Week 3: Team Education 2.0 - Katie Petty's Post

Here are my answers and thoughts all in one post for everyone's review:

1.)  Suggest a minimum of 3 instructional methods which might motivate the learners to learn. Use references to support your statement.

In our reading this week, we learned about Benjamin Bloom’s three domains. It was the first time that I had heard of these and I found them very interesting. The three domains spoken of are often referenced in various instructional design methods that I ran across in my research this week. In my post, I will highlight each domain to a method.

First, a design method that enhances cognitive learning is the use of multimedia in learning. University of California’s Richard Mayer shares that learning scenarios based on verbal-only methods of instruction do not have the same impact as matching an instructional message with both words and pictures. In his research, using two formats with a learning objective fosters meaningful learning (Mayer, 2003). Mayer goes on to explain that the human brain can process multiple items at one time but delves into true comprehension when these items complement each other. Verbal-only instruction leads to one layer of comprehension, but two instructional techniques as found when we inject multimedia, leads to a higher level of comprehension. However, Mayer warns that if the two techniques do not focus on the same learning message the learner will become confused making the method ineffective. This is something that I have had to learn the hard way when designing online courses.

Bloom’s second domain focuses on affective learning. According to our reading this type of learning is based on feelings and values. The example used was teaching someone not to smoke. The idea behind that is that smoking is an emotional action and teaching someone not to smoke is based on a feeling mind-frame and a value-based action. In the course of my training as a virtual teacher, I have found that Robert Marzano’s work on this is effective but a particular instructional design that we could explore is the constructivist model. In an educational website sponsored by Disney called Concept to Classroom, we discover more about constructivism. The website states “Constructivism promotes social and communication skills by creating a classroom environment that emphasizes collaboration and exchange of ideas” (Educational Broadcasting Company, 2004). This is expressed in curriculum design by encouraging students to engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate or the 5E Model. It is based in affective learning because is comes from a self-learning perspective where learners build upon their own value sets for knowledge acquisition.

The third domain that we read about this week was based on physical or motor learning. In this domain of learning, we learn through the actual act of doing whatever we are learning. Most commonly used in a physical education setting, this method has application in general education as well through demonstrations. Just like in cognitive learning, one can learn better with the use of multimedia and in affective learning, one can learn better through constructivism, in motor learning one can best learn by observing a demonstration and then repeating the action. While I don’t have an exact instruction model to highlight, in my research I did run across a very interesting article by Gibson Darden. In Darden’s article, he shares how demonstrative learning is ideal for learners but sometimes we as instructors feel that the demonstrator has to be an expert or a perfect model. Darden points out that research shows otherwise. Learners can actually learn just as well if an amateur or an expert demonstrates the skill. In some cases, watching an unskilled demonstrator who is just learning the technique may be more beneficial as it forces people to learn instead of just mimicking (Darden, 1997).  I found this fascinating and helpful as I have often fallen into this fallacy. In my classes, I find developing actual games that students can physically participate in make for a great learning experience. Games by nature can be motor learning through demonstration and practice.

Blooms Three Domains of learning tied to multimedia, constructivism, and demonstration can assist all students in learning as we match our instructional design to the method of learning.

2.)  From your personal experience, share an undesirable incident in which the good methods (tools) had been applied to the inappropriate situation (no references required).  

This was a hard one for me because I really haven’t had this experience. I guess I will go to something that is a stickler for all teachers in today’s educational world – No Child Left Behind. Assessment of knowledge is a good thing and helps to determine what we as instructors need to work on. It is my belief that this was the original intention of the No Child Left Behind Act. If we could assess the knowledge learned throughout the course of the year, we could then make modifications to our teaching methodologies to enhance overall performance. Unfortunately, the Federal Government chose to make the results of assessment tied to financial rewards. This changed the game in the sense that instead of focusing on improvement for the sake of becoming better bastions of instruction and education, our schools became focused on budgetary requirements linked to assessment scores. I think this was taking a good tool (assessment) and applying it to an inappropriate situation (financial survival). This is my best example of this type of situation.

Great discussion points this week. Very enlightening and thought-provoking.

References:

Darden , G. F. (1997). Demonstrating motor skills - rethinking that expert demonstration. The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 68(6), 31-35.

Educational Broadcasting Corporation. (2004). Constructivism as a paradigm for teaching and learning. Retrieved from http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/index_sub6.html

Mayer, R. E. (2003). The promise of multimedia learning: using the same instructional design methods across different media. Learning and instruction, 13, 125-139. doi: 10.1016/S0959-4752(02)00016-6.