What does it all mean?- The Final Learning Log

WHAT?

Reviewing all of my previous learning logs taught me two things. First, that I should read through them more carefully before publishing, and second, that I like parts of each theory. According to the quiz on theory preferences, I am pretty even between the three theories. I scored highest on cognitivism, then humanism and last behaviorism (what a relief).

While learning about the theories, the theories that I understood and agreed with the most were those that comprise humanism (social cognitivism, constructivism, and moral and social development). However, there are points from each theory that I feel have their place in the classroom.

I believe that learning is an internal and active process. It may or may not lead to a behavior change. We learn from our experiences and from our interactions with and observations of others. I think that prior knowledge and beliefs play a huge role in learning, and that the learner and the environment can construct or create meaning in new experiences. I believe that the power of play is great, as is interaction with adults and peers. I don't believe that any existing theory that we have learned about gives the perfect definition of learning.

My personal theory is a combination of all of the theories. I would steal some points from other theories. I would take all of the main points from social cognitivism (reciprocal causation, modeling, vicarious learning, etc.), and the 5E's from constructivism. I love the stages of development from Erikson and the first four steps from Kohlberg's stages of moral development.
I believe that behaviorism has a place in the classroom, but mostly just for behavior problems. A change in behavior does not always mean that learning has happened. I really like most of the points of cognitivism. I think that memory and the way it works is fascinating and must be included.

SO WHAT?

My "theory" of learning will impact the way I conduct my classroom. In using it, I will give my students as many opportunities as possible to understand new material, ideas, or perspectives. I will make sure that they are able to make assumptions and work through misconceptions by researching information. I will give them a safe environment to learn in. They will not be afraid to make mistakes, but will be invested in what they are learning. I will also structure my classes so that they follow a logical sequence so that the students can build new information on prior knowledge. I will let them construct their own meaning from experiences, but also help them see other perspectives. I will give my students many examples and demonstrations of what I would like them to accomplish, so that they can decide what they like/dislike, and can/can not do. I will have my students work together in pairs and groups occasionally so that they can help each other and also interact with their peers. I will also create authentic activities for them to participate in so that they can find meaning in my class.

NOW WHAT?

Ideally I would like to take an entire class on each of these theories so that I could fine tune my own views on learning. I want to learn more about the theorists so that I can see why they had their particular views on learning (I still have problems remembering what concepts go with Vygotsky and Piaget). I would like to spend more time observing in classrooms, so that I can find what works well with students and what doesn't (although this could and probably will be different in my classroom). I would like to spend more time learning about social cognitivism because I think that interactions with others plays such a huge role in development and learning. Basically I have a long way to go!