Refection of EDUC 6115-3

When I began this class 8 weeks ago I had no idea what I was getting into and as the weeks continued I found that I was really enjoying the class. I have taken many classes on the way to my degree and although I have learned about the many theories and –ists I had not taken it to this level before. I had never really applied it to my classroom life and thought about specific ways that I could use the information in my day to day life.

One of the main things that really stuck out to me when completing this course was the importance of connections. I focused a large amount of my thinking on adult learners because that is what I am and I plan on teaching the college level after I retire from public education. Other than myself I had not thought about the specific needs of the adult learner and how to design lessons so that they are interesting as well as informative. Being an adult learner has a specific set of challenges and helping the learner succeed is an important goal of mine. By taking this course I have looked at how I learn now compared to how I learned with I was younger and have found that they are incredibly different. Being an older learner with multiple work and home responsibilities often causes the need for going over the information multiple times and in different ways to retain it. I think that this as much as anything else has helped me to enjoy the course because I rarely take the time to think about myself. It has been a rough eight week course for me due to my motherś declining health, but I think that it has also been a good outlet for my anxieties. I have been able to focus on other things rather than just my personal life.

Before this course when I thought of learning theories I just thought of the terms and definitions, but this course has allowed me to think of them in real life situations which has helped me to incorporate them into my real-life situations. I try very hard to reach various learning styles in my lessons and to provide ways for all students to understand the information. This is easier with some assignments than others though. When using educational technology I find that the incredible amount of technology that I have at my disposal is a great asset in the classroom. I can use media, colors, audio and many other tricks to encourage my student population to learn the information without being bored.

This course has helped me in many ways as I study to become an instructional designer but I think the main way is by highlighting the differences in many of my learners and to give me tools to reach them with. My goal is to create instruction that provides the information, encourages the learner and helps those around me reach their goals.