"What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the human soul."(Joseph Addison)
Application of Learning Theories
This course was based primarily on different online discussions and in the completion of a few thought papers and a culminating group project. It was one of two first classes of the program, and I found the transition to be difficult. Not only was it hard to balance my working life with my school life, but I found it more challenging to write and express myself than I had during my undergrad experience. As well as this, all of the theories that were being discussed were relatively new to me, so I had less of a contextual understanding and fewer points of reference to compare the theories to. The reflection papers that I have included below show the gradual increase in comfort and confidence as I discuss and analyze different educational theories - behaviourism, neuroscience, and constructivism. Through these papers, and the application of theory to practice, I was able to start to more closely consider my own teaching methods and practice.
My own contribution to this collaborative project was unfortunately limited since I worked to make an informational video, spliced together from other videos, that was removed for copyright infringement. Navigating new rules around technology can be complex and unforgiving.
The lessons:
Going back to school is sometimes difficult in the same way that exploring new places can be challenging. One has to become accustomed to the expectations, the practice and the social landscape of the experience. I certainly appreciated the discussions that occurred around different educational theories and any resulting applications that could be made. Meeting other seasoned travelers aided me in my own journey and reinforced the ethos of collaboration and community in our online explorations. In this course, I was also exposed to my new-found love of neuroscience, and it's relevance and application to education and my own teaching practice. I also learned the hard and difficult lesson that you shouldn't splice other people's videos together, even if it's for educational purposes. This, undoubtedly, will help me to guide my own students in the creation of their own online content and projects.