EDU 510: A Reflection on the most important class of my M.Ed.

Back in 2020, I enrolled at Post University where I earned a graduate certificate in Learning Design & Technology, one of the many tracks of the M.Ed. program. In the summer of 2022, I came back to Post University to earn an M.Ed. as I desired that learning pedagogy component of the M.Ed. program to round me out. I took a deep dive into the course catalog of the M.Ed. program and one class above all others stood out: EDU 510 Digitally Mediated Teaching & Learning. This class was what I needed above and beyond the rest to get that pedagogical learning theory education that I sought, and this class in particular was why I came back to complete my M.Ed.

And I am not disappointed now that this class is ending, I learned so much! The EDU 510 course covered numerous learning processes and theories, and I learned a lot about cognitive science. In simple terms, cognitive science is the study of how the brain learns and thinks (Vervaeke, 2015). The field is considered interdisciplinary because there are numerous disciplines that form the study such as psychology, anthropology, linguistics, philosophy, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and computer science (Vervaeke, 2015).

A concept coined by D. Perkins that really stood out to me was “playing the hidden game” (Perkins, 2010). When providing students with formative and summative assessments, there is often a strategy behind the strategy. Assignments that reinforce course content may also require students to develop and learn other skills to meet assignment criteria. As a learner utilizes all of the skills needed to complete the learning task, learners will find they have to learn about themselves, how they learn, and also, possibly learn new, important skills to complete their objective; this is the hidden game that Perkins refers to.

Concepts such as logical reasoning, concept-based teaching and learning, analogy mental representations such as analogy thinking, educational transfer, motivations in learning, metacognition, game-based learning; and theories such as flow theory, sociocultural theory, connectivism, cognitive learning theory, information processing theory; among many more were concepts and theories I learned about in EDU 510. The concepts and theories that stood out to me above and beyond were, metacognition, autonomy, educational transfer, and flow theory; and how I could apply them all to my foundational belief in the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework.

As an eLearning designer in higher education, my entire instruction strategy is now based on concepts I learned from this course, including my own hidden game discoveries, which are defined and measured by Bloom’s Taxonomy, metacognition, UDL, flow theory, and transfer, as the learning science I use when curriculum planning. Bloom’s Taxonomy are action verbs that are used to define goals and measure goal outcomes; metacognition is the act of thinking about thinking (Metacognition: The Skill That Promotes Advanced Learning, 2020) which is a large component of the “hidden game”; UDL is a set of learning concepts developed by CAST that provides all students with an equal opportunity to learn (CAST, 2018); flow theory is the cognitive science of happiness as a motivation strategy (Moore, 2022); and educational transfer is when skills learned throughout a learning experience can be applied meaningfully beyond the classroom (Ferlazzo, 2017). I regularly now cite these five concepts/theories when working with my colleagues and subject matter experts in my role.

Tying it all together, I learned about numerous concepts and learning theories from various fields of study, and I played the “hidden game” of discovering what theories and concepts best resonate with my beliefs and environment, and now apply said theories and concepts in my daily life personally and professionally. And now when I design my own course material, I create material that enables my students to play the “hidden game” so that my students can gain higher level thinking skills to enable their future success beyond my own classroom.

References:

CAST (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. Retrieved from http://udlguidelines.cast.org

Ferlazzo, L. [Education Week]. (2017). What Is ‘Transfer of Learning’ and How Does It Help Students? [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/N8QfkT8L9lo

Metacognition: The Skill That Promotes Advanced Learning. (2020). [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/elZFL4FLVLE

Moore, C. P. (2022). What is Flow in Psychology? Definition and 10+ Activities to Induce Flow. PositivePsychology.Com. https://positivepsychology.com/what-is-flow/

Perkins, D. (2010). Making Learning Whole: How Seven Principles of Teaching Can Transform Education (1st ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Vervaeke, J. (2015). John Vervaeke - What is Cognitive Science? [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/tEuGpc16fB8