Why Is the Research on Learning Styles Still Being Dismissed by Some Learning Leaders and Practitioners? I have been battling the notion of "designing instruction for learning styles" in my own quixotic fashion for a couple of decades now. In my attempt to be a good steward of my clients' shareholders' equity I wished to help them avoid faddish instructional design practices that have been disproven by empirical research. I first learned back in the 1980s at NSPI (now ISPI) conferences that while self-reported learning style preferences do exist, that designing instruction to accommodate them has no basis. When I posted yet again on this topic on my blog a couple of months ago and then sent a Tweet out about it—Jane Bozarth, EIC of this magazine, invited me to publish an article. I accepted and decided to reach out to the usual suspects, those in my professional crowd who know the research, for their inputs. Here is some of what I got back that day and shared with Jane to show her I was "on it." Wisdom from This Crowd From Harold Stolovitch: There is so much press about learning styles.
Why can't you sell Knowledge Management? I have just returned from delivering one of our accelerated Stage 3 KM courses in Helsinki, where how to sell Knowledge Management became a focus. It was a fantastic experience with some incredible thinkers, all senior manager, in the room. All our courses open with a ‘marketplace’, where participants share problems for discussion during the course, and what never ceases to surprise me is that, regardless of the location, EU, Middle East, USA, and without fail, one of the problems will be, ‘how do I sell Knowledge Management to the _____ (insert CEO, Board, Senior Management Team, staff etc.). This is still a real problem for Knowledge Managers and I am not going to get into the specifics of project context or measurement tools, but I am going to strip things back to the basics. How to sell Knowledge Management ‘up’… First, who decided that Knowledge Management was important enough to hold a position in the organisation in the first place? How to sell Knowledge Management ‘down’… 1. 2.
What Does Your Body Language Say About You? How To Read Signs and... - StumbleUpon Art by LaetitziaAs we all know, communication is essential in society. Advancements in technology have transformed the way that we correspond with others in the modern world. Because of the constant buzz in our technological world, it's easy to forget how important communicating face-to-face is. When conversing old-school style, it's not only speech we verbalize that matters, but what our nonverbal gestures articulate as well. Body language is truly a language of its own. 10% from what the person actually says40% from the tone and speed of voice50% is from their body language. Lowering one's head can signal a lack of confidence. Pushing back one's shoulders can demonstrate power and courageOpen arms means one is comfortable with being approached and willing to talk/communicate
Literacy and Essential Skills: Why Digital Literacy is Crucial The Guardian recently published an article called “No place in class for digital illiterates“. The article talks about how children who lack technology literacy skills are getting left behind. Writer Gavin Dudeney talks about changing definitions of literacy that now include “digital literacy” or the ability to use the Internet and interact with digital texts. As I was writing The Need For Increased Integration of Technology and Digital Skills in the Literacy Field in Canada I found research that suggests that Canada’s 9 Literacy and Essential Skills may be just the beginning. One of the 9 Essential Skills is “Computer Use”. Some researchers are suggesting that this term is too narrow. People need to know how to search for everyday information such as bus schedules, tax information and other important information that is part of every day living. As an educator, I worry about such approaches. Like this post? Like this: Like Loading...
I love the iPad but I love learning more | Head's Blog It is with mixed emotions that I begin my story. Whilst flattered to be asked to give an insight into the use of iPads in learning I feel somewhat of a fraud and perhaps a little misunderstood, you see I love the iPad but I love learning more. I have always embraced the learning potential of ICT, however it was not a relationship that began easily. Unable to make my O level timetable fit, yes I am that old, I was forced to take computer studies. Two years later I had laboriously written a programme in MS Dos that told me whether I was a boy or a girl – not a labour of love or frankly a revelation! My relationship with MS DOS was short lived. My commitment to the use of ICT to enhance learning remained strong. however my first encounter with the iPad was unremarkable; I had an iPhone and was unimpressed by the hype that surrounded this new ‘champion’, in my view it was essentially just an iPhone with a bigger screen. Eighteen months ago my relationship with the iPad became official!
Global Cool's - The Art of Conversation How to Learn (Almost) Anything This is a guest post by Glen Allsopp of PluginID. Have you ever read an informative book, only to later remember just a few main points — if anything at all? The problem might be that you’re using one of the least efficient ways of learning available. The Cone of Learning I remember back about 7 years ago when I was taking music lessons at school, there was a poster on the wall that really grabbed my attention. Image Credit After doing some research, I found that the contents of that poster were based upon the work of Edgar Dale back in 1969. Today, many of you may know this as the Cone of Learning, but beware: although the cone is in fact based upon the results of Dale’s research, the percentage figures were never actually cited by Dale, and added by others after the initial investigation. Based on the research we can see that: The Cone of Learning suggests why you are more likely to remember parts of a movie than you are from a book on the same topic. Learning Almost Anything
How To Future-Proof Your Education Why You Should Use Clickers In Your Classroom 5.49K Views 0 Likes If you were a professor giving instruction in a lecture hall, could you measure learning of the whole class at only 30 seconds? Reading: “Online learning in the workplace” Like many of my peers I read around my ‘subject’ a lot. Sometimes I print copies out and store them, other times I save to favourites (on Twitter mainly, very rarely to a browser), or to Delicious (when I remember to use it). The Australasian Journal of Educational Technology is always worth looking at as the papers are interesting and varied. “Online learning in the workplace: A hybrid model of participation in networked, professional learning” from Mary Thorpe and Jean Gordon covers different aspects of ‘work-based’, or rather ‘work-related’ learning, with a need to understand online participation as a “hybrid concept” that is a “reflection of offline roles, opportunities and pressures, as well as the usefulness, usability and relevance of what is online.” Do those who develop online materials for online students fully understand the importance of support, guidance, design, engagement, collaboration, assessment, timetable, social or professional pressures?
Where does knowledge come from? In most of the training courses I run, I ask the question "where does knowledge come from?" Always, every time, I get the answer "Experience - Knowledge comes from Experience". Never does anyone answer "Knowledge comes from Information". Never If you don't believe me, try it yourself. So why do we persevere with the Data/Information/Knowledge pyramid? If you believe in this pyramid, then your KM approach will be an extension of information management. If instead you believe that knowledge comes from experience, and shared knowledge comes from shared experience, then your KM approach will be based on review and transfer of experience, connection of people, and conversation. So we could in fact come up with a different pyramid, shown here, where experience leads to knowledge, which leads to decisions, and which leads to action. The great thing about this version of the pyramid, is that action leads back to experience. So the pyramids stack, as shown below. Guess which of these works better?