Inside the Psychologist's Studio with Albert Bandura

Social-Cognitive Theories of Learning

Introduction to Learning Theories

This should be on a bumper sticker!

From page 5 of the book "Adult Learning, Linking Theory and Practice" comes a very interesting quote from a publication "Powerful learning: What we know about teaching for understanding"

Students need to be prepared as self-directed, lifelong learners "for jobs that do not yet exist, to use technologies that have not yet been invented, and to solve problems that we don't even know are problems yet" (Darling-Hammond et al., 2008, p.2)

And yet, when I really think about it and look back on my career, I had no idea when I graduated from SAIT, that I be using a computer on a daily basis (or even carrying one in my pocket!). Or that we would be globally connected via this electronic infrastructure called the internet, allowing us to connect and communicate around the world......

Interesting Thoughts

I've started reading "Adult Learning, Linking Theory & Practice" by Sharan B. Meriam & Laura L. Bierema.

I haven't yet made it past page 5 and there are some passages that I find very interesting.....

Preface, page viii
"One of the assumptions of andragogy is that because adults are self-directing in their work, family, and community lives, they can also be self-directing in their learning"

Hmmmm, In my classes so far, I have seen the self directed learners, and I have also seen a fair percentage (I would guess at least a third of the class) that wait for the direction of the instructional staff.

That's not to say that they lack the ability, but I wonder if our K-12 structure here in Alberta has conditioned the students to follow the direction of the instructors, rather than take it upon themselves.

Definitely something to debate over coffee.....

Trends

A fellow instructor here in the Electrical Department is trying new techniques with his students whereby he assigns topics to small groups to research and then present to the rest of the class. While only tried in one class, he commented that the students were quite receptive to learning for each of the small groups. Again it occurs to me that this is another use of peer learning within the classroom.

And there may also be a side benefit of peer pressure, providing the students with additional incentive to give a good presentation in front of their fellow students.

Additionally, I can see that this sharing of the students is a peer learning technique that I want to utilize whenever possible in my lab classes. Providing 2 benefits; 1) Confirmation for the sharing student that they understand the material, and 2) Assisting the learning student with another viewpoint or person whom they can learn from.

In theory classes, I've identified the strong students based on their results in the evaluations that I have. I'll check with them first to ensure they are comfortable with it and if so, then I'll mention to the class that if they are looking for some extra help, or an additional perspective, to go talk with these students who have a solid grasp on the theoretical concepts.

New Insights

In the past few classes, I have noticed how some of the stronger students (those who find the electrical material easier to learn or comprehend) step up and assist the students who are struggling in the labs.

I really hadn't paid much attention to it until I started researching "Peer Learning" for this module.

I see that these students were sharing what they have just learned with their counterparts, and in the process helped to strengthen their own understanding of the material while assisting their lab partners to further comprehend the new concepts. Additionally I saw that the students who were sharing their knowledge were describing it in terms that they understood and I believe that this benefited the other students because they were exposed to another viewpoint, or another way of looking at the material.

This goes back to what Glenn had mentioned, (I'm paraphrasing) "We teach the way we learn".

Another amusing moment occurred when I was reading the front page on the Peeragogy website. They quote "“Education is not an affair of ‘telling’ and being told, but an active and constructive process." (Dewey, 1916). The amusing moment came when I looked at the publication date..... It impresses me to see that so much learning is not recent, but really ongoing. 

As a relatively new instructor with 1 year under my belt, I have participated in discussions where the seasoned instructors would caution against becoming a "Sage on the Stage". In my opinion, not having much history allows me to continue to develop my teaching style and philosophy. Resulting in (I hope) an easier acceptance of teaching methods such as Peer Learning.

References:

1.  Dewey,J (1916), 'Democracy and Education'