Wk 12 – Final Blog Post

• What is learning?
  

  
   

  People are not blank slates. We are always assessing the world around us. People have preconceptions (usually misconceptions) about how things work because we inherently want to make sense of the world around us. Learning takes place when the preconceptions are changed. The change can take place in many different places and can be caused by many different reasons. The classroom is one of the most formal settings in which we can change preconceptions.
  

  
   

  Learning also takes place when something new is introduced and you are able encode it properly to store it in long-term memory. Then be able to retrieve it when proper cues are presented. Also, as educators, we also need to recognize the role that experience and culture play in building one's knowledge. Experience and culture shape how we interpret given situations that, in turn, affect how we learn.
  

  
   

  Another way students learn is through expectation failure. They use an old strategy to solve a new problem that is similar to an old problem they had. However, it doesn't work therefore students learn because they have to actually think about the process and how to modify it to make it work with the new problem.
  

  
   

  
   

• How can learning be best effectuated by a teacher/trainer?
  

  There are many ways that a teacher/trainer can best effectuate learning. I think the key is to mix teaching styles up since every learner is different. Here is a list of ideas a teacher can use.
  

1. Linking new knowledge/information to previous knowledge
   
   1. Can be accomplished using advanced organizers.    
      
      1. Concept maps
         
      2. Venn Diagrams
         
      3. KWL charts
         
      4. Graphic Organizers
         
      5. T-chart
         
      6. Flow chart
         
      7. Time Line Chart
         
      8. Spider Map
         
2. Motivate by showing the usefulness of what they are learning
   
3. Provide a lot of positive reinforcement
   
4. Using mnemonic devices for learning
   
5. Breaking material into "chunks" to aid in processing new information
   
6. Actively solve problems in groups or pairs and asking them for comparisons and explanations
   
7. Telling stories or giving case studies
   
8. Scaffolding
   

 

To conclude, there are many ways to learn and many ways a teacher can bring about learning. Having a strong foundation of learning theories and applying them can make any teaching situation successful.

 

I am currently designing a new AP Psychology curriculum and I am trying to apply all these different learning strategies to different lessons. I teach for 90 minutes and that is too long to sit and listen to a lecture, so the review of all the learning theories this semester has been really helpful to apply them to my new curriculum.