My Philosophy As Learning Designer
in the 21st Century

My approach to applying learning theory to design is student-centered and context-based. Considering the fact that I design learning experiences for adult learners, mainly for clients that are universities, corporations and nonprofit organizations, it is important to foster the acquisition of 21st century knowledge and skills that will help adult learners succeed in their work and in different industries.

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Suzie Boss (2019) identifies six 21st century knowledge and skills employers want across industries: (1) critical thinking, (2) creativity, (3) collaboration, (4) communication, (5) technology / media literacy, and (6) leadership.

 

From a leaning designer perspective my philosophy of learning is anchored on four essential rules (described by Jennifer Nichols, 2019): (1) instruction should be student-centered, (2) education should be collaborative, (3) learning should have context, and (4) schools should be integrated with society.

 

I design learning experiences aligned with the learning theories and approaches of Constructivism and Andragogy; and the Complex Learning Approach Models of Project-Based Learning (PBL) and Gamification.

 

From Constructivism, I use the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) to create appropriately challenging tasks, while providing scaffolding activities to support learners as they are led through the ZPD.

 

From Andragogy, I focus on the five assumptions of adult learning theory, developing opportunities to collaborate in groups and incorporating a variety of models and resources that will apply to learners of all backgrounds.

 

The Complex Learning Approach Models bundle together ideas about learning. I find these models to be flexible enough to allow for incorporation of other learning theories into comprehensive curriculum development and instructional design.

 

Through my instructional design, I am committed to advancing the Complex Learning Approach Model of Gamification, especially through complex online business simulations. Complex business simulations integrate all learning theories (Behaviorism, Constructivism, Cognitivism and Connectivism; and Andragogy). Simulations can be an integral part of a course developed under the Project-Based Learning (PBL) model.

 

My approach to creating an active learning environment, within a formal education setting and corporate trainings, is to integrate theoretical framework into real-world business scenarios. This can be incorporated into learning design by developing assessments that require completing a task based on a relevant real-world business scenario and then analyzing why and how the task can be correlated to a specific theoretical framework. This multidisciplinary approach promotes critical thinking and deep learning through the application of the learning into the real-world learner’s work environment.

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Boss, S. (2019). It’s 2019. So why do 21st-century skills still matter?. Retrieved from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-01-22-its-2019-so-why-do-21st-century-skills-still-matter

 

Nichols, J.R. (2019). 4 essential rules of 21st-century learning. Retrieved from https://www.teachthought.com/learning/4-essential-rules-of-21st-century-learning/