One of my favorite memories of learning in high school took place in my business classes. Each year, after we had learned the content, we were tasked with completing simulations of working in an office. We took all of the skills we had learned during the year and put them into practical use with these simulations as we took on the role of an office assistant or an accountant. These were memorable to me because we got to see the real world connection with what we had been doing all year. As a teacher, in the mid 2000’s, I provided a similar experience to my BCIS classes. In class, at the end of the year, students completed a real world simulation that let them take on the role of a sports franchise owner. Students designed the franchise and completed several tasks that reinforced what they had learned all year. As a learner, I learned best by accessing and applying prior knowledge.
As I researched the different learning theories for this post, I discovered that my learning philosophy combines two theories; cognitivism and constructionism. “Cognitive theories emphasize making knowledge meaningful and helping learners organize and relate new information to existing knowledge in memory. Instruction must be based on a student’s existing mental structures, or schema, to be effective.” (Etmer & Newby, 2013). According to constructivist theories, “meaning is created by the learner: learning objectives are not pre-specified nor is instruction predesigned.”(Etmer & Newby, 2013).
Part of my learning manifesto supports cognitivism, I wrote: “When I was in the classroom, one of the goals of my class was to use the computer as an educational tool. This need still exists, students need to learn how to use the technology as a tool, even though they have had access to technology for most of their lives. They need to learn to harness the power of the technology. We must give students a solid foundation of technology skills, and then open the world to them.” As a keyboarding teacher, I wanted students to learn to use the computer as an educational tool. The process of learning to do this draws on prior knowledge. One thing I wanted to ensure students learned was that many of the skills they use for one program would transfer to other programs. One example of this is keyboard shortcuts. After they learn these shortcuts, they are able to use them in all programs which increases their efficiency. It saves them time when learning a new program as they already know basic commands.
In my learning manifesto, I wrote about Project Based Learning. “When teaching students, we must make real world connections. Students need to understand how to apply what they are learning in the classroom. Project based learning is an excellent way to make these connections. Not only do students get to use what they have learned, they also increase their ability to collaborate, problem solve, research and manage time.” Project based learning is an example of a constructionism point of view. In Project Based Learning, students choose a problem they want to solve and work on it over an extended period of time. Students learn to work together and solve the problem and present the solution. The PBL Works website says it best “students develop deep content knowledge as well as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication skills. Project Based Learning unleashes a contagious, creative energy among students and teachers.”
My philosophy of learning combines both the cognitivism and cognitivism points of view. Though I learned best through accessing and applying prior knowledge, I believe that learners of today might need to learn in a different way. They need to pull information from memory in order to make connections to new content, so that their knowledge increases. However they also need to be challenged to learn to acquire knowledge, which Project Based Learning does, so that they can be prepared for a future that does not yet exist.
Resources:
Smith, M. K. (1999-2020). ‘Learning theory’, the encyclopedia of informal education. [http://infed.org/mobi/learning-theory-models-product-and-process/. Retrieved: March 15, 2020].
Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (2013). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 26(2), 43-71. [https://lidtfoundations.pressbooks.com/chapter/behaviorism-cognitivism-constructivism/.Retrieved: March 15, 2020].
Buick Institute for Education PBL Works [https://www.pblworks.org/what-is-pbl, Retrieved: March 15, 2020].
Sandra Negro 