EDCI 335 Blog Post 2

– Backward Design and Understanding by Design (UbD): 

It is valuable to start planning with end goals in mind as learning plans will differ for each student. Creating learning plans that best address your classroom will lead to better goal results. An example of where I have implemented this practice in my own education is in finding career prospects that align with myself. I was unclear on what I should major in when beginning University. I began to get a better idea of what I wanted to do as a career when I began asking myself what goals I wanted to accomplish. Once I was able to dictate what career I was interested in I was able to come up with a learning plan that included the right classes, volunteer work and experiences to help me achieve my future career goals. 

– Design Thinking: 

Over the course of my education I have learnt that everyone has different learning strengths and struggles. Personally, I have always struggled with math focused subjects. Listening to my teachers and professors in class was never enough for me to achieve a proper understanding of concepts. Therefore, I had to seek out additional support from help centers and tutors. This support was done one on one or in smaller groups and I was given specific learning plans tailored to myself. They helped me work through areas I struggled in with encouragement and reinforcement. Through this example of empathy and prototyping in my own personal learning I was able to complete stronger work and grades in my classes. 

– Learning Outcomes and Bloom’s/ SOLO Taxonomies: 

I’ve found Bloom’s solo taxonomies more helpful for describing levels of learning. I believe that is more practical to begin with a basic level of knowledge and from there move to a stronger and more intricate level. Oftentimes, I think it can be overwhelming to be given all the information and steps at once. The solo taxonomy allows learners to be able to build on ideas and knowledge instead of it all being thrown at them the right way. As well as this allows for students to expand their knowledge instead of just focusing on completing steps. An example of a surface level task in learning could be the instructor asking students to label a diagram. Whereas, a deeper task could be an instructor asking students to label a diagram and write a description of each label’s function. This would result in students being able to better expand and connect their knowledge. 

– Better Learning Design: 

An example of a time I implemented surface level learning into my education was for a biology exam. The exam was made up of 100 multiple choice questions. I focused strictly on memorizing the answer to questions I believed would be listed on the exam. I found I was successful on the exam even though I didn’t fully understand all the concepts. In contrast to surface level learning is deep level learning. An example of a time I used deep level learning was for studying for my sociology exam. This exam held no multiple choice questions and instead consisted of short and long written questions. It was vital for me to properly understand and be able to connect concepts for this exam if I intended to get a good grade. When studying for both these exams I intentionally planned which study techniques I would use in order to do well. 

– Inquiry and Project-Based Learning: 

Inquiry and project based learning both connect with my education and career goals. I see myself using inquiry learning while figuring out future career prospects. As I ask myself questions such as what am I passionate about, what interests me, what fulfills me, etc. Whereas, project based learning comes in when I begin to think about the different experiences and opportunities I have had. I relate these experiences back to my interests and am able to see which ones align.