Technology Applications in EducationChapter 6

Theories of Learning and their Application to Technology

Shena AnglinTechnology in the Classroom

Dr. M. MinottMarch 5, 2010

Early 1900s - Psychological theories that were relevant for education were E.L. Thorndike’s dream.

Where are we coming from?

Technology awoke the dream!

Technology has shifted our interest back to the child-centered education that John Dewey distinguished from Curriculum-based education back in 1902

Child-Centered Education

The way technology is utilized is largely dependent on the educator’s concept of the way human beings learn.

The educator decides how he/she wants the learners to learn: i.e. what are the goals at the end of instruction.

What should student be able to do?

Let’s decide what’s best

We have learned that when the learner builds an understanding of the material presented then retention and transfer of the knowledge to new situations is better.

This is the Constructivist Concept of learning.

So what have we learned about the way that we learn

Currently the most widely accepted learning theory

Students active in trying to make sense of material presented

Seen as “knowledge construction” Learners apply their own cognitive functions

to learn the material instead of rote memorization.

Constructivist Learning

Response-Strengthening◦ As in programmed drill and practice with feedback◦ Consistent with Thorndike’s law of effect

Knowledge Acquisition (a.k.a Empty Vessel Metaphor)◦ Information is delivered by educator◦ Students learn by adding new information to their

long-term memories

Other Concepts of Learning

Drill and practice is useful in developing speed in spelling or addition/subtraction problems.

Knowledge delivery/acquisition model useful in presenting large amounts of information to the learner.◦ Researchers learned that humans process incoming

information instead of gradually learning a behaviour as with animals.

◦ So the advent of electronic computers of the 1950s highly influenced this learning style.

These Concepts have Some Merit

Information in and can be retransmitted

Assumes students will learn equally well when presented with same information no matter the format

Internet useful Assessment is on

how much is recalled

Learner active in constructing knowledge

Students need to be guided on how to process effectively

Student “makes sense” of a process or system

Assesses transfer

Acquisition vs. Construction

It does not adequately consider the motivational, social, cultural and biological bases of learning◦ Suppose a person is not interest◦ Suppose the info is irrelevant socially or culturally

to the student◦ Suppose there are some learning problems

Does constructivist learning have any shortcomings?

Cognitive Constructivism◦ Individually mediated◦ Socially mediated –learner constructs knowledge

in a group discussion for e.g.

Social Constructivism◦ Learning is a sociocultural event which takes

place in social or cultural groups◦ Ignores the individual aspect of learning and says

that all knowledge is stored as public knowledge

Types of Constructivism

Radical Constructivism – degree to which knowledge construction is based on outside world

Ranges from:

Knowledge is discovered (non-radical)

Knowledge is invented (radical)◦ The radicals assume that instruction is pointless as

communications mean different things to different people and teacher does not know what students know

Types of Constructivism Cont.

Selecting

Images

Selecting

Words

How Cognitive Construction Works

Images

Words

Pictorial Model

Verbal Model

Integrated Cognitive Structure

Prior

Knowledge

Instructional technology should guide the cognitive processes of the learner.

Deep understanding and meaningful learning should be the objective of the educator

What does it mean for today?

Learning is an active process involving selecting, organizing and integrating

Human beings have separate visual and auditory channels

The capacity of working memory is limited

Constructivist Multimedia Learning Summarized

The order in which learner receives information is important (Contiguity Effect)

Successive vs. Simultaneous

Therefore:

Tonight @ 8pm on HBO

Eight studies proved that students performed better on transfer assessment when presented pictures and narration simultaneously

The Coherence Effect in Multimedia presentation is also important

Students hearing irrelevant background sound performed poorly on transfer tests

More Technology Implications

Modality Effect

Animation and On-screen text hinders knowledge contruction as both are processed in the visual channel.

Animation works well with narration (not with text)

More Technology Implications

Redundancy Effect

How do you think a combination of animation on-screen text, and narration would work.

More Technology Implications

What we have learned about the way that we learn has influenced the way we design instructional technology for today and the future.◦ Educational tehnology should guide the cognitive

processes and foster a better understanding (sense-making) of the material, as in similations for better transferability to other applications/real-life situations.