Designing any learning experience involves making several
crucial decisions and then carefully developing those ideas into the components
of the session or lesson. Once I know a little more about my learners or
participants, I can build appropriate tasks into the lesson and provide the
necessary information about a new topic. In Chapter 4, Larson and Lockee (2014)
describe the different approaches to instructional design, and I am intrigued
by the connectivist learning approach that builds in application to real-world
problems and resources to support learners (Loc. 2236). No matter which approach is chosen, the
learners should remain at the center of the decisions and planning.
According to Larson and Lockee (2014) the approach chosen
may ”call for different planning processes to select strategies and ways to
address content and learning experiences (Loc. 4046-4050).” In a classroom
setting, using a student-centered approach means selecting tasks, activities,
and assessments that are more focused on the specific student needs, abilities,
and learning styles. I think a learner-centered approach to professional
development requires similar processes and task-selection but you may not know
your learners as well as you would students you teach every day.
I am working to prepare a short training this week, a
small part of our Google Camp, and it is an opportunity to apply what I have
learned from our text. In particular, I
have to identify the most effective strategies to use and determine which
technologies we will use to complete one or two tasks during the session. Once
I was given my topic, I immediately considered these 3 main questions to start
devising a framework:
- What is most important for them to know or understand?
- What will they do on their own or with a partner/group during the training?
- What will they make or be able to use after the training?
One thing I realized is that the process of developing
the session needs to start with the learners in mind rather than on what I will
do and say as a part of the training. I will not know ahead of time who is
attending my session, but I will plan to ask them informal questions throughout
the session to gather information. My current plan is to include a mixture of
direct instruction, group discussion, digital resources for additional learning, and at least one interactive game like Kahoot or Socrative. Ultimately, I want any parts of the session that I present
to be a model for my participants so they can apply the content to their
subject area and grade level.
In a training I attended recently, the facilitator used a combination of strategies that I found very effective. She gave us a handout that I could draw my own illustrations on, but her examples were scenarios that helped me understand each part of the larger idea. The active learning activities I participated in during this hour-long session were engaging and interesting. Teachers attending a professional development or training session tend to expect this type of learner-centered approach and to have opportunities to apply their learning to real-life situations they may experience in the classroom.
In a training I attended recently, the facilitator used a combination of strategies that I found very effective. She gave us a handout that I could draw my own illustrations on, but her examples were scenarios that helped me understand each part of the larger idea. The active learning activities I participated in during this hour-long session were engaging and interesting. Teachers attending a professional development or training session tend to expect this type of learner-centered approach and to have opportunities to apply their learning to real-life situations they may experience in the classroom.
References
Image retrieved from: http://analysisbyrs.com/behaviorism-constructivism-cognitivism-experientialism-and-constructionism-understanding-the-learning-theory-and-types-of-learning/
Larson, M. and Lockee, B.B. (2014). Streamlined ID:
A practical guide to instructional design. New York: Routledge.
Starting with the learner in mind is difficult when you don't know who your learners will be. I know when I have done presentations at conferences,I have planned for one kind of learner and gotten a group predominately made of other kinds of learners. Those types of sessions don't go well for me. I need more practice thinking on my feet like you describe.
ReplyDeleteThe example of the training you recently attended seems to fit with what Larson and Lockee catalog in chapter 8. It is important to consider the learners' interaction with the content, the instructor, the context, other learners, and themselves.
ReplyDelete