Learning Philosophy

I received a teaching degree in health and physical education many years ago. But did not teach in a formal setting until only recently in 2009. My teaching was instructing and training new ophthalmology residents and new hire allied ophthalmic personnel. Individuals who already knew what they wanted and had basic knowledge on the subject matter. My teaching duties were at the skills level, basic and advance. So I don't consider myself a classroom teacher but an instructor. My learning and reflection about my instructing methods and hearing Dr. Harapnuik refer to himself a learning facilitator. I believe I am a learning facilitator for my adult learners. In the slideshare below, I have outlined my thoughts on learning, instructing and teaching.

Self motivation starts with the learner. They want to know the why and the purpose of the visual system. Their interest in the "why" peaks problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration and discoveries in the classroom and within themselves. The self learner takes it upon themselves to more forward and discover the answers to the unanswered questions. I believe the learning should be put into the hands of the student, the learner. This enriches their learning experience and retention. I know I remember new material or technology when I do the research on the information myself. The retention is higher on what I've discovered verses it being handed to me as a fact with no regards to learning about it.

Professional motivation sparks the learning. I want to be the best in the field and make new discoveries in saving sight. I believe it increases the want to learn about the past, present and exploring new treatments for eye diseases.

Being the best at what I do is training the best eye care professionals.

Social motivation opens the door for learning. Learning from others; peer to peer learning, learning from role models, parents, teachers and mentors can be important factor in the learning process. A collaboration, I believe supports the learners in the eye care community, who share like interests, values and goals.

I know my learning and continued teaching comes from strong interactions with my peers in the industry. Keeping me up-dated on the newest diagnostic technology, medications and clinical trials. This social networking also helps me in advising graduates with potential employers. An employer who is a good match for that student's personality.

Skills how it works. As the learner is finding the why, they are learning the how it works. Mastering ophthalmic skills by practice and repetition is just like learning to drive a car. Navigation of the skills should become effortless and efficient with time and practice. Remember Rome wasn't built in day. I learned from hours of practice on equipment and working up patients before becoming a skilled clinician.

Knowledge finding the what. Knowledge is a powerful tool and students should have easy assess with reading, writing, watching and doing. Knowledge belongs to the learner to share, to have and to hold at their will. As educators will need to follow a few guidelines; to respect student learning by giving them a choice and a voice in their learning, to give the responsibility of learning back into their hands, and lastly to give them real issues and experiences. Lamar University developed the COVA model. This model explained below is gives me some balance while working on master's degree and working fulltime by giving me time to revise work. I use the model by giving my learners choice in presentation, ownership in their learning and presentations, a voice in rethinking their work, and lastly giving them learning experiences to develop their skills.

I am a visual learner, show me then let me do it. After I mastered the what, then read concept for the why. Now my learning is reading, writing blogs and building an eportfolio, a new culture of learning for me. It's helping me understand my students who are different learners than myself. How can I personalize the lessons, assignments and skills to met their needs? Not everyone can learn by see one, do one, teach one. A method used in industry for on the job training, thus how I was trained and trained others over the last thirty years. A mindset change for me to improvise, adapt and overcome. I must use this new information to help me, help my students. To improve my innovation plan of blended learning, which will give the student more real life experiences.

A learning philosophy is what we use to shape the process of knowledge, while a teaching philosophy is a belief about how learning should be managed in the classroom. I believe these two go hand in hand. My own learning environment follows my learning philosophy.

Learning theories in instructional environments are behaviorist, constructivist, cognitivist and more recently Framework for 21st century learning . I believe I use a combination of all four with framework taking the lead.

Behaviorist as in Pavlov dogs, the learner develops their skills through changes in behavior. The learning is based on a response from an outside environment either a positive or negative stimulus. The learner is considered passive and learns from reinforcement. The same is seen in the teaching environment, the student will stop an action when they are told the action would cause harm or will continue action when given positive feedback.

In constructivist, the learner role is to construct information as they link new information to prior knowledge to make meaning. Understanding constructivist learning as advocated by Piaget (1960, 1981) and Bruner (1990), is the process of making learning an active process of constructing rather than acquiring knowledge. That knowledge is not just a mental state but "it is an experienced relation of things and it has no meaning outside of such relations" (Dewey, 1910, 1981, p.185). So information the learner receives the first day of class will apply throughout the program and into their careers.

The cognitive theory focuses on using the environmental experience and internalizing learning while connecting to prior knowledge. This goes with the constructivist theory, by connecting past information into now an experience.

I use this theory in the service learning projects. The student practices the knowledge and skill learned in prior class / lab into real life experiences with patients today.

The 21st century framework engages the students with the learning process, preparing them to thrive in today's global economy. It allows for critical thinking, creativity and innovation. The learner develops skills in communication, collaboration, leadership, social and diversity. In the fast pace world of we now live in, the student must be able to sort at information, media and technology. These skills are necessary for the learner to weed-out the unnecessary information efficiently and effectively. The learner today must be information, communications and technology (ICT) literate to be functional in their life and career skills.

My learners will learn from behavioral, constructivist, cognitive theory and implementation of 21st century learning framework. The learner will stop or continue an action in performing an exam by the physician giving negative or positive feedback. The constructivist learning is the continued experience in daily routine of performing eye exams. All of these are skills mentioned in 21st century are required of my learners and myself to be successful in our chosen career.

I believe the test for good teaching is measured by the learners' success in life. And as long as I am breathing, I will be learning and facilitating learning to those who want to learn.

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http://www.nap.edu/catalog/9457.html.

Dewey, J. (1910/1981). The experimental theory of knowledge. in J.J.McDermott (Ed.), The philosophy of John Dewey. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K.A., Marsh, E.J., Nathan, M.J., & Willingham, D.T., (2013). What works, what doesn't. Retrieved from http://cpr.molsci.ucla.edu/cpr/data/library/400241/resources/res011/file/What%20Works%20in%20Learning%20Study.pdf

Harapnuik, D., (2016). Learning philosophy. Retrieved from http://harapnuk.org/?page id=4639

Tan, S.C., & Hung, D., (2002). Beyond information pumping: creating a constructivist e-learning environment. Retrieved from https://repository.nie.edu.sg/bitstream/10497/4735/1/ET-42-5-48.pdf

The Partnership of 21st Century Learning, (2015). P21 Framework, Retrieved from www.p21.org

Weimer, M., (2014), What's your learning philosophy, Retrieved from http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-professor-blog/whats-learning-philosophy/