A few things that stood out at me during this course. I learned that being inspirational and stimulating provides idealized influence. By providing learners with specific context and perspective you compress learning and bypass erroneous information and provide more goal oriented learning. I learned about Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development and how to produce thought in students that require them to move themselves from one zone to the next increasing their development throughout each lesson. The one theory that stood out most would have to be the theory of multiple intelligences. Before this course I was able to naturally change gears throughout any lesson in order to engage my students more effectively. This course enabled me to put labels on the tools I utilize, along with this, I have been given the definition and main purpose for each tool. Before this class I was a natural practitioner and now I am becoming a formally educated practitioner. Imagine if you were taught to play the piano before you learned how to read or write music. Well that was me. I am learning how to more effectively engage each student by targeting audiences familiarity with the subject or reaching them by “rescuing lived experiences” (Foley, 2004). By doing this I am able to facilitate a greater measure of cognitive, psychological and political empowerment, which in turn causes my students to own the lesson and effect change in our industry. Most importantly, I learned that no one theory of learning is better than the others. At times one may be more appropriate than any other but they are all useful and relevant given the right circumstance and need of the students. I also learned that learning is continuous and the future of education will reside with our ability to engage students beyond traditional lesson plans and exercises. By learning how I excel in learning has caused me to place myself in the students shoes. Knowing that I thrive when learning is fun and my teacher is empathetic and feels responsible for my development to some degree forces me to step up to each challenge.
The connection between learning theories, learning styles, educational technology and motivation is very similar to the connection a chef has with produce and the design of his/ her kitchen. These are ingredients from which we will mix together to create a special blend for each class. As I mix these ingredients I have to be sure to not over do any one particular thing just for the sake of adding “bells and whistles”. I have learned how to balance the use of these tools to create an environment and lesson which is just right. Another interesting bit of information came from educational expert Marc Pensky when he coined the phrase “digital immigrant and digital native”. I have been empowered through his explanation to really create an environment that challenges every student and puts them on level playing fields. Many times my older students have complained about the talking or the younger students surfing the web during class. I was never bothered with the younger students doing this as long as they were keeping up with the work. Now I can tell my older students that there is nowhere they are going to work that will be silent in our industry and I can encourage them to try and improve their multitasking capabilities, all while being able to quote a very influential expert in our field. I have learned to appreciate my network from which I learn and have come to see how dependent I am on it. In addition to this, I want to enhance my network and have found more value in my classmates.
My learning in this course will definitely help me further in my career in the field of Instructional Design because I now have the words and expert opinions to understand and explain what goes on in my classroom. I have the tools to operate and communicate more effectively with my students and my administration. I am also more aware of the pitfalls and obstacles educators need to avoid, for example, educators and ID professional should not categorize students by their current strengths and/or weaknesses. I now see my students as more unique individuals that want to be there and desire more control and stimulation as they aim for mastery in each course. I also intend to further the field of instructional design through research in the understudied area of intuition and the role it plays in instruction.
References:
Foley, G. (Ed.). (2004). Dimensions of adult learning: Adult education and training in a global era. McGraw-Hill Education.
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