Fitting the Pieces Together

The definition of learning by Ertmer Peggy ( as clearly explained by Schunk 1991) states that “learning is an enduring change in behavior, or in the capacity to behave in a given fashion, which result from practice or other forms of experience” (P 53), is a definition I have grown to appreciate and accept. Having read and studied different learning theories and learning styles my view on how I learn has changed slightly. The last part of the definition is the area of interest at the moment. In the past the enduring change in behavior or in the capacity to behave in given fashion resulted from practice but now that change comes from newly acquired experience.

This newly acquired experience with walden has shown me that how I learnt as a child and now as an adult are not quite the same. Looking back I recall that whenever concepts were brought to me by my teachers in creative, exceptional fashion and captured essential components of the concept I understood the concept more clearly and at one session unlike those learnt in a straight fashion. Back then I depended heavily on my teacher for knowledge, clarification and even correction of work done. Now I realize that knowledge does not reside in my teacher or professor but is everywhere. I learn through interacting with social tools and net work. Participating in online classroom, which is an extension of the social networking model. It serves is a higher purpose than what actually occurs on Facebook, High Five and Twitter. This on line classroom is an excellent application of constructivist learning theory. Constructivism asserts that knowledge is “subjective and personal” (Ormrod, Schunk, & Gredler, 2009, p. 184) and “that persons, behaviors, and environments interact in a reciprocal fashion” (p. 185). The constructivist learning environment encourages students to form collaborative groups for sharing ideas. Jenkins (2006), claims that “students learn better in cooperative groups than they do individually” (p. 5). Social constructivism however develops the idea a step farther and contends that “meaningful learning occurs when individuals are engaged in social activities” Kim, B. (2001) p. 3.The social network experience with Walden thus far has certainly enhanced my learning and changed my perception of learning too. Learning has become more self directed which means that  take charge of my own learning
Interacting with Transcript videos and all other technological tools has all assisted me to gain knowledge and search for information which gave me a deeper perspective into the various subjects discussed. Learning became much easier for I did not have to physically move to the public library but with a click receive material which related to the course content.

Connectivism which shares some basic principles with constructivism has been employed these past weeks and has been quite an enjoyable experience. Reading the various blogs, viewing video presentations, discussion board, linking to various URls have certainly broadened my horizon.Whenever; I posted to the discussion board I could sense when all was not right with my post.

Studying the Adult learning theory where I learnt that adults life and work experiences, age factor, time between learning interactions and cognitive abilities are all factors which influence learning confirmed the fact that my learning is different to that of the past.

Reference

Ertmer,P.A & Newby, T.J.(1993) Behaviorism, Cognitivism,Constructivism : Comparing Critical Features from an Instructional Design Perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, \
Jenkins, J. (2006). Constructivism. In Encyclopedia of educational leadership and administration. Retrieved May 22, 2011 from http://www.sage-ereference.com6(4), John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Kim, B. (2001). Social Constructivism. In M. Orey (Ed.). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved May 21, 2011 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epitt

Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Laureate custom edition). New York: Pearson.