Learning Theory Matrix Response

Now that I am more knowledgeable of all the different learning theories, I realize that my first impressions of these theories were naïve. I used to only think that there were two learning theories: behavioral and cognitive. Now that I have been exposed to the more modern theories of Social Learning and Connectivism, I feel as though I can see the evolution that our understanding of learning has taken. I feel like I’m only scratching the surface of understanding these learning theories.


I’ve always felt that my learning only made sense when it was directed at solving a particular problem. In that way, I fit the “Adult Learning Theory.” I also grow frustrated by learning that fails to recognize the ever-changing world we live in. I was always taught that “this is the only way to write an essay” or “these grammar rules have always been this way and will never change.” But as an adult I realize that these were little white lies my teachers told me to get me to pass the tests they gave. The truth is much more complicated. “This is the way people write essays now.” Or, “These grammar rules are constantly-evolving, but here’s why they exist this way now.”


Technology is essential to my learning for a number of reasons. First, I feel like the amount of information I want to learn far outweighs my brain’s capacity to hold information. I use technology to record, tab, and write about information I’ve gathered. Additionally, I use technology to create/gather the information I will eventually record. I use technology to synthesize information, search for it, and respond to it. I like that my computer places me in an active/interactive role as a learner. I can’t sit at my computer and have it lecture me. I have to actively seek the information to create the knowledge.