Learning Theories' Impact on Technical Education

Learning Theories' Impact on Technical Education

I have seen a profound change within instructional practices in technical education as a greater awareness of learning theories is discovered. According to Davis, Edmunds & Kelly-Bateman (2008) learning occurs through the connections in networks. The impact that differentiation has on instruction in all settings is remarkable in my opinion. Too often the disconnect is not knowing where to apply acquisition of skill set and the approach best for the learning need of the students.

As an educator for more than 15 years I have noticed an impact towards my understanding of learner’s instructional needs as I am developing a more indebt awareness of the renowned learning theorist. It has been since I was an undergraduate that I studied in isolation the Behaviorist, Cognitive, Constructivist, Social Learning, Connectivism, and Adult Learning theories. Having researched the connection among these theories and how the greater impact is affecting student’s instructional outcomes I have taken the following approach towards instructional design and leadership.

·       Require that educators reflect more on their instruction and their student’s outcomes.

·       Provide opportunities for educators to share their best practices via the use of technology (i.e.) blogs, learning circles, and web conferencing.

·       Evaluate the effectiveness of teacher’ instruction towards the outcomes and its impact on student success.

·       Develop internal provisions for technological advancements and application.

·       Provide professional learning opportunities for instructors.

In a quest to make these learning outcomes a reality it will take a change in the way education is viewed. There must be a change agent in the planning for instruction, thus there must also be corrective action towards existing practices.  The implementation of technology in all classroom settings is paramount. Daily use of applied applications is necessary towards providing students with learning resources associated with industry needs. There is a need for educators to be proficient in their skills and demonstration of effective use of technology.

These are the areas that I have identified from my learning and studies of the Learning Theories. In short, they are necessary for quality instruction. There must be a connection among all theorist and learning behaviors alike. In the profession of education collaboration both in physical practice and the concentration of self study go hand in hand. As I continue to address the learning needs of students, I will also focus on the current instructional outcomes and provide corrective action based the evidence in practice as associations with the learning theories are developed.

Resources:

Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelley-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from: http://project.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Connectivism

By: Melvin Alonza Lowe, III, EdD

Connectivism Mind Mapping

Organizational Development and the Use of Connectivism – Mind Mapping.

As I look for advanced methods of organizational development it is important for me to focus on the effects of planning. This is a topic that is use in education often. The need to plan and to prepare to plan is as much as a need as it is overlooked by many program developers, educators, and administrators. Many educators feel that because of their skills set and their time in a profession that they do not need to plan for instruction. I profoundly differ with this tone of perception.  I also find this a professional incompetence. You can never be too prepared to meet the needs of others. As often as I do the same task, I think of ways in which I can improve my performance with that task.

The use of “Mind Mapping” is new to me in terms of language; however it is not new in terms of application. I have always, written effective lesson plans and prepared for meaningful instruction. It has never been a professional neglect for me not to prepare for instruction in terms of: resources, assessments, needs assessment, organization of skills, documentation, and implementation. If not these best practices then which would be the best for instruction is a question that I pose to colleagues.

The Connectivism approach that I have sketched as it relates to Career & Technical Education in the Macon County Public School System has been designed for organization growth, development, and awareness. In order for the programs and services to be effective they must be communicated to our community and stakeholders. The identification of services and program wellness is a collaborative effort of which is inclusive of my leadership practices and support systems. As discussed in other post that I have provided, I value professional discourse per the implementation of programs and services. The module in this illustration will be used to communicate, enhance, and better deliver our current programs in our rural school system.  

Necessary for any organization are goals and objectives. These are the set priorities that guide instruction within the teaching and learning programs. The development of goals and objectives are germane towards any professional outcome. Within the instructional technology design learning that I am experiencing this week, I am determining how effective planning and “Mind Mapping” are in the instructional design process. I find that it is very similar in teaching and learning and instructional leadership to include instructional design with an online concentration. Knowing what you want to the outcome to be is equally as important as having learners master the concept. In planning, when you place all the material on the agenda you can then place the concepts and instructional outcomes in some type of sequential order. In the end, the learner benefits from effective and sound teaching practices. Yet, those that required planning and reflection.

In order for mind mapping to be successful, it is important that learners find a way to make the information relevant to their own lives. A great deal of research has indicated that the best way for learners to grasp a new concept is to construct a visual representation of it. Mind maps are a “useful tool for helping younger students with the process of building conceptual understanding of content and promoting achievement” (Mona & Khalick, 2008, p. 298). By using mind maps instead of traditional methods, students are able to visualize links between non-linear ideas, which in turn provides for creativity and meaningful learning. The use of color is often used to differentiate different ideas contained within the map, which “enhances the utility and meaningfulness to learners who construct them” (Mona & Khalick, 2008, p. 298). Because mind maps are essentially the visual representation of student thought, they allow for a greater retention of information.

As instructional technology designers we want to continue improving educational platforms for learning both site-based and distance education. It is important that there is exploration of multi-faceted opportunities and that they are interfaced equally in the learning environment. This assignment opportunity has greatly impacted my learning discovery in that, I am now able to have and show my vision for career and technical education in rural America in a visual format.

Resources:

Abi-El-Mona, Issam and Adb-El-Khalick, Fouad.

(2008). The Influence of Mind Mapping on Eighth Graders’ Science Achievement.
School Science and Mathematics, 180, 298-312.

by:
Melvin Alonza Lowe, III, EdD

Planning For Instructional Outcomes In All Settings...

In the development of of structured educational programs it is important to understand the learning processes of all learners. There are programs that do not meet the needs of all learners as they are. The process requires various interface methods towards meeting the learner at their functional levels of understanding and performance. It is very important to know that all learners have a frustration, independent, and functional level of instruction. Therefore it is paramount that  in your development of any program either site-based, web-based, IVC, etc. that you take these learning styles into consideration. A program should meet the individual learning needs of the learner. Now does this mean that all programs work for everyone, the answer is no. There are programs that only meet the learning style of learning within the specific learning needs. "Emphasize action learning. Classroom training is inefficient. Half the people in the room are secretly working on their "real" jobs; half are so relieved not to be doing their real jobs, they've turned their minds entirely off. Half already know half the stuff being taught and are playing Buzzword Bingo on their Palms; half will never need to know more than half of it (Stewart, 2001, p.184)."

Now, in all settings there will be a need to have very construct learning frames that will guide all instruction. Yes, we want to meet the needs of our learners but we must assist the process by allowing the leaner to prioritize what is necessary for them to achieve their professional outcomes. Learning takes place for all individuals at different times and in various ways. This is the reason it is important to have a guide or curriculum that offers expectations and not to all failure characteristics. For an example, should it be required for all online classes that there be a set time for instruction. Well, you have IVC which is WebCT and Blackboard based. You also have web-based instruction that can be both WebCT and Blackboard based. It all depends on your learning style and need for supervision and individualized instruction. Additionally, it also depends on the level of educational ability that is possessed by the learner. A student with limited study skills and concentration will not be able to manage this type of learning curve.

The leadership that is needed in program develop has a high range. of requirements. There must be a thorough understanding of your program goals and learning outcomes. Thus there must be collaboration with all stakeholders. The implementation of a successful educational program either site-based and/or online is determined by the amount of planning that goes into the process. This is a commonly communicated statement; plan for success. Educators of all programs are required to plan for their learner's achievement outcomes. When you do not plan you have obviously planned for failure both on your part as the educator and the students and the learner.

According to (Heylighen 2008) “Complexity cannot be strictly defined, only situated in between order and disorder. A complex system is typically modeled as a collection of interacting agents, representing components as diverse as people, cells or molecules. Because of the non-linearity of the interactions, the overall system evolution is to an important degree unpredictable and uncontrollable. However, the system tends to self-organize, in the sense that local interactions eventually produce global coordination and synergy. The resulting structure can in many cases be modeled as a network, with stabilized interactions functioning as links connecting the agents”.

In keeping in mind what make learning work. I am constantly directed to a few points. Planning and organization are to the two that resignate with professional outcomes. Often when there is a failure to plan effectively and continuously there is a greater outcome for problematic issues. Education is truly a science and must be treated as such. Too often there are situational matters that impede the learning outcomes of learners because there is limited reflection time towards best practices as well as reflection on failed practices. It is clear; all practices do not succeed all of the time, neither do all failed practices fail all of the time. What is of greatest importance is knowing that learners require nurturing. The development of quality programs begins with knowing the needs of your audience and having a conscience to deliver the product which is quality educational services and professional ethic.

 Resources:

Web Article: Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K. (2003). Adult learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Adult_Learning

Web Article: Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Connectivism

By:

Melvin Alonza Lowe, III, EdD