What myths do you encounter when teaching learning theories and models?

2 Myth 2: Bloom's taxonomy

Another widely used model in education is Bloom's taxonomy, which is a hierarchy of cognitive skills ranging from lower-order to higher-order thinking. The original version of Bloom's taxonomy consisted of six levels: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. However, this model has been revised and updated several times, and the current version uses verbs instead of nouns, and includes six levels: remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create. The myth is that teachers should always start with the lower levels and move up to the higher levels, or that higher levels are more desirable and valuable than lower levels. However, this is a misconception, because learning is not a linear or sequential process, and different levels of thinking are appropriate and necessary for different tasks, contexts, and goals. Instead of using Bloom's taxonomy as a rigid framework, you should use it as a flexible guide to design learning objectives, activities, and assessments that align with your students' needs, interests, and readiness.

3 Myth 3: The learning pyramid

The learning pyramid is a diagram that shows the average retention rates of different teaching methods, such as lecture, reading, audio-visual, demonstration, discussion, practice, and teaching others. The pyramid claims that passive methods, such as lecture and reading, result in low retention rates, while active methods, such as practice and teaching others, result in high retention rates. However, this diagram is based on dubious sources and flawed assumptions, and there is no empirical evidence to support its claims. In fact, the effectiveness of any teaching method depends on many factors, such as the quality of the instruction, the relevance of the content, the motivation of the learners, the feedback and reinforcement provided, and the transfer and application of the learning. Instead of relying on the learning pyramid, you should use a variety of teaching methods that suit your learning objectives, your students' characteristics, and your instructional context.

5 Myth 5: The generation gap

The generation gap is the idea that different generations of learners have different characteristics, preferences, and expectations, and that teachers should adapt their teaching styles and strategies to these differences. For example, some people claim that digital natives, or those who grew up with technology, have shorter attention spans, higher multitasking abilities, and more visual and interactive learning preferences than digital immigrants, or those who adopted technology later in life. However, this idea is based on stereotypes and generalizations, and there is no conclusive evidence that generational differences have a significant impact on learning outcomes. In fact, individual differences within generations are often greater than differences between generations, and other factors, such as prior knowledge, motivation, and context, are more influential than generational affiliation. Instead of assuming that your students belong to a certain generation, you should get to know them as individuals, and respect and value their diversity and uniqueness.