Week One...

Learning Theory and e-Learning

After completing week one, I'm feeling inspired and keen to complete my degree! Perhaps a bit premature...I hope this eagerness continues. I've enjoyed considering the different learning styles this week. I'm looking forward to identifying the different learning styles of my students, engaging them by mixing up teaching methods and developing lesson plans to cater for each student. When reflecting on my own learning styles I chose to look at each of the listed learning tools.

According to VAK I am a blend of all three, however slightly dominant in the visual and kinaesthetic modes. As my hobbies are creatively focused, I was pleased to see the kinaesthetic fairly high.

I completed the multiple intelligences test online and found the results fairly accurate. The outcome showed strengths in logical/visual learning, followed by naturalistic, kinaesthetic and interpersonal, an average score in linguistic and weakness' in interpersonal and music. I found that even though I consider myself an extrovert, the test focussed on study habits and therefore is accurate as I do prefer to study alone. 

Although more complex, I found the Felder and Solomon learning style inventory the most beneficial. After completing the online test I felt that if I were to teach a class, I'd be more inclined to cater for the needs of my classroom using this instrument. For me personally the results were fairly accurate. Although the results had similar peaks to Gardner's, they weren't as obvious. I found the advice given for each dimension was helpful and would be beneficial for a student's learning habits. My results showed below have a heavy sway towards visual rather than verbal styles. However, this was the second test I took (as I didn't save the first) and the first showed a level 3 rather than 9 in the visual mode, which is interesting. I personally believe that I would rate at a level 3-5 visually and not a 9. Unfortunately, the below test was taken with much more distractions then the first so may not be all that accurate. 

However for me personally, the most insightful learning material I read this week was Sir Ken Robinson's 'Do Schools Kill Creativity?'. I found his talk inspiring and factual. I highlighted two-thirds of it! My favourite points were these;

"...by the time they get to be adults, most kids have lost that capacity (being creative). They have become frightened of being wrong."

"And the result is, we are educating people out of their creative capacities."

"...every education system on earth has the same hierarchy of subjects...At the top are mathematics and languages, then the humanities, and the bottom are the arts. Everywhere on earth."

"My contention is that creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status."

And my favourite;

"Picasso once said this, he said that all children are born artists. The problem is to remain an artist as we grow up. I believe this passionately, that we don't grow into creativity, we grow out of it. Or rather we get educated out of it."

I passionately believe this also. Rather than educate one out of their creativity, I look forward to integrating creativity within learning!

http://news.boisestate.edu/update/2011/12/12/pesky-honorfour/ (IMAGE)
http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/styles/vak.html
http://www.bgfl.org/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/
http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm
http://blog.ted.com/2006/06/27/sir_ken_robinso/