While reading the first three chapters of the Alessi/Trollip textbook, I once again found myself reflecting back on my experiences as a high school Marketing teacher. Learning theory has never been a favorite topic of reading for me throughout the various courses in Education that I've taken. However, during my reading of chapter two in the Alessi/Trollip textbook, a thought occurred to me. I didn't not teach under the umbrella of only one teaching/learning theory. As my teaching style progressed, I actually utilized the three major learning theories that I've been somewhat reluctant to read about at times.
When I began my first year of teaching, I had never completed a single course in the field of education. I had graduated with a degree in Business Administration and majored in Marketing. My degree and business experience had helped me to land a job teaching Marketing Education for a high school that could not find a certified teacher. I was hired on a waiver and actually obtained my teaching certificate while teaching full time. I look back on my first days in the classroom and realize how little I actually knew about teaching a subject that I possessed a fairly good knowledge of.
As I read a statement in the first couple of pages of chapter two relating to how proponents of behavioral and cognitive theory treated learners like a bucket that information and knowledge were to be poured into, I realized that I had approached teaching in the early stages of my career in the same manner. During class one day in my first year in the classroom, a student asked a question that literally changed my style of teaching for the rest of my career. I was in my usual mode of lecturing on the chapter material when a student raised his hand and asked, "Ms. Conger when will we actually get to do something in here other than reading the book, answering the questions at the end of the chapter, and taking tests? " I didn't have an answer, I think I was too stunned to answer his question. I has been so caught up in covering the material in the textbook and getting the required number of grades in the grade book for the grading period, I hadn't stopped to consider if what I was teaching was actually being comprehended outside of a multiple choice or true/false question on a chapter test. Could my students apply what they had learned in a real business setting? I had no clue. However, from that day forward, I was determined to making learning for my students a more active process. I was suddenly progressing from the world of behavioral and cognitive teaching theory into the world of constructivist learning and teaching theory. Even though at the time, I wasn't very well versed in learning theory or the terminology associated with it. From that point forward though, one of my main goals as an educator was to make learning in my classroom an active process for the students and to demonstrate how the knowledge they were acquiring could be used outside the walls of our school.
Not only was there a change in my teaching style, there was also a notable change in my students. They seemed to be more motivated and were active participants in the learning process. Instead of just reading about retail merchandising in a textbook, my students were creating displays for actual stores in our community. The students were coming to school early and staying after school to compete in national business simulation contests. We were also creating and producing radio advertisements for a local radio station. It certainly was a change from my initial days as an educator, and hopefully a change for the better in regards to the learning experience for my students.
Chapter three in the Alessi/Trollip textbook reinforced and introduced some new concepts and principles that I can utilize in my current position with the Advanced Learning Center. I've assisted in the design of face-to-face training materials for faculty, but I haven't had the opportunity to design a great deal of material for web based training. I look forward to putting the knowledge I'm gaining from this course to work in my current role with the ALC.
Technology has certainly continued to advance and improve since I left my day-to-day teaching position over three years ago. I still find myself coming up with ideas of how I could use new tools (such as blogs, wikis, and podcasts) in a high school Marketing classroom. Our activities in class each week have also provided inspiration for some of my classroom ideas. Maybe someday I'll turn these thoughts into an instructional technology guide targeted at high school Marketing instructors. I believe my IDT coursework will definitely be helpful in completing such a project.
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