Learning How I Learn
There are many learning theories, but those theories are usually thought about from the teacher perspective. How should the teacher set up the classroom for the best learning environment? What type of activities will assist in learning acquisition by the students?
This week has been a time of reflection for me and learning about how I learn, not how I teach. How do I learn best? What theory helps to explain my learning style?
I've learned that there is not one learning theory that explains my learning style. I am a blend of different learning theories that are rooted in the constructivist theory. Constructivist theory was developed by Jean Piaget. Piaget primarily focused on the development of children, and not necessarily on how the children learned. Bandura and Kolb expanded upon Piaget's work, but focused more on learning.
Observational learning is very important to me. I watch people perform tasks and then reflect on their performance. I think about what they did and why, and then try to figure out if I could do it better. While preparing to become a teacher, I was required to have many observation hours. I would have to sit in classrooms and watch teachers. I learned different styles of teaching and leadership during that time. I learned what I would do, and what I would not do in many cases. Observation has played a role in my learning style in relation to other situations as well. For example, when learning a difficult piece of music, I will watch a more experienced pianist play the piece.
Dr. Albert Bandura studied, tested, and developed the Observational Learning theory in the 1960s and 70s. Dr. Bandura explained that the person must pay attention to the model in order to code and retain the information. Coding and retaining the information will assist in being able to replicate the modeled task at a later point, if the student is motivated to do so.
My observational learning then moves and intersects with David Kolb's theory of Experiential Learning. Experiential Learning Theory is the idea that one can learn through life experiences. In the book Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development by David Kolb, a definition of experiential learning is presented by Keeton and Tate. They define experiential learning as "Learning in which the learner is directly in touch with the realities being studied. It is contrasted with the learner who only reads about, hears about, talks about, or writes about these realities but never comes into contact with them as part of the learning process."
In the Kolb's Learning Cycle image (above) you can see how my personal learning theories intersect. I typically begin with observation (watching), then follow the cycle in order.
While reading Learning to Learn by Wirth and Dexter, I learned that Kolb's theory is in alignment with other constructivism learning theories. The author's specifically site Piaget, but also elude to other constructivist. In general, constructivist believe that people gather knowledge based upon their experiences.
Does my learning style have an impact on my teaching style? Absolutely! I model work, especially in grammar and math, before I expect my students to try. After modeling, I provide opportunities for students to take an active role in learning through experiences. I provide manipulatives, especially for younger students, to use when learning math concepts. For example, students have used paper clips to sort by color or to assist in learning how to subtract. Experiences also play a large role in history and science instruction. We read and discuss, but we also take many field trips about the discussed topics. I firmly believe that students should have an experience to connect and cement knowledge gained from reading and discussing. Those experiences can be recalled at later times to add dimension to discussion of related topics.
As part of my master's degree program, I have been challenged to create an innovation plan. My plan is to assist my current sixth grade students in the creation of an academic learning network and the development of an eportfolio. I do believe that my learning style will have an influence on that innovation plan. I know that modeling and observing is important to me as a learner and as a teacher. I will model how to create a skeletal eportfolio. I know that experiences help me to learn, and it is important to me as a teacher to provide experiences to my students. The hands on activity of creating a skeletal eportfolio and learning how to update that eportfolio from the cell phone will be a natural extension of the experience style of learning.
References:
Alvy, Kerby T. (2016). Image retrieved from http://12903934.sites.myregisteredsite.com/blog/2016/06/
Fryling, Mitch J., Johnston, Cristin, and Hayes, Linda J. (2011). Understanding Observational Learning: An Interbehavioral Approach. Retreived from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3139552/
An overview on Dr. Bandura's experiments and the development of the Observational Learning Theory. "The important conclusion of these studies is that behavior change can and does occur through observation, even when such observation is incidental, occurring in the context of other activities."
Kolb, David. (2015). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
An updated and revised work by Kolb on the theory he helped to explain and create, the Experiential Learning Theory. Simply put, people learn through experiences.
McLoed, Saul. (2015). Jean Piaget. Retrieved from: https://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html
Wirth, Karl R. and Perkins, Dexter. (n.d.) Learning to Learn. Retrieved from: https://www.macalester.edu/academics/geology/wirth/learning.pdf
Kolb's Learning Cycle Image was retrieved from this site. Additionally, I learned that Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory is an extension of Piaget's Constructivist Theory.
