795B: Blog Reflection One

Reiser & Dempsey: Ch 4, #5

prompt:

Events that occur at one point in time are likely to influence theories that are developed some time thereafter. For example, the theory Gagné first put forth in the 1960’s was most likely influenced by his work designing military training during the 1940’s. Think about current day events and how they may shape future views of learning and instruction. Based on your ideas, describe an instructional theory that may appear in the next 20 years and discuss the events today that are likely to shape that theory.

Although some new theories may emerge in the next 20 years, I wonder if we may see a return to behavioral and cognitive learning theory ideals. In the past 10-15 years, as we have seen “innovations” in instruction influence by constructivist thinking and similar theories, the United States has seen a decline in the performance of its schools and knowledge of its students, more money being thrown at education with little effect, and a growing population in our culture enrolled in private and home school programs. Our culture highlights this problem with shows and newstories and late-night talk show segments designed to reveal the ignorance of our population, asking simple, straightforward questions most people should know that answer to– and don’t. Unfortunately, the response in some circles in education has been, in essence, to lower the standards to give the appearance of better performance. Ideas I have personally seen discussed, including reconfiguring grading periods so less students fail and eliminating grades of zero through 49% to help non-performing students “catch up,” seem more aimed at coddling kids and improving school scores than addressing the real challenges in kids’ lives and homes. I believe the homeschool, charter school, and private school movement is the beginning of the backlash for poor education theory and practice. Stories like this one reveal a rediscovery of some behavioral and cognitive teaching strategies and their successful implementation. How can the United States think to compete when so many of our learners lack the basic foundation of a sound education? I think some great ideas– like Project Based Learning– see success in the upper levels of education, and there is a rush to implement them throughout the entire scope of our educational system– from primary grades on up. Unfortunately, rather than used to lightly augment education, sometimes these types of ID dominate younger students educational experience, so you have students entering into high school not having a basic foundation of grammar and writing– which is hard work. School districts, in response, have emphasized standards and standardized testing in attempt to recapture slipping student aptitudes, much to the truculence and clamor of teachers and teacher unions. Therefore, I believe some of the future of education lies in the past– to the benefit of our students.