Constructing and Connecting
Digital learning, online learning, eLearning – whatever you choose to refer to it as, teaching in this digital age lends itself to many opportunities to prepare students for the future. Learning theories and Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction help structure an online learning environment while ensuring that it is authentic and engaging.
In refreshing my memory on the various learning theories, several things struck a chord with me. Behaviorism always reminds me of Pavlov’s dog. Is conditioning students to learn for external rewards the best way to encourage a love of learning that lasts a lifetime? Cognitivism reminds me of Jeopardy, the popular game show. Adults on that show have a plethora of knowledge that they can recall and many people would call them intelligent. If a student cannot recall knowledge like a Jeopardy contestant but can think critically and solve problems in unique situations, what does that mean in a society that recognizes a human Google as the most intelligent person? The students in school today, the adults of the future, may not be able to recall random facts and do well on Jeopardy. However, that is okay! I want my students to ASK questions and FIND answers, not memorize and regurgitate. Tony Bates (2016) suggests that knowledge management is an important skill because both academic knowledge and skills-based knowledge are needed to succeed. That is where the constructivism and connectivism theories connect with modern education. Students are encouraged to reflect and connect as they make sense of their learning experiences and solve problems (LearningDctr, 2010).
This is especially important to consider when developing an online course. The course may have a bit of behaviorism (digital badges) and a bit of cognitivism (recalling background information), but the majority of the course should be based on constructivism to allow students to make sense of their own learning. Using Ubd and the Three Column Table with backwards design as well as Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction ensures that outcomes, activities, and assessments are aligned to increase student success. It is important to recognize what role technology plays so that it is used effectively for students to create and not absorb in a blended learning model (LearningHood, 2012).
In planning for an online course, it is important to consider learners, teaching style, teacher and student comfort levels with technology, and learning theories. For more information about my personal application to the classroom, please view my teaching philosophy and learning philosophy.
References
Bates, T. (2016). Teaching in a digital age: Guidelines for designing teaching and learning. Vancouver, BC: Tony Bates Associates. Retrieved from https://teachonline.ca/sites/default/files/pdfs/teaching-in-a-digital-age_2016.pdf
LearningDctr. (2010, June 17). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism & learning and instructional theory [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YOqgXjynd0
LearningHood. (2012, April 25). Blended learning in plain English – Louder [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzVeA0hP_Tg
