we are to develop twenty-first century citizens.

References

Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Siemens, G. (2006). Knowing knowledge. A Creative Commons licensed version, Retrieved from http://www.elearnspace.org/KnowingKnowledge_LowRes.pdf  

Siemens, G. (2008). Learning and knowing in networks: Changing roles for educators and designers. Retrieved from http://itforum.coe.uga.edu/Paper105/Siemens.pdf

Collaboration, Technology, and Constructivist Learning

Do humans innately work as a group?
Humans have derived from their experience the understanding that if they collaborate they would accomplish more than they would alone.  If there is an innate drive to “interact and work as a group” there is also the counterbalancing drive to survive.  And many decisions are made based on this will to survive.  As Rheingold points out in his examples of various businesses that have achieved success through collaboration, their desire to collaborate was not altruistic, but they learned that there is more to gain from working together than from going it alone.

Technology, collaboration and constructivist principles
Constructivists believe that learners construct knowledge, reflect on content, and share their knowledge with others (Solvie & Klock, 2007, p.8 ) as they actively learn through experience and interact with their environment.  Teachers become facilitators and coaches as students engage with the teacher, the task and other students.  Students become more independent as they are allowed to collaborate and explore in a context in which they are given the power over their own learning.  Technology provides the supportive media rich environment in which this type of learning can take place.  Driscoll (2005) points to the value of hypermedia through its support of graphics, text, audio, video and hyperlinks that encourages exploration and opens the door to a wide array of information that learners use to broaden discussions.  Other media include discussion boards, wikis, and mobile technologies such as cellular phones and ipads.  These allow students to continue the conversation beyond the classroom since they support access at anytime from anywhere.

What the research says
Solvie and Klock (2007) investigated the value of technology in supporting constructivists' theories of how individuals learn.  They used technology during class to communicate, provide information for students, scaffold, and clarify.  Outside of class, learners used technology to further collaborate with each other and with their teacher.  The researchers observed that if technology tools are chosen to match students learning needs and learning styles they have the ability to facilitate learners’ need to work individually and in groups to construct knowledge.  They also found that technology encouraged individuals to explore other learning styles (p. 23).  Qureshi and Stormyhr (2012) developed a model for collaborative learning and team work.  They suggested that collaborative/team work was especially suited to the diverse higher education community (p. 119)

References

Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Qureshi, M. A. and Stormyhr, E.  (2012).  Group dynamics and peer-tutoring a pedagogical tool for learning in higher education.  International Education Studies.  5(2) 118-124.  doi:10.5539/ies.v5n2pll8

Rheingold, H. (2008).  Howard Rheingold on collaboration [video file].  Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html

Solvie, P., and Kloek, M.  (2007).  Using technology tools to engage students with multiple learning styles in a constructivist learning environment.  Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 7(2), 7-27.  Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c478604a-247b-4335-bf80-ca400578b06c%40sessionmgr114&vid=1&hid=127