Kevin Hansen's blog

There have been so many different learning models and techniques presented this semester that to keep them all straight in my head is a little difficult.  I suppose the ones that more closely fit my own learning style (case-based learning, motivation, problem-based learning,situated cognition) are the ones that I can more aptly and remember.   However, that being said, I still think that learning is the acquiring of new knowledge and the ability to apply that knowledge to new situations and problems. 

Learning: I really liked the idea of scaffolding from this week's reading.  It seems fairly logical to me that knowledge can built in stages and that a learner can build this knowledge starting with more structure and help from the instructor and gradually moving to less and less of this.  There seem to be some "emotional" ties in starting with more support, this can help a student to feel more comfortable and willing to try new things.

Learners:

This learning method is probably the closest to how I ran my classroom.  I figured that if I was going to teach my students anything about web development, it better be applicable and usable in the real world.  For this to happen, my classroom needed to imitate as much as possible the real world.

Case-Based Learning is, perhaps, the learning theory that resonates the most with how I feel I learn myself.  The idea that learners can learn well through stories, or cases, told just in time makes sense to me.  I don't  usually spend time reading reference material or watching a video tutorial if it doesn't immediately affect my situation or something I'm trying to do.  I suspect that students are the same way.  They don't want to sit through something if they don't see the point, and they won't likely see the point unless they are facing a problem they can't otherwise solve.