Fitting the Pieces Together

When I began this course 7 weeks ago I had a very limited understanding of learning theories and styles. I had previously learned about the difference between visual learners, physical leaners, auditory learners etc. but I never had much exposure or formal education on the learning theories. As this course is coming to a conclusion I feel that I now have a deeper understanding of the learning theories. Filling out the learning matrix really helped me understand the various theories and how they are applicable to learners.  At the start of this course I would have thought I would have been a learner who benefited mainly from the Behaviorist theory. Now, I still consider that is true, however I also think as a learner I would benefit from the Social Learning Theory and the Connectivism Learning Theory.

Through this course I have learned that I gain a deeper understanding of the material by reading my peer’s discussion posts. This ties into the Social Learning theory as I can create meaning through my interactions with my peers. I also think that by tying the information that I have learned into my previous experience helps me learn by the Connectivism Learning Theory.  Technology has a huge role in my learning as I am doing most of my learning online. Even with the physical textbook that I have I still find myself learning more from the videos, or additional articles that are posted for each week.  I also really enjoyed creating a Mind Map during this course. This really was a new way that I can apply my learning with technology to come up with a solution or a proposed idea. In my industry we focus a lot on innovations and in doing that sometimes you have to think outside of the box. I will definitely be utilizing the mind map software that I learned during this course moving forward in my career.

Overall, as an Instructional Design professional I now feel like I have gained the foundational knowledge about learning theories and styles to help reinforce the training that I am developing or proposing.