Synthesize Knowledge
-
Demonstrate ability to read and understand educational literature
-
Demonstrate ability to describe fundamental theories of human learning
-
Apply knowledge of human learning, diversity, and effective pedagogy to solution of problems in discipline
Narrative
For the competency “Synthesize Knowledge,” I have selected three papers as artifacts. These papers are an “Annotated Bibliography on Trends within Learning Technology,” “Theoretical Foundation of Learning Theories for Corporate Learning & Development,” and "Curricular Artifacts with Systemic Racism.” Each of these papers allowed me to demonstrate key skills in synthesizing theoretical knowledge and educational trends in the field such as reading and understanding educational literature, describing fundamental theories, then solving problems in my discipline.
In my experience with developing the “Annotated Bibliography on Trends within Learning Technology” paper, I was able to explore resources, summarize, evaluate, then reflect on the articles. In my paper “Theoretical Foundation of Learning Theories for Corporate Learning & Development,” I took learning theories and applied them to the professional corporate context then shared my experience and knowledge with my peers. Along with my academic paper, I created a learning theories map to clearly visualize the theoretical learning theories. In my last artifact, the “Curricular Artifacts with Systemic Racism” paper, I took a multicultural stance by critiquing curricular artifacts from different perspectives leading to the building of awareness of the intended or unintended racist structures. This awareness is important in problem-solving in my profession.
Though I have over fifteen years of experience in the learning and development field, this experience has expanded my perspectives on synthesizing knowledge to better understand the theory, trends, practices, and real-world learning problems in the field. These papers gave me a good understanding of the various elements involved in effective research, effective theoretical foundations for learning, and learning diversity in practice. I hope to continue evolving my skills and finding ways to put this learning into the application by following similar process steps from these courses, into my day-to-day work.
Finally, when reflecting on each of my papers, there is still much more to explore. Accessing scholarly sources and selecting articles most relevant to my research interests will continue to develop my skill to integrate research-based practices with existing research. Presenting arguments on learning theories within the corporate context and supporting my arguments with academic literature will continue to expand my knowledge of human learning and its role in Corporate Learning and Development. Finally, taking a multicultural stance to critique educational artifacts grows my awareness in identifying systemic racism (or bias) in the structure of learning then repositioning myself to act in solving problems within curricula.