Learning Theories

Learning Theories summarised for those of us who are visual learners :)

From edudemic.com

Mind Map

I tried the mind map exercise and came up with the above :) I think it is a very useful brain-storming exercise and I will definitely incorporate it into my lesson plans. It is a good way of knowing what level of knowledge students have on a particular topic.

"Engage me, or Enrage me"

When I read this article it was interesting and at the same time scary :(  It made me realise that we have to be very creative in our teaching and by that I mean we really have to focus on ICT's in our classrooms. Todays learners do demand technology. I have three children who are constantly wanting to use technology and even my youngest loves technology and she is only 3yrs old! Depriving children and learners of technology in the classroom will definitely enrage them so I agree with the argument presented.

Week One of my E-Learning Experience

I started this week not knowing what to expect in this course and I was a bit hesitant. After reading through the material I realised that much of the content this week was what I knew to some extent but never really understood. I can now understand the different kind of learners and can differentiate between them and I also have a better understanding of the learning theories, which in some way overlap with the learning styles.

I did the learning styles questionnaire and also the Multiple Intelligence Test and the results indicated that I am a visual learner, which was not much of a surprise to me.  I love to take notes, highlight important words, draw diagrams & charts and I love to work in groups with others.

I believe it is very important that teachers know the learning styles of their students, so they can better deliver the lesson and ensure that a majority of the students have achieved the learning outcomes. Teachers need to have a balance of learning styles so that all students are taught partly in the manner they prefer and are engaged in the lessons.

The use of ICT in the classroom would be an excellent way of combining these learning styles. Students today are lucky compared to students 20 yrs ago. I remember when I was going through primary school, we didn't have computers in our classroom and certainly didn't have smart boards. IPads, IPods, and even the use of internet was very limited. These days everything is at our fingertips, we can search the web for absolutely everything! we don't need to go to the library and search through hundreds of books to find relevant information.

I guess the point I am trying to make is that technology is here and is for the better.  It is the future for us and the new generation of students and we need to make the most use of it in our classrooms.