Fitting the Pieces Together

Now that I have a deeper understanding of the different learning theories, I now believe my personal learning style closely aligns with the constructivist learning theory. In this theory, the learner constructs their own meaning of things learned and must discover basic principles for themselves. I find that for myself I need to be able to develop my own understanding of a particular topic. I learn better when I can place relevance on what I am learning. I’ve found that I construct knowledge based off of my experiences. The constructivist learner is influenced by their environment, culture and background, thus, by surrounding myself with people and places that induce learning, I am constantly motivated to learn more.

By learning about all the various learning theories, from cognitivism to social learning theory, I have been able to better understand how I can be successful in school or other learning situations. Each theory provides its own reasoning for why we learn the way we do. Often, our preferences (or perceived preferences) are not the best way for us to learn. For example, we may think we learn best by the methods set forth by behaviorism, but may come to find out that we are better suited to learn better by way on connectivism. I do, however, believe that we all can learn something from either of these theories. Behaviorism, for example, can be useful to everyone. We all have touched water that was too hot and have learned to be on the lookout for this. But, behaviorism is not the best method for learning for every situation. As we get older and begin to learn more complex concepts, our learning style evolves with us. And depending on the situation or the material being learned, we will adapt to the learning style that best suits us.

Technology plays such a huge role in my learning these days. With the internet now being a daily part of my life, I almost can not imagine life without it. But outside of the obvious technological advances of today, simple inventions such as flash cards are still an integral part of my learning. I try not to become too dependent on technology, though. I still try to calculate math problems with pen and paper, or find out more about a word in an actual dictionary or thesaurus. These are skills that we can not allow technology to take from us. With that being said, I still rely heavily on technology to assist with my learning. I am, after all, earning an advanced degree completely online. Technology brings the entire world right to my fingertips, almost literally. I can open my laptop and look at a satellite view of Bangkok, or find which Barnes & Noble bookstore has a particular book. Computer software allows me to sort information, create images, record video or audio. The possibilities are endless. Technology has become an integral part of my learning process.