400x - Week6
Applying Learning Theory & ID Models
Reflection on Learning Theory
Cognitivism
This mini-course can draw from the work of all four of the cognitive theorists. Piaget's theory of cognitive development emphasizes the importance of matching instructional materials and activities to a learner's current cognitive stage points to the students' knowledge gap that inspired me to select this topic for a mini-course. Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), which emphasized learners's need for support from more knowledgeable individuals to manage cognitive load effectively is also relevant in a more obvious way. The instructor will need to recognize which level the students are at and intervene accordingly to provide tailored instruction. Of course, Bruner's concept of "scaffolding", stating that learning materials should be presented step-by-step and increase in complexity as the students' cognitive abilities grow is a very effective plan for teaching technical skills. Lastly, Bandura's social cognitive theory on the notion of self-efficacy is a good reference for this minicourse since a major objective is for the students to believe that their abilities can lead to success and support more confident learning.
Constructivism
Several of the principles in this theory seem applicable to my minicourse. This includes the idea that students should be active participants in constructing their own knowledge and should be directly engaged in the learning process. This has been integrated in the assignments since they each have the freedom to choose the approach and subject matter of their project. The constructivist principle of encouraging students to reason, reflect, and justify their understanding can be addressed through student presentations and reflective writings.
Connectivism
I have sketched out some ideas for learning activities based on the concepts in this theory.
1) Foster a collaborative and learner-centered approach to course design. I would ask students to submit a short list of their learning goals for the minicourse and have them reflect on this at the course's end.
2) Encourage learners to actively participate in discussions, share resources, and collaborate on projects. The students will use in class time, and online tools to comment on their peers' work and collaborate in project idea development.
3) Incorporating real-world problem-solving scenarios in instructional design aligns with the connectivist approach. The subject matter for this mini-course project addresses a human-rights related issue and sets up the students for a larger group project on the film that will address a real-world problem.
4) Students will be require to conduct research using social media and online communities in the learning process as they identify a topic of their projects using social media platforms and other forums to expand their knowledge. OER materials will also be used for research and as examples of similar projects.
Reflection on Instructional Design Models
The Successive Approximation Model (SAM) is preferable over other models for my mini-course for reasons I will outline now. I was trained in CPBR, or commnity-participatory based research, which invovles stakeholders and participants (leaners) from the beginning stage. This approach is more intuitve to me and usually results in better, more appropriate outcomes. I have also learned the value of incorporating feedback throughout a project. There is no wrong time to make changes to improve components that will ultimately delivery a better learning experience. I also appreciate that there are only 3 phases, even though each phase includes several steps. There is the option to revert to a more streamlined SAM 1 model is SAM 2 becomes too time-demanding.
Additionally, SAM is adept at being responsive to changing curriculum requirements, which can be a reality in some circumstances. The prototyping and continual evaluation should support more up-to-date and effective learning experiences.
Other factors to consider include: Learning Objectives, Content Complexity, Learner Profile, Available Resources, Technological Requirement and Evaluation and Feedback.