Week 2 Resources (Adult Learning Online)

Read and Watch

Learning Theory

Choose one of the following:

• Smith, M. K. (2011). Learning theory. In The encyclopedia of informal education.
• Conner, Marcia L. (2002). A Primer on Educational Psychology. Institute of Training & Occupational Learning (ITOL) Journal, (January). (Cog, Behav, Constructivism, Humanism). Copyright Marcia Conner.
• A Visual Primer On Learning Theory, 01/11/2013, TeachThought Staff
• Bender Tisha, (2003)Discussion-based Online Teaching to Enhance Student Learning: Theory Practice and Assessment . Retrieved from http://books.google.ca . Focus on non linear teaching in online courses Chapter 3 Rethinking Learning in the Online classroom

Adult Learning

• Instructional design -- Andragogy (M. Knowles). Adult Learning/Knowles primer (1-pager, Knowles in a nutshell)
• Zemke, R. & Zemke S. (1984, March 9). 30 things we know for sure about adult learning. Innovation Abstracts, VI(8).
  Note: This is a very short (1-pager) broken into 3 sections or lists: Motivation, Curriculum Design, and In the Classroom. As you read this last section, think about how these principles apply to your online classroom. And as you read the whole piece, ask yourself what you know for sure about adult learning - is it on the list?

Learning Styles

• Conner, M. (2002). Introduction to Learning Styles. - good overview of main types of learning styles - perceptual modalities, multiple intelligences, "mind styles", Kolb, MBTI
• Felder, Richard M. & Soloman, Barbara A. (n.d.). Learning styles and strategies.
  Note: This piece suggests specific study strategies for learners who may not be receiving information in their preferred "mode" or "style".
• (YouTube, 6:55 min). Professor Daniel Willingham describes research showing that learning styles are a myth
• Pashler, H., McDaniel, M., Rohrer, D., & Bjork, R. (2008). Learning Styles: Concepts & Evidence. Psychological Sciences in the Public Interest, 9 (3), 105-119.

Optional

Learning Styles Assessments

Take 1 (or more) Learning Styles Assessment and see what you think about the results...or, just look at the questions - this is a good way to get a feel for the assumptions/ideas behind learning styles.

• Learning Styles Assessment: Connor, Marcia L. (2008). What is your learning style?
• VARK: a questionnaire that provides users with a profile of their learning preferences. These preferences are about the ways that they want

• Solomon, Barbara A. & Felder, Richard M. (n.d.). Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire. North Carolina State University.
  (44 brief questions, scored on web) is an online instrument used to assess preferences on four dimensions (active/reflective, sensing/intuitive, visual/verbal, and sequential/global) of a learning style model formulated by Richard M. Felder and Linda K. Silverman.

Learning Theory - a Primer

The readings this week are grouped into 3 clusters:

1. Learning Theory (general)
2. Adult Learning Theory
3. Learning Styles

The idea is to get an overview (or, a reminder) of these schools of thought and to think about learning - the ways in which it is thought to occur, and what your role is as an instructor.

Knowing the basics of different learning theories helps us better understand the motivations and desires of learners and how best to support the learning process through instructional design and learning facilitation.

Here is an overview of the big ones: behaviourism, cognitivism, constructivism. Connectivism is increasingly discussed these days in the "networked" and "information" age, where there is so much information that is constantly changing.

What do you know/believe about learning? Like many, you probably have an eclectic view that draws from more than one theory.

Adult Learning

Seminal research among adult learning theorists (e.g., Knowles, 1973; Merriam and Caffarella, 1999; Merriam, 1993) has revealed that:

• adults continue to learn after completing their formal education
• adults learn differently than children
• adults learn in purposeful, self-directed ways

Malcolm Knowles is a big name in adult education. He argues that adults...

• need to know why they need to learn something
• need to learn experientially
• approach learning as problem-solving
• learn best when the topic is of immediate value

Understanding the motivation and needs of the adult learner can go a long way to helping you design activities and courses that will work for adults: establish relevance, provide meaningful, problem-based activities that are useful to their real lives. Often including opportunities for choice in assignments and readings can go a long way to meeting these needs.

Facilitators often have to take into account the paradoxes adult learners present. On one hand, adult learners are accustomed to feeling competent and in-charge. On the other hand, they may harbour feelings of insecurity about their ability to perform in "school". While they may have years of work experience and informal learning, they may not have been involved in formal learning for several years.

How do we meet the needs of adult learners online?

Certain strategies and approaches seem to work well, including providing choice and inviting adult learners to leverage their experience, using coaching, dialogical models, and team-based learning reinforce a facilitative rather than directive approach to instruction. And meeting adult learners where they are, with active (experiential), relevant, applicable learning experiences will go far to support engagement and ultimately learning.

Learning Styles

The idea of "learning styles" (or, "preferences", as they are often called) is an interesting one. The main idea behind Learning Styles is a widely adopted and accepted idea in Education: people learn in different ways.

On one hand, it seems like one of those "motherhood" statements. For example, as Richard Felder notes, Students preferentially take in and process information in different ways...it's hard to disagree with that. And people believe it (how often have you heard someone say, "Oh, I'm a visual learner?")

On the other hand, it's not without controversy. In this week's readings, there are two "con" pieces that illustrate how learning styles may not hold up as promised under strict research scrutiny.

We wanted to provide this balanced view. The ideas behind Learning Styles are very useful to have in mind, but they aren't a solution to every teaching challenge. You don't, for example, want to spend a lot of time, "diagnosing" learning styles and changing everything, every time, for every learner. That's not the point.

The point is, to be aware of different ways that people can/do/prefer to take in information, and therefore the different ways you can make information available, online. Having the idea of learning styles in your mind, for example, may inspire you to seek (or create) a piece of audio, or video, or an image to communicate, instead of text-only resources.

Insights from Experienced Faculty: Facilitation

This resource contains 5 very short video clips (3 on this page, 2 on the next) from faculty who either are or could be your professional colleagues.

Grab a cup of tea, coffee or a glass of wine, sit down and take a relaxing 10 minutes (includes sips between videos) to hear a few of their thoughts. Keep their insights in mind as you work through this week's activities.

Doug Hamilton (1:02)
Jen Walinga (1:18)
Alicia Wilkes (1:28)

Insights from Experienced Faculty: Instructor Presence

Alicia Wilkes (1:20)

Doug Hamilton (1:28)