Course Description
As will become clear during ETEC512, there is no ‘best’ theory that can account for all aspects of human learning. As such, the overarching objective of this course is to expose students to a variety of theories, each of which has potential to be useful in understanding learning and teaching in a variety of settings. However, for this information to be useful, educators need to have an understanding of when and how different approaches should be utilized. To this end, many of the assignments and activities of this course will focus on applying different theoretical perspectives to ill-defined, realistic learning situations. In addition, one of the goals of this course is for students to develop a coherent, explicit sense of their own beliefs about learning, and how the various theories hold together and are related to, or influenced by, the other perspectives.
Reflection
This course was beneficial for my teaching as it allowed me to construct my Personal Learning Theory which was revisited and revised as we moved through the different learning theories. By the end, I came to the understanding that I’ve tried to incorporate three main categories or philosophical frameworks under which learning theories fall: behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism in my classroom. According to Pratt (2002) perspectives are neither good nor bad. I learned that these are simply philosophical orientations to knowledge, learning, and the role and responsibility of being a teacher. Therefore it is important to remember that each of these perspectives represents a legitimate view of teaching when enacted appropriately. Conversely, each of these perspectives holds the potential for poor teaching.
Proceeding through the course, I constructed a mind map to illustrate the understandings were beginning to form. From a biological, scientific perspective, the behavioural learning theories put forth by Piaget made immediate sense to me. Subscribing to the scientific method, I appreciate and understand theories that are grounded in scientific principles and the physiological development of individuals appeared to be a logical link to the capabilities for learning. As we began to move toward the Socio-constructivist theories and looking at the theories proposed by Vygotsky, I saw how I was working within my own Zone of Proximal Development as I proceeded through this course. There were elements I had great understanding of but much of the work asked me to extend cognition just beyond what I knew and was familiar with, to integrate it with what I already knew. Finally, I could also see how elements of situated and distributed cognition were so important in a good learning theory as through much of my own practice I had found the importance of constructing learning activities that allowed students to engage with material while participating in authentic tasks. I have always appreciated the merits of project based learning in my field and the study of these learning theories solidified some of the ideas I had surrounding the importance of integrating project based learning into my practice. The mind map constructed shows my progression through the course and I’ve never thought I’d construct such an elaborate and detailed map of my journey. It just cemented the fact that my PLT has elements of all three theories that I try to incorporate into my classroom.
Pratt, D.D. (2002). Good teaching: One size fits all? In Jovita Gordon (Ed.), An Update on Teaching Theory. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Available online at:http://www.teachingperspectives.com/PDF/goodteaching.pdf
Artefact
Mind Map – Personal Learning Theories
