Self Directed Learning

Every day, every week, every month, and every year we all participate in self-directed learning.   While making our way through life, the opportunity or necessity to learn something happens very often. Chapter 4 provides self-directed learning from several different perspectives.  In this post, I will discuss:

• The definition of Self Directed Learning
• The goals of Self Directed Learning
• Four Types of Self Directed Learning

Definition of Self Directed Learning

Knowles defines the SDL as the process in which adults take the initiative to diagnose their learning needs, formulate learning goals, identify learning resources, choose learning strategies and evaluate the learning process. (Merriam & Bierema, 2013)

View Self Directed Learning Defined

Goals of Self Directed Learning

Caffarella stated four goals likely to motivate learners to engage in SDL. They are: 

    

View Goals of Self Directed Learning

• Aspiration to gain knowledge or develop a new skill
• Become more self-directed in learning
• Inspire transformational learning
• Emancipatory that supports social justice and political action. This moves beyond the realm of individual learning. (Merriam & Bierema, 2013)

An example of this would be learning about adopting children. First you have the aspiration to learn about the adoption process. Secondly, you would take a class at the local social service that outlines all of the regulations and steps of the adoption process. This may lead you to interact with families that have adopted children. This interaction would lead you to some parents that tell you stories about the difficulties with the regulations of adoption that can lead to problems for families and children. You may then decide to find out more about these regulations and form a group to encourage social services and politicians to review these regulations.

Four types of Self Directed Learning Projects

“Clardy interviewed 56 adult works and identified four types of SDL projects: induced, synergistic, voluntary, and scanning” (Merriam & Bierema, 2013). 

View Four Types of Self Directed Learning

Self Directed Learning is a subject that has been and will be continued to be researched and written about. The increased online learning opportunities that continue to blossom will lead to more self directed learning.  Learning in a formal, brick and mortar, teacher oriented setting is becoming a thing of the past.

References

Merriam, S., & Bierema, L. (2013). Adult learning: linking theory and practice. United States: John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Test Yourself..... You may be Surprised!

As I was reading the scenarios in the beginning of the chapter I thought I knew exactly what kind of teacher I would be. I was sure I would be a teacher like the instructors in Scenario 2 & Scenario 3. I felt sorry for the students in the first 2 scenarios. Those teachers did not take anything about their students into account. They were teaching them in a very instructor-centered environment.  I felt confident that I would never teach like that until I encountered Conti's Principles of Adult Learning Scale.  This "test" helps to assess if your teaching style is more teacher-centered or more learner centered. I took the assessment and I was so surprised. You can view my assessment:
My PALS Learning Assessment.
I could not believe my teaching style was Teacher Centered. It was all the way to that end of the scale but I would have never thought that I would be Teacher Centered in any area.  The area that I was the most "teacher centered" was in Personalizing Instruction.  This lets me know what area I need the most improvement.  In order to do this I think I need to really focus on the life experience and self concept of my learners. This will help me individualize learning and help me to personalize instruction.
Here it the assessment I used. 
Try the Principles of Adult Learning Scale (PALS)
There are also self scoring versions that can be found on web but I preferred the written version. It allowed me to really consider each question while completing and while scoring the assesment.

References

Colorado State University. (n.d.). Principals of Adult Learning Scale (PALS). Retrieved 31 January 2015, from https://www.google.com/url?sa=t

Merriam, S., & Bierema, L. (2013). Adult Learning: Linking Theory and Practice. United States: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
VT Pioneers in Education. (n.d.). Retrieved 31 January 2015, from http://vtpioneersineducation.org/instruction

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Andragogy - how to value the true potential of your adult learner

What is Andragogy

Andragogy is "the art or science of teaching adults" (see http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/andragogy), as opposed to pedagogy which is described as "the art and science of teaching children" (Knowles, 1973, p. 42-43). Andragogy tries to explain the motivation of adult learners, and the need to approach adults differently than we approach children.

As opposed to the pedagogical model which emphasizes content, the andragogical model emphasizes processes.  Its foundation lays on top of six main assumptions as described below

The Six Assumptions about Adult Learners 

http://secondgrade211.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/0/9/12096453/9729044_orig.jpg
[through google search]

1. The learner's self-concept. An adult learner is usually more independent and self directing compared to a child, or even to a young adult. This calls for teaching strategies where student has to be treated as an adult and hence as equal to the instructor, a partner. The student needs to be considered as capable of taking responsibility and ownership of his/her own education. A mutual respect and trust is essential in adult learning. Therefore the instructor facilitates learning, rather than dominates it. The instructor will value the true potential of the adult learner.
2. The life experience of the learner is an integral part of his/her identity, and a great resource that should be employed in the act of learning.  The instructor will value and include the learner's life experience as a way to initiate the learner interest and get him/her involved in the act of learning.
3. The readiness to learn is another important aspect of adult learners. Being independent, the adults get to choose their own path and hence they usually have an interest in taking a particular course. When they take a course, they are usually ready for it. The reason may be motivated by a career/job-related interests, or personal interests (to satisfy their curiosity, or their ego, etc.).
4. The adult learners are usually more problem-centered than a younger learner, and they usually seek immediate applications of what they are about to learn. 
5. Internal motivation is stronger to adult learners than the external ones. "Increased  job satisfaction,..., enhanced self esteem, improved quality of life, and personal fulfillment" (Merriam, 2014, p. 54) are great motivators for adult learners.
6. As adults, and hence more independent persons, these learners need to know why a topic is relevant for them. They need to know where and how will they apply the concepts they are about to learn.

An Open Question

There is a lot of debate about "whether andragogy is a theory, a philosophy, a teaching description, a scientific discipline,..., or a strategy to help adults learn" (Merriam, 2014, p. 56, italics not in the original text). Although it provides a very valuable insight into adult learning, there is still a lot of debate about many of the assumptions mentioned above, and there are many divergent opinions about the conceptual framework provided by andragogy. 

References

Knowles, M. S. (1973). The adult learner: a neglected species: Houston: Gulf.

Merriam, S. B. and Bierema, L. L. (2014). Adult learning: linking theory and practice. San Francisco, CA: Josssey-Bass.

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary,  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/andragogy,  retrieved Jan 28th, 2015

Regarding the blog post: "Chapter 2: Reflections on Personal Learning Theory Preferences" by Jessica

I absolutely agree with the author's view regarding the use of Behaviorism and Constructivism in adult learning. Especially in technical fields such as Computer Science, or Mathematics, I believe we usually start with teaching and learning strategies that are based on Behaviorism. Then, as we progress towards senior years (and graduate level courses) most of the courses are taught using Constructivism models for teaching and learning.

Below I will focus my blog post around the same sections as the author did in her post:

Behaviorism

Besides many courses taken as a high-school and/or undergraduate student (whether an adult or not), I would add that many (if not most) adults are using Behaviorism when they get evaluated in order to get a promotion, or a pay raise. Usually employers (especially for larger companies) have a list of outcomes that is being used to evaluate the progress of an employee. At many research institutions, a faculty member needs to publish a certain amount of research articles in a given list of "good" journals. Usually these strategies used for promotion overlook the process of learning itself, and the syntagm  "publish or perish" is, in my opinion, a relevant example.

Constructivism

Since Constructivism implies that "learning is creating meaning from experience" (Merriam, 2014, p. 36), it is appropriate to be used in places where experience has an active role in the process of learning something new. 

I believe that constructivism should be used in courses at all levels (freshmen to seniors). A relevant such strategy that is becoming more and more popular nowadays is the Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL). According to the official POGIL website [https://pogil.org/, retrieved on Jan 25th, 2015]  "POGIL uses guided inquiry - a learning cycle of exploration, concept invention and application - as the basis for many of the carefully designed materials that students use to guide them to construct new knowledge. "

References

Merriam, S. B., & Bierema, L. L. (2014). Adult learning: Linking theory and practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Entitled? Empowered? Confident?

As an educator today, I know it must be difficult to deal with some students.  Many students arrive in the classroom with a sense of entitlement. They believe that the teacher owes them something just for showing up.  Many students believe just participation warrants them a certain grade. They do not believe that deadlines apply to them and they treat the teacher as their employee. Some even believe that they pay the teacher’s salary.

As a parent, I have said more than once that I want my daughter to be confident and empowered.  Even though these are positive traits to instill in children, they can lead to entitlement if not properly learned.

Where does entitlement come from? 

From Entitled to Empowered: Building Four Virtues in Students to Combat Entitlement in the Classroom

This article gives some possible reasons for the increasing sense entitlement. Elmore believes that a sense of entitlement stems from a variety of factors:

·       Parental thought that the more you give your kids the better you are

·       Ribbon, trophies and excess praise that give reward for average or minimal effort

·       The me-centered platform that is built by social media sites – 24/7

·       The message given by the media and society that if you are dissatisfied you deserve more

·       The celebrity culture that has exposed kids to the Hollywood lifestyle and poor behavior (Elmore, 2014)

Elmore also gives some ingredients that can help students emerge from a classroom or home without this sense of entitlement.  He describes it as a “recipe” for healthy students:

·       Patience

·       Gratitude

·       Responsibility

·       Humility  (Elmore, 2014)

How has the sense of entitlement changed?

The American Freshman Survey has been completed by nine million young people since 1966. The number of students that describe themselves as above average has risen dramatically over the past four decades.  It appears that has been a dramatic decrease in the amount of students that study six or more hours each week. (Kremer, 2013)

When does the sense of entitlement start to form?

Losing is Good for You

In my opinion this starts very early in a child’s development.  I think that children need to learn that there are some that do better than others and that there are winners and losers.  When I was a child, there were ribbons for participation but the winners receive trophies. This gave me the incentive to work harder to receive a trophy during the next competition. The next article discusses how losing is good for children. It explains how the practice of kids getting a trophy, win or lose, sets a path for sense of entitlement. 

Jennifer Heuer, Photographs courtesy of CSA Images/Getty Images

Do they think they are entitled?

I found an interesting quiz that supposedly lets a person see if they have an inflated since of entitlement. Visit this website to see this quiz.  Are you Entitled?. 

I realize that everyone may not agree with my views on this. I have one daughter and the first thing people say when I tell them is, “Oh, she’s an only child”.  This stigma that people have labeled for only children is what has led me to the opinions that I have about entitlement in children and students.  I strive to instill confidence in my child and at the same time not give her a sense of entitlement.  

References
Elmore, T. (2014, April 21). From entitled to empowered: Building four virtues in students to combat entitlement in the classroom. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tim-elmore/from-entitled-to-empowere_b_4804516.html
Kremer, W. (2013, January 3). BBC News - Does confidence really breed success? Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-20756247
Merryman, A. (2014, September 24). Losing is good for you. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/25/opinion/losing-is-good-for-you.html?_r=0
Yarrow, K. (2010, June 18). Quiz! Are you entitled? Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-why-behind-the-buy/201006/quiz-are-you-entitled

Behaviorism and Student Entitlement

Our topic this week, Traditional Learning Theories, provides an explanation of how learning occurs.  As I read each theory, I found myself applying the theory to the classroom learning enviornment.  Maybe because I have spent the majority of my life in a formal educational setting either as a student or instructor.  But whether you are a student or instructor, the gain of knowledge and its application is the goal for both parties.  Therefore, as a community college instructor and adult learner, having an understanding of how one learns is essential for success in the classroom, workforce, and individual growth. This formal learning enviornment requires the student and instructor to work congruently with each other in order for "true" learning to take place.  However, as I gained an understanding of each learning theory I began to question if Behaviorism was the root of entitlement attitudes seen in many classrooms today.

Behaviorism 

The Behaviorism learning theory is founded in Pavlov's dog experiment and Skinner's operant conditioning which emphasizes that learning is a change in behavior as the result of external stimuli being rewarded or removed.  For Behaviorists, learning takes place by controlling specific stimuli in the enviornment to elicit a desired observable behavior change.  Let's apply this to education.  Students are rewarded with good grades, for desirable demonstration of knowledge, skills, or behaviors but demeits or bad grades for undersirable demonstration of knowledge, skills, or behaviors.  This learning theory is inherent in adult learning and vocational education as specific learning objectives and skills are identified and then measured by competent demonstration (Merriam & Bierema, 2014).  The student learns that a desired outcome will receive reward and approval while an undesired outcome will receive negative reinforcement.  Controlling the external enviornment also provides feedback to the student as to how to modify the behavior to receive the desired outcome.  From the student perspective success is defined by good grades and the student desires that their acceptable behaviors be postively reinforced.  Additionally, the desire for approval and reward should motivate students to demonstrate the desired behavior.  But is that always the case?

Entitlement

Entitlement is the fact of having a right to something or the belief that one is inherently deserving of reward or privileges.  Students who present with this attitude expect the desired outcome of good grades but are not willing to put forth the necessary work to attain the good grade.  They expect the instructor to provide lecture notes, study guides, and even receive credit for participation instead of the student taking the responsibility to ask questions, take notes, and study themselves.  Therefore, the student continues to desire positive reward but without the motivation to actually do what is necessary to earn the reward.  Entitled students expect the instructor to modify their expectations to suit them. 

https://pamelasthoughts.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/grades-cartoon2.jpg

 Conclusion

While Skinner's operant conditioning theory explains how desired behaviors and internal motivation are created through positive rewards, the consistent application over time may acutally create a sense of entitlement among students.  The consistent control of the external enviornment through rewards could have possibly created an attitude in which the desired outcome is perceived as expected not earned.  Having an understanding of how one learns and has learned is imperative for congruency between the student and instructor and ultimately success.

References:
Merriam, S.B. and Bierema, L.L. (2014). Adult learning: linking theory and practice. San Francisco, CA: Josssey-Bass.

Behaviorism, Humanism, and Free Will Pondering...

Behaviorism and Humanism

In reflecting on this section of learning theories, I am reminded that there are many truths. Specifically, I see that each theory holds a “piece to the puzzle” of how humans learn, and I could not imagine discounting any one of them. However, of all of the learning theories presented in this segment, I most connect to behaviorism and humanism and I think it is because of the stage I am in within my own studies as a counseling student. I have been a student of psychology for many years and yet only recently have I accepted the notion of behaviorism into my worldview. I think that this “school” of thought is often misunderstood due to the sometimes dry, and technical language used to describe the theory.  Additionally, I think that many misunderstand behaviorists to disregard, what is called “private events.” Private events are internal experiences that cannot be studied because they are subjective and not able to be observed. It is not that they don’t acknowledge these events, they just argue that it is hard to get reliable information from these subjective experiences. I would agree, though the humanist in me is very curious about a person’s subjective experience – it might seem like a bit of a paradox, but I think both are true. I don’t think that I am a pure behaviorist, nor am I a pure humanist. I do think that we are conditioned by our environment and learn through reward and reinforcements and I think that our subjective experience can be helpful for one to explore and try and make meaning of.

http://behaviourblog.blogspot.com/2014/01/keep-calm-heres-todays.html

Free Will 

Now, an aspect of humanistic thought that I find myself having difficulty with is the notion free will. I am not sure I really understand or believe in this. Do I believe we have choice – yes. But I don’t know that we really have free will. The difficult thing for me about both behaviorism and humanism is that elements of the theories can be difficult to grasp and seem a bit heady.  In my search to try and find something fun and engaging on free will, I failed. However, I did find this short and enigmatic video of Skinner speaking to free will. What do you think about the video? Did you find yourself having a difficult time following (like I did)?

Free Will Video - Skinner

Chapter 2: Reflections on Personal Learning Theory Preferences

Reading chapter 2 made me think about which learning theory applies best to my experiences. While it can be beneficial to know the driving forces behind how we are taught, until challenged with this question I would venture to say that this is not something most of us have ever considered with any real intentions. I identify the most with the behavioral and constructivist approaches to learning with the former influencing my early learning and the latter influencing my Masters programs and my own approach to teaching.

Behaviorist

I would dare to say that most everyone in this course was educated through high school (and perhaps through their undergraduate education) with behaviorism driving their learning. We were “rewarded” with grades for our performances and “reinforced” with positive comments from teachers as we worked to achieve stated outcomes. Principles of behaviorism are still alive and well in the adult learning arena – especially in the natural sciences. In particular, the nursing field which values evidence-based practice, is a prime example of the behaviorist perspective. Like the text mentioned, a drawback to this approach is that what each individual brings to the learning process is overlooked. Can you think of a course you've taken that was built around behaviorism learning theory?

Constructivist

In the Masters programs I completed as an adult, constructivist approaches to learning were mostly used. Where behaviorist approaches focused on the same learning outcomes for the entire class, a constructivist approach assumes that each learner while still achieving those same learning outcomes will come at them differently based on their own experiences and interpretations. There’s a focus on experiential learning and reflective practice – two components I believe lead to transformative learning.

Self-Assessment Resource

The Activities and Resources section of chapter 2 provided a link for Zinn’s Philosophy of Adult Education Inventory (PAEI) which didn’t resolve for me. A quick Google search led me to a book called “Adult Learning Methods” which contained the PAEI self-assessment. I took this inventory to see if my results were aligned with the learning theories I thought I identified with as I read the chapter. Surprisingly, when I totaled my responses my highest score (71) pointed to a preference for the Humanist leaning theory followed by Behaviorist with 69 points. I was surprised with these results – as I read the chapter I had figured that the Humanist learning theory sounded least like me. I went back to reread the section and found that the student-centered approach to learning resonated with me. After some additional reflection, I can see components of each of the theories present in my teaching and in my learning which I don't think is a bad thing. I encourage you all to take the assessment and see if your results are in line with the theory you self-identified with after reading the chapter.

Merriam, S. B., & Bierema, L. L. (2014). Adult learning: Linking theory and practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Sharma, P. L. (2006). Adult Learning Methods. Sarup & Sons. Available from https://books.google.com/books?id=hhZlAywdX8oC&pg=PA45&dq=PAEI+self+scoring+appendix&hl=en&sa=X&ei=HLG6VOPONYLngwTEi4GoDg&ved=0CB8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=PAEI%20self%20scoring%20appendix&f=false pp. 50-60.