As I have progressed through the course, I keep thinking each theory is imperfect. It is either missing pieces, I disagree with aspects, or it doesn’t fit my particular situation.
I also have differing views depending on what role I will be playing. As a full-time teacher, I have pedagogical experience and prefer certain theories whereas as an instructional design student, my andragogical experiences lead me to different beliefs.
I will do my best to explain my beliefs in full and base it mainly on my instructional design beliefs because that is where my career path is headed.
In instructional design, I would like to focus on constructivist learning goals as they see it is a “life-long process” (Brown et al., 1989, p.33) (Driscoll, 2005). Their focus on higher order thinking goals and necessity to seek meaning in learning are intriguing. Constructivism encourages a connection of the individual learner’s experience with the world by utilizing a realistic learning environment (Driscoll, 2005). Although I want to work on incorporating reflection into my own lessons, I feel that learner reflection upon their processes is essential. All of the things put in place with the constructivism theory provides an atmosphere for the learners to become self-directed. Having adult-learners, it is imperative that they can be self-directed and lack the necessity for hand-holding.
As an instructional designer I would like to accept a more Connectivism view when designing training due to a high volume of learning socially in a realistic learning environment and one that is made for the digital age. This gives the learner motivation and a strong connection to real-world applications. Connectivism adopted many cognitive information processing beliefs though as well. Both George Siemens and Stephen Downes appealed to my love of technology in a learning theory. The possibility to create learning environments outside of the formal education norms as a major learning mode and the use of technology integration in lessons are all points that led me to this theory.
In conclusion, I am a “mutt” when it comes to my personal learning theory. I believe learners should be engaged and involved in their own learning, but at the same time the learning should be directly relevant to their job functions in a realistic environment as to keep that motivation. As evident in my deliverables, learner engagement and organization of the lessons are aspects that I focus upon. My deliverables are engaging and encourage collaboration amongst peers which I feel matches the previously listed theories.