Links to learning more theory/theorist videos .Click  below:  

What is instructional design, and why is understanding learning theory foundational to instructional design? Consider these real-world examples: a professor of geography needs to convert his face-to-face lecture course to a course delivered fully online.  A company wants to ensure all employees are adhering to IT security practices as they relate to phishing emails.  A state agency wants to develop a program that helps individuals with interview skills, with the hope of reducing unemployment rates. While all of these scenarios are slightly different, they share a common problem that is solved with formal instruction or training.

That’s where understanding learning theory becomes important.  Let’s think about the entire instructional design process.  We begin by fully understanding the problem and needs of the situation.  Then we develop and implement training or instruction to address the needs. Finally we evaluate and modify the training/instruction.  It isn’t always that systematic, but, when considering this process, understanding learning theory gives us a strong foundation to use when designing our instructional solution.

Just as an architect develops blueprints before a house is built, instructional designers must understand and fully document the problem before building an instructional solution. How might learning fix or improve this situation?  Is it possible there's some other solution that's not learning?  If it's learning, what kind of learning is it people need?  To change their attitudes? To learn new skills?  Do they need to understand different concepts?  And you might have to do a bunch of work to understand this problem.  You might need to interview people and even observe them going about their work.  You might need to collect and organize information and even visualize it so you can communicate it clearly with stakeholders. You might need to consult research on the topic to find out if scientists have studied something close to what you're dealing with.

Once you understand the problem, you then look to what learning science can tell us about how to best develop the instructional solution.  This is the point at which this course begins.  We will cover topics such as: What makes people learn? How does learning actually work? What makes learning more likely to happen, more enjoyable, and more meaningful?  Understanding learning theory is all about recognizing the research and theories in the field and applying this to your specific context.

Principles of learning

What are some guiding principles of constructivist thinking that we must keep in mind when we consider our role as educators? Some ideas, all predicated on the belief that learning consists of individuals' constructed meanings and then indicate how they influence museum education.

1. Learning is an active process in which the learner uses sensory input and constructs meaning out of it. The more traditional formulation of this idea involves the terminology of the active learner (Dewey's term) stressing that the learner needs to do something; that learning is not the passive acceptance of knowledge which exists "out there" but that learning involves the learner s engaging with the world. 1

2. People learn to learn as they learn: learning consists both of constructing meaning and constructing systems of meaning. For example, if we learn the chronology of dates of a series of historical events, we are simultaneously learning the meaning of a chronology. Each meaning we construct makes us better able to give meaning to other sensations which can fit a similar pattern. 2

3. The crucial action of constructing meaning is mental: it happens in the mind. Physical actions, hands-on experience may be necessary for learning, especially for children, but it is not sufficient; we need to provide activities which engage the mind as well as the hands.3 (Dewey called this reflective activity.)

4. Learning involves language: the language we use influences learning. On the empirical level. researchers have noted that people talk to themselves as they learn. On a more general level. there is a collection of arguments, presented most forcefully by Vigotsky, that language and learning are inextricably intertwined. 4 This point was clearly emphasized in Elaine Gurain's reference to the need to honor native language in developing North American exhibits. The desire to have material and programs in their own language was an important request by many members of various Native American communities.

5. Learning is a social activity: our learning is intimately associated with our connection with other human beings, our teachers, our peers, our family as well as casual acquaintances, including the people before us or next to us at the exhibit. We are more likely to be successful in our efforts to educate if we recognize this principle rather than try to avoid it. Much of traditional education, as Dewey pointed out, is directed towards isolating the learner from all social interaction, and towards seeing education as a one-on-one relationship between the learner and the objective material to be learned. In contrast, progressive education (to continue to use Dewey's formulation) recognizes the social aspect of learning and uses conversation, interaction with others, and the application of knowledge as an integral aspect of learning. 5

6. Learning is contextual: we do not learn isolated facts and theories in some abstract ethereal land of the mind separate from the rest of our lives: we learn in relationship to what else we know, what we believe, our prejudices and our fears. 6 On reflection, it becomes clear that this point is actually a corollary of the idea that learning is active and social. We cannot divorce our learning from our lives. 7

7. One needs knowledge to learn: it is not possible to assimilate new knowledge without having some structure developed from previous knowledge to build on. 8 The more we know, the more we can learn. Therefore any effort to teach must be connected to the state of the learner, must provide a path into the subject for the learner based on that learner's previous knowledge. 9

8. It takes time to learn: learning is not instantaneous. For significant learning we need to revisit ideas, ponder them try them out, play with them and use them. This cannot happen in the 5-10 minutes usually spent in a gallery (and certainly not in the few seconds usually spent contemplating a single museum object.) If you reflect on anything you have learned, you soon realize that it is the product of repeated exposure and thought. Even, or especially, moments of profound insight, can be traced back to longer periods of preparation.

9. Motivation is a key component in learning. Not only is it the case that motivation helps learning, it is essential for learning. This ideas of motivation as described here is broadly conceived to include an understanding of ways in which the knowledge can be used. Unless we know "the reasons why", we may not be very involved in using the knowledge that may be instilled in us. even by the most severe and direct teaching. 10

Reference.

1 "Study is effectual in the degree in which the pupil realizes the place of the numerical truth he is dealing with in carrying to fruition activities in which he is concerned. This connection of an object and a topic with the promotion of an activity having a purpose is the first and last word of a genuine theory of interest in education." J. Dewey. Democracy and Education. MacMillan, 1916.

2 "The most important message modern research on the nature of thinking is that the kinds of activities traditionally associated with thinking are not limited to advanced levels of development. Instead these activities are an intimate part of even elementary levels of reading, mathematics and other branches of learning." L.B. Resnick . Learning to Think. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

3 ''The object enters into dialog with the learner only after being transformed by him or her. In fact, it is the set of significant units organized by the learner and the relationships that he or she constructs between them that constitutes the cognitive object that, in turn, constitutes knowledge." A Henriques. "Experiments in Teaching," in E. Duckworth, J. Easley, D. Hawkins and A Henriques. Science Education: A Minds On Approach to the Elementary Years. Erlbaum, 1990.

4 "The relationship between thought and word is not a thing but a process. a continual movement back and forth from thought to word and from word to thought: .... thought is not merely expressed in words; it comes into existence through them." L.V. Vigotsky. Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA. MIT Press, 1962.

5 "Vigotsky was proposing that children's understanding is shaped not only through adaptive encounters with the physical world but through interactions between people in relation to the world---a world not merely physical and apprehended by the senses, but cultural, meaningful and significant, and made so primarily by language. Human knowledge and thought are themselves therefore fundamentally cultural, deriving their distinctive properties form the nature social activity, of language, discourse and other cultural forms." D. Edwards and N. Mercer. Common Knowledge: The Development of Understanding in the Classroom. London: Methuen, 1987.

6 As Mooly Broog stated in the discussion group "When you say Jerusalem, what is the visitor's concept? Each visitor, from a different community, has a totally different idea of what the city is."

7 "A fundamental way of changing the requirements for success on a particular task is to recontextualize the text presented to, and understood by, the learner. In all sample cases, the subject is initially presented with the activity---the whole task---embedded in, contextualized as part of some larger activity. For the subjects themselves, the recontextualization involves familiar scripts and human intentions." M. Cole and P. Griffin. Contextual Factors in Education. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Center for Educational Research, 1987.

8 Maria Baretto referred to this point when she stated that "we cannot identify and recognize what we don't already know ."

9 "We can learn most easily when we already know enough to have organizing schemas in L.B. Resnick and L.E Klopfer, editors. Towards the Thinking Curriculum: Current Cognitive Research. 1989 ASCD Yearbook. Alexandria, VA: American Association for Curriculum Development, 1989.

10 "Research... confirmed that acquiring skills and strategies, no matter how good one became at them, would not make one into a competent reader, writer, problem solver or thinker... The habit or disposition to use the skill and strategies, and the knowledge of when they are applied, needed to be developed as well." Resnick and Klopfer., op cit.

Five Educational Learning Theories

From https://www.wgu.edu/blog/five-educational-learning-theories2005.html#close

No two students are alike, and the way every person learns will vary. Our brains are all unique, and our experiences all contribute to the different ways we learn. Psychologists have spent countless hours performing tests to better understand how students learn.

Current and aspiring teachers need to be educated to be prepared for teaching students every day, and an important part of teacher education is understanding different ways of learning. There are many solidified learning theories that teachers can learn from as they prepare to help students in the classroom. Teachers who understand learning theories can use different techniques in their classrooms to cater to different kinds of learning. This can help all students find success in learning.

没有两个学生是相同的，每个人的学习方式也会有所不同。我们的大脑都是独一无二的，我们的经历都促成了我们不同的学习方式。心理学家花费了无数的时间进行测试，以更好地了解学生的学习方式。

现任和有抱负的教师需要接受教育，为每天教学学生做好准备，而教师教育的一个重要部分是理解不同的学习方式。教师在准备在课堂上帮助学生时可以学习许多固化的学习理论。了解学习理论的教师可以在课堂上使用不同的技术来满足不同类型的学习。这可以帮助所有学生在学习中取得成功。

There are five main educational learning theories that educators can utilize to help them enhance their classrooms and make them better learning environments for all students.

What are the Five Main Educational Learning Theories?

Cognitive Learning Theory

Cognitive learning theory looks at the way people think. Mental processes are an important part in understanding how we learn. The cognitive theory understands that learners can be influenced by both internal and external elements.

Plato and Descartes are two of the first philosophers that focused on cognition and how we as human beings think. Many other researchers looked deeper into the idea of how we think, spurring more research. Jean Piaget is a highly important figure in the field of cognitive psychology, and his work focuses on environments and internal structures and how they impact learning.

Cognitive theory has developed over time, breaking off into sub-theories that focus on unique elements of learning and understanding. At the most basic level, the cognitive theory suggests that internal thoughts and external forces are both an important part of the cognitive process. And as students understand how their thinking impacts their learning and behavior, they are able to have more control over it. 

Cognitive learning theory impacts students because their understanding of their thought process can help them learn. Teachers can give students opportunities to ask questions, to fail, and think out loud. These strategies can help students understand how their thought process works, and utilize this knowledge to construct better learning opportunities.

教育工作者可以利用五种主要的教育学习理论来帮助他们改善课堂并为所有学生创造更好的学习环境。

五种主要教育学习理论是什么？

认知学习理论

认知学习理论着眼于人们的思维方式。心理过程是理解我们如何学习的重要组成部分。认知理论认为学习者会受到内部和外部因素的影响。

柏拉图和笛卡尔是最早关注认知和人类思维方式的两位哲学家。许多其他研究人员更深入地研究了我们的思维方式，从而激发了更多的研究。让·皮亚杰（Jean Piaget）是认知心理学领域的一位非常重要的人物，他的工作重点是环境和内部结构以及它们如何影响学习。

认知理论随着时间的推移而发展，分为专注于学习和理解的独特要素的子理论。在最基本的层面上，认知理论认为内部思想和外部力量都是认知过程的重要组成部分。当学生了解他们的思维如何影响他们的学习和行为时，他们就能够更好地控制它。

认知学习理论影响学生，因为他们对思维过程的理解可以帮助他们学习。教师可以为学生提供提问、失败和大声思考的机会。这些策略可以帮助学生了解他们的思维过程是如何运作的，并利用这些知识来构建更好的学习机会。

Behaviorism Learning Theory

Behaviorism learning theory is the idea that how a student behaves is based on their interaction with their environment. It suggests that behaviors are influenced and learned from external forces rather than internal forces.

Psychologists have been developing the idea of behaviorism since the 19th century. Behavioral learning theory is the basis for psychology that can be observed and quantified. Positive reinforcement is a popular element of behaviorism—classical conditioning observed in Pavlov’s dog experiments suggests that behaviors are directly motivated by the reward that can be obtained. 

Teachers in a classroom can utilize positive reinforcement to help students better learn a concept. Students who receive positive reinforcement are more likely to retain information moving forward, a direct result of the behaviorism theory.

 行为主义学习理论

行为主义学习理论认为学生的行为方式取决于他们与环境的互动。它表明行为受到外部力量而不是内部力量的影响和学习。

自19世纪以来，心理学家一直在发展行为主义的思想。行为学习理论是可观察和量化的心理学基础。正强化是行为主义的一个流行元素——巴甫洛夫的狗实验中观察到的经典条件反射表明，行为是由可以获得的奖励直接激发的。

课堂上的教师可以使用正强化来帮助学生更好地学习概念。受到积极强化的学生更有可能保留前进中的信息，这是行为主义理论的直接结果。

Constructivism Learning Theory

Constructivism learning theory is based on the idea that students actually create their own learning based on their previous experiences. Students take what they’re being taught and add it to their previous knowledge and experiences, creating a reality that’s unique to  them. This learning theory focuses on learning as an active process, which is personal and individual for each student. 

Teachers can utilize constructivism to help understand that each student will bring their own past to the classroom every day. Teachers in constructivist classrooms act as more of a guide to helping students create their own learning and understanding. They help them create their own process and reality based on their own past. This is crucial to helping many kinds of students take their own experiences and include them in their learning.

Humanism Learning Theory

Humanism is very closely related to constructivism. Humanism directly focuses on the idea of self-actualization. Everyone functions under a hierarchy of needs. Self-actualization is at the top of the hierarchy of needs—it’s the brief moments where a person feels all of their needs are met and that they’re the best possible version of themselves. Everyone is striving for this, and learning environments can either move toward meeting needs or away from meeting needs. 

Teachers can create classroom environments that help students get closer to their self-actualization. Educators can help fulfill students’ emotional and physical needs, giving them a safe and comfortable place to learn, plenty of food, and the support they need to succeed. This kind of environment is the most conducive to helping students learn.

建构主义学习理论

建构主义学习理论的基础是学生根据他们以前的经验实际创造自己的学习。学生将所学的内容添加到他们以前的知识和经验中，创造出他们独特的现实。这种学习理论强调学习是一个主动的过程，对于每个学生来说都是个人的和个性化的。

教师可以使用建构主义来帮助理解每个学生每天都会将自己的过去带到课堂上。建构主义课堂上的教师更多地充当指导者的角色，帮助学生创造自己的学习和理解。他们帮助他们根据自己的过去创建自己的流程和现实。这对于帮助各类学生​​获得自己的经历并将其纳入学习至关重要。

Connectivism Learning Theory

Connectivism is one of the newest educational learning theories. It focuses on the idea that people learn and grow when they form connections. This can be connections with each other or connections with their roles and obligations in their lives. Hobbies, goals, and people can all be connections that influence learning. 

Teachers can utilize connectivism in their classrooms to help students make connections to things that excite them, helping them learn. Teachers can use digital media to make good, positive connections to learning. They can help create connections and relationships with their students and with their peer groups to help students feel motivated about learning.

联通主义学习理论

联通主义是最新的教育学习理论之一。它的重点是人们在建立联系时学习和成长。这可以是彼此之间的联系，也可以是他们在生活中的角色和义务的联系。爱好、目标和人都可以成为影响学习的联系。

教师可以在课堂上利用联通主义来帮助学生与令他们兴奋的事物建立联系，帮助他们学习。教师可以使用数字媒体与学习建立良好、积极的联系。他们可以帮助与学生和同龄人群体建立联系和关系，帮助学生感受到学习的动力。

What are Additional Learning Theories?

While these five learning theories are the main educational learning theories for teachers who want to support their students’ learning, there are additional theories they may want to understand. Some may work as good supplemental theories for teachers to bolster their educational support with a new approach.

什么是附加学习理论？

虽然这五种学习理论是希望支持学生学习的教师的主要教育学习理论，但他们可能还想了解其他理论。有些可能可以作为教师良好的补充理论，以新的方法加强他们的教育支持

Transformative Learning Theory

Transformative learning theory is a great approach for adult education and young adult learning. Also referred to as transformation learning, transformative learning theory focuses on the idea that learners can adjust their thinking based on new information.

This learning theory was founded by Jack Mezirow, who discovered it after doing studies on adult women who went back to school. His initial research found that adults don’t apply their old understanding to new situations and that having a new perspective helped them gain a new understanding of things as they change. Mezirow also believed that students had important teaching and learning opportunities connected to their past experiences and that critical reflection and review could lead to a transformation of their understanding.

This approach works well for adult students, as children don’t have the same kind of transformation with their learning experiences—and with life experience. Adult students could draw on childhood experiences and transforming those beliefs and understandings using critical reflection, leading them to an understanding of what they should believe and understand as adults.

Overall, the theory states that our worldview is changed the more we learn, which helps us grasp new concepts and ideas. By getting new information that helps evaluate past ideas, students are able to make a dramatic educational shift beyond standard learning. Teachers can employ this learning theory by encouraging their students to learn new perspectives while questioning their assumptions and open the floor for discourse to cement their new train of thought.

 变革性学习理论

变革性学习理论是成人教育和青少年学习的一个很好的方法。变革性学习理论也称为变革性学习，其重点是学习者可以根据新信息调整思维。

这一学习理论是由杰克·梅齐罗（Jack Mezirow）创立的，他在对重返校园的成年女性进行研究后发现了这一理论。他的初步研究发现，成年人不会将他们旧的理解应用于新的情况，而拥有新的视角可以帮助他们在事物发生变化时获得对事物的新理解。梅齐罗还认为，学生拥有与他们过去的经历相关的重要教学和学习机会，批判性的反思和回顾可以导致他们的理解发生转变。

这种方法对于成年学生来说很有效，因为孩子们的学习经历和生活经历不会有同样的转变。成人学生可以借鉴童年经历，并通过批判性反思来改变这些信念和理解，引导他们理解作为成年人应该相信和理解的内容。

总的来说，该理论指出，我们学得越多，我们的世界观就会改变，这有助于我们掌握新的概念和想法。通过获取有助于评估过去想法的新信息，学生能够在标准学习之外做出巨大的教育转变。教师可以运用这种学习理论，鼓励学生学习新的观点，同时质疑他们的假设，并为讨论奠定基础，以巩固他们的新思路。

Social Learning Theory

Using social learning theory can be a valuable tool for dealing with difficult students who like to disrupt the classroom and cause trouble. This theory focuses on the concept of children learning from observing others by acting on or not acting on what they see exhibited by their classmates. For example, they may see a classmate politely asking for a treat and getting one, or maybe they hear another classmate talking about something new they’ve learned, which teaches the student something new even if it’s not something they try themselves.

This learning theory was founded by Albert Bandura. He conducted an experiment called the Bobo doll experiment in the early ’60s, during which he studied children’s behavior after they watched an adult act aggressively with a doll-like toy. He noted how the children reacted when the adult got rewarded, punished, or suffered no consequences after they attacked the doll. Bandura wrote about his findings in 1977, detailing social learning theory and how it affected the behavioral development of students.

There are four elements to social learning theory:

• Attention, which calls upon different or unique lessons or activities to help children focus.

• Retention, focusing on how the student will internalize information and recall it later on.

• Reproduction, drawing on previously learned behavior and when it’s appropriate to use it.

• Motivation, which can extend from seeing other classmates being rewarded or punished for their actions.

By using social modeling based on these elements, teachers have a very powerful tool in their arsenal that can effectively guide their students to be more active in their learning, pay more attention, and channel their energy into their schooling.

社会学习理论

使用社会学习理论可以成为对付那些喜欢扰乱课堂、制造麻烦的困难学生的宝贵工具。该理论的重点是孩子们通过对同学所看到的采取或不采取行动来观察他人来学习的概念。例如，他们可能会看到一位同学礼貌地请求款待并得到了一份，或者他们可能听到另一位同学谈论他们学到的新东西，这教会了学生一些新东西，即使这不是他们自己尝试的东西。

这一学习理论是由阿尔伯特·班杜拉（Albert Bandura）创立的。他在 60 年代初期进行了一项名为“波波娃娃实验”的实验，在此期间，他研究了儿童在看到成年人用类似洋娃娃的玩具做出攻击性行为后的行为。他记录了当成人攻击洋娃娃后得到奖励、惩罚或没有遭受任何后果时，孩子们的反应。班杜拉 (Bandura) 于 1977 年撰写了他的发现，详细介绍了社会学习理论及其如何影响学生的行为发展。

社会学习理论有四个要素：

注意力，需要不同或独特的课程或活动来帮助孩子集中注意力。

保留，重点关注学生如何内化信息并在以后回忆它。

复制，利用以前学到的行为以及何时适当地使用它。

动机，可以源于看到其他同学因其行为而受到奖励或惩罚。

通过使用基于这些元素的社会建模，教师在他们的武器库中拥有了一个非常强大的工具，可以有效地引导学生更加积极地学习，更加集中注意力，并将他们的精力投入到学习中

Experiential Learning Theory

Experiential learning theory focuses on learning by doing. Using this theory, students are encouraged to learn through experiences that can help them retain information and recall facts.

Experiential learning theory, or ELT, was identified by David Kolb in 1984. Though his influence came from other theorists such as John Dewey, Kurt Lewin, and Jean Piaget, Kolb was able to identify four stages of ELT. The first two stages, concrete learning and reflective observation, focus on grasping an experience. The latter two, abstract conceptualization and active experimentation are about transforming an experience. To Kolb, effective learning is seen as the learner goes through the cycle of experiential learning theory. Students can enter the cycle in any way and at any point.

Some examples of this form of learning include taking students to the zoo to learn about animals instead of just reading about them or growing a garden to learn about photosynthesis instead of watching a video about it. By creating environments where students can learn and experience at the same time, teachers offer students the opportunity to immediately apply their knowledge and get real-world experiences. This approach also encourages teamwork and is shown to improve motivation.

体验式学习理论

体验式学习理论注重边做边学。利用这一理论，鼓励学生通过可以帮助他们保留信息和回忆事实的经验来学习。

体验式学习理论 (ELT) 由大卫·科尔布 (David Kolb) 于 1984 年提出。虽然他的影响来自约翰·杜威 (John Dewey)、库尔特·列文 (Kurt Lewin) 和让·皮亚杰 (Jean Piaget) 等其他理论家，但科尔布能够确定 ELT 的四个阶段。前两个阶段，具体学习和反思观察，重点是掌握经验。后两者，抽象概念化和积极实验是关于改变体验。对于科尔布来说，有效学习被视为学习者经历体验式学习理论的循环。学生可以在任何时候以任何方式进入循环。

这种学习形式的一些例子包括带学生去动物园了解动物而不是仅仅阅读有关它们的知识，或者种植花园来了解光合作用而不是观看有关光合作用的视频。通过创造学生可以同时学习和体验的环境，教师为学生提供了立即应用知识并获得现实经验的机会。这种方法还鼓励团队合作，并被证明可以提高积极性。

How to Apply Learning Theories in Teaching.

如何在教学中应用学习理论

Teachers can create specific strategies and techniques to apply these learning theories in their classrooms. Teachers need to first focus on getting a well-rounded education to learn about all kinds of techniques for teaching and classroom management. Teachers need to understand learning theories to be prepared to utilize them in their classrooms.

An understanding of learning theories helps teachers connect to all different kinds of students. Teachers can focus on different learning styles to reach different students, creating teaching that focuses directly on student needs and aptitudes. 

教师可以制定具体的策略和技巧，将这些学习理论应用到课堂上。教师首先要注重全面的教育，学习各种教学技术和课堂管理。教师需要了解学习理论，以便准备在课堂上运用它们。

对学习理论的理解有助于教师与各种不同类型的学生建立联系。教师可以专注于不同的学习方式来接触不同的学生，创造直接关注学生需求和能力的教学。

Student Centered Learning

Student Centered Learning

    The student learning experience and measurability of course learning outcomes are often influenced by practical instructional design practices, but student centered learning always begins with the teacher. Student centered learning is based on several actions.

     First, students should always be allowed to share in decision making. Placing students at the center of their own learning requires their collaboration. They need a voice in why, what, and how learning experiences take shape. Student centered learning must include explicit skill instruction Learner-centered teachers teach students how to think, solve problems evaluate evidence, analyze arguments, generate hypotheses all those learning skills essential to mastering material in the discipline. They do not assume that students pick up these skills on their own, automatically. Students need to be aware of themselves as learners and to make learning skills something students want to develop. The biggest contribution and development of student centered learning has been technology. In addition, open source and shareware technology tools allow learners an endless ability to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of learning. Implementing learning elements like videos are one of the most effective ways to successfully create a vibrant learning environment. However, instructional designers must be cognizant the length of videos to ensure the message maintains an identified perspective while delighting the view pleasures of others. Student centered learning models have continued to replace commonly used passive learning practices. While passive learning continues to demonstrate effective opportunities like the consumption of large quantities of information and promoting a more and relaxed learning environment; it does not require consistent use of higher-level cognitive skills while quickly losing learner appeal. Instructional designers need to maintain a student first perspective in learning development to increase critical thinking, increase their autonomy, and stimulate their desire to try new approaches to learning.

From Video script 

Learning Approach Models

Experiential Learning

Consider this example from earlier about the online geography class. A professor comes to you and says, "I teach geography. I'm told I have to put my course online. Can you help me with that?"

So how could you organize that?  Are students going to read things, take tests, and write papers?  Is the information kind of a pile of facts?  Or are they going to do something more active?  Are they going to start by reading and end by doing something--or the other way around?

Well, the first learning approach is called experiential learning.  Consider this: you may have taken a class where you start by reading about something and then later you do it. For example, you read the textbook, and then you work in the lab.  In experiential learning, you experience something first.  After actively participating in something (a lab, simulation, exploration, etc), you reflect on the experience, share your observations, and acquire knowledge/facts only after you’ve actively engaged in the learning experience. Click here to read more on experiential learning.

So for a geography class, you might ask people to explore spaces that are near them.  You can't have everyone fly to Peru or Colorado or wherever it happens to be that has an interesting geographical feature.  You might ask people to explore the areas around them, talk to each other about their findings, and then introduce a geographical concept that people could use.  In asking learners to explore local geography and share ideas before reading about or formally studying geographical features, you’ve transformed an online geography course into an interactive, experiential environment that has relevancy for each individual learner.

From https://learning.edx.org/course/course-v1:USMx+LDT100x+3T2021/block-v1:USMx+LDT100x+3T2021+type@sequential+block@1bab908e5ace43969c6bc499d8e06783/block-v1:USMx+LDT100x+3T2021+type@vertical+block@5ff88a067dd14433bae8943f671a7237

Gamification

  Gamification has become popular. Gamification is, you could say, Behaviorism on steroids. It's taking mechanisms you find in games (rewards, leaderboards, points, immediate feedback) and using them very systematically to get people to (usually) compete but sometimes to cooperate towards some particular end. But really the idea in gamification is that the whole learning experience is gamified. So you would want to give students rewards for certain things. Maybe you want to reward them for cooperating. They could work in teams and compete against each other. And all those kinds of game mechanics could be brought together, essentially kind of lots of Behaviorism in different dimensions to make the learning experience more exciting. Click here to read a short article on gamification strategies and how to use them in education.

  Educational software Knewton has produced a visually-appealing infographic on gamification. Click here to access the infographic.

  As you can start to imagine, using gaming strategies and approaches can have a positive impact on teaching and learning environments. Continue your exploration of gaming by reading at least two of the following articles:

• Review Learning-Theories.com succinct overview of gamification. Click here to read the overview.

• A blogger for TopHat.com has suggested four-plus ways to bring gamification to the classroom. Click here to read the blog post.

• In 2013, Wendy Hsin-Yuan Huang and Dilip Soman published a nearly-thirty-page "Practitioner's Guide to Gamification of Education" for the Rotman School of Management. Click here to access the guide.

• In 2013, Edward R. O'Neill proposed thinking about the way sports and games are structured similarly to learning experiences. Click here to access the article.

Keeping up with the times is imperative. At this point in the game (no pun intended), gaming is almost old-school. It is beyond escape. The interactive component ensures that passive participant can hardly yield success. Gaming helps support active engagement in the classroom.

Badging and Motivation

  A discussion of gaming wouldn’t be complete unless we talked about badging. Badging is the idea of earning rewards and recognition for achievements. The following article discusses why achievements, trophies, and badges Work. Click here to access the article. 

  The following article published by Abramovich, Schunn and Ross Higashi present results of the study titled "Are badges useful in education?: it depends upon the type of badge and expertise of learner". Click here to read the article.

The outward recognition of digital badges can provide internal motivation to complete learning experiences or tasks. Motivation means a reason for doing something, our degree of interest in or desire to do a given thing in specific circumstances. If learners are not motivated, it's hard to get much learning to happen. Psychologists distinguish broadly between two types of motivation: extrinsic and intrinsic.

• • • Extrinsic motivation is some kind of external reward: it could be money or praise or a candy bar.

    • Intrinsic motivation refers to the personal concerns and interests which draw us to, say, an activity.

  Think about it this way: I may play chess for money, or I may play chess because I love the game, because I am curious about how it works, because I want to improve, etc. The first motivation is extrinsic,  the other is intrinsic. Extensive research shows that intrinsic motivation is more successful in supporting learning. Extrinsic rewards can increase specific behaviors which will lead to learning, but not the learning itself. Applications to teaching are not hard to find. Review Vanderbilt University's Center for Teaching and Learning discussing motivating learners. Click here to access the article.