While reading chapter 11, ā€˜Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivismā€™Ā  from Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design Technology I was filled with thoughts of how to create the optimal learning environment for learners, and whether there even is an optimal learning environment.

What I mean by this is as an educator it is imperative to be flexible within your practice to ensure the needs of your learners are met, and this can be challenging when you pour your heart into a lesson and it bombs. But this is also where a lot of learning occurs for the educator, because you tried something you thought was going to work out and for one reason or another it didn’t. Thinking about why the lesson didn’t work, and being aware of the strategies or theories you used can help the educator form a stronger lesson the next time. As well, understanding various learning theories can also help the educator in being more flexible in the moment and maybe being able to save the lesson by utilizing another strategy.

Initially in the chapter I was struck with the first sentence ā€œthe need for a bridge between basic learning research and educational practice has long been discussedā€ because it highlighted for me the importance of the educational practices to be realistic and in line with the needs of the learners. This also struck me because it reminded me of some courses I took in my teacher training, because the concepts that were taught were wonderful, however, they were also not realistic to be actually used in a classroom setting. So although learning is never really wasted, it would have been nice to have been given more practical knowledge.Ā 

Nevertheless, I do believe it is important to seek out knowledge as educators, and for us to stay up to date on various educational research that is being done. I also think it is important for educational researchers to check in with their skills and knowledge of being a teacher, and what are the realities that students are currently facing. I liked how at the end of the chapter it was discussed that there really is no one best theory, but rather that as an effective instructor one must be able to apply the best theory for the specific task that is being taught. And that by doing this pre-thinking and preparation the best learning outcomes will occur for all the various types of learners. This illustrated to me the importance of using not only one form of instructional design, but to be cognizant of which theory you are working with and why. As by doing this critical thinking, we are creating optimal learning environments and outcomes for our students (and ourselves).

Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (2013). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 26(2), 43-71.