Why is learning hard?
I personally believe learning is difficult because of the many harsh societal normalities that have been created. For example, our generation has been raised being categorized into levels such as intermediator advanced learners in grade school. Additionally, our society tends to place individuals in these categories and let them define them. The amount of people I know that say they aren’t a math person (including me) makes me question why aren’t we? I personally believe each individual has the ability to learn just as much as the next. However, one’s journey to get to that same level of knowledge will be very different. There may be some areas where children learn similarly. However, each person’s conditioning, environment, and upbringing are very different, and therefore, people will not learn the same way as the person next to them. I believe this is displayed wonderfully in the video Khan Academy and the Effectiveness of Science Videos (Muller, 2011). This video provides the example that not addressing all possible misconceptions that may actually help individuals understand better. Bringing this back to my original point… simply categorizing individuals into levels of “smart” isn’t enough. Each individual will have their own interpretation and experience of what they know and will bring that into what they are learning. Therefore, it is very important to format new teaching in a way individuals can understand no matter what level of education or background they have.
To continue answering this question I will consider how learning design might be affected by a learner’s past experiences or motivation… I believe learning design may be affected by learned past experiences as one may have not been taught concepts in a manner that is easier for them to grasp. Therefore, one could have the connotation that learning is complex. Maybe if the way they were being taught changed they would have a better chance of grasping the concepts. I also believe that the way teaching is approached can make an immense impact on the learning of a student. This was further displayed in chapter 15 of Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design Technology: The Past, Present, and Future of Learning and Instructional Design Technology (Park,1970). Which explains the varying types of motivators. Each student will have their own internal and external motivators which will affect their experiences with learning new concepts. These motivators could also be related to the past connotations the individual may have. Understanding this and accounting for this when teaching is crucial if one has the goal to reach a larger amount of students when teaching material.
Based on your reading, would you consider your current instruction style more behavioralist, cognitivist, or constructivist? Elaborate with your specific mindset and examples..
Personally, I believe my current instruction style is constructivist. This is because I tend to want to know the reason behind what I am learning, why am learning it, and how it connects to other concepts, much of how this style is explained in chapter 11 of Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design Technology (Ertmer & Newby, 2018). I find I try to piece together past experiences with new information being presented to me. For example, currently, during my co-op, I am finding relations between my education in health information sciences, and current health care problems and using them to better understand my work. Having a bigger picture helps me pull concepts together and be able to remember what that new information is trying to tell me. Furthermore, I tend to relate my learning with real-life experiences. This was shown when I took integrated physics in high school (physics 11 and 12 combined) this course offered a more hand one learning experience. I found I excelled at this as I could use these experiences to further my understanding of the concepts. An example of how this was displayed throughout this course was when I built an 8-foot teeter-totter to display torque. Putting together a physical model, seeing where force will be applied, getting a visual of the rotation applied, and understanding these concepts in a new way.
References:
Muller , D. (2011, March 17). Khan Academy and the effectiveness of science videos. YouTube. Retrieved May 25, 2022, from https://youtu.be/eVtCO84MDj8?t=483
Park, S. W., & Seung Won ParkSeung Won Park is a research professor in the Institute for Teaching and Learning at Daejeon University in South Korea. Her research interest includes enhancing learner motivation and engagement in student-centered. (1970, January 1). Motivation theories and instructional design. Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design Technology. Retrieved May 25, 2022, from https://edtechbooks.org/lidtfoundations/motivation_theories_and_instructional_design
Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. (2018) Behaviourism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design persepctive. In R. E. West, Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design Technology: The Past, Present, and Future of Learning and Instructional Design Technology. EdTechBooks. https://edtechbooks.org/lidtfoundations/behaviorism_cognitivism_constructivism
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