These theories are extremely deep…so deep that I find it difficult to understand what drives somebody to create such mind-boggling philosophies on how humans obtain knowledge. But at the same time, if I want my training materials to be effective and useful to my participants, I need to have a firm understanding on how the information is going to be processed through the learner’s mind when he/she takes it in.
So far we have only read about a handful of learning theories. The scary part is that there are hundreds and hundreds more that have been documented since the ancient times. Although each of the theories has its’ own unique claims, I see my instructional habits as being most closely associated with the pragmatic style of learning. I think that I tailor my training style to the belief that no two people have the same learning habits. I believe that everyone prefers to learn in a way that has worked for them in the past, which results in a diverse range of learning habits. If someone has had positive learning experiences with webinars, chances are they’re going to benefit from web-based training in the future. But if that same person had a negative experience in a lecture-based class, there’s a good chance they are going to struggle in future classes that are dominated by lectures.
But in order for that person to form an opinion on the course, they have to interpret it in a certain manner. This is where “Interpretivism” comes into play. If the student is actively engaged in the course, easily making sense of the content, then it’s that they have a positive interpretation of everything the course entails. As they sit in class, the student’s mind is active in forming that judgment: “Does the professor talk funny? Is someone in the class distracting me? Is class almost over?” As the student asks himself these questions, his mind is subconsciously forming an opinion of the course. If the material is entertaining, then the student might be more engaged in the content. But regardless, everything that went through the student’s mind for the past 180 minutes comes together to determine the level of learning he achieved in your class (Cognitivism).
A Pragmatic believes that if something works now, it will work again in the future. I need to consider this when I design my course materials. I need to make my classes as diverse as possible to meet the training needs of the participants. Everybody has had unique learning experiences in the past, and it’s important for me to consider those experiences throughout the design process. I would be ignorant to make a 2 week course 100% web-based. I have to be aware of the fact that not everybody in the class is comfortable with online training…probably because of a prior negative experience. How effective is my training going to be for that person if they have already formed an opinion of my course before it even starts? If I can create a course based on a blended learning solution, incorporating classroom, web-based, OJT, etc…into the program, then I am meeting the training needs of a broader audience, and not just the few people who enjoy online training.
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You say your instructional habits align with the pragmatic school, but in many ways the instruction you describe (drawing on students' prior experiences, knowing that students are unique learners and tailoring instruction) ring of constructivist principles as well, would you agree?
ReplyDeleteRe: interpretivism, I would suggest that this refers more to the idea that believe that knowledge is constructed and draws on our own viewpoints and positions in the world - one of those philosophical world views - as opposed to a value judgment (the way we tend to use the word "interpret"). This contrasts with a world view (positivism) that believes that knowledge is the search for "one right answer" that's external to ourselves. Does that make sense?