Hello and a hearty welcome back to my thread which highlights the theory(ies) that I think will be most useful to my instruction. Happy reading!
I must admit that it was rather difficult for me to settle on one particular theory because I find all of them to be useful in their own way. I think my instructional method/style will be like a melting pot hence the reason I titled this thread ‘my instructional melting pot’. Put simply, a melting pot describes a society that is very diverse. In such a society, people with varying backgrounds and from all walks of life coexist as one unit. For instance, many individuals describe New York as a melting pot of America. Likewise, from a systemic vantage, each theory coexists and provides me with useful insights that aids in the apprehension of distance education in its entirety.
"America the melting pot?" by Digital Collegian
As it pertains to the higher education context specifically an undergraduate psychology program, behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, OCL, and connectivism will all play a crucial role. Behaviorist principles particularly operant conditioning can be useful for my psychology students. For example, giving them virtual rewards can boost their motivation and level of engagement in the online classroom. Meanwhile, giving my students the opportunity to reflect on their learning journey can be a great cognitive strategy. These reflective activities will help the students hone their metacognitive skills and other higher-order thinking skills. Vygotsky’s scaffolding notion and other constructivist principles will also come in handy in my instruction. As it pertains to scaffolding, there may be some students who will be outside of the zone of proximal development. Precisely, some persons may need assistance and support to accomplish and master a specific task.
Moreover, I think learners in some higher education programs like psychology should be actively involved in their learning. As such, I would function more as a facilitator in my online classroom and provide students with the opportunity to contend their ideas. Peer discourse will therefore be key in my online classroom. According to Harasim (n.d.), students will be able to achieve intellectual convergence “through three progressive stages of group discourse: Idea Generating, Idea Organizing and Intellectual Convergence” (para. 5). Finally, George Siemens placed emphasis on the importance of forming and nurturing connections between ideas, fields, and more. As a higher education instructor, I would be cognizant of this connectivism principle. I will not only be cognizant of this but I will also create activities that allow students to compare and contrast, differentiate, distinguish, and draw connections among ideas. In doing so, students will get to develop and hone their higher-order thinking skill as posited by Benjamin Bloom i.e., analyze.
"Bloom's taxonomy" by Pinterest
Generally, each theory plays a significant role in my instructional melting pot making it difficult for me to settle on a particular theory that will be most useful. If, however, my life depended on it and I had to choose one, I would select constructivism. I like that it has so many useful elements and incorporates some principles from other theories. As previously mentioned, one of my favorite elements is the fact that in the constructivist classroom, the instructor serves as a facilitator. Generally, I like and prefer to facilitate class sessions with students. I also like that the instructor’s role in a constructivist classroom is not authoritative instead, instructors guide students throughout the process. Despite this, I think each theory will be equally useful in my instruction. Ultimately, each theory will inform and guide my practice in some way or the other, and might I dear say that each one will add a burst of flavor to my instructional melting pot!
What is your take on my instructional melting pot? Let’s continue the conversation in the comment section below with your thoughts and queries!
Krista
MDE student
University of Maryland Global Campus
University of Maryland Global Campus | UMGC
References
Harasim, L. (n.d.). OCL Theory. Linda Harasim Blog. Retrieved from https://www.lindaharasim.com/online-collaborative-learning/ocl-theory/
Hi Krista,
Great post! I thought perhaps the class could go to the restaurant "The Melting Pot" to reminisce on the use of the Bloom Taxonomy chart when developing lesson plans! I cannot imagine just one learning theory or framework for a sector. It is always important to be mindful of students' capabilities. What would online rewards look like for the psychology class? Being more of a facilitator in the psychology class works particularly with individuals with the same purpose for the course. In Demark, I had an opportunity to observe high school students learn through peer discourse. Granted, these students attended a gymnasium (a school for college-bound students), and this group's interest field was biology.
The instructor would come to guide students for about 15 minutes and then leave the classroom, letting the students learn the material and complete an assignment. I kept thinking this would not be as successful in a comprehensive high school - perhaps better rewards or the ability to practice collaboration more frequently throughout their school career?
Thanks!