The primary learning theory I intend to incorporate in this minicourse is Constructivism. The theory can greatly impact instructional design of my course by emphasizing on the learner and their active participation, which then leads to increased motivation through a sense of purpose. Since I will be teaching or "training" other adult instructors of language, learning will be reinforced through their relevant experiences, fostering ownership and deeper comprehension and engagement. I particularly appreciate John Keller's ARC Model of Motivation (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction) that can be effectively applied to my methods.
Drawing upon personal experience, adult learners can use their reflection to stimulate social collaboration and innovation. Since there are typically not traditional grading standards, or standardized testing, I must develop creative and qualitative ways to evaluate and provide feedback. Additionally, I may need to modify some activities and assessments, as group collaboration does not always work with some students lacking attention or socialization skills. Examples of activities and qualitative assessments with this theory include:
- inquiry-based learning
- role-playing
- simulations
- reciprocal teaching
Example scenario:
Authentic Assessment Strategy:
Cultural project in French learning: After the presentation of video and audio samples (demonstrating listening comprehension) learners are paired or grouped to research a region in France culture as it relates to their cuisine and create a menu board that is presented to the rest of the class (demonstrating writing and speaking comprehension) which is peer-assessed both from their individual impressions and based on the provided rubric of project expectations.
The secondary learning theory to be implement in conjunction with the previous, will be Connectivism. This theory demonstrates that knowledge is not individual, or singular, but connected among networks of people, technological sources and digital assets. Language acquisition is best achieved across a network of diverse sources, emphasizing the importance of collaboration, critical thinking, and accessing information from multiple perspectives to build comprehensive language, and cultural, understanding. My minicourse will benefit from this through an internal discussion group among learners, as well as making connections to other language instructor networks and resources for finding materials and content for their students. I don't anticipate any limitations with this theory due to its integration with constructivism, and the flexibility to adapt to diverse learner needs when connecting to outside networks and technology. Examples of activities with this theory include:
- online discussion forum for learners
- creating a network of connections through digital platforms
- sharing diverse perspectives
- utilizing technology to access and critically evaluate information from various sources, allowing learners to actively engage with the language in real-world contexts
Example scenario:
Have learners (the 'trainers' or other language instructors) search online for applicable resources that can be used in listening and reading comprehension activities, such as TV or radio advertisements, train announcements, written ads, etc. Then they would create a short comprehension quiz of the content - for example on details in the audio or vocabulary. This activity could be assessed for its practical and relative use by having peers perform each other's activities.
