I believe experience is the best teacher and using good design with authentic situated experiences successfully transfers experiential learning to a higher degree.

Connecting simulation to reality has been my driving force and what connects my thinking to research and practice. In my learning and in examining other researcher’s work, it is my goal to demonstrate a connection between virtual experience and practice connected to real job related activities. In my research of related material and my own understanding, my thinking is influenced by the belief that learning is situated in context, is experiential, and is best learned by doing, and is most important when transfer plays on future situations.

The combination of these ideas comes from my own experiences in the classroom and my coursework throughout my doctoral program at George Mason University. My experiences, as a twenty year veteran classroom teacher, have given me an insightful perspective on student thinking. These experiences confirm my belief that teaching is a field of doing. New teachers benefit from the advice and expertise of an established instructor, but only by being in the classroom and navigating firsthand the classroom setting, can a teacher hope to be successful. These situational settings help a teacher to gain understanding of specific contextual situations. It is the goal of all teachers to transfer difficult situations into positive teachable moments.

I have found my thinking influenced by my belief that learning is situated in context, that learning is experiential, as in one learns best by doing, and the importance of transfer of that learning to new situations. These beliefs fall in line with theories proposed by Brown et al (1989) and situated cognition, Zone of Proximity as stated by Vygotsky (1978), Learning by Doing, as discussed by Carl Aldrich (2005), Experiential Learning Theory as laid down by Rogers (1983) and further defined by Kold (1984), and transfer as discussed by Perkins and Salomon (1994).

Situated Cognition and Experiential Learning Theory

As a student in high school, I experienced in my courses much in the way of content and very little in context. One memorable class was a senior year English course where we learned to properly fill out job applications. As an educator early in my career, I did much of the same I taught the content and not the context. My learning and subsequent understanding came later in my career when I was introduced to the “teacher as designer” (Norton & Wiburg, 2002) concept of education and situational learning. As a newer teacher in my district, I was handed a course which no one wanted and expected to fail as my predecessors did. Being frustrated, I used my drive and energy to create a course I would have liked to take in my high school career. I used the experiential knowledge of my real life personal finance situations to establish a foundational must-take core in high school for successful personal finance. This course grew, and I became the darling of the county. It was relevant, situated, experiential, and it was sought after because it was applicable to my students’ realities.

Meanwhile, at a state technology conference, I attended the speaker session with Marc Prensky and was amazed to hear his observations about how students perceive their world, and how schools were not meeting those needs in the present educational styles. The Digital Native article authored by Prensky (2001) lead me to his other book which talked more about the benefits of games and simulation and how they aid in students’ education (Prensky, 2006), adding another layer to my thinking.

In continuing to understand my learning and teaching, the theories of Carl Rogers and further defined by David Kolb discussed the power of discovery and experiential learning. In looking back at the personal finance course, I saw this was the perfect opportunity for experiential learning and using simulations. Through further research, the course gave me the avenue for using a virtual environment to have students experience home buying and all the lessons which followed. I used as a frame of reference the idea, identified by Aldrich, which linked simulations and learn by doing (2005). Using the virtual world, students could experience home buying, property selection, the complexity of mortgages the difficulties, and the consequences which a homeowner can face, but from the safety of a monitor. This gave my students an opportunity to experience an authentic activity and do all the wrong things when home buying and not be held back from those experiences. These disaster simulations helped my students understand the importance of getting a task done right the first time as real life is not so forgiving.

It was my goal with that personal finance course to prepare my students for their own financial situations armed with the most up-to-date information as possible. My second goal was to introduce them to members of the community who could aid them in good financial decisions, and to making intelligent, educated financial choices for their futures. These gained experiences allowed the students to manipulate them or share with others.

As my life changed, my career continued to be contextual. I began activity exploring a technology integrator position for my district. This position allowed me to traverse new avenues of advancing technology with respect to classroom design. I worked closely with other educators to integrate technology to enhance lesson design and stimulate and situate real world experiences throughout their instruction. I was successful and introduced two virtual environments and one simulation into two separate courses. In the science classroom, the environment explores using the scientific method to save a town riddled with illness due to water contamination issues. Acting as a scientist and using real scientific techniques to solve the contamination problem, students learn by doing via a virtual environment. These same students were able to take the procedures and successfully transfer them to a real life pond activity.

Zone of Proximal Development

As a teacher of mathematics it is my goal every lesson to provide enough examples for students to be able to complete assignments on their own. According to the Zone of Proximal development, the zone is identified by learning distance of a student who needs assistance with a task to when they can complete the task by themselves (Vygotsjy, 1978). Because of their immersive nature, virtual environments have the potential to demonstrate a possible decrease in the time students need to complete tasks on their own. My example from my own experience in using the virtual environment in the personal finance class was many students were able to immediately use banking services offered by financial institutions in our county. Because of the learning curve provided, all the students were able to ask pertinent questions and get immediate expected results for their respective financial needs. From the science classes using the virtual environment, students were able to complete tasks faster and more accurately and when moved to the actual pond activity, students required no help in completing their tasks of water samples.

The FACTS Model

Technology is a only tool for learning. The FACTS model of lesson design, as detailed by Norton and Wiburg (2002), allows learners to navigate experiences designed in situated authentic problems. These contextually specific problems motivate the learner and target learning to real world tasks. Designing lessons around the activities which are embedded in learning strengthen retention and encourage transfer to new situations and motivate the learner. In my personal finance course, this was vital, as every activity which was completed was directly reflected upon and related to an actual situation which will occur in the student’s lives. These simulated activities, became part of a foundation for future learning. Bank accounts, credit cards, car buying and even marriage planning were used to cloak math concepts which need to be covered. The design and construction of activities, with or without technology, lead to powerful experiences which are stored and recalled for future use.

In my present math courses, I use a variety of techniques to incorporate an authentic problem into learning situations. One situation, for example, was designing a Ski lodge and it accompanying ski slopes. This idea came from the students as the group had an interest in skiing. As a project, the students presented their ski slopes and the subsequent algebraic equations which were needed. This worked very in helping students to understand slope and its related functions. In another situation, students were asked to use a Java based game which uses physics simulations to keep a sled based character in motion. The students had to cover all the basics of styles of slope vehicle still keeping their player active and in motion. Both of these activities would have not functioned well without the instructor to guide and organize the context which was being learning. Lesson design remains the single most important element in any classroom situation.
Transference

Being able to take learned material and apply it to another situation is referred to as transference. As discussed by researchers Perkins and Salomon (1994), transference has two stages -low transference and high. In many job related situations, employees are given training before being able to do the authentic task. The airline industry and the military have been the dominating users of simulation training, followed recently by the medical field. Simulations help in learning and move that learning quickly to a new and safe workplace situation (Hartley, 2006).
One aspect of the thinking classroom (Tishman, Perkins, & Jay, 1994) identifies that connections secure knowledge. The skills encourage students to connect new ideas and learning to things they know. As a math teacher, much of the transfer into real life is situational and tends to be contextually specific. My favorite example is in teaching geometry. This course lends itself so nicely to all aspects of home ownership. In any part of that situation, I would find a topic and have student transfer their learning to what can go in my house today. Being able to take their newly learned formula and apply it to every female whim and desire demonstrates transference.

The Construction

It is my goal as a researcher of instructional technology to use this newly forged conceptual framework as a guide for my proposal research interest. I believe good design, situated in the context of real world authentic problems, will promote content learning, engagement, and transference. Instruction supported by skilled teachers and virtual environments is an educational approach worth researching and the area of concentration I wish to pursue.

References:

Aldrich, C. (2005). Learning By Doing:A Comprehensive Guide to Simulations, Computer Games, and Pedagogy in e-Learning and Other

Educational Experiences. San Fransisco: Pfeiffer.

Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated Cognition and the Culture of Learning. Educational Researcher , 32-42.

Hartley, D. (2006, T+D). Learning Can Be Fun. 60 (5), pp. 53-54.

Kolb, D. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Englewood Cliffs: Prentise Hall.

Norton, P., & Wiburg, K. W. (2002). Teaching with Technology: Designing Opportunities to Learn. Thompson/Wadsworth.

Perkins, D., & Salomon, G. (1994). Transfer of Learning. In International Encyclopedia of Education, 2nd Edition. Pergamon.

Prensky, M. (2001, October). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon , 9 (5).

Prensky, M. (2006). Don't Bother Me Mom I'm Learning. Paragon House.

Rogers, C. (1983). The Freedom to Learn for the 80's. Merrill.

The River City Project. (n.d.). Retrieved August 28, 2001, from The River City Project: http://muve.gse.harvard.edu/rivercityproject/

Tishman, S., Perkins, D., & Jay, E. (1994). The Thinking Classroom. Chicago: Allyn & Bacon.

Vygotsky, L. (1978). Interaction Between Learning and Development. Mind in Society , 79-91.