At first I was hesitant about this course, I felt why do I have learn about this again. I have go over these in my social work and psychology degrees. As I went through the course, I was reminded of learning theories and that I somewhat enjoyed the concepts in my undergrad courses. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about social constructivism (Ormrod, Schunk, & Gredler, 2009). According to Ormrod, Schunk, & Gredler, (2009). As I created the mind map it reminded me of many influences play a factor in how we learn. The concept of “intrinsic” or “extrinsic” factors when related to motivation, “ Wu makes a great point that when speaking of motivation we can use the same terms of intrinsic vs extrinsic, but the meaning is different. He states, “when speaking about motivation, the terms “intrinsic” or “extrinsic” means intrinsic/extrinsic with respect to the behavior—whether or not the reason for doing something is simply the love of doing that very thing.” That concept really stood out to me for several reasons. It made to think about as a trainer are we looking at the concepts of intrinsic and extrinsic correctly.
As I think about has this course deepened my understanding, I think of the concept of Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). I think about as a facilitator, how much of my experiences influences how I provided small blocks to make concepts easier for the learner to comprehend. According to the ZPD concepts, an instructor should promote learning through understanding what a learner can accomplish on his or her own and what that learner can do with the help from others (Ormrod, Schunk, & Gredler, 2009). The notion of adult learning theory reinforced what I have considered throughout the years. According to Keller (2014), there are four principles that allow for learning to occur, 1) Adults need to be involved in the planning and evaluation of their instruction, 2) Experience (including mistakes) provides the basis for learning activities., 3) Adults are most interested in learning about subjects that have immediate relevance to their job or personal life. 4) Adult learning is problem-centered rather than content-oriented. I believe that the adult theory plays a major role in how we should create material.
I have a better understanding of how and where learning takes place, which it occurs in all cultural and historical contexts, individual dispositions, personal processing styles or learning styles, and different motivational factors all influencing the learning process. As I have gone through this course, I find that separating theory , style, motivation can be difficult to separate but we have to education technology to encompass all theories and styles. That being said it is vital to present new information in a matter that keeps the learner interested and keeps them motivated. The information about the Keller’s ARCS model of learning: Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfactory is how use factors to motivate learners (Keller, 1999).
This course has helped reinforce the need to reassess trainings when they are not meeting needs and find out why rather than just forcing people to take trainings they don’t find relevant. This course has helped me look at what I currently do and make is better by increasing my knowledge of how to incorporate technology, to create empowerment for learners and make sure I keep training relevant to the current job function.
Reference:
Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Laureate custom edition). New York, NY: Pearson.
Keller, J. M. (1999). Using the ARCS motivational process in computer-based instruction and distance education. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, (78).
