Theory assignment

C. Rogers discusses the purposes of experiential learning and how beneficial it is for a learner to feel involved during the learning process. Rogers begins by explaining the difference between cognitive learning and experiential learning. He describes cognitive learning as meaningless, while experiential is significant. I chose this theory because I found it very important that Rogers addressed the needs of a learner. Personal involvement, self interest, and the effects on the learning on what is being learned are critical to the evaluation the learner puts on this process. As many articles and movies throughout this course have stated, if the learner is not interested or intrigued by what they are learning they will most likely zone it out or not be as tuned in. With the learner seeing positive effects of what has been learned they will push themselves to learn more and have a new desire to learn new information. Rogers discusses the learner being initiated by self interest when something is being learned that is interesting. Many websites we have reviewed in this course mention that traditional learning through textbooks do not keep the attention span of students and this style is outdated. Using the internet in the classroom would be an example of experiential learning. The internet covers so much information and there is something out there that everyone can relate to. Another aspect of experiential learning is personal change and growth. This involves the eagerness of one to learn and the role of the teacher is to facilitate this learning. Just as the other websites have mentioned throughout this semester, it is the teacher’s role to create a lesson plan that is educational and that the students can relate to. The principles in Roger’s theories include: learning taking place when the subject matter is relevant to the learner, there is little threat to the learner, and when the learner is self motivated. Rogers does an excellent job of summarizing his theory by giving examples of how education can be fundamental and exciting at the same time. His research and principles are a great example of how he supports his information through the research that he conducted.

Teachers can apply Roger’s theory to their lesson plan by reviewing what students are most interested in and applying that to a lesson plan. This is similar to using the internet in the classroom where teachers must carefully choose how they want to use the student’s interest in an educational format. Rogers mentioned the learner being open to change and that will lead to them opening up and grasping new information. In the same respect if the teacher is open to change they can see listening to their students could be beneficial because this could lead to more students excelling in the classroom and participation going up. Not only would classroom participation increase but so would the information being retained. This can be applied to an internet based application because it involves the teacher basing a lesson plan on what students can relate to. Just as using the internet in the classroom would draw many critics, I am sure some parents and administrators would be worried that catering to the students would not be in the teacher’s favor. As long as the teacher did their research and spent time creating a lesson plan that is educational and not just pure entertainment, this could be valuable for the students and the teacher. This theory is a great summation of the other websites and movies we have reviewed throughout the semester as it analyzes the value in learning and how a learner views learning if it pertains to them.