Group Member
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Commented on:
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Allison
Hillis (Interview, reflection)
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Group 1, Group 3
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Joe
DeGraaf (Introduction, analysis)
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Group 2
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Byron
Ballard (Implications)
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Group 1
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Casey
Schultz (Interview, table, post to blog)
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Group 1
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Introduction
The learning process is a part of
every learning experience. When accomplished successfully, learning flows more
smoothly and there is a greater ability to understand and develop as a learner.
When the learning process is halted or incomplete, learning can stagnate and
the experience may provide little of value to the learner. To better understand
the learning process in its practical application, we interviewed two current
educators in adult and higher education.
Ms. Sarah Aldridge is an
Instructional Design and Technology Consultant for the Division of Online and
Strategic Learning at Ball State University. In addition to assisting faculty
members with creating courses that promote successful learning by utilizing
technology both old and new, Ms. Aldridge teaches courses for Ball State both
online and in person. Ms. Aldridge has been teaching for eight years, beginning
at Central Michigan University and eventually moving on to Ball State
University.
Jenny Jones (pseudonym) is currently
an instructor at an in-state university. Throughout her career, she has taught
adults at various levels of education. She has facilitated short one-time
workshops, entry level college classes, as well as other undergraduate and
graduate courses. She has experience in providing traditional, face-to-face
courses in addition to online asynchronous opportunities.
When asked about her most memorable
teaching experience, Ms. Aldridge spoke of an introductory Communications
course that she taught on campus at Central Michigan University in 2011. She
described the diverse background of the students in the class and the bond that
they were able to create, despite the vast differences in their previous
experiences. In particular, she recalled a discussion on marginalization and
how groups can be muted through communication. She noted how the students took
ownership of the material, sharing their experiences to one another and
speaking from the heart (Aldridge, personal communication, October 19, 2017).
For this Communications course, Ms. Aldridge
noted the common bond that each of her students shared in being all first-time
freshmen (Aldridge, personal communication, October 19, 2017). This shared
experience, along with Ms. Adridge’s own honesty about being new to the
university and city, allowed the students to gain confidence and grow more
comfortable with their setting.
Ms. Jones also commented on the importance
of beginning a course in the right way in order to ensure the success of the
students. She compared her former experiences as an online educator with the
changes she has made today, arguing the importance of setting the student up
for success. She accomplishes this through a variety of means, not least of
which is the transition to new technologies. She explained that if learners
have to spend their time learning about how to use the technology, they
subsequently lose time in learning the content for the course. To accommodate
this need, Ms. Jones creates easy and recognizable buttons and labels as well
as helpful links to aid in navigation. She then keeps all of these items
consistent for the course. She also posts the syllabus, schedule, and course
calendar a week before classes begin in order to allow the students to interact
and grow familiar with their new setting (Jones, personal communication,
October 18, 2017).
Ms. Jones discussed the strengths of
courses that allow for individualization for each learner, utilizing discussion
questions to allow for learners to apply the knowledge to their own lives. She
mentioned that her best classes use small groups to allow students to respond
more appropriately to the information and have more engaging conversations. Ms.
Jones reflected on a course about human development that affects her teaching to
this day. The course taught the changes that happen physiologically as a person
ages and how these affect learning. How an individual is able to process or
physically react to information changes with age. With adult learning, she
explained, the learning process remains the same. However, the way in which an
educator presents and distributes materials impacts the effectiveness of the
experience based on the limitations of the learners. While facilitating online
trainings for a former job, Ms. Jones answered several questions for a student
taking a training on child abuse and neglect detection and prevention. While
the frequency of the questions was frustrating at the time, she later learned
that this particular student had been a victim of abuse in the past, making the
training particularly difficult for this student. This helped to remind Ms.
Jones that each learner, as they work through the more universal process of
learning, is an individual with their own backgrounds and needs (Jones, personal
communication, October 18, 2017).
In a similar vein, she discussed the
importance of reflection to each learner through the learning process.
Reflection, she explained, should be with someone who knows more about the
given topic, allowing the student to explore the content and think more deeply
about the material. This can be a good time to apply things on a personal level
and delve deeper into the importance of the information (Jones, personal
communication, October 18, 2017).
Analysis
Both Ms. Aldridge and Ms. Jones
demonstrated an understanding of the underlying learning process throughout
much of their conversations. According to MacKeracher (2004), a basic form of
the learning process can be defined in five parts. In this basic model, the
learner “Participates in experiences and activities resulting in the intake of
coded and uncoded information from internal and external sources as input to
learning” (MacKeracher, 2004, pg. 53). This experience transitions the learner
into assigning meaning to the experience and information, finding ways to
utilize these meanings, acting on the newly assigned meanings, receiving
feedback, and using that feedback to present new experiences (MacKeracher,
2004, pg. 53).
This learning process allows for the
learners to understand and make meaning out of their experiences, allowing them
to grow and develop. This definition of the learning process is similar to what
Criss (2008) describes as the Natural Learning Process (Criss, 2008, pg. 43).
In this natural process, the individual observes, forms a mental image,
imitates, acts through trial and error, and then practices the newly found
understanding (Criss, 2008, pg. 43).
Dr. David Kolb, one of the foundational
thinkers regarding the learning process, proposed similar concepts in his own
work. Kolb (1976) argues that “learning is conceived of as a four-stage cycle”
(Kolb, 1976, pg. 21). The first stage is defined as concrete experience, or
“being involved in the world” (Heery & Noon, 2008). The second stage is
termed reflective observation. During this stage, learners reflect on their
experiences. During abstract conceptualization, the learner draws conclusions
or assigns meaning, developing understandings based on their reflection (Heery
& Noon, 2008). The final stage is active experimentation, which is the
active engagements and testing of the learner’s newly assigned meanings and
understandings.
Using these theoretical frameworks as a
backdrop, we can analyze the experiences of Ms. Aldridge and Ms. Jones. The
first stage of the learning process can be generally described as engaging with
an experience. For Ms. Jones, this takes the form of assimilating to the
environment and finding comfort with the new setting. Each course is a new
experience for the learners, a new situation in which the learner must adapt
and grow. This allows for experiential learning, which can be defined as “learning
from primary experience” (Jarvis, 2004, pg. 101). Ms. Jones’s strategy of
providing easy to understand technology and creating a simple structure for the
course allows for an easier transition into the learning process (Jones, personal
communication, October 18, 2017). The disconfirming or destabilizing experience
described by Marilyn Taylor’s theory is made easier on the learner by reducing
their stress in entering a new experience (MacKeracher, 2004, pg. 64).
Ms. Aldridge also allowed for experience
at the center of this first stage. In her Communications course, the students
were able to share in the combined experience of being first time freshman.
This helped transition the students into the learning process by giving them a
common bond. However, she then had discussions that prompted the learners to
look to their own past experiences and make meaning of them. In discussing
marginalization and muted communication, the learners had to engage in their
own experiences and try to understand their meaning, transitioning into the
next stage of the learning process (Aldridge, personal communication, October
19, 2017).
As learners in Jones and Aldridge’s cases
continued through the learning process, they went through the second stage of
the learning process, which can be summarized as actively reflecting and making
meaning of one’s experiences. As Jarvis (1987) explains, in order for an
experience to become meaningful, “people have to think about it, reflect upon
it and, maybe, seek other opinions about it” (Jarvis, 1987, pg. 168). Criss (2008)
describes this as a form of “story memory, and it involves the ability to make
meaning of learning by finding patterns within life experiences” (Criss, 2008,
pg. 43).
Both educators utilized class discussions,
whether through in-class dialogue of online postings, to allow the learners to
add meaning to their experiences. Ms. Aldridge explained that she prefers a
constructivism approach to the learning process, allowing her students to
create their own meanings through discussions of shared learning. She demonstrated
her understanding of constructivism by explaining that “learning is most
productive in a social context” (Hord, 2009, pg. 41). She explained that in
order for learners to get the most of their education, it is important for the
educator to relinquish control of the classroom. This allows the learner to
engage not only with their own experiences, but also with the experiences of
their peers, deepening the learning (Aldridge, personal communication, October
19, 2017).
Similarly, Ms. Jones designs her classes
with class discussion at the core. Especially for online course, she explained,
giving adequate time and resources to encourage and facilitate this discussion
is necessary. This allows for the students to engage with the material
individually and then assign meaning based on the group’s dialogue. The learner
benefits from their own understanding as well as the understandings of their
peers (Jones, personal communication, October 18, 2017).
The third stage of the learning process,
active experimentation, is one area that our cases did not touch on as strongly.
Kolb (1976) defines this stage as involving oneself “fully, openly, and without
bias in new experiences” (Kolb, 1976, pg. 21). As such, both educators hinted
at the need for students to actively work with their newly assigned meanings
and understandings, but they were not referred to explicitly in their course
descriptions. Cox (2015) explains that one application of this stage could be
to plan a course of action, noting the importance of action in the learning
process (Cox, 2015, pg. 34). In this way, Ms. Jones allows for this stage by
setting specific goals and objectives for the students’ learning. As they move
through the learning process, Ms. Jones can assess whether they are achieving
these goals by testing their understandings through practice (Jones, personal
communication, October 18, 2017).
The final stage of the learning process,
reflection and feedback, was noted as one of the most important by Ms. Aldridge
and Ms. Jones (personal communications, October 18 and 19, 2017). They both
noted that reflection helps the learner identify what they have learned and to
gain deeper understanding into their experiences. In addition to student
reflection, their own reflections as educators, through the use of feedback
from students, allowed them to make critical changes to their teaching style.
These changes and reminders, such as that each learner is an individual with
individual needs and experiential history, allowed them to tailor learning
experiences into ones that allow the learning process to continue in its cycle
and promote further learning.
This understanding demonstrates the idea
that reflection is essential to learning, encouraging learners to explore their
experiences “in order to lead to a new understanding and, perhaps, a new
behavior” (Jarvis, 1987, pg. 168). Both educators noted the importance of
personal reflections on the part of the learner. Ms. Aldridge utilized this
information to incorporate journals into the reflection process, allowing the
learner to track the evolution of their thoughts over time (Aldridge, personal
communication, October 19, 2017). This form of self-directed learning, which
allows the student to learn about their own learning process, is vital to the
continuation of learning. Educators, such as Dr. Leslie Beach (1968), argue the
importance of self-directed learning in teaching a student not only the
material, but also how to learn that material (Beach, 1968, pg. 93). Reflection
through self-directed journaling allows the learner to better grapple with what
they have learned and subsequently have material to specifically discuss with
other learners, enhancing the experience twice over.
Both Ms. Aldridge and Ms. Jones
demonstrated that the learning process is a part of many forms of education. It
permeates the life of the learner and if aided by the facilitator can promote
lifelong learning as an individual and as a group. While each learning
situation and educational style may be different, many of the key components of
the learning process still fit into place. Those that are not as heavily
emphasized, such as the active experimentation by Ms. Jones and Ms. Aldridge,
can still be added to improve the overall learning process for each learner.
This could improve the overall experience for the learner and provide a better
basis for reflection.
Implications
The interviews and analysis show
that there are huge commonalities to achieving a cycle of learning process
which this paper expresses in four basic stages:
1. Engaging
with an experience
2. Actively
reflecting and making meaning of one’s experiences
3. Active
experimentation
4. Reflection
and feedback
Both
interviewed educators, possessing different educational experiences, found
academic success for their students. This happens despite the differences in
educational setting, student type, subject matter, and varied use of
educational theory. With these successes there are basic implications that
translate from their processes to actual use.
The first implication, developed
from the third stage is that effective educators must be deliberate in their
preparation for the class. This includes a thorough understanding and
development of course objectives. This includes being able to clearly explain
what will be learned and how it will take place.
The second implication, developed
from stages one and two, is that hindrances to learning must be considered and
either removed or limited. The educator must consider new processes the student
must engage as well as environmental concerns (facilities, power structures,
etc.) that might inhibit progress. Once considered, solutions must be developed
that will increase the possibility of learning. Some examples can include
improved clarification, introduction to a section, or finding common ground
among students.
The third implication, also
developed from stage one and two, is that open communication within the class
must be provided. This starts with the educator providing class information
(syllabus, calendars, etc.) early to students so there is clear anticipation of
the experience. Educators must also be honest with the class concerning the
universal value of information being taught. Basically, showing how this
information works for the educator as well as the student.
The fourth implication, developed
from stages two and four, is that effective learning is related to the
engagement of the learners. Students must be not only allowed to claim ownership
of their learning, but encouraged. Students should be able to participate and
contribute to the learning/discussion whenever possible.
The final implication, developed
from stage four is that educators must evaluate their own efforts based on
external and internal feedback. The educators must also be learners. This
includes taking seriously evaluations of others as well as recognizing areas
that could be reviewed. There are no perfect educators (even within our group),
so growth must be a priority to the effective educator.
Reflection
One of the unique pieces of this
assignment is that both of the adult educators interviewed are involved in both
online and classroom teaching. With both educators having shared teaching
setting experiences, it is interesting to note that they discussed the opposite
settings with Ms. Aldridge sharing of a classroom experience and Ms. Jones
sharing of an online experience. Even though they shared different experiences,
they had similar components to each other.
From them, we can learn that setting up the environment, whether online
or in the classroom, is an important start to the learning process. We also
learn that reflection is a critical component to the learning process.
Group Four divided the work amongst
the group. Each team member stuck to our originally divided roles of work.
Casey and Allison completed the interviews and transcribed responses. The group
maintained consistent communication through email, sharing drafts and offering
feedback. The consistent communication ensured clarity for all team members and
kept each member informed. Time with email was both a benefit and a challenge.
While members checked as often as they could and were able to share when they
had time to focus, there may have been times that email was slow for
communication. The team members stuck to the selected timelines, working toward
successful completion of the assignment. Clear, open communication and
timeliness is critical to developing group work, ensuring division of labor and
successful completion.
Table
1. Practice Analysis
References
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