Narrator: Five instructors have decided to hold an orientation
for the new students in their department. They are meeting together
to plan the workshop. Let’s listen in on what’s happening at the meeting…
Harold Humanist: First, we need to make sure the students
are comfortable in the room where we will hold the orientation. We
need to make sure the air-conditioning is working and we should have some
snacks for them. Then, I think the primary concern of these students
will be getting to know each other. Once they get settled, they will
be more concerned with what classes they are taking and research, but for
now we need to help them develop relationships.
Bernice Behaviorist: I think we need to just sit them down and tell
them what is required of them. As we share the department requirements,
we can emphasize the benefits of doing things on time and the right way.
We should also let them know what can go wrong if they don’t get things
done on time.
Sidney Social: I disagree with both of you. I think
we should have some of our current students come in and talk about their
experiences. These students will learn so much by hearing about what
our current students have gone through and what mistakes they’ve made.
Conrad Cognitive: Maybe getting everyone together for this orientation
is the wrong approach altogether. Maybe we should just give the new
students a packet of information and let them read through it. They
are intelligent people and if they have questions, they can ask someone.
Getting them all together will just be a waste of their time and our own.
Chris Critical Reflection: But Conrad, what kind of message
are we sending if we don’t include any type of interaction in our orientation?
I agree that we might waste time if the students come in without any information.
But maybe we can send them the information ahead of time and tell them to
prepare questions to bring to the orientation. That way, we can spend
our time addressing the questions that really concern them.
Harold Humanist: What is our goal for this orientation anyway?
Just to answer some questions, or to really inspire these students to reach
their potential in our program. I mean, we want them to go beyond simply
retaining information to incorporating new knowledge into their lives.
We want them to use what they are learning and be better off for having
come here.
Bernice Behaviorist: Whoa Harold! I think
you are getting a little ahead of yourself. These students will have
plenty of time for “reaching their goals.” The whole point of this orientation
is to tell them how things work in our department and make sure they understand
the guidelines. We need them to do certain things to be effective and
efficient in our department.
Sidney Social: Bernice, if they don’t get to no anyone
at the orientation, how will they know who to go to if they have a question
or need to work with someone on a project? We have to encourage them
to get to know people and learn from their relationships with others in the
department.
Conrad Cognitive: You are all wrong. The goal is for
them to learn as much as they can while they are here. If they spend
too much time in “orientations” and other social activities, they are not
going to have enough time to read and learn everything they can while they
are here.
Chris Critical Reflection: Conrad, listen to what you are
saying. These students are not going to be prepared for jobs if they
can’t work with people. I think we need to interact with these students
and find out what their expectations are for this experience they are embarking
on. They may have conflicting ideas just like we do. If we know
what they are expecting, then we can correct any expectations that are false.
Sidney Social: Oh, yes. I agree. We need to focus
on their needs and goals. We should let them play a role in designing
the orientation. Maybe we can take the feedback we get from them and
meet again to plan the orientation based on their needs.
Chris Critical Reflection: And Conrad, this will make you
happy, because the students will have to play an active role in determining
what they will learn. If they communicate openly, this orientation
won’t be a waste of their time, but a focused session based on what they
need and want to know.
Bernice Behaviorist: I can live with that idea, as long as
we all agree there are certain things about our department they absolutely
need to know, whether they communicate that or not.
Harold Humanist: I am happy with this idea too. I just really
want us to focus on empathizing with the students, developing a sense of trust
and non-judgmental acceptance between us all. That way, they will know
they can come to any one of us for help.
Narrator: As you can see, our perspectives on learning can be greatly
affected by our adopted learning theories. However, different learning
theories can work in conjunction as well, as long as individuals are willing
to be flexible. Think about how you can encourage such flexibility in
your own thinking and in your own workplace.
