Fitting the Pieces Together

The information that this class has presented to me on the different learning theories and learning styles over the last 6 weeks has definitely been enlightening. It has really given me a better understanding on how I personally process information and why others digest information they way that they do as well.

One of the biggest misconceptions that I had about my own learning, was how I viewed the role of repetition. I was under impression that the more I repeated information, the more I would be guaranteed to learn it. However, periodically, when I would experience times where I could not remember things that I has spent a lot time memorizing or repeating, it made me question my learning abilities a little bit. It was after listening to Dr. Jeanne Ormrod’s piece on information processing that I learned that how easy information is retrieved depends on how it was stored. I had trouble recalling some of the information that I has been storing (repeating) because during my storing process, I was not linking it to things or situations I was already familiar with. When new information is linked to old information, it is much easier to recall it because you then know where to look.
When it comes to learning, I have always had the preference to see and actually do (if action is required) what I am being taught. Therefore, I labeled myself as a visual and kinesthetic learner. Also at times, depending on the situation, the need to hear information has made learning more reachable as well. When I have more than one of these styles in progress, learning is much more successful. As Dr. Ormrod said, encoding information in more that one way, increases its chance of reaching the long term memory. That helped me to understand why I feel need to have new information presented to me in more than one form in order for me to grasp it.

Learning about the role of motivation also helped me to understand my learning preferences. I kind of always had its relevance to learning in the back of my mind but I never really gave it much thought until entering this class. Without motivation, the knowledge I gave acquired would not have taken place. Something was present that made me want to learn…may it have been a situation, a person, a certain goal, etc. Motivation is a very important factor for me, as I’m sure it is for others, as I continue this online course and approach those that are to follow. For, as stated in an article on adult learning by Conlan, Grabowski, and Smith, motivation is key to self-directed learning. Therefore, its existence is very necessary.

Technology plays a very large role in my learning as well. It just simply makes things easier and more convenient. Being able to have computers, storage devices, the Internet, cell phones, and the software applications that allow you to use the previous items to research, store, share and process information in just about any location, is pretty close to being priceless to me.