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Design collaborative/individual learning experiences based on learning principles and theories.
Design collaborative/individual learning experiences based on learning principles and theories.
Introduction
Introduction
Education and librarianship go hand-in-hand. Through the various services and programs, libraries promote and support lifelong learning – “the continuous ability to apply foundational skills to learn new skills that will become valuable in an information society” (Becker, 2022, p. 219). From early reading programs for children to adult literacy and language learning, digital literacy, career and job resources, GED/HSE classes, and workshops providing opportunities for customers to learn new life skills, libraries play an integral role in bridging socioeconomic and information gaps through their educational efforts. Because of their crucial role as education and literacy leaders of their communities, information professionals need to understand and apply various teaching and learning principles and theories to create effective educational and instructional programs to produce the best results.
Explication
Explication
Why is it essential to understand teaching and learning principles and theories? “Understanding how people learn is the first step toward creating effective learning” (Rapchak, 2017, p. 69). Principles and theories provide guidelines that information professionals can follow, allowing them to avoid mistakes that could negatively impact their students.
Types of Educational Theory: Learning, Instructional, & Curriculum
Types of Educational Theory: Learning, Instructional, & Curriculum
Educational can be divided into three branches, as listed by Booth (2011):
● Learning theories: why and how knowledge is formed
● Instructional theories: methodology and applications of teaching
● Curriculum theories: focus on the content of instruction in a particular subject area (p. 36)
Learning theories tend to be more conceptual, while instructional and curriculum theories focus more on actional strategies (Booth, 2011).
Some major theoretical schools of educational thought are within these theories, such as behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism.
● Behaviorism: studies behavior regarding human and animal responses to stimuli (conditioning). It emphasizes practice, repetition, testing, and positive feedback for correct answers are essential for learning.
● Cognitivism: focuses on memories and how humans process information. It argues that learning is not from behavioral conditioning but from a series of internal processes. By linking new concepts with those a learner is already familiar with, teachers can provide a foundation upon which learners build new information.
● Constructivism: proposes that new understanding and knowledge are constructed by the learner and are affected by individual perception and social environments. It produced the concept of learner-centered instruction. Learners do not passively receive information; they actively process new information and knowledge (Booth, 2011).
Factors of Learning
Factors of Learning
There are four factors that contribute to learning: motivation, environment, prior knowledge, and memory.
● Motivation: is the reason for which humans initiate learning in order to fulfill some need whether it is mental, emotional, or psychological. Motivation can be either intrinsic (inherent, already existing) or extrinsic (external factors, incentives).
● Environment: refers to the learning environment, whether face-to-face or web-based, the physical and technical factors of the environment have a profound impact on learner engagement.
● Prior knowledge: linking prior knowledge to new concepts aids in comprehension. Building new instructional content upon what is already known is essential, helping learners make meaningful associations.
● Memory: the ability to retain and recall knowledge in the future is critical for learning. While learners have some control over how much energy is directed toward learning, there is a limit to how much information someone can retain (Booth, 2011).
Concepts of Learning & Instruction
Concepts of Learning & Instruction
The prominent concepts include active learning, direct instruction, and discovery instruction.
● Active learning: suggests a link between learning and doing (active participation on the learner’s part). Learners create meaning through direct experience.
● Direct instruction: designates the teacher as the main force for shaping the learning environment. Examples include lectures and demonstrations.
● Discovery instruction: identifies the learner as the active participant that shapes the learning environment. Examples include simulation or peer education (Booth, 2011).
Designing for How People Learn
Designing for How People Learn
“Learning is influenced by a range of variables, meaning that individuals learn differently according to preference, aptitude, media, and environment” (Booth, 2011, p. 41). With this in mind, information professionals need to design education and instructional programs and materials in a manner that will be most beneficial to their learners. Below are a few different models and frameworks that may be followed when designing for how people learn.
ADDIE is a basic 5 stage instructional design model that includes the following stages to create effective learning experiences:
● Analyze: in this stage, the problem is identified, and the goals and objectives are established. Teachers consider multiple factors such as the learners’ existing knowledge and skill set, characteristics of the learners, delivery options, and timeline.
● Design: considers the project’s content and the strategies that will be utilized.
● Develop: the teacher creates and develops the content. The project is reviewed and revised as needed.
● Implement: the teacher puts the lesson or project into action.
● Evaluate: the project is evaluated for its strengths and areas for improvement (Instructional Design, n.d.-a)
ASSURE is a 6 stage Instructional Systems Design model that was modified to be used by teachers. The stages include:
● Analyze learners: this helps teachers understand their learners and where they are in the learning journey. This stage involves assessing learners’ existing knowledge, skills, and characteristics.
● State standards & objectives: this specifies what learners will achieve after completing the instruction.
● Select strategies, technology, media & materials: teachers need to determine the method of delivery and all the tools required to create the lesson.
● Utilize technology, media & materials: teachers plan how they will utilize the chosen tools. This includes previewing and preparing the tools to ensure smooth delivery, establishing the environment, preparing the students, and providing the actual lesson.
● Require learner participation: engaging students is an essential component to ensure optimal learning is achieved.
● Evaluate & revise: evaluation is a crucial process for enhancing services. By gathering feedback and measuring outcomes, teachers can modify their approach to provide a better learning experience (Instructional Design, n.d.-b).
UDL (Universal Design for Learning) is “a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn” (CAST, n.d., para. 1). It consists of three principles:
● Engagement: involves teachers using multiple methods to motivate their students.
● Representation: offering learning in different formats, including text, audio, video, and hands-on.
● Action & expression: providing multiple ways for students to interact with learning materials, such as providing them with different methods of proving their competency – tests, presentations, or group projects.
UBD (Understanding by Design) is a “backward” framework developed by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins (Bowen, 2017). UBD consists of three stages that help instructors focus primarily on the student’s learning and understanding and be more mindful in the instructional design. The three stages as highlighted by Bowen (2017), include:
● Identify desired results: instructors determine the goal and objectives. In other words, what will the students achieve at the end of the lesson. Instructors can consider various questions, such as
○ How will the lesson be delivered?
○ What knowledge and skills should be mastered?
○ What are the big ideas that students should retain?
● Determine acceptable evidence: instructors will determine proof of proficiency. Examples may include
○ Term papers
○ Tests or quizzes
○ Presentations
○ Group projects
○ Etc.
● Plan learning experiences and instruction: during this stage, instructors create and develop the lesson through various strategies. These strategies can include
○ Interactive lectures
○ Group discussions
○ Cooperative learning
○ Flipped classroom
○ Etc.
Evidence
Evidence
In this blog post for INFO 200, I discussed the various ways people in my chosen information community learn and share information. Some of the methods fall under the methodology of constructivism/constructionism. That is to say, everyone in the information community participates in one way or another to create, find, provide, and share information. One of the best, most popular ways my information community learns is through discovery learning which is learning through direct experience. This assignment made me think about the best ways to teach and provide information that complements how a community learns best. By understanding how a community learns, information professionals can be more mindful of how to design programs and services that are most beneficial for learning.
For one of the assignments in INFO 210, I created a tutorial on the basics of using Trello for those who have never heard of or used Trello boards. As part of the preliminary process, I had to choose a learning theory or a model for instructional design, such as ASSURE, ADDIE, UDL, or UBD, to guide my project. I decided to use UBD and went through the three stages to design my tutorial. My instructional video explains Trello’s uses and breaks down the basic components and features. To help viewers understand the tutorial better, I used a combination of words, images, animation, and voice narration to provide step-by-step instructions. I incorporated the main methods that people of diverse backgrounds learn.
For my final project in INFO 244, I created a libguide for the Ethnic NewsWatch database on ProQuest. The purpose of the libguide is to provide a step-by-step instructional guide on how to use the database using different methods for a student who is unfamiliar with the database and needs to look for news articles related to various Ethnic Studies topics. In my libguide, I created different sections for various types of searches and features of the database. I broke down all of the major components in each section and provided visual aids, demonstrations, and tips. One of the important takeaways from this assignment was that understanding how a tool operates makes it easier for the user to use. The framework that I used was primarily a combination of UDL and UBD.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Learning is complex and consists of different variables. As a result, every learner learns differently. This makes it critical for information professionals to understand the essential teaching and learning principles and theories. By applying the understanding of how people learn, information professionals can design educational programs and services that are effective by combining multiple methods that produce more successful results. At the same time, professionals also ensure that learners have everything they need as “heroes of their own learning journey” to create their own path of learning (Dirksen, 2011).
References
References
Becker, B. (2022). Teaching users. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction (3rd ed., pp. 216–228).
Becker, B. (2022). Teaching users. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction (3rd ed., pp. 216–228).
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Booth, C. (2011). Reflective teaching, effective learning: Instructional literacy for library educators. Chicago, IL: ALA Editions. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/lib/sjsu/reader.action?
ppg=58&docID=675848&tm=1504906209549
Bowen, R. S. (2017). Understanding by design. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved from
https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/understanding-by-design/
CAST. (n.d.). About universal design for learning. CAST. Retrieved October 21, 2022, from
https://www.cast.org/impact/universal-design-for-learning-udl
Dirksen, J. (2011). Design for how people learn. New Riders.
Instructional Design. (n.d.-a). ADDIE model. Retrieved October 21, 2022, from
https://www.instructionaldesign.org/models/addie/
Instructional Design. (n.d.-b). ASSURE. Retrieved October 21, 2022, from
http://www.instructionaldesign.org/models/assure/
Rapchak, M. E. (2016). Is your tutorial pretty or pretty useless? Creating effective tutorials with the principles of
multimedia learning. Journal of Library & Information Services in Distance Learning, 11(1–2), 68–76.
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