Weekly learning journal-Week 5

Culture diversity will play a major role in my instructional plan. To me culture isn't just a list of holidays, religious traditions, or language; it is a lived experience unique to each individual. As educators, it's our job to stimulate the intellectual development of learners and use diversity to identify with world that each learner lives in. I believe that to truly engage students, we must reach out to them in ways that are culturally and linguistically responsive and appropriate, and we must examine the cultural assumptions and stereotypes we bring into the classroom that may hinder interconnectedness. To engage students effectively in the learning process, I must know the student and their academic abilities individually, rather than relying on racial or ethnic stereotypes or prior experience with other students of similar backgrounds. I will honor diversity in the classroom by respecting, appreciating, and accommodating the similarities and differences among the student’s culture. I will do this by reinforcing cross-culture understanding. Another thing I would do is build relationship with students. By understanding student lives outside of school, it would be easier to make learning practical and meaningful. I will incorporate critical thinking into my instructional experience by allowing my students to be creative and to inquire about topics that are of interest to them, by asking questions and providing a variety of resources for learners to find answers, and by encouraging collaborative work that sharing of ideas. As a result of this week work, the new insight that is emerging is the importance of diversity and impact it has on learning in our world today. The impact of culture on learning and behavior is natural and should be recognized through inclusion of appropriate activities and knowledge of a learner’s cultural background. Learning can be hindered if diversity is overlooked.

Weekly Learning journal -Week 4

To me, learning is something we can only do for ourselves. Learning involves far more than thinking: it involves the whole personality - senses, feelings, intuition, beliefs, values and will.  If we do not have the will to learn, we will not learn and if we have learned, we are actually changed in some way.  If the learning makes no difference it can have very little significance beyond being random ideas that float through our minds. I believe that learning needs to meet some personal need and recognizing and identifying such needs enables us to evaluate whether the learning has been achieved. We learn when we are able to: gain a mental or physical grasp of the subject, make sense of a subject, event or feeling by interpreting it into our own words or actions, use our newly acquired ability or knowledge in conjunction with skills and understanding we already possess, do something with the new knowledge or skill and take ownership of it. By the end of the session, learners will be able to examine relevant instructional technologies, analyze methods used to engage adult learners, and use technology to respond to learning instructions. The indicators that learners have ‘learned’ will be the response I get from tutorials, quizzes, test, and well-formed questions during the session. To design the instructional plan I will use Kolb’s learning model that will utilize concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. I decided to use this theoretical lens because adults are self-directed learners and I believe that best way to engage them is to put the learning tools into their hands. With Kolb's learning, I can use technology to do this. Some insights I am beginning to see, feel, and believe is a sense that my instructional plan for adult learners is taking shape and I am beginning to have new thoughts and apprehensions about whether my plan will deliver the best results. I believe in the plan that I have but just can’t predict the learner’s response.

Week 2 learning journal

I believe that motivation is the driving force which helps causes learners to achieve goals. Without motivation it would be almost impossible to achieve learning success. For this workshop I will focus on intrinsic/ extrinsic learning and the importance of self- control. Intrinsic motivation is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task itself, and exists within the individual rather than relying on any external pressure. I would motivate learners by attributing their educational results to internal factors that they can control (i.e. the amount of effort they put in), and believing they can be effective agents in reaching desired goals (i.e. the results are not determined by luck). Extrinsic motivation comes from outside of the individual and is like money and grades. I would motivate learners by telling them about the increase in earning potential and the satisfaction a passing grade brings to a learner. Self- control is a motivation that keeps your intelligence focus in pursuit of a particular task. I would motivate learners by telling them about the importance of avoiding distraction that will take away focus on learning. The aspects of self-directed learning I will need to incorporate into my plan are being ready to learn and setting learning goals. Learners must thoroughly analyze the current situation, study habits, family situation, and support network in order to have a sustained learning experience. Learners will also have to set goals and ensure that those goals are fulfilled. I will incorporate digital technology into the learning experience by employing technology daily in the class and using a variety of tools to complete assignment and create projects. When technology integration in the classroom is seamless and thoughtful, students not only become more engaged, they begin to take more control over their own learning.

Week-1 Weekly Learning Journal

I am interested in designing a workshop/training for adult learners use of technology. The proliferation of technology and online learning has created a wealth of learning opportunities for adult learners. As more and more adult learners seek to gain knowledge through formal and informal training delivered through self-paced distance learning, barriers to learning continue to come up. Many adults are frustrated by the learning system due to a lack of prior experience with technology and assistance from instructors. Preparing adult learners to utilize technology involved in the educational environment will allow them to succeed and foster positive attitude towards technology and learning. Society today is becoming increasingly dependent on all forms of technology for daily functioning. Educators need to understand the needs of adult learners, their motivation, expectations, and experience level. The learners that would attend this workshop/training are learners who have been out of high school/college for at least 7 years, learners who are not comfortable with new or existing technology and learners who are looking to use new technology for a careers change or new job responsibility. This is a great workshop for adult learners with careers that have an ever changing technology use. Their ‘adult learner’ characteristics are low confidence with technology application, struggle with learning new task that involve technology, and an overall negative attitude towards change.

 Learning elements that I will keep in mind for designing the workshop are:

a.     Adult learning is self-directed/autonomous

        I need to make sure that Students are given the freedom to assume responsibility for their own choices. When it comes to workload, I also need to be proactive in making decisions and in contributing to the process.

b.     Adult learning utilizes knowledge & life experiences
I must encourage learners to connect their past experiences with their current   knowledge-base and activities. I will teach ways to bring to their past knowledge, opinions, and experiences.

c.      Adult learning is practical

        I will help students to apply the theoretical concepts learned inside the classroom into real-life situations. I will identify appropriate ways and convert theoretical learning to practical activities