Theory
is the foundation and framework for any practice. Applying theory in
an instructional design environment is crucial to ensure that learning
actually occurs and can be assessed and measured. Gagne’s nine steps,
for example, provide a plan for practice:
("Rendition of gagne's," 2013)
Theory must be applied in all realms and fields for effective practice. Learning theories, be it constructivism, behaviorism, structuralism, or functionalism enhance methodology and inform instruction. Although the theories may not be applied in a uniform sense across fields, the theories are applicable and enhance lifelong learning. As Driscoll (2000) states “From the standpoint of the teacher or instructional designer, this means some very careful consideration of just what ends or results are desired.” Theory sets a plan as well as a means to reach the goal and end. Gagne’s nine step model in particular sets a clear path for successful instruction. Without theory, instruction falls apart and is ultimately inadequate. Theory provides organization and scientific backing.
Theory also provides several other important things. Not only does it lend credibility to the teaching and practice, it also tells instructional designers and teachers how to effectively present materials in a way that students will understand and retain. Learning is defined as a permanent change in behavior that is gained through experience. In this case, the experience is one involving instructional design. For this to be effective, it must be presented in a way that is engaging and hands on. This is especially important when working with adult learners. The material must be presented in a way that is not just engaging and hands on but also relevant and applicable. Without knowledge of adult learning theory or in fact, any of the other learning theories, it is impossible to design training materials that work. And because of this, it is impossible to have practices that are effective.
Have you ever applied a specific learning theory to a situation (be it teaching, studying, etc.) and found that the results were greatly enhanced due to this? Have you ever been in a learning environment where you were aware that the instructor(s) was not practicing with informed theory and felt your learning experience was diminished? What is the most applicable theory applied to your particular area of current instruction?
References
Driscoll, M. (2000). Psychology of learning for instruction. (2nd ed., pp. 341-373). Retrieved
(2013). Rendition of gagne's instructional events showing the nine steps to learning transfer.
(2013). [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://insdsg619.wikispaces.com/Gagne
Yes, I have applied Gagne's 9 events of instruction to training sessions before with great success. Due to my repeated positive experiences with this theory, I tend to use it the most when designing an instructional session.
ReplyDeleteI have also definitely been in courses that did not base their instruction on theory. The example that most easily comes to mind is very large general education courses at JMU. I think that most gen ed teachers feel that there are so many students, sometimes over 150, that they feel it is literally impossible to reach every student. In my personal experience, some of my learning experience was diminished when teacher didn't even try to apply theory to practice.
When studying, I’ve used a variety of learning theories to help process and retain new information. I have found that the Information Processing Theory gives good reason to how information is moved into the long-term memory. The Information Processing Theory explains that information comes in through our senses and then moves to our selective attention. This happens in a matter of seconds. So when I’m studying, I keep a highlighter with me to add color to the information that sticks out to me. I also notice the pictures and bold words that capture my attention. That information that I’ve selected then moves to the working memory where chunking occurs. I make sure that I break down the information and group it so that I can remember the smaller groups of information. I color code the information that is similar so that when I go back and review my notes, they will be fit together. That information gets into my long-term memory when I connect it to schemas. I review my notes, rehearse the information, and connect the new information to my previous knowledge so that I can recall it later.
ReplyDeleteI had a course in college where the professor was teaching about constructivism. During the whole class period, she did this by standing in the front of the room and reading off of notes from the book. I remember this class so vividly because to me it was ironic we were learning about constructivism, yet she was simply reciting information from the textbook that we could easily read on our own. She did not do anything to try to capture our attention, meet our learning styles, or do anything to have us build meaning or make connections of this new concept. Instead of lecturing us, she could have had us make our own discoveries about the constructivist theory through a hands-on experiment or activity. Or we could have looked at case studies and came to our own conclusions.
I really like Gagne’s nine steps for the educational environment. Too often it seems like people forget the first step, gaining the learners attention. In the example above I automatically drowned out what my professor was saying because she had not captured my attention. By providing visuals, a hands-on activity, or an interesting story could have captured my attention. All of the steps are essential for producing impactful learning, and I like that it provides a framework to work with when creating lesson plans.
After looking over the Learning Unit and the blog post, my belief that theory should always inform practice is reinforced. Last semester I had the wonderful opportunity to research and develop my potential graduate thesis. My research focuses on the instructional strategies of an inverted classroom (flipping the classroom) and the impact on active learning goals. Immediately my research pointed me in the direction of learning theories and instructional design. Without this knowledge and understanding of various theories of effective practices to enhance learning, my research to design an inverted classroom would not have have any reliability or validity and ultimately would not be successful.
ReplyDeleteAlso as a graduate assistant in the Training and Development Department, I have gained a better understanding of the importance of theories to inform practice. The Training and Development Department is committed to providing professional development. By understanding and implementing theories into practice this commitment is made possible.
At the beginning of this course Dr. Wilcox requested we select an Instructional Design Model that interested us to share with the class. I selected Gagne's Nine Events because it was almost identical to how my CPR/FA trainings are structured. Even though in my instructor training course they did not present it as a theory, the way our training materials are organized fit the model almost identically. At the beginning of the training I show a video of people giving testimonials of their experiences with administering CPR/FA and saving a life in the process. After the video is finished I ask the audience if anyone in the room has been in a situation where they had to render CPR/FA, if there is I ask for them to share their story. I've found this not only captures the attention of the trainees but it also establishes the importance/relevance of the training.
ReplyDeleteI've found annual trainings given in my workplace are the least structured mainly because they are given by a supervisor who has little to no training in instruction. This is probably also because the trainings are given more so to ensure licensure compliance than actually caring if the material is retained by the employees. I have even witnessed a test distributed to all staff where the supervisor simply goes down the page reading off the answers.
We've all probably received instruction that was not informed by theory, I certainly felt that way when I had a very dry business course and the instructor literally sat at his desk in front of the large room and alternately mumbled through the textbook or told stories about his very long career at IBM. Those stories were occasionally funny, but I never saw how any of them connected to what he was mumbling about, if they did. My learning experience in this case was reduced to rote memorization for the exams and transfer of absolutely nothing. Then and now, I could not tell you the first thing about business processes. This instructor certainly succeeded in informing us of objectives and eliciting and assessing performance on tests, but not in an engaging way.
ReplyDeleteIn contrast, the most engaging studies I have ever done as an adult were clearly informed by Gagne, consisting of in-person, case-based discussions led by phenomenal facilitators. I purchased supplementary reading after the course and still consult my notes when I run into a related issue on the job - an example of continuing stimulus and transfer.
I try to use Gagne's 9 in all facets of my training that I create, if not all 9 levels, at least trying to hit on half or more of his steps. The level that i leave out the most in my trainings is recall on prior knowledge as many times it is a new system that I am training. I will recall on previous versions and how this will be better, but there is no building knowledge from the previous knowledge.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the minor program I learned a lot about facilitation and think that the use of Gagne's is best suited for facilitation training modules as opposed to online learning because many times you can read people in the room and with online learning you do not always know everyone in your audience.
I have had many professors in the past who have not used learning theories and it makes the class not go smoothly. By the end many students are just sketching in the corner of their notebooks, texting, on facebook, etc. because an hour long class with that reaches no level of Gagne's other than providing new information, makes people lose attention.
I have also seen at work, in our training facilitations were trainers do not actively work the room and not interact enough during group activities which is difficult because more times than not people need additional feedback and instruction when doing projects and learning activities.
My undergraduate major at JMU was Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies (Education), so I am very familiar with learning theories and designing curriculum. Behaviorism is one theory we studied closely and used regularly to create lesson plans for classroom instruction. Without using behaviorism, or any learning theory for that matter, I do not think my classroom instruction would be as successful as it was.
ReplyDeleteThough I believe a variety of learning theories could be applied to my current area of instruction, depending on the situation, I think behaviorism is one that applies to many different scenarios.I specifically like the two of the main assumptions of behaviorism: the environment shapes behavior and learning occurs when one can see a change in the learner's behavior.
Class, I have a few comments on the application of theory to practice. Do you remember the article I gave you about Eclectic Instructional Design? It is REALLY important that you read this and commit it to memory. The best way to do this is to use it to guide your design decisions this semester.
ReplyDeleteThere is no ONE learning theory that can be used consistently in every case to solve your instructional problems. Every learning situation involves more than one domain of learning. For this reason, you must break down the kind of knowledge being addressed and then choose the appropriate parts of Behavioral, Social Learning, Cognitive, and Constructivist learning theories.
I, too, like Gagné's 9 events of instruction, but it isn't really a learning theory. It is more of a lesson plan. It is only one component of Gagné's theory of instruction. Gagné's instructional events enable us to follow a lesson plan format that is consistent with cognitive learning theory.
The problem with behaviorism as a main learning theory is that it does not address what occurs in the brain. It is only concerned with the change in behavior. For this reason, it isn't as useful as other theories when teaching intellectual skills, verbal information, concepts and procedural knowledge, or cognitive strategies. It would probably be my last choice unless I was trying to change the behavior of a particular target population.
Originally, I started off my college career as a Biology major hence the reason as to why I minored in it. This field was dominantly composed of theories and concepts. Every course I took reiterated what we had previously been taught while adding on to the concepts. There was always a large emphasis on the appropriate way to compose reports, and strict guidelines were followed. When I switched my major to health sciences that changed immensely. There was not as much structure and each professor had their own particular style in which they taught the information for the course content. I have noticed that some courses lacked structure while others allowed you to develop a better sense of self regulated studying. As amanda previously stated, I think general education courses are usually the ones guilty of diminishing the learners experience due to the fact that they are typically trying to deliver material to a large audience. I think that it is important to have some type of theoretical concept as your basis or a particular plan of action so that whatever you are doing can be delivered as effective as possible, as well as evaluated and made better.
ReplyDeleteUnlike most everyone in our cohort, I have had very limited experience with any kind of learning theory. While at ETSU I studied forensic anthropolgy, although it was very clear cut, concise, and intriguing, everything was taught step by step and regurgitated back to the professors through data collection sheets, COD reports, etc. It was basically a two year OJT program. Looking back, it would have been beneficial to have a variety of learning theories at my dispoal to facilitate the lab work to 1st year students. I found it difficult to gain their attention (much less keep it), teach the material, and have them apply it in a satisfactory manner. If I would have had the knowledge then that I possess now dealing with learning theories, I feel as though we would have had a higher retention rate within the program, and a higher quality of graduate students at the body farm in Knoxville.
ReplyDelete