Nate Cannon EDTECH 504 Learning Theories Paper Overview Learning theories can be traced back to the branch

of philosophy called epistemology which studies knowledge. I have to admit that as a math teacher, I had not heard of this word before. However, after the readings and watching of the videos, epistemology started to make a little bit of sense to me as an educator. You have to know where you are coming from before you know where you are going to go and epistemology and all the learning theories help guide us on the journey. Contributors Over time, there have been many schools of thought brought together by many people. Some of the main contributors include Benjamin Bloom, Jean Piaget, Vygotsky, Gagne and Gardner just to name a few. But according to Phillips, the borders of the field are not policed and because of that, almost anyone who thoroughly considers a topic could technically be considered a philosopher. Add todays social media connections and the definition or clarity of the field can become even more blurred. For the most part, the philosophies behind learning theories all have common links as to why they were created, which may be the reason why some of them are debated so passionately. As Heylighen (1993) said, It is assumed that no model can ever hope to capture all the relevant information, and even if such a complete model would exist, it would be too complicated to use in any practical way. The model which is to be chosen depends on the problems that are to be solved. While some of these models have stood the test

of time, others are still in their infancy and it is possible that more will be formed when a new need in this changing world is created. Major Principles The learning theory that I have grown accustomed to using within my classroom is one that is constructivist. Jean Piaget and Vygotsky are two major contributors to constructivism. Piaget breaks down learning into three parts: assimilation, accommodation, and equilibration. When new schemas are developed, assimilation begins. Assimilation refers to the stage in which new knowledge is processed and added to previously existing schemas. Accommodation is an adaptation process that occurs because the existing schemas are insufficient to incorporate new information. Equilibrium is created when assimilation and accommodation reach a balance (Leonard, Noah & Orey, n.d.). In a constructivist approach, it is assumed that all knowledge that the learner gathers is built up from scratch. However, after the foundation has been built, the learning keeps spiraling upwards in complexity. We do to be careful that the learner does not use the information and then create a false knowledge. To help prevent this from happening, the approaches of individual constructivism (an individuals attempt to reach an understanding between the different pieces of knowledge) or social constructivism (find an agreement between the subjects so you can judge what the correct knowledge is) can be used (Heylighen, 1993). The learner already has a unique meaning for everything that they know and will create their new knowledge in such a way that they understand it. While the learners way of understanding the topic might be similar to how the masses understand the material, it is not always the case with every learner.

Another principle of constructivism also contends that a learner only truly learns something when they can create something that can be seen, critiqued by others and used. Because of this, the learner has to be actively engaged with the material and a way that this can be done is by showing that the information is relevant to them and their lives. With this in mind, educators should be guiding, modeling and coaching their learners. Application As a math teacher, I have a unique core area of education that not a lot of people are fans of. The excuses that I have heard range from, I dont like the letters or, I dont like fractions or even simply, I just do not get it! All of my students, and even adult learners, are coming in with their own unique meanings for everything. It is my job as an educator, to help the students as best as I can to understand the material. Sometimes that is done in a one-to-one situation where I am helping them break down previous misconceptions about a topic. Other times it is finding out what it is that they do or do not know about a mathematical idea and then filling in the gaps. Whatever way I use to help the learners, it is to help them create their own unique and correct meanings of the mathematics. Advanced Algebra (or in some school districts it is referred to as Algebra 2) is a great example of this constructivist theory. The students age old question of, When am I ever going to use this? actually gets a mathematical reply. All the basics of middle school math, algebra and geometry have been learned and get used within complex real life math problems. The learners finally get to see how certain topics from their past, which they have to draw upon their own understanding of, get used to help solve a complex problem similar to a situation they can actually see or relate to within their lives. Some examples of problems that I give to the students

are: computing the magnitude of an earthquake using a logarithmic formula with algebra manipulation, using fractional exponents to convert wind speeds from the Beaufort scale to everyday miles per hour, computing the distance between two ships at sea from their distance in relation to a buoy using the Law of Cosines and many more! I do my best to find problems that relate to the mathematical topic at hand and can relate to all different core and encore subjects within the high school. Once the learners see how all of their previous mathematical knowledge needs to be accessed to solve these problems, my job as a coach gets easier. I get to really see what they know, what they struggle with and what they need some further guidance with in order to have success. References

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Ertmer, P.A., & Newby, T.J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4), 50-72.

finlayju (2011, May 25). Learning Theories Overview. In youtube.com. Retrieved on February 20, 2013, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaZW15JXuc&feature=player_embedded

Heylighen, F. (1993, September). Epistemology, introduction. In pespmc1.vub.ac.be. Retrieved on February 20, 2013, from http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/EPISTEMI.html

Jonassen, D. H., & Land, S. M. (2012). Theoretical foundations of learning environments. New York: Routledge.

Leonard, K., Noh, E.K., & Orey, M. (2007). Learning Theories and Instructional Strategies. In M. K. Barbour & M. Orey (Eds.), The Foundations of Instructional Technology. Retrieved February 20, 2013, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/itFoundations/

Phillips, D.C. (2008, June). Philosophy of Education. In plato.stanford.edu. Retrieved on February 20, 2013, from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/education-philosophy/

Smith, M. K. (1999). The social/situational orientation to learning, the encyclopedia of informal education. Retrieved February 20, 2013, from www.infed.org/biblio/learning-social.htm

Smith, M. K. (2003, 2009). Communities of practice, the encyclopedia of informal education. Retrieved February 20, 2013, from www.infed.org/biblio/communities_of_practice.htm