What does it mean to learn? Is it the reception and storage of knowledge and information, or does learning encompass more than instruction and learning often exemplified in traditional classrooms?
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Learning science
The theory
Learning scientist Roger Schank has been a big proponent of the learn-by-doing approach to instruction. This theory proposes that learning is best achieved in the context of doing real, relevant tasks that matter. Learners don't have issues with transfer because they are exposed to problems in authentic environments. Learners who are learning by doing don't have troubles answering the question, "when or how can I use this knowledge?" Understanding the significance of the skill or knowledge learners are trying to acquire is evident in the context of the task they are attempting to perform. Here's more on the subject.
Do something you care about
This outstanding video by a YouTube vlogger Cheers, Kevin addresses the question of how one can learn to code. Like many technical skills, developing proficiency in any coding language is hard. In the video below, Kevin does an admiral job of providing recommendations to people interested in learning to code. His advice is pretty relevant for most skills. Do you have a hard skill you're interested in developing? Kevin's advice for learning the skill is spot on. Start with identifying something you are intensely interested in.
Greg Gage: How to control someone else's arm with your brain
Is it possible to control someone else's movements with your brain? It is with a DIY neuroscience kit from Backyard Brains -- a company Greg Gage started to make neuroscience equipment more accessible for interested students. Here's a chance to see how this equipment works:
A TEDx talk worth listening to
Raj Dhingra gave this presentation at TEDxBend in 2012. Dhingra talks about the fact that although the potential availability of technology in the learning environment has exploded, many instructors are primarily using old world techniques of instructionism. This outdated technique where the instructor stands on the stage – the sage of the stage rather than the guy on the side – should be replaced with blended learning techniques. Dhingra is also a proponent of increasing access to technology using innovative methods.
Learning how we learn
I'm not a big fan of TV. In fact, I haven't ever paid for cable nor have I ever had a TV in my house connected to anything other than a BluRay player and the internet. With that said, there are endless outstanding documentaries and science-based shows one can access through platforms like Netflix that I enjoy watching on occasion. One such program is Brain Games produced by National Geographic. The show uses creative experiences to highlight how our brain interfaces with and processes information from our environments.
Brian Games
Here is a full episode of Brain Games on language. Watch this episode to get a taste of what the show is like. Maybe you'll get hooked. For those in the instructional design space, understanding how humans process information is critical to designing high-quality instruction.
Data literacy is increasingly important
Tracking, gathering, and storing data has become easier; buzz words like "big data" have been around for a few years and areas where data analytics are of value continue to be seen in the marketplace. From providing insights on what the public at large is searching for on Google to predicting how people like their coffee, data has exponentially growing use in the world. Charles Duhigg's The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business nicely illustrated how Target, for example, has generated a ton of sales by smartly targeting customers with customized ads. Target does this by applying data algorithms to massive amounts of consumer behavior data to discover consumer patters – both intuitive and non-intuitive. (Click here to learn more about how Target was able to figure out that a teen girl was pregnant before her father did).
Wearable technologies are a growing source for data curation and provide opportunities for learning
Dr. Victor Lee of Utah State University has been conducting research on how elementary school-aged kids have been advancing their data knowledge through wearing and gathering personal activity data from wearable technologies. Dr. Lee recently presented some of his research at USU. He pointed out the potential benefits and learning opportunities young science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) students could be exposed to through interacting with these new devices.
A number of points stood out to me from Dr. Lee's presentation
- The current approaches for teaching data in STEM are insufficient
- Working with data is challenging – it requires specific tools
- We have the opportunity to do better at teaching STEM with emerging wearable technologies
- One young student who had access to wearable technology in her class self directed research on whether a Fitbit was more accurate than an iPhone app. She concluded that the FItbit was more accurate at tracking physical activity.
- Elementary students discovered that adult resting heart rate increases as adults age by conducting their own research and monitoring various teachers' heart rates
Using Health Tracking Devices to Improve Data Literacy
If you've got a few minutes, take some time to watch Dr. Lee's presentation to learn more about his research.
The 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is scheduled for January 6 - 9
Very much related to the field of wearable technologies, the annual Consumer Electronics Show starts tomorrow through Friday, January 6 through 9. There will no doubt be a lot of wearable technology with data tracking abilities displayed for the first time at this international show. I'll be watching what comes out and highlight a few technologies of note right here on Instructional Technology this time next week.
Cathedral of Learning, Commons Room, University of Pittsburg. Photo by Brian Donovan. (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Scientist have know for some time that exercise can affect one's brain in positive ways. Trends in Neuroscience reports that "exercise increases synaptic plasticity by directly affecting synaptic structure and potentiating synaptic strength, and by strengthening the underlying systems that support plasticity including neurogenesis, metabolism and vascular function."
A study released today by Pediatrics, a medical journal, documents cases of ADHD children improving their attention span as a result of exercising. Here's the study. This article in The Atlantic has an excellent electrophysiological graph of brains with and without exercise.
The New York Times reported on several findings that highlight the benefit of exercising in enhancing information recall from our memory.
What does all this mean for instructional technologists? It's certainly beneficial to keep in mind the positive effects of exercise on learners' abilities. Suggestive breaks and exercise recommendations might be warranted in materials that are lengthy and challenging.
Photo credit: Thomas Favre-Bulle. Creative Commons 2.0.
There's a good chance you have heard about the instruction technique of flipping the classroom. The Salt Lake Tribune's Education Reporter Lisa Schencker published this article on one Utah middle school math teacher who flipped her classroom and saw improvements in her students' learning.
In traditional classroom instruction, an instructor will teach students material; students will then be given homework where they can practice what they learned in class. I find a lot of problems tend to arise with the approach to teaching, especially in skill-based subjects like math, computer programing, and software tool courses. Students get home, begin working on their homework, get stumped on problems that an instructor could help them with and get frustrated.
When a skill-based course is flipped, students learn at their own pace at home through books, instructional videos along with other tools, and then they get to practice their knowledge in a classroom setting where help is just a hand-raise away. This flipping-the-classroom approach also tends to allow instructors to get more meaningful one-on-one time with each student.
Photo credit: "classroom" by Esparta Palma is licensed under CC BY 2.0.