Response to "Learning is a Mental Process"

Learning is truly a mental process. Chapter two spends time discussing the cognitive approach to learning. It is an interesting approach that differs from other approaches described throughout the chapter. Cognitivism focuses of the mental processes or the mental connections being made during the learning process. One of the approaches discussed in the previous post of the blog is Gagne's Instructional Design Theory.

I had never heard of Robert Gagne before reading the textbook and this blog. He has a very interesting approach with regards to his "Nine Events of Learning". These nine events are nothing grand when you look at them as stand alone units, but when placed together to form a series of events, they are really helpful for looking into how to approach a lesson in education or how to approach professional development in the workforce. For this response, I would like to add to the initial discussion on Learning is a Mental Process and discuss some ways in which I would utilize some of these 9 events.

Mind Map of Gagne's 9 Events of Instruction
Image by @conciselearning on www.biggerplate.com

I began reflecting on his series of events and realized that, while I had never heard of him or his work, I plan and implement my teaching strategies around many of these same points. It is a very good model to use when planning or designing a lesson or professional development activity. Below, I am going to discuss some of the ways I have used these stages in order to be an effective instructor. While I will not focus on all nine, I will focus on two of the "events" I find most interesting.

Step 1: Gain the Attention of the Learner

Attention Sign
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One of the first stages of the 9 events suggests that we need to grab the attention of the learner. This is very important. I have learned over the years of teaching, that it is important to gain the attention of the learner. The beginning of the lesson is the prime time to draw the learner in to get them invested and get them thinking. One example of how I would gain the attention of an adult learner would be to show them what they are getting ready to learn and discuss how it directly relates to them or their community. One of the biggest things we can do to get someone's attention is to start off with a tangible sample, whether it is a story, a physical sample, a real-world example, or data directly relating to the topic. I like to give a "shocker" to my students. This is one of my favorite things to do, but it is really easy to do for me because I am a biologist. A lot of times I have to discuss topics that many students deem boring. For example, in microbiology, I have to teach the mechanism of how a typical antibiotic works and why antibiotics are losing their effectiveness overtime (antibiotic resistance). When I started teaching, I would tell the students what they were going to learn and they looked at me with tired, uninterested eyes. I then begin to start the lecture off as a story. Instead of telling my students what we are going to learn, I begin telling them a story. A story about a huge issue in the region of Western North Carolina. It has to do with a bacterial infection that is plaguing North Carolinian's. I explain that it is currently a treatable infection with antibiotics but that the antibiotics are no longer working and people are starting to die from the infection. As I tell them the story, the student's interest level peaks. It is because I presented them with a huge issue facing the healthcare industry and the people of their community. The change in their faces and their participation in the lecture skyrockets. While I have been doing this for a few years, I was really interested to see that I could put a name to what I was doing in class and it gave me a better understanding of the theory behind why it works.

Stock Crashing
Credit: Rolera, LLC @ www.clker.com

While I do not typically develop professional development activities, I assume this approach can be used in a similar way. If the learner is presented with startling data  (about job markets, retention rates, and so on) it could increase the interest of the trainees and perhaps gather their attention. Startling data will always catch our attention... especially if it has to do with losing profit, losing students, etc. Then, maybe the learner will be more interested in the outcomes of the professional development. Just a thought.

Step 6: Eliciting Performance (Responding)

Another step that I think stands out of these 9 events, is making sure that the students can respond to the information. While there are many ways to do this, I like to get students engaged in a discussion about the topic. This always helps me to gauge whether the learner was able to retain what was learned. While it is not a formal assessment or activity, it can help the instructor figure out what information was learned and determine if the learner can make further connections. Take the example about the bacterial infection discussed above. I like to challenge my students to discuss how they would attempt to control the spread of the infectious agent without the use of antibiotics. This causes the student to have to use the information they learned on how antibiotics work to see if they can come up with a hypothetical solution in a different way. It requires the learner to look back on things they knew before the class and reflect on what they learned during the class and apply it to a problem that they could very well have to face. These responses can give me great insight into the effectiveness of the lesson that was presented.

I am not sure I can give a good example of how this would work in a workplace setting or for professional development. If anyone has any ideas, I would love to hear them.

If we design our lessons and our programs by keeping in mind that learning is a mental process and that following a process that allows students to make connections through examples and real world problems, we can create a culture of life long learning.

Resource:
Merriam, S. B., & Bierema, L. L. (2013). Adult learning: Linking theory and practice. John Wiley & Sons.