learning theory - models, product and process Photo by Antenna on Unsplash Contents: introduction · what do people think learning is? · learning as a product · learning as a process · experience · reflective thinking · making connections · committing and acting · task-conscious or acquisition learning, and learning-conscious or formalized learning · the behaviourist orientation to learning · the cognitive orientation to learning · the humanistic orientation to learning · the social/situational orientation to learning · the constructivist/social constructivist orientation to learning · further reading · references · how to cite this article See, also, What is education? Over the last thirty years or so, ‘learning’ has become one of the most used words in the field of education. Yet, for all the talk of ‘learning’, there has been little questioning about what it is, and what it entails. There has been a similar situation in the field of education. [O]ther kinds of social learning are more sophisticated, and more fundamental. Taxonomies
Programming Your Brain: The Art of Learning in Three Steps | BitNative From time to time, I run into people who are interested in breaking into programming. Last night at the company holiday party a guy (we’ll call him Sam) walked up and introduced himself, asking for advice on how to move from his current role over to development. Sam’s attitude impressed me – those with a genuine desire to learn go places quickly. Obviously, the road to becoming a better developer begins with learning. Watch someone Thus, I personally watch videos or read books and blogs. Now, be forewarned that according to National Training Laboratories, the percentages on this diagram have no known source behind them, so take my references to the absolute percentages with a grain of salt. Watch someoneTry it yourself and experiment But that’s not the end of the road. Watch someoneTry it yourself and experimentTeach someone else Presto. Does this ring true for you?
New Schemas for Mapping Pedagogies and Technologies In this article I want to reflect on the rhetoric of 'Web 2.0' and its potential versus actual impact. I want to suggest that we need to do more than look at how social networking technologies are being used generally as an indicator of their potential impact on education, arguing instead that we need to rethink what are the fundamental characteristics of learning and then see how social networking can be harnessed to maximise these characteristics to best effect. I will further argue that the current complexity of the digital environment requires us to develop 'schema' or approaches to thinking about how we can best harness the benefits these new technologies confer. The Tension between Web 2.0 and Education So my primary interest is to focus on the educational aspects of new technologies and in particular what might be appropriate 'schema' for describing the ways in which technologies are being used. Realigning New Technologies to Pedagogy A Pedagogical Framework for Mapping Tools in Use
Donald Schon (Schön) - learning, reflection and change Contents: introduction · donald schon · public and private learning and the learning society · double-loop learning · the reflective practitioner – reflection-in- and –on-action · conclusion · further reading and references · links · how to cite this article Note: I have used Donald Schon rather than Donald Schön (which is the correct spelling) as English language web search engines (and those using them!) often have difficulties with umlauts). Donald Alan Schon (1930-1997) trained as a philosopher, but it was his concern with the development of reflective practice and learning systems within organizations and communities for which he is remembered. Donald Schon Donald Schon was born in Boston in 1930 and raised in Brookline and Worcester. Working from 1957-63 as senior staff member in the industrial research firm Arthur D. Donald Schon became a visiting professor at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in 1968. Public and private learning, and the learning society Conclusion
Learning Techniques One of the things that we expect you to pick up by osmosis, but almost never mention explicitly, is techniques for learning itself. After you leave university, you will be expected to be able to learn by yourself for the rest of your life. And an hour spent addressing the meta-issue of learning skills pays off in reduced time to actually learn. A lot of work has been done over the past few decades about how people learn. I recommend the work on accelerated learning by Colin Rose and Brian Tracy. You can learn anything if you have a goal that requires it. There are a number of stages to learning, each of which involves a number of aspects. The right state of mind There are six aspects to being in the right state of mind to learn. Here are the six aspects: Find a personal reason to want to learn this material. A variety of ways of input Here is a list of ways you can use variety in getting new material: Play to your strengths in terms of how you process information. Memorising Showing you know
Classroom 2.0 Beyond the Comfort Zone: 6 Ways to Build Independent Thinking Image credit: iStockphoto The shift toward applying more executive function (EF) within learning and assessment will cause some discomfort in teachers and students. The transition will not eliminate the need for memorization, as automatic use of foundational knowledge is the toolkit for the executive functions. Memorization, however, will not be adequate as meaningful learning becomes more about applying, communicating and supporting what one knows. One way you can help your students shift from blindly following instructions and memorizing single right answers is to help them recognize their successful use of executive functions throughout their learning experiences. The end result will be a greater awareness by the students, not only for how their brains work, but also for how they can push themselves to connect what they can recall with real-world problems and opportunities they encounter. Low-Risk Experiences Using EFs in Common Core Topics EFs and How to Activate Them 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Mobile Learning: 50+ Resources & Tips I believe mobile devices will transform education. This is why I created a free ebook, Effective Mobile Learning: 50+ Quick Tips & Resources with helpful tips and several resources to help support this trend. One reason is because mobile devices are designed in a way that forces the teacher to give control to the learner. When we equip a classroom with iPads, iPods, small tablets, or cellphones the learning is literally put in the hands of the students. Mobile Learning Free Ebooks Mobile Learning Posts/Presentations I’ve Given Mobile Learning LiveBinder of Resources Mobile Learning Mindmap of Implementation This mindmap is full of case studies, schools, teachers, free ebooks, and more to show real examples of mobile learning at its best.
Modern Learning Strategies Workshop | Modern Workplace Learning Public online workshop runs: 5 May – 6 June 2014 About the Workshop The Networked Age demands a new set of learning skills and tools. In this fast moving age, it is no longer just about studying existing bodies of knowledge and skills in formal courses but acquiring a set of modern learning skills to “learn the new”, ie constantly discovering new ideas, new thinking, new resources to stay up to date in your industry or profession. Why are these modern learning skills important? For individuals The half life of a piece of knowledge is 5 years. For organisations: Today’s workplace requires that successful employees keep pace and continually learn new procedures, strategies and technologies to stay abreast of developments in their fields. For education Workshop Agenda Each week of this 5-week online workshop focuses on a different set of skills and tools (as shown in the diagram on the right and explained briefly below) How the workshop runs This workshop is suitable for
Brain-Friendly Teaching (1): Putting Brain-Friendly Strategies To Work How can the findings of current brain research be applied in the classroom to help students perform best on standardized tests? Marilee Sprenger details seven steps to move information from sensory memory to long-term memory. "In the United States, most schools prepare for standardized tests by spending a large amount of time a few months prior to testing on review," observes brain expert Marilee Sprenger. According to Sprenger, meaning and emotion are key to placing information into long-term memory. The Law of Supply states that at higher prices, producers are willing to offer more products for sale than they would at lower prices, and that the supply increases as prices increase, and decreases as prices decrease. "Within those two laws are four central ideas; therefore, there are four bits of information. For Sprenger, step one in this process is to reach students. "Now it's time to see if they truly understand," says Sprenger. "Feedback is known to increase student achievement.
QR Codes – What are they and how can I use them in my classroom? A QR Code is a type of barcode that is readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera telephones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded may be text, URL, or other data*. Like me, you may have seen these codes in newspapers and magazines, on promotional material, in the corner of posters and wondered what they were all about. A square that consists of black and white squares that looks like an out of focus pixilated image? First, watch this short, fun video from a primary class in Queensland to get an idea of how QR Codes are being used in the classroom, and then keep reading. QR Codes can provide an alternative access format for students who need additional support in reading and writing. The way QR Codes can be used in the classroom is only limited by our own and our students’ imagination. More ideas? Teaching with QR MacBook QRGen
The Future is NOT in LEARNing… In one of my recent posts – Not All LEARNing is Created Equal – I finished up by using Alvin Toffler’s well-known quote: …and suggested that schools, colleges and universities really needed to do a great deal of UNlearning and RElearning – if they wanted to get serious about moving from the SUPERFICIAL LEARNing we see so much of and “pick up the ball” in terms of the type of TRANSFORMATIONAL LEARNing our students need. I began to wonder about this – and did a bit of thunking. What I discovered was that Toffler did not actually “say” this – what he actually put down on paper was: “The new education must teach the individual how to classify and reclassify information, how to evaluate its veracity, how to change categories when necessary, how to move from the concrete to the abstract and back, how to look at problems from a new direction — how to teach himself. And, you can imagine “my shock” when he revealed that he was using the words of Herbert Gerjuoy – after they had had a casual chat!