Learning Theories

As educator’s we must consider how learning occurs and what factors influence this. Is it structured lessons with careful control over pacing of information that is made available by the teacher? Or is it how the student uses knowledge in action?

                           Cognitivism focuses on the learners listening, watching, touching and reading skills which leads to experiences and then memory retention. As a Christian, I know that I learn from listening to the Holy Spirit, from watching the example of Jesus Christ, and reading the Scripture and being in the presence and the homes of believers, I have deep meaningful experiences and I remember the lessons for life, no matter how dark it becomes. As a curriculum designer, I identity with this cognitive learning theory in practice because I can help guide students to the resources, help them create contacts in a professional development network and help point out opportunities for them to gain relevant experience.  

                           Cognitivism looks at what motivates us and the reasons why we take action, because “there is not desire without corresponding motivation in the agent” (Tanyi, 2014, p. 334).  The key strengths are the ability to connect to what we have learned, in reflection, in the pacing, and through the influence of the content itself. The weakness in this theory is that learning is associated with repetition (Szapkiw 2010). The problem with repetition is that it sometimes holds back the learner from higher learning and critical thinking toward applicable situations. Students who are ready and able to move forward may become bored from the repetitious nature of this approach and it could hinder creativity. Constant reinforcements might prevent a student from reaching solutions to the same problems in unique and differentiated ways.       

                           I was curious to learn about “the community of inquiry” learning theory. This is what I learned. This theory is “the idea that the emergence of collaborative information configuration in online learning would occur through a community” (Horzum & Gúlden, 2015, p. 207). What really has to be done to make the community of inquiry effective is to create social interactions between students based on the instructional elements. Educators, accordingly, are just enabling students to reach a common point: a place for debate, a place for creativity, a place for collaboration and brainstorming. The construct is to create a productive community, instead of a competitive community. Community of inquiry models how student will find their sense of belonging in the online learning classroom, where students are expecting a trusting environment. The online learning environment is a place for students to share their generated knowledge, exchange ideas, and reach a consensus in order to solve the problem (Horzum & Gúlden, 2015). The reason the online learning environment is so important to understand in curriculum design, for any learner, at any age, is the rapid growth of this community. “75.9% of the institutions which have 7.1 million students taking at least one online course reported that online learning is critical as a long-term strategy” (Allen & Seaman, 2013, p. 208). The only weaknesses that stands out to me here, in the community of inquiry, is that the student still needs to have intrinsic motivational factors, or they won’t commit to the class and jeopardize their own learning outcomes and success. The strength is the power of collaboration in a global economically connected society.

                           Alright, this has turned into an essay, so I’m going to get to the point. Understanding how students learn is critical in preparing them for a connected society. The curriculum design must reflect the 21^st century initiatives. We need to teach with technology, we need to allow students to network, we need to help them understand how to prioritize there time online in a society that is full of distractions, including social media. Last, we need to help students discover what motivates them. Jesus gave us all unique gifts and a one-size fits all 20^th century teaching style is not going to help us make any progress.

Reference:

Allen, I. E. & Seaman, J. (2013). Changing course: Ten years of tracking online education in the United States. Sloan Consortium. Retrieved August 13, 2014 from                            http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/changingcourse.pdf   

Horzum, M. B., & Gülden, K. U. (2015). An item response theory analysis of the community of     inquiry scale. International Review of Research in Open and Distance, 16(2) Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-            com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/1704973322?accountid=12085

Szapkiw, M., & Szapkiw, A. (2010). Cognitivism Applied to Distance Education. Retrieved May   21, 2017, from http://www.amandaszapkiw.com/elearning/principles-of-                      design/module-2/cognitivism_applied_to_distance_education.html

Tanyi, A. (2014). Pure cognitivism and beyond. Acta Analytica, 29(3), 331-348.                            doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1007/s12136-013-0210-8