Week 6: What is learning? How can learning be best effectuated by a teacher/trainer?

Jill Mason's picture
I think that often learning is a collaborative process. This week I am on campus (oh YES, here I am at Merrill Hall!) taking INST 6105, Distance Education Tools. The instructor has allowed each student to become very familiar with a tool that is or could be utilized in distance education, and present that tool to the class in a mini-workshop. The resulting discussions are so amazing! As people who share the same interests, whether by nature or by force of taking the same class, collaborate and share their thoughts, far more learning takes place that will be retained by the learner.
 
Learning can be best effectuated by a teacher/trainer when the teacher is truly enthusiastic about what s/he teaches. I absolutely love my subject, Business Technology, and while I’m sure I would like teaching a few other things (Psychology, Math and English), I am more of an expert in my own field at this time. After this week, I will be enlightened about so many more technologies that my instruction will become even more effective because my enthusiasm increases with each new program about which I learn.
 
I’m here, very glad that I’m continuing my education. :)

 

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Submitted by Jill Mason on Tue, 06/16/2009 - 8:06pm
Harold's picture

Jill, I just want to agree

Submitted by Harold (not verified) on Wed, 06/17/2009 - 9:48am.
Jill, I just want to agree that being enthused about what you are teaching is really important. I also think that really knowing an item you are trying to teach helps the learners, but that teaching about an item you don't really know forces the teacher to learn...or make up stuff! Sometimes I feel like I am in the make up stuff stage. Good luck this week and I hope you have fun! Harold
Brenda's picture

I have noticed that when I

Submitted by Brenda (not verified) on Wed, 06/17/2009 - 1:29pm.
I have noticed that when I am not excited about the topic or activity, I have more students that don't want to participate and more questions about why they need to learn or do it. If I am bored, I can only imagine how bored my students are sitting in my class when they may not be interested in the subject in the first place.

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Any opinions expressed here, except as specifically noted, are those of the individual authors or commenters and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the Department of Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences, the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services, or Utah State University.