HOW PEOPLE LEARN IN THE 21ST CENTURY
By Melissa Snedden
Introduction
People have been learning since the beginning of time. As we age as a human race and as individuals, our purposes for learning adapt. In the beginning, we learn as a means of survival, while later, we learn as a means to satisfy curiosities. Additionally, we learn for personal enrichment. As we grow, and our reasons for learning become refreshed, so do our capabilities, requiring constant evaluation and reinvention of our educative tactics as our learning environments change. Engagement in a student’s own learning experience is the key to effective and efficient learning. Through engagement, the learner and the instructor are on the same team with cooperative goals and the experience is generally positive for all players involved. When goals are aligned in such a way, the learning experience proves to be dynamic for both student and teacher.
Historical Perspective and Environmental Influences
In the beginning of time, the stakes were high. If you did not learn how to hunt or gather, or how to outrun a predator, you lost your life, plain and simple. In the 21st Century, however, failure to learn skills like cooking or using a comma properly, rarely turns fatal. Therefore, we need to develop ways to engage our students that will compel them to learn in congruence with our present lifestyle that is indeed softer in some ways than that of our early ancestors. One way to achieve this goal is to inspire the learner to be first, to try their best, to never give up since the world has become a more competitive sea, casting aside the goal of simply staying alive.
Today’s technology has provided us with the ability to learn so much more than we ever thought possible and has the potential to continue to enhance our learning experiences as we adapt alongside it. For instance, the internet grants us a means of communicating over long distances through text, voice, and even video with which we can attend universities and earn degrees, talk with and learn about people from all over the world, and become more aware of what is going on all around us. As we continue to discover more about how the brain processes and encodes information, we will develop more innovative and dynamic ways to teach people.
Over the past century, scientists have continued to explore the relationship between brain, behavior, and environment. Behaviorism, theorized in 1920 by B.F. Skinner suggested that behavior can be controlled by environment and the process of removing or adding stimuli to a situation. Skinner coined the term ‘operant conditioning’ to explain this relationship between stimulus and response. An important facet of behaviorism is the reinforcement or punishment response, both of which can be positive or negative, however, reinforcement is designed to strengthen a desired behavior while punishment is meant to discourage an unwanted behavior. According to Clark, K. R. (2018), some major learning activities that fall under this learning theory include lecturing, completing drill and practice exercises, recalling facts, establishing classroom management policies, and using rewards and punishments (p. 174). Skinner’s methods are still widely used today, and a significant reason for that is simply that they work marvelously in certain contexts when establishing and guiding behaviors.
Later in the 20th century, during the 1960s, cognitivism was investigated as a new learning theory. According to Nagowah, L. and Nagowah, S. (2009), “the aspects involved in processing such as memory, organization and neurological connections are viewed as central in the cognitive theories” (p. 280). Computers were a hot button topic in the mid to late 1900s when cognitivism proposed the brain was mimicked a computer in the way it processes information. Cognitivism was extremely interested in the brain’s thinking process of learning as opposed to predicting behavioral outcomes as in behaviorism, though both theories of learning taught focused on the acquisition of knowledge and facts.
The final of the three major learning theories, constructivism, focuses on abstract thinking and how we obtain knowledge on our own. Learning is achieved through one’s experiences and reflection in this learner-centered theory. One of the fathers of constructivism is Jean Piaget who experimented with mollusks and their ability to adapt to a given environment (Kretchmar, 2017). Additionally, “when an individual is confronted with information or an experience that contradicts his or her prior knowledge, the learner is motivated to modify or adapt prior knowledge in order to return to equilibrium” (Kretchmar, 2017). Constructivism is the process of adapting to change in order to maintain an equilibrium in which to thrive. In applying constructivism learning theory, assimilation takes place as we incorporate new ideas and discoveries into our prior understanding. Constructivism is a widely used theory of learning in online classrooms and is frequently applied through discussion questions and critical analysis projects by which we draw from the experiences that have shaped our behaviors and attitudes.
Roles and Responsibilities of the Online Learner
In the context of the history of learning, the online arena is a relatively newer concept. As we struggle to compete with the evolution of the technology we have created, online learning opportunities have taken an increased role in a multitude of diverse methods from podcasts, language-learning software, YouTube tutorials, and open education courses for the autodidacts of the world to distance learning courses through universities for degree-seeking students and professionals. The phenomenon of having seemingly unlimited information at our fingertips is a powerful concept, and with great power, comes great responsibility. Not only do online teachers have a duty to deliver such information carefully and ethically, the role of the learner/receiver of information has certain responsibilities as well.
One of the main responsibilities of the online learner is the basic understanding of how to use the Internet. Nearly every part of online learning is built on the ability to communicate with others through a computer. According to Dabbagh (2007), “interpersonal- and communication-related skills (which include writing skills) dominated the top 10 general competencies across all roles in distance education programs supported by the Internet (p. 216). The ability to engage in self-directed learning is another skill the online learner must develop, otherwise, they will not last long in such an environment where they have primary control of their own learning. They must be able to motivate themselves to complete requirements they are assigned because they will not have an instructor physically nearby to remind them to pay attention. Cheurprakobkit et al. stated that “students in online learning environments must possess ‘self’ behaviors such as self-discipline, self-monitoring, self-initiative, and self-management, which are characteristics of self-regulated or self-directed learning” (as cited in Dabbagh, 2007, p. 220).
While the prospect of online learning is a wonderful blessing this day in age, it is nothing to be taken lightly. Learners must be careful not to waste their instructor’s time and likewise, they must provide their students with something of value for their time, because there is no currency in the 21st Century more valuable than that of time and information. As long as the online learner respects those values and develops those skills, they will be primed for success.
Social and/or Cultural Connections to Learning
As our world shifts closer to a globally centered community, it is important for instructors and learners to be aware and to expect that they will be interacting with people of various backgrounds on a regular basis. This expectation has a great potential with which to enhance learning experiences from online courses in the 21st Century. According to Chen, B., & Bryer, T. (2012), connections to various third-party social media tools, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc., allow online learners to build a community outside of the classroom and to stay connected with classmates and instructors long after the semester has ended (p. 90). This connectivity enhances the learning experience with the added accessibility of learning associates. Additionally, when students enter an online classroom with an open mind and willingness to learn from classmates, much more is gained, than if they were physically sitting in a classroom with a group of people from their own community within about an hour’s radius.
Understanding current societal needs is a useful connection with which to improve employability among graduates with degrees that have been obtained through online education. Many online learners come from an established career from which they can use their personal and professional experiences and apply them to their course. In this way, some online courses can become adaptable and interdisciplinary tools for the individual learner to make improvements to their current career, or to make strides towards a change in field.
My Background, Experiences, and Views
In my experience as a learner, hands-on methods with visual and auditory aides are most effective. I believe in order to direct instruction to the whole learner, teaching must be presented in a variety of methods to include auditory, visual, and kinetic strategies along with repetition and reinforcement activities. This strategy aligns most with constructivism learning theory.
Last year, I developed a lesson with which to teach my Language Arts GED students a little bit about William Shakespeare. Most of them were unfamiliar with Shakespeare before the lesson. I began with Sonnet 130; reading it aloud while projecting it on the wall. After warming everyone up with a little poetry reading, we discussed the meaning of the Sonnet. Then, I put up a screen which explained iambic pentameter and followed that with a discussion. Next, I played a video wherein a play actor explained how iambic pentameter gave way to the perfect rhythm, making it easy to rap Shakespeare using the Prologue to Romeo and Juliet as an example. Many of my students were from inner city areas, so I chose to incorporate rapping into my lesson to bridge the gap and diffuse some of the anxiety Shakespeare has been known to cause due to his writing and wording style. I also shared a visual aid of many well-known phrases that are used today with origins from Shakespeare’s works. Finally, as a playful reinforcer, I pulled up an online Shakespeare Insult Generator. The homework assignment was for them to create their own sonnet, adhering to the rules of the sonnet’s rhyme scheme, number of lines, and iambic pentameter. Six months later, I still have students ask me for links to the insult generator.
While this was a live classroom lesson, it could easily be converted to an online one. I could post the websites I used and incorporate a discussion post assignment with guidelines and requirements for the sonnet. I could then use a screen capture software or app to explain the iambic pentameter while sharing the website with my students. Lastly, I could share the insult generator with a discussion prompt asking my online students to post three clever Shakespearean insults they came up with and incorporate them into a play scene. The sonnet assignment would fit as homework for the online students just as it was for my physical class.
I love the constructivism theory of learning because of its propensity for interdisciplinary learning. In real life, many career fields and general living require combinations of subject matters in various projects, both personal and professional, so why shouldn’t we learn that way? I believe learning is multi-faceted, and in order to unlock a higher potential, learning projects must mimic those we are likely to encounter outside of the classroom. One of the reasons constructivism is so important, is because it stresses the significance of reflection as an important learning tool. When we allow time for reflection of our experiences, we discover what it is that we have truly learned and assimilated into our understanding.
Conclusion
As an online learner and educator, I believe the key to engaging, self-directed learning is in the development of the skill of learning how to learn rather than how to receive facts and concrete information. Historically, we have been taught to know things, but as we progress further into the 21st Century and our ever-evolving technology, it has become clear that the development of critical thinking and research skills is even more important than knowledge. With the technology and access to information that we have today, knowing how to use it and how to get your hands-on necessary information is the true measure of intelligence and success. If that skill can be mastered, there really is no telling the limits to one’s success because every experience becomes one of learning and reflection.
References
Chen, B., & Bryer, T. (2012). Investigating instructional strategies for using social media in formal and informal learning. International Review of Research in Open & Distance Learning, 13(1), 87. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.umuc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edo&AN=71275492&site=eds-live&scope=site
Clark, K. R. (2018). Learning theories: behaviorism. Radiologic Technology, 90(2), 172–175. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.umuc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=132750220&site=eds-live&scope=site
Dabbagh, N. (2007). The online learner: Characteristics and pedagogical implications. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 7(3), 217- 226. Retrieved from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/22904/#references
Dabbagh, N., & Kitsantas, A. (2011). Personal learning environments, social media, and self-regulated learning: A natural formula for connecting formal and informal learning. Internet and Higher Education, 15(1), 3–8. Retrieved from https://doi-org.ezproxy.umuc.edu/10.1016/j.iheduc.2011.06.002
Koohang, A., Riley, L., Smith, T., & Schreurs, J. (2009). E-Learning and constructivism: From theory to application. Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning & Learning Objects, 5, 91–109. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.umuc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=48317308&site=eds-live&scope=site
Kretchmar, J. (2017). Constructivism. Salem Press Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.umuc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=89164134&site=eds-live&scope=site
Nagowah, L., & Nagowah, S. (2009). A reflection on the dominant learning theories: behaviourism, cognitivism and constructivism. International Journal of Learning, 16(2), 279–286. https://doi-org.ezproxy.umuc.edu/10.18848/1447-9494/CGP/v16i02/46136