The idea of constructivism is not a new one. Many of the ideas were formed by Jean Piaget and adapted by Seymour Papert. The entire idea is focused on having the students learn the in formation through creation and finding solutions. Dr. Orey states that the brain is always looking to find and equalibrium. This theory is based on the concept of putting the students “in a state where they have to solve their disequalibration” (Laureate, 2010). Through being in this state the students are forced to learn more about the subjects and concepts in order to reach their brains one goal.
We need to find concepts and lessons that focus on creating this type unbalance in our students brains, Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski give such a concept in their book. They talk about “Generating and Testing Hypothesis” and how it relates to student learning. Through the students coming up with a hypothesis they are placing themselves in a state of disequalibration. They are then working into testing and solving what they think they know using the constructionism theory. This is when “Learners don't get ideas; they create ideas. Moreover, constructionism suggests that new ideas are most likely to be created when learners are actively engaged in building some type of external artifact that they can reflect upon and share with others” (2001). Through creating the hypothesis a teacher would be using the constructivism theory whereas in the long run all the students would also be using the constructionism theory with the creation of an experiment.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Cognitivism in Practice
This week we were asked to continue our reading in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. We were asked to focus on the strategies of “Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers” along with “Summarizing and Note Taking.” Each of these strategies worked in correlation with the cognitive learning theories that Dr. Orey presented in the video Cognitive Learning Theories. This week we explored how students process information and what helps them bring ideas into long-term memory.
The idea of primary information process, also referred to as the network model, states that there are three stages that information must progress through. The first is the “sensory registers” this is the basic understanding of the concepts (Laureate, 2008). This is where it is important to use a variety of means to present the information. From there the concepts enter in the “short term memory, it is good to chunk information for it to enter here” (Laureate, 2008). Finally the information then enters the “long term memory” if the information is explained well enough and in enough varying means (Laureate, 2008). With this in mind I am going to take a look at the two concepts that we were asked to explore.
The first is the idea of “Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers.” Cues are defined as “explicit reminders or hints about what students are about to experience” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski p. 73). Cues can be straightforward or just gradual hints to get the students moving in the right direction. Questions are used to trigger “students’ memories and help them to access prior knowledge” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski p. 73). These strategies work well with the idea of networking. With the use of advanced organizers that teacher is using visual and written aids to help the students access the information. They are allowing the students to work with things that are hands on and can be physically seen. If a student were given a blank graphic organizer during a test it would often trigger them to think about how they filled it in and what they were working on at the time. This strategy works very well with visual learners because it accesses their dual coding or “ability to remember images and text” (Laureate, 2008). The students associate the graphic organizer with the information and are able to combine the two for better understanding.
The second idea is “Summarizing and Note Taking.” This concept focuses on “enhancing students’ ability to synthesize information and distill it into a concise new form” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski p. 119). Through the use of note taking, students are able to break down the information into more understandable chunks, making the information easier to store in the short-term and long-term memories (Laureate, 2008). Instead of focusing on all the knowledge they have things broken into smaller more concise and understandable concepts. The students can also use graphic displays to help them understand and chunk the concepts, again using the dual coding idea.
I personally love to use the idea of cues with my students. In my district we have the learning focused curriculum that has concept maps that we show the students at the beginning of each unit of study. The students are cued about what is to come in the lesson. As Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski state “Although it is common to think that cues should be subtle or ambiguous-like hints-in the classroom, a direct approach is most effective. Simply tell the students what content they are about to learn” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski p. 77). IF the students have a preview of what is to come they will be better be able understand when it is presented in the classroom. Along with cues I like to help the students with summarizing and note taking as much as I can. Prior to this week I was not aware the word had an application that allowed you to summarize information. This idea will be very beneficial to my students because they are all learning support students that often have trouble reading text books for complete comprehension of everything. This will allow me to help them pick out the main ideas and concepts form the reading. Eventually they will be able to use the tools and complete this task on their own.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program five: Cognitive learning theories. [DVD]. In Walden University: Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore: Author.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
The idea of primary information process, also referred to as the network model, states that there are three stages that information must progress through. The first is the “sensory registers” this is the basic understanding of the concepts (Laureate, 2008). This is where it is important to use a variety of means to present the information. From there the concepts enter in the “short term memory, it is good to chunk information for it to enter here” (Laureate, 2008). Finally the information then enters the “long term memory” if the information is explained well enough and in enough varying means (Laureate, 2008). With this in mind I am going to take a look at the two concepts that we were asked to explore.
The first is the idea of “Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers.” Cues are defined as “explicit reminders or hints about what students are about to experience” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski p. 73). Cues can be straightforward or just gradual hints to get the students moving in the right direction. Questions are used to trigger “students’ memories and help them to access prior knowledge” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski p. 73). These strategies work well with the idea of networking. With the use of advanced organizers that teacher is using visual and written aids to help the students access the information. They are allowing the students to work with things that are hands on and can be physically seen. If a student were given a blank graphic organizer during a test it would often trigger them to think about how they filled it in and what they were working on at the time. This strategy works very well with visual learners because it accesses their dual coding or “ability to remember images and text” (Laureate, 2008). The students associate the graphic organizer with the information and are able to combine the two for better understanding.
The second idea is “Summarizing and Note Taking.” This concept focuses on “enhancing students’ ability to synthesize information and distill it into a concise new form” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski p. 119). Through the use of note taking, students are able to break down the information into more understandable chunks, making the information easier to store in the short-term and long-term memories (Laureate, 2008). Instead of focusing on all the knowledge they have things broken into smaller more concise and understandable concepts. The students can also use graphic displays to help them understand and chunk the concepts, again using the dual coding idea.
I personally love to use the idea of cues with my students. In my district we have the learning focused curriculum that has concept maps that we show the students at the beginning of each unit of study. The students are cued about what is to come in the lesson. As Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski state “Although it is common to think that cues should be subtle or ambiguous-like hints-in the classroom, a direct approach is most effective. Simply tell the students what content they are about to learn” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski p. 77). IF the students have a preview of what is to come they will be better be able understand when it is presented in the classroom. Along with cues I like to help the students with summarizing and note taking as much as I can. Prior to this week I was not aware the word had an application that allowed you to summarize information. This idea will be very beneficial to my students because they are all learning support students that often have trouble reading text books for complete comprehension of everything. This will allow me to help them pick out the main ideas and concepts form the reading. Eventually they will be able to use the tools and complete this task on their own.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program five: Cognitive learning theories. [DVD]. In Walden University: Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore: Author.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Behaviorism in Practice
During this week of graduate classes we were asked to read about the “Reinforcing Effort” and the “Homework and Practice” concepts in our textbook, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. In the section on reinforcing effort the authors discuss the concept of using technology to encourage students’ effort. During this chapter Mrs. Powell has the students keep track of their own effort and achievement as they work through the class. Mrs. Powell learns that “by looking at the chart, students can clearly see the relation between their effort and grades they earned on their tests” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). This concept works into the idea of behaviorism in the fact that students are able to see the relation with their efforts and the positive reinforcement of getting a good grade. The students are able to see that if they put more effort into their schoolwork they will have a better more positive outcome. Those students that did not do well on their tests are getting the negative reinforcement letting them know that they did not show the adequate amount of effort and have the grades to show for it.
In the second section homework and practice there is a focus on many ideas from using spreadsheets to multimedia and web resources to help students learn. I found the idea of using web resources with the students to be interesting and helpful. Many of the websites use “programmed instruction” from the behaviorist theory (Laureate, 2010). Through this type of instruction students are given problems; if they solve it correctly they are encouraged and strengthened in their knowledge. If the student were to answer them wrong the students would be told what they did wrong and how to fix it. This teaches the students how to fix the problems; it does not just simply tell them that they have done them wrong. The students are also reinforced if they did something right with leads them to keep trying harder and harder.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010d). Program #: Behaviorist learning theory with Michael Orey. [DVD]. In Walden University: Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore: Author.
In the second section homework and practice there is a focus on many ideas from using spreadsheets to multimedia and web resources to help students learn. I found the idea of using web resources with the students to be interesting and helpful. Many of the websites use “programmed instruction” from the behaviorist theory (Laureate, 2010). Through this type of instruction students are given problems; if they solve it correctly they are encouraged and strengthened in their knowledge. If the student were to answer them wrong the students would be told what they did wrong and how to fix it. This teaches the students how to fix the problems; it does not just simply tell them that they have done them wrong. The students are also reinforced if they did something right with leads them to keep trying harder and harder.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010d). Program #: Behaviorist learning theory with Michael Orey. [DVD]. In Walden University: Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore: Author.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)