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[edit] Introduction to the POLT

[edit] Purpose of Book

This book, "The Practice of Learning Theories" (The POLT), has its roots or origins in two graduate level classes on learning theories and instructional design principles taught by Dr. Mimi Miyoung Lee at the University of Houston and Dr. Curt Bonk at Indiana University during the fall of 2007. Drs. Lee and Bonk decided against replicating wikibooks on learning theories and learning theorists since Dr. Dale Fowler at Indiana Wesleyan had already coordinated those (see [[1]] and [[2]]. Instead, they showed those books to their students and had them edit them. In addition, they had their students critique an existing wikibook on "Emerging Perspectives on Learning, Teaching, and Technology" coordinated by Michael Orey at the University of Georgia (for their critiques, see [[3]]/ and for that wikibook, see [[4]]). So, in effect, this was perhaps the first class to critique a wikibook, edit a wikibook, and write their own wikibook. There are many lessons learned from that process that we will try to document in a journal article sometime in 2008.

As you will see from exploring this wikibook, Drs. Lee and Bonk believed that implementing learning theory and instructional design ideas was critical to learning and internalizing ideas about learning; hence, this particular wikibook on the practice of learning theories. Having students doing something with their new knowledge and learning was important or at least having students plan how they would implement it when teaching. Many of the chapters have stories or examples that help explain or illustrate what the chapter is about. Some have real world stories from experiences as teachers and others have examples from the authors' experiences as learners. We hope you learn from each example, model, story, framework, and idea in this book.

There were many language education students in the class at Indiana University; hence, many chapters related to that topic. Please feel free to add to, edit, or modify this book in any way. The sky is the limit--who knows, there could be hundreds of chapters in this book in a year with many excellent examples of how learning theories are being practiced around the world. We welcome your support and contributions. Enjoy this book!