CHANGE STARTS NOW!

Here is a VoiceThread I created for a movement at my school called "Change Starts Now."

http://voicethread.com/share/3147563/

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

This week, in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, the author explores the instructional strategy of “Cooperative Learning.” This strategy focuses on the students engaging and interacting with each other within small groups as a means to enhance their learning (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). This strategy aligns very closely with the Social Learning Theory which suggests that students are “actively engaged in constructing artifacts and conversing with others” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a). The idea behind cooperative learning is students are participating within a group and each student can have a responsibility within the group, if desired. The students are responsible for each other and are held accountable for the tasks or goals to complete the activity. Cooperative groups are an opportunity for the students to take ownership of their group work and to collaborate effectively to create or design an artifact as described in the Constructionism theory model. The “Cooperative Learning” strategy is also described as a way for students to interact with each other to enhance their learning (Pitler et al., 2007). In the course video, “Social Learning Theories,” Dr. Orey defined the Social Learning Theory as a way the students are teaching each other to help develop a deeper understanding of the content (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a). I have found that when collaborative groups are working effectively in my classroom, the students are taking the knowledge and advice from their classmates and applying it to the content. For example, I have the students working in groups for when the students are exploring solving two-step or multi-step equations. There may be a struggling student who is getting some extra help from another classmate and the steps and tips the classmate is giving the struggling student are being closely followed so the struggling student can gain an understanding of how to accurately solve equations. I have also found that students benefit from working closely together because of the language they use with each other. They might have a unique way of remembering different ways to do certain types of problems.

Social networking and collaborative tools also correlate with the “Cooperative Learning” strategy, as well as other social learning theories. These types of tools, in my opinion, can make collaboration much easier. Those who are fortunate to have a computer at home and have access to the internet have an advantage. It is convenient to access websites where collaboration can occur. For example, if a student were creating a document from their home and needed help from their group peers, they could easily upload the document onto Google Docs, for example, and make it accessible to their group so the other members could go in and make modifications where they see fit. This is something I have never tried, but is definitely a great collaborative tool that is located conveniently online for all to see. Social networking sites such as Facebook make it again convenient for interaction. I think sites like Google Docs and Facebook correlate with the “Cooperative Learning” Strategy because all group members can still participate as long as access is granted for them to make adjustments. The idea of creating an artifact is still present through sites like Google Docs and Facebook allows for collaboration which is a huge component of the cooperative learning instructional strategy, as well as the social learning theories. Facebook can be engaging for the students because it is a tool they use to connect with their friends and it is another way to conveniently connect with their classmates. It encourages the students to continue their conversations of classroom discussions outside of the classroom. One of the theories we have discussed in this class is the “Constructivism” theory which is defined as “the act of constructing knowledge, making meaning and making sense of the world” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b). As students are continuing their conversations and collaboration via sites like Facebook, or even VoiceThread as also mentioned in the resources this week, the students are taking the knowledge and constructing into ways that makes sense to them. Their peers can have a unique way of explaining or creating artifacts to help represent their thoughts to bring a clearer meaning to the course content. Like Orey mentioned, we have the strategies on hand, but now it is a matter of using technology where it is appropriate (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a).

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). [Webcast]. Social learning theories. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010b). [Webcast]. Connectivism as a learning theory. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Pitler H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Constructivism in Practice

          This week I have been studying the constructivist/constructionist learning theory, as well as instructional strategies that correlate with the theory. The first instructional strategy outlined in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works is the “Generating and Testing Hypotheses” strategy (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 202). As emphasized and incorporated into this strategy, the usage of technology is suggested because it can easily help the students gather, interpret, and analyze data. A program that aligns well with this strategy is a spreadsheet software program such as Microsoft Excel (Pitler et al., 2007). Programs like this “help students learn content” (Pitler et al., 2007, p. 204) as well as assist in helping the students understand what they are trying to learn and to reach the expectations set for them (Orey, 2001). The constructionist model of learning is set to engage the students in their learning and to incorporate technology tools for the students to create artifacts (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).

          Another instructional strategy that is another type of constructionist model approach is “Learning by Design” (Orey, 2001). This type of strategy challenges the students to take the lead in their learning while the teacher develops more into the role as a facilitator. For example, the “Astroventure” (http://astroventure.arc.nasa.gov/) constructionist-based technology program allows the students to design a planet given particular characteristics that is habitable for human life that is not Earth-like. At the end of the planet creation, it will tell you whether the planet you created is habitable or uninhabitable. This is a great opportunity for students to pick different characteristics and critically think about what happens when certain planets have particular characteristics. They can explore and problem solve by selecting different choices. The students should be “the active builder of knowledge” while they are investigating and brainstorming during the planet creation (Orey, 2001).

What are some uses of constructionist learning theory you use in your classroom that aligns with the instructional strategies we talked about?

I am always looking for fun, interactive, and creative math games or projects to implement in my classroom! I would love to share our resources!

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). [Webcast]. Constructionist and constructivist learning theories. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page

Pitler H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Cognitivism in Practice

This week I explored two instructional strategies that embed technology from Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. The first strategy is “Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers” and the second strategy is “Summarizing and Note Taking.” I found both of these strategies to be quite useful for classroom instruction.

The best way to describe the first strategy is that it “focuses on enhancing students’ ability to retrieve, use, and organize information about a topic” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 73). This strategy aligns with the principles of the cognitive learning theory. This strategy really stresses the importance of utilizing an organizer to gather concepts and thoughts into a more organized format that is clear and easy to read. Many of the advance organizers can include images and text that supports Paivio’s dual coding hypothesis (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). This is a great way for students to begin piecing together content in a way that is easy for them to remember. As stated in the “Cognitive Learning Theory” video, “Images are really powerful tools to use in the classroom” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). I think they can be great representations and visuals for students to see in their minds to capture and process the information. It was also suggested that multimedia can be incorporated into the cueing and questioning process (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). This is another great tool for the cognitive learning process because it is another method of sensory input of information (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). The “Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers” will help me teach for understanding because it helps me see the information the students are processing and I can incorporate higher-level or lower-level questioning to gauge student learning and to make sure all of the students understand the content.

The second strategy is “Summarizing and Note Taking.” This strategy “focuses on enhancing students’ ability to synthesize information and distill it into a concise new form” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 119). The idea of summarizing and note taking is to take content and to effectively break it down into parts that your brain can easily understand. One of the tools mentioned in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works is Inspiration. This program is designed with templates where you can incorporate any type of data into an organizer. It is easy to read and is to the point. Lengthy word descriptions are minimal and key points are identified. This strategy correlates with the cognitive learning theory because it allows the reader to take pieces of information at one time and to apply it and using it in short-term memory and eventually transcribing it into long-term memory (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). Note-taking can be an elaborate process, however, it should be presented in various ways (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Elaboration is a component of the cognitive learning theory and is a primary way to store information long-term (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). This instructional strategy will help me teach for understanding because it will allow me to see students who are synthesizing the information presented and if they are appropriately applying the content.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). [Webcast]. Cognitive learning theories. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Pitler H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Behaviorism in Practice

Exploring the instructional strategies described in the resources from this week, there were a couple that correlated with the principles of the behaviorist learning theory. The first instructional strategy that I feel aligns with the principles of the behaviorist learning theory is “reinforcing effort” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Not all students are highly motivated to perform academically thus I have found particularly in my classroom, my students need a little push when it comes to their attitude or belief about learning math. In my classroom, my students need a lot of positive reinforcement to gain confidence and to bring forth motivation for their learning. In particular, when students earn an A on a quiz or test, I give out homework passes for their effort and students get to put a sticker on their individual stars which are displayed on a bulletin board in my classroom labeled “All Star Mathletes.” At the end of the quarter, based on their grade performance in my classroom, students can earn homework passes as well as “Super Size Me” coupons which will double the amount of points received on a homework assignment. Every month we recognize an “All Star Student of the Month” which again reinforces positive behavior within the classroom because students really want their name announced over the morning announcements, and they also want me to make a positive phone call home to their parents/guardians.

The second instructional strategy that aligns with the principles of the behaviorist learning theory is “homework and practice” (Pitler et al., 2007). In my classroom, I give homework almost daily because we learn so many different concepts and skills within Pre-Algebra, and it is important for the students to practice the skills learned in class because they will be applied throughout the unit or throughout the year. I do not find it necessary to give my students 20+ problems of the same concept to drill them with the material, but I do find that an ample amount of problems practicing the same skill will reinforce the skill and the students gain their confidence as they work through them. When we go over the problems the next day in class, the students receive immediate feedback and we can make strides with correcting their mistakes or I can provide enrichment for the students who are ready to apply the skill in problem solving questions.

Thinking about the behaviorist learning theory and applying it to practices within my classroom has been interesting because I have not really ever thought about how it aligns with my teaching practices, but I do think it has been worthwhile.

References

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.