My personal learning theory in week one was not
defined. I articulated that there was no
one theory of learning that I embraced but I thought then that as an educator,
I should use an appropriate theory depending on the situation and circumstances
at the point in time. Even then, I was
very unsure of an appropriate theory of learning that depicted my style of
teaching. During this course, we discussed and examined
the major theories of learning. Although
I am still of the view that choosing one particular learning theory would not
best fit what I believe in, I am able to articulate my belief more explicitly. As noted earlier, I will take into
consideration the learning environment and the social context from which I
operate. I believe myself to be a
constructivist/constructionist. However,
I believe that every educator must also bear in mind behaviorism and the social
learning theory as important theories to bear in mind.
Educational technologies used in those learning
theories also had a great impact on how I intend to approach my classroom in
the new academic year. I intend to
create an active learning environment for my students. I will endeavor to create an atmosphere where
my students could be actively involved in the learning process.
We also examine the nine instructional strategy
clusters that teachers generally use (Laureate Education Inc., 2011). In the past, I mainly used technology as an
instructional tool. Today, I wish to use
technology as a learning tool. Two
technology tools that I intend to use with my students are voice thread and concept
mapping. I believe that using those two
leaning tools will enhance the learning that takes place in my classroom. I see my students being more involved in the
learning process as they become active and no longer passive learners. I am convinced that my repertoire of
instructional skills has expanded as a result of this course. I think that I am better able to utilize
those clusters of instructional strategies in my classroom. More importantly, I think that I am better
able to utilize them to encourage active learning in my classroom.
Two long term goals I would like to add to my
instructional practice is to firstly plan lessons that would better build 21st
century skills. By that I mean I will
ensure that my classroom is more student centred. For instance, in the past, I did use
technology in my classroom, but they were mainly used as instructional
tools. I would like to see a
transformation in my teaching ability in that when I utilize technology, it
would be student centred. I would want
to see my students utilize various technologies to make their presentations or
for homework and practice. Secondly, I
hope to use technology to improve student effort. I intend to use technology to provide better
feedback for my students and to showcase their work. This I am convinced would help them to
monitor their progress. As I teach them
the importance of improving their efforts, I intend to model appropriate
behavior in this regard. As a strategy, I
intend to focus on reinforcing effort and feedback, homework and practice and
cooperative learning as three strategies to use during this semester. As I use appropriate technology to bring out
those strategies, I am convinced that my classroom practice would improve.
I was very tentative when I started this course. However, it comes to an end I feel that I
could not be the type of teacher I desire to be without it. I was fascinated with the new technologies I
learnt. More importantly, the
instructional/learning tools we focused on will help to make me a better and
well-rounded educator.
References
Laureate
Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program eleven: Instructional strategies,
Part one [Video webcast]. Bridging
learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1Pitler
