Personal Theory of Learning

I had the opportunity to reflect back on what I learned this past six weeks. I felt comfortable with adult learning theory but did focus in on strategies to enhance learning. I had the opportunity to clearly understand the learning process and ways to helped students to understand how the brain receives, organizes, and retrieves information. The information model on how the brain works was quite interesting to me and Dr. Wolfe's did a wonderful job in presenting the information. The process starts out with reducing environmental stimuli; the information is process by senses, information transformed and coded in short-term memory, and then long-term memory. The long-term memory for the student poses a problem retrieving the information but “education involves assessing how a learner attends to, processes, and stores the information that is presented as well as finding ways to encourage the retention and retrieval process” (Bastable, 2008, p. 62). I learned information can be loss in the short-term and in order for information to move to long-term I need to assess the student and understand diverse ways to facilitate the learning process. By paying attention to the environment stimuli the student may process the information and become less distracted on what needs to be learned. This course focuses on all learning theories separately and I had to identify technology tools, and instructional strategies to support learning in the classroom. Dr. Orey’s lecture was meaningful to me as he discuss each theory and helped in providing instructional examples to facilitate learning in all theories. I have two long-term goals that came out this past week. First, I would like to increase my comfort level in the voice thread tool. This could help me with my weaker students in understanding the content. I plan to read up on the voice thread on the different strategies that can do done with this instructional tool. Secondly, I want to connect with the websites that my professor provided to see if any of the lesson tools are appropriate for adult learners. Reference Bastable, S., (2008). Nurse as educator: Principles of teaching and learning for nursing practice (3rd ed.). Canada: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, LLC. Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012). Brain research and learning [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Los Angeles: Laureate Education, Inc.

Week 5 Additional Assignment I liked to invite you to my new voice thread on the need to practice your clinical skills. You can find this posting at http://voicethread.com/share/3493516

Cooperative learning and the Connection with Social Learning Theory In my profession group learning assist the student on how to interact with their peers and members of the health care team. It helps them to identify what knowledge they know and focus on what they need to learn. It helps them to incorporate skills that are necessary for the future. It assists the student in figuring out what was done and how to make it right. Bandura, the well-known theorist stated that learning through modeling is more a matter of abstracting rules than mimicry. It is not simply “monkey see, monkey do” (Bandura, 1995). I have found that cooperative learning is the effective instructional strategy to helped students to role model behavior that needs to be done before going into the hospital. I used simulation as a tool to emphasize social construction of knowledge. Bandura, A. (1993). Perceived self-efficacy in cognitive development and functioning. Educational Psychologist, 28, 117-148.