We all know that everyone is different and we all learn in unique ways. What works for one student might not work for somebody else. We start school at around the age of 6, and with time we develop, usually without knowing it, our own learning strategies.
I feel like I am a “traditional learner”. I like sitting in a classroom with lots of other students listening to a teacher/professor/expert explaining things to me. After this initial learning experience I am ready to take in more knowledge by reading books or articles for example. I am not a fan of “learning together” or “social learning”, I need to do my own journey my own way and in my own pace.
These past two weeks there has been a lot of talk about PLN (Personal Learning Network). Sometimes I feel educators make things more complicated than they actually are. Do we really need this terminology that doesn’t even have a definite meaning? As a scientist I like the exact sciences, why waste time trying to understand (man made) concepts that at the end of the day won’t really change anything? I still learn best the way I do, and so does everyone else. Isn’t the most important thing that we understand everyone is different and accept that.
I never thought about my own PLN before, and like Kay Oddone (2019) is saying, it changes all the time. What is my PLN today, might not be in 6 months from now. Do I need to define it? I don’t even think I have a big PLN. I prefer to attend MOOCs. I mean, I do follow subject matters on social media, but if I don’t follow specific individuals, it isn’t part of my PLN I guess.
Oddone (2019a) is talking about what the different letters in PLN might stand for. Like P for personal or passionate because a personal learning network is all about what YOU are passionate about, since the personal network learning is autonomous and created by the individual himself. I feel this is becoming more and more common. Students are able to “pick and mix” their courses and customize their learning. Of course, if you want to become e.g. a physician, you do need to meet certain requirements and criteria to graduate, but if you don’t study a specific profession you can pretty much choose yourself what courses to attend. You’re also able to decide whether or not you want the credits, or if you only do it for yourself and have no need to prove to anyone that you actually attended.
L stands for (social) learning. Knowledge can be held by many different people and also by books or computers. The important thing is to find the information when we need it. We need to be able to filter information, it is more important than simply memorizing it (Oddone 2019a). I totally agree with this. In this day and age where anything can be published online, it is essential that we know what sources to trust. N of course stands for network.
Oddone (2019b) talks about the difference between a learning community and a learning network. I found this very interesting. According to her (Oddone 2019b) a community is intentional with strong ties, the membership is known, the goals are shared and there is mutual accountability, while a network is undefined with strong and weak ties, the membership is flexible and changing and the goals are personal.
Since I am a fan of structure, I personally think I would prefer a community. On the other hand, again, do we really need to define these. There are for sure some flexibility and networking in the community as well. I also feel like certain subject matters are more suited for social learning than others. Like education, there are a lot to discuss, because there is not a “true or false” to most questions. But when learning math, like addition for example, how long can you discuss why 1+1=2? It is what it is, and there is a reason for it. You either get it or you don’t. I’m being a bit facetious here, I know. But seriously, I wonder if there are research about the different subject matters and how the students prefer to learn. Also is there a difference between introvert and extrovert students, is one group or the other more keen on social learning?
Brindley et al. (2009) is emphasizing the importance of constantly testing the assumptions about what impact certain strategies have on the learner’s behavior. Their study suggests that instructional strategies might be just as effective or even more effective than assessment when hoping students would participate in small group activities.
Capdeferro & Romero (2012) are saying that there are definitely good things about collaborative learning methods, but the online learners might also see them as frustrating. I totally see this and agree. While the collaborative learning works for some, others get frustrated and the learning experience will be more negative because of this.
The perception of an asymmetric collaboration among the teammates was the biggest source of frustration among the students. The students also experienced difficulties organizing things and communicating within the group, lack of shared goals and imbalance of commitment. (Capdeferro & Romero, 2012)
In my own courses that I teach, I have tried to avoid this frustration through making everything optional. There are activities in groups offered for the students that want to participate and feel they learn from discussing with their peers, there are lectures for the students that learn through that, there are quizzes and study questions etc. The students are free to pick and choose the learning activities that will benefit them. Nobody is forced into participating in anything that will only make them frustrated or be very time consuming for them with little learning outcome. My main goal for my students is for them to learn, not to make them learn in a certain way.
References:
Brindley, J., Blaschke, L. M. & Walti, C. (2009). Creating effective collaborative learning groups in an online environment. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 10(3).
Capdeferro, N. & Romero, M. (2012). Are online learners frustrated with collaborative learning experiences?. The International review of research in open and distance learning, 13(2), 26-44.
Oddone Kay (a). (2019 February 26). PLNs Theory and Practice Part 1. [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/g8mJX5n3IEg
Oddone Kay (b). (2019 February 26). PLNs Theory and Practice Part 1. [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/LqSBTr9DPH8
