This being the first course in the Diploma of Educational Technology Program, I'd be lying if I didn't start by saying that the notion of performing group work through distance education was worrisome to me. It has been a few years since I completed my Bachelor of Education Degree and I wasn't sure how this was going to work. That being said, the class introduction was an incredible way to see who else was in the class and see common interests. I was contacted almost right away by classmates and had a group formed before the halfway point of the week.
This approach was something that I adopted in my own class almost right away. I remember how reluctant I was to post initially about myself and then how pleased I was with the result later on, that I created an assignment for the Chemistry 12 class in which they had to post an idea for a design lab. From the different posts, they had to find a group to carry out a lab the following week. Most students formed their group by joining up with some friends in the class, but there were some that joined together based on common ideas. It was only the first few days, but I was starting to enjoy the idea of collaboration and introduce it more in my classroom.
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| Learning Theories. Digital Image. Instructional Design. Web. June 25, 2013 |
The readings for the first week introduced us to the the various learning styles and I must admit, it was an eyeopener. The basic learning styles consisted of behaviourism, cognitivism and constructivism. Behaviourism was one the first learning styles introduced and related more to a direction instruction method of teaching. A lot of reflection took place on my part during this time. As a science and math teacher at a high school level, direction instruction is a method of teaching that I implement all of the time. I had not really considered it's relationship with behaviourism and that learning is more of a conditioned reflex. I started to put myself in my students place during those lessons and really started thinking about the fact that they have been conditioned to get good grades or at least strive towards getting good grades and when I'm teaching at the front of the class they are conditioned to listen to me. (at least sometimes)
One of the main things I started to feel during this weeks readings, was that their was a possibility that the students in my class didn't really have an great deal of motivation to learn because they felt no connection to the material. They are brought up realizing that if they study hard, get good grades, they will get a good job and have a good life. Is this what education is all about?
Culatta, R. (2013). Learning Theories. Retrieved from http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/
