Connecting Concepts
Transcript
Learning. What does it mean to learn?
Can it be fun? Yes. Can it also be boring? The answer is also yes.
My goal for this project was to see if there were ways we can make learning more fun and engaging, so going to school or studying for a test wouldn't feel so much like a chore, but more like a hobby and a memorable experience.
It may be too wide an endeavour or a far-fetched idea, however, digging through research studying what people like, didn't like, how they learned and how they forget. I believe that we already have the tools to build our own learning experiences.
Something people, at any age, would be able to do. The focus was to put the individual, the learner, at the center of the entire process.
I embarked on my journey by researching the basics of learning and came across a few theoretical frameworks that I manage to connect with each other. First there were three models that are often used in instructional design decision making – ADDIE, SECTIONS and SAMR.
And then there is Benjamin Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning which consists of levels that build on each other. This involves knowledge/remember, comprehension/understanding, application, analysis, evaluation and create. Yes, in that order. Finally, there's Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal development (also known as ZPD) whereby task performance involves the learner and guidance that can be provided by an educator, or even a friend.
This zone of proximal development places the learner in the drivers' seat. But like any novice driver, they have to start with someone helping them out and giving advice from the front passenger's seat, or it involves lending them a car to begin with. That person would always have experience in that field, more so than the learner. Whatever it is, there is always an element of social interaction and knowledge-sharing.
Even though the two learning theories were developed between the '50s and '70s, the underlying concepts are still relevant to how we take in information and apply them. Both theories can work hand-in-hand with each other. To start off, Vygotsky's ZPD theory can be applied to each of Bloom's Taxonomical level.
For example, during the first two levels – knowledge and comprehension – acquisition and retention can occur around people or individually but in this sense, the learner has to intentionally work to remember and understand the information that is presented. If they don't have fully comprehension of a concept, they can choose not to pursue more explanations in order to apply the concept in its entirety. The upper levels won't be satisfied without these two bases.
On the other hand, once the learner fulfills the lower two levels, they would be able to satisfy the others more efficiently within the zone of proximal development. In this case, they would be able to get feedback on how they apply and analyze their learning. Evaluation of information can be done via modelling or the amount of scaffolding that they get from their mentor which then then solidify that learning experience or their own reflections of the topic at hand.
Here's the thing – everything that I've just discussed are strongly related to students, teachers and interactive factors of the SECTIONS model created by Tony Bates in 2015. Even though this model is primarily used by educational institutions to decide on a specific technology to invest in, it can also be applied to building an overarching learning experience the students. Again, I would like to reiterate that the learners are always at the center of our goals here.
What about the remaining aspects of SECTIONS? That's where the ADDIE model comes in. Ideally, we can use ADDIE to evaluate and create learning aids that would is easy to use or have straightforward instructions, does not break the bank for the learner or organization that wants to use it, takes the learner the least amount of time to develop, doesn't cause complications on an organizational level, and would encourage learners to interact with each other whilst protecting their identities and privacy.
Finally, since the theme of my project relates to enhancing perception to improve learning experiences, I decided to use the SAMR model to analyze existing assistive technologies since they are tools of perception. Even though assistive technologies are often used by learners with exceptionalities, a lot of the core senses that it targets can be adapted to improve the learning experiences of physically and mentally-abled students as well.
Whether the learners are neurodivergent, neurotypical, able-bodied or differently-abled, we are all human. And being human means that we take in information through different sensory modalities.
That's why all the models and frameworks that have been used in this project are vital to the development of this learning aid that I hope will improve meaning-making and hence promote the enjoyment of learning, in and out of a traditional classroom.