INFO 289 ePortfolio – Dr. Patricia Franks
SJSU School of Information / Fall 2015
Patricia Ayame Thomson
Competency K
Design instructional programs based on learning principles and theories
Introduction
In librarianship, information professionals have always taught information literacy and provided instruction in a myriad of ways. Some opportunities for teaching range from showing patrons how to use the library’s online public access catalog and databases to explaining how to read a call number to find a physical book. In addition, information professionals provide computer instruction, as well as assist patrons with their resumes and job searches. Since a significant portion of the information professional’s job description involves teaching and instruction, it is important for us to become familiar with the various learning theories and techniques to make the interactions with the patrons effective and successful.
Skilled and effective instructors mix and match various learning theories depending on the learner and use the technique most appropriate for the situation. As a result, it is imperative for information professionals to have a fundamental understanding of the evolution and characteristics of the various learning theories. Understanding how the psychology of learning theories evolved provides a framework and perspective for information professionals. The fundamental learning theories are described below.
The Behaviorist Model
The discipline of psychology was just emerging and getting established in the late 1800s and it was breaking away from the parent field of philosophy in order to better understand human behavior. Setting the precedent, Charles Darwin (1859) linked a continuum between animals and humans, hence opening up the possibility of conducting experiments on animals to approximate human behavior. Since the field of psychology was still young at the time, the behaviorist model is one of the first and oldest theories.
The behaviorist model (also called behaviorism) basically links and associates the learner’s response to stimuli, like Pavlov’s dogs’ salivation reflex. The theory claims that “people interact with the world through a process of trial and error” (Grassian & Kalowitz, 2009, p. 29-30). As a result, the learner’s participation and active involvement is vital to the behaviorist learning theory. During the trial and error interactions, any behavior which is positively reinforced will be repeated in the future—thus learning having taken place.
Some of the characteristics of behaviorism include immediate feedback, positive reinforcement, active participation, task analysis, mastery learning, programmed instruction, modeling, and behavior modification. However, it was Skinner (1938) who did the most to expand the knowledge of behaviorism. Skinner emphasized that teaching should be different for each individual and he/she should be able to progress at their own rate of learning.
The Cognitive Model
The cognitive model was “developed as a response to the mechanistic or simplistic view of learning described by the behaviorists” (Grassian & Kalowitz, 2009, p. 30). The cognitive model focuses on thinking, interpreting, and organizing information in the learner’s mind. The model was heavily influenced by the Gestalt psychology’s studies. In the cognitive model, the learner looks for patterns in their worldview and attempts to interpret how things relate to one another in their environment.
The most notable cognitive model was introduced by Jean Piaget explaining that cognitive growth takes place in “terms of stages of development or maturation” (Grassian & Kalowitz, 2009, p. 31). Piaget’s model suggests that children go through stages of developmental phases at approximately around the same age—give or take a few years.
Piaget believed that the cognitive development moves in one direction from concrete to the abstract thinking. Furthermore, Piaget claimed that children learn from experiences and absorb rules from interactions with others and then builds a cognitive model about the situation to use in future situations.
However, when a child experiences a situation that they have never encountered in their worldview before, he/she will experience ambiguity. In order to deal with the child’s feelings of uncertainty and discomfort, he/she attempts to make sense of the new information by assimilating the situation into his/her worldview. The learner accommodates the new information by creating a new mental model that emerges from the mismatch of information. The new mental model will be used by the learner repeatedly until the next cognitive mismatch or disconnect occurs. “This continually recurring cycle between assimilation and accommodation accounts for the development of more complex modes of thinking” (Grassian & Kalowitz, 2009, p. 32).
The Constructivist Approach
In the 1960’s, the idea of the constructivist approach emerged from studies conducted on how children think and learn. The constructivist approach is a variation of the Piagetian theory and also adopts the concept of the various stages of development. However, “the constructivist theories stress experience over maturation as the impetus for moving through these stages” (Grassian & Kalowitz, 2009, p. 32).
Although both the Piagetian and constructivists incorporate the importance of the assimilation and accommodation process, the constructivists claim that learning can occur at any stage of the development and depends solely on the child’s opportunities and interactions with the environment. In the constructivist’s views, knowledge is not simply passed from the instructor to the learner but builds on previous experiences and is constructed in the learner’s mind.
Constructivists state that the learner is more likely to assimilate information when he/she is actively involved with an external artifact and if they have a personal interest in the information. The constructivists emphasize that it is important to incorporate diversity in learning approaches due to the fact that learners vary in the way they assimilate and build information in their minds.
The Humanist Model
Along with the cognitive model, the humanist model incorporates and examines the learner as a whole, including his/her feelings and emotions that affect the assimilation process. The humanist model is particularly concerned with discovering what motivates people to learn. Studies have shown that the learner assimilates information more rapidly and actively if he/she has a personal interest in the information presented.
Abraham Maslow developed what he called the hierarchy of needs to help explain human motivation including food, shelter, and sex (Grassian & Kalowitz, 2009, p. 36). Among many others levels, the humanists believe that the highest level of need is self-actualization. Along with more obvious affects like being hungry or ill, the idea that the learner’s feelings of love and self-esteem influence the learning process was new and quite revolutionary at the time.
Also contributing to the humanist model, Albert Bandura’s notable work focuses on how the learner feels about himself/herself, including self-worth and self-esteem, affect and influence his/her learning process. As a result, in order to provide the best learning environment, the humanists emphasize it is best practice to believe in the learner, provide the learner with opportunities to succeed, and treat the learner with respect.
Finally, humanists are primarily interested in the learner’s reflection of their own emotional process associated with their learning experience. In order to better understand other learners’ cognitive process, humanists encourage the learners and instructors to gain awareness and insight while experiencing the learning process. “To the humanist, the more we understand about our own learning preferences, the better we can frame our learning experiences and increase our possibilities for success” (Grassian & Kalowitz, 2009, p. 37).
After reviewing the learning theories above, I recognize the importance of being able to comprehend and apply the theories in our profession. In addition, it is important to mention that the best instructors mix and match the various approaches to fit the individual needs of the learner and his/her learning style.
Three Artifacts Presented as Evidence for Competency K
I respectfully present three artifacts as evidence for my competency of Competency K.
First Artifact
Competency K – LIBR 285 – Research Methods in Library and Information Science
The first artifact presented is from LIBR 285, “Research Methods in Library and Information Science” for the San José State University’s, MLIS program. As evidences for Competency K, all three artifacts presented, including this one revolves around the same assignment. During the course, Dr. Somerville instructed us to develop and write a participatory action research proposal. The first artifact presented is the outline I created for the action research proposal.
For the hypothetical action research proposal, I decided to create a collaborative project between the North Carolina Public Library Association (NCL), the Lake Park Public Library, and the Carolina Chapter of REFORMA. The primary reason for this participatory action research is to enhance learning for the rapidly growing Spanish-speaking population in the community of Lake Park.
Writing the outline helped me become aware of the various sections required to complete the long-term assignment. In addition, writing descriptions for each section in the outline gave me a better idea about the overall project and helped me formulate the goals of the action research proposal.
If I ever have to write an action research proposal in the future, it is best practice to create an outline in order to examine the specific needs of the targeted demographic group and concisely describe the various sections for clarity of purpose.
Second Artifact
Competency K – 285 – Research Methods in Library and Information Science
The second artifact presented is also from LIBR 285, “Research Methods in Library and Information Science” for the San José State University’s, MLIS program. This artifact presented is the action research proposal in its entirety from the same assignment mentioned in the first artifact above.
The participatory action research assignment is divided into the following sections: abstract, introduction, background, literature review, purpose of the study, methodology, study participants, data collection, and data analysis. Dr. Somerville instructed us to complete one section each week.
Developing the participatory action research was very challenging due to the fact that I did not look at any other students’ example and developed the proposal cognitively from scratch. The close contact I had with Dr. Somerville almost on a daily basis was intentional on the part of the humanistic instructor, since the participatory action research invites collaboration and encourages iterative revisions. The experience of developing a participatory action research proposal with hands-on help from my kind, intelligent, and supportive instructor was extremely rewarding.
Third Artifact
Competency K – 285 – Research Methods in Library and Information Science
The third artifact presented is from LIBR 285, “Research Methods in Library and Information Science” for the San José State University’s, MLIS program. Although this artifact also relates to the two assignments presented above, this essay is not a part of the action research proposal. This was a separate assignment called the “Action Research Reflection Essay.” Dr. Somerville instructed us to reflect and write about our experience developing the action research proposal.
One important aspect underlying the participatory action research is that the instructor learns and grows just as much as the learner about the learning process, as well as themselves through self-reflection. This self-reflection essay expresses my cultural misperceptions about missing the main point about the participatory action research process. In the beginning, my Japanese roots and cultural background promoting self-efficacy combined with apprehension to ask for help prevented me from accepting the instructor’s invitation for assistance with revisions and rewrites, even though the process is a significant part of the participatory action research.
The reflection essay continues to explain that once I understood that participation was the whole point of the action research, I learned a variety of things through my frequent online interactions with Dr. Somerville. I believe taking this course had a personal and deep impact on my life and thinking in a very positive way. Finally, I believe I can say I experienced higher order thinking based on the time, energy, and mental effort I expended on the participatory action research proposal throughout the semester.
Conclusion: Applying Mix and Match Learning Theories for Learners
Just as it is important for information professionals to learn the fundamental learning theories, it is important to know how to apply the techniques depending on the individual learner. Along with possessing a knowledge of the underlying learning theories, it is imperative to understand that every learner has a different learning style. The established learning styles are: linguistic, logical/mathematical, special, musical, body/kinesthetic, naturalistic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal learners.
Since the learning theories are between behaviorist, cognitive, constructivist, and humanist models, the number of the fundamental theories is small and manageable enough to apply to individual learners that I will encounter as an information professional. In the future, I believe it is important to keep these learning theories in the back of my mind and apply mix and match theories to suit the learning style of the learner.
References:
Grassian, E. S. and Kaplowitz, J. R. (2009). Information Literacy Instruction: Theory and Practice. 2nd Ed. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.
References
Grassian and Kalowitz