Theories

I found this week's reading on different kinds of learning theories to be very interesting. Although it appears that there are various "camps" for each learning theory, it seems to me that each has its own value. While Behaviorism seems very rudimentary and reactive, it has its place in learning objectives that require recalling facts or learning automatic procedures. In helping kids learn their multiplication facts it is known that kids just need to memorize them in order to recall them quickly. The behaviorist learning theory would best apply to learning this skill. The flashcard would act as a cue or stimulus and the correct answer would be the response. Until memorization occurs, students must rely on another method to come up with the answers to math facts. I suppose that is where the cognitive theory would come into play. Learners would take previous knowledge (ie: addition) and organize it to relate to new information. For example, in order to get the answer to 4x3, students would take what they already know (4+4+4=12) and apply it to get that 4x3=12. While constructivism is very new to me, I suppose the constructivist view would give students real life opportunities that require to use multiplication without being implicitly taught the concepts behind it.

GREAT!

The pieces are beginning to fall into place and I think I'm beginning to understand Instructructional Design. I am the kind of person, that when I get an idea, I just kind of go crazy with it. I brainstorm, make notes, jot down ideas and pretty much run around like a chicken with my head cut off. What I am really appreciating about ID is the systematic process that it forces me to stay in. Without it, I would be so excited about an idea that I would want to do this and this and oh, I can't forget to put this in!! And in the end I have a muddled mess! While I was very intimidated about our BIG PROJECT in the beginning, I am now getting excited about it because I can see that I do have the knowledge and tools to do it! I also appreciate that the model can be used for virtually any time of Instructional Design.

When my friends and neighbors ask me with that frowny look on their face, "So, how is school?" It's like they are expecting me to moan and groan! I just smile and say GREAT!

Overcoming Opposition

I've had some a ha! moments during this week's reading. I am now beginning to understand more about the process that Instructional Designers must go through to create a truly useful and effective solution. Not having much exposure to industries that employ or utilize Instructional Designers, I can see how much of a true expert you would need to be in order to remain credible as a designer. I can see that a downfall for a designer would be when a corporate mandate orders that training be developed and delivered without allowing the designer to complete the necessary steps to determine if training is necessary at all. I can see that in a perfect world instructional designers would be able to utilize all aspects of their education, training and expertise to solve a problem from start to finish, utilizing all the necessary tools we have been given. However, the article "Five Views of the Field" helped me to realize that there are some ill conceived notions about Instructional Design that when examined closely, are definitely not the designer's fault. Often times a designer, in order to remain true to his/her craft, needs to fight for what he/she believes to be the best solution in the face of opposition that actually may be coming from a client or management. These are the very individuals requesting a designer's services to begin with. This gives me some things to think about.

My Teenager's Biggest Complaint

I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have heard these words coming from the mouth of my eldest child. "I don't know why we have to do this! I am never going to use this again in my life!" He is usually referring to Math. My son questions every motive and method that his Algebra or Geometry teacher employs! My son is a bright kid and completely capable of doing the work. It is infuriating to him that a teacher may be wasting his time, teaching him something that he will never use again! "But you will use it again someday when you get a job," I explain. "Oh, no, I won't! I'll make sure I never get a job that requires Algebra!" And so it goes at our house.

In this week's reading I discovered something that I think may really help my kid. What if someone explained to him exactly how and why he might use Algebra in real life. Teenagers think they know everything so they need to be shown real examples of how something is going to benefit them. If more teachers would employ Backward Design, I think there would be less arguments about homework between teenagers and their parents. In Chapter 1 of Understanding by Design the author states "Answering the "why?" and "so what?" questions that older students always ask (or want to), and doing so in concrete terms as the focus of curriculum planning, is thus the essence of understanding by design. What is difficult for many teachers to see (but easier for students to feel!) is that, without such explicit and transparent priorities, many students find day-to-day work confusing and frustrating."


That describes my son! Confused and frustrated! I think my son would not be so resistant to Math if he understood exactly how, when, where and why he would use what he is learning. Thus, if teachers thought more about teaching how and why their students will use what they are learning and less about covering the material in the book, my life would be a lot easier!