My personal theory of learning

I am a believer in (most of) the nine learning styles enumerated by Howard Gardner (Lever-Duffy, 2008). Teaching to the multiple intelligences (Orey, 2001) forces me to borrow from all of the four main learning theories. I utilize elements of social learning theory by having students work in collaborative groups to practice their interpersonal and linguistic skills. My labs borrow from constructionist learning theory, wherein students design and conduct labs on their own. The labs also serve to cultivate student’s kinesthetic, spatial, logical and naturalistic intelligences. As a physics teacher my lectures bring up existential questions such as the beginning and the end of the universe, and man’s place in it.

The level of hardware and software now (as compared to the late 70s which had a predominance of green text and cheesy animations) allows for technology to enhance learning through multimedia – touching on many of the learning styles rather than just the linguistic, or the logical. Sound, movies, graphics, and controls that students can use to interact with the computer are all broadening the extent to which educational technology can enhance student learning. Web 2.0 capabilities allow for collaborative interaction with a virtually unlimited pool of information and cohorts with an ease that is only impressive to someone who has experienced digital technology from its beginnings. Students interact naturally and seamlessly within the web. Orey’s claim that learners learn better when they are active in the process, and that they learn best when they are immersed in the process demonstrates, I think, that technology has a lot to offer.

The level of technology use that I incorporate into my teaching strategies is almost nil when I consider what is out there. The reason for this inadequate use is mostly because of its limited availability to me in my classroom environment-but admittedly it is also because of my naïveté in its use. I use PowerPoints for all of my notes so that I can walk around the classroom as I lecture and have animations and graphics and sound effects to hold student’s attention. I use email so that students who are absent (or are poor note-takers) can email me for the notes. I use a wiki with a very limited subset of my students, mostly as a learning experience for me (and apparently for them). But other than these basic uses, technology and the Web 2.0 capabilities for collaboration are grossly underused by myself, and most of my colleagues. This is, of course, why I am enrolled in the technology track in this university.

References

Lever-Duffy, J. & McDonald, J. (2008). Theoretical Foundations (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page.