In-Service: Theoretical Foundations of Learning and Teaching Ann Downer, EdD, Co-Director

“Without knowledge I could not play the violin. Without wisdom, I could not play the music.” Much educational practice is uninspired and results in: memorization instead of self-discovery; and knowledge instead of wisdom. Effective education provides foundation for understanding experience and developing wisdom.

Purpose This session will: review the traditional principles underlying curriculum development and adult learning; compare these with new research; and discuss the implications of both for instructional design and training. This session will not: cover the history of education, principles of adult learning, or theories of behavior change.

Objectives Following this session, I want you to have a greater: appreciation for the added value that we bring to technical assistance work as a result of our home base in a research university; ability to apply principles of instruction more effectively by understanding the origins of the practices; and belief in the power of good education for achieving positive change.

Foundations of Education Plato- idealism and Aristotle- pragmatism Rousseau (Émile in 1762)- tabula rasa Dewey (1916) and Thorndike (1928), even Marx and Sartre Freire (1972)- social transformation through education  Critical of “banking system” of education, as was Rousseau Many wrote about education, but not much about HOW learning occurs.

Big B Behavioralism Thorndike (1913) and B.F. Skinner (1950) wrote that learning was a process of forming connections between stimuli and response. Behavioral psychology origin of practices such as:  writing learning objectives;  breaking content into small tasks (called sequencing);  giving immediate feedback (for conditioning); and  providing rewards and incentives for learning. Emphasis only on the observable made it difficult to study aspects of learning such as understanding, reasoning, and comprehension.

Little b Behavioralism Humanists (i.e., Carl Rogers)- people have a desire and tendency to learn and will do so naturally when the environment nourishes learning Developmental psychologists (i.e., Eric Erikson)- learning needs unfold in predictable patterns associated with developmental stages Contemporary ideas about adult learning (i.e., Vella, Knowles)

“When threat to self is low…learning can proceed.” Carl Rogers

Learning with Understanding One of the most important contributions to learning theory during the 20 th century- emphasis on learning with understanding and comprehension Not simply memorization of facts Taxonomies for didactic, affective and psychomotor domains (Mager, Bloom, Krathwahl) Selecting teaching methods for each domain

New Research Preconception- People acquire new information on top of pre-existing knowledge, which is a powerful influence. Knowledge- Acquiring a body of knowledge is critical for creating understanding and for high levels of cognitive functioning. Metacognition- Experts differ from novices in specific cognitive ways- they monitor when they need more information, judge whether new information seems consistent with existing knowledge, and ask what analogies they can use to advance their own understanding.

Preconception If knowledge is incorrect or underdeveloped, people may not learn or may learn only to test. All new learning involves transfer from previous learning. Challenges: developmental issues in children and primacy in adults Implications?

Organized Knowledge Ability to integrate new information into existing body of knowledge is most important factor for assuring transfer of learning from classroom to application in the real world What are bodies of knowledge? Experts are better able to see patterns, relationships, and discrepancies where the novice sees unrelated pieces of information. Implications?

Metacognition Ability to assess own knowledge, skills, and performance Self-reflection, self- assessment, and sense- making:  Am I making assumptions?  Are my personal values affecting my judgment?  What is the source of this information?  Could the source affect my interpretation?  Am I seeing a pattern?

Implications for I-TECH Challenging learning objectives Innovative learning methods for multiple domains Needs assessment Place information into conceptual frameworks Many examples Emphasis on teaching metacognition What else?