Constructivism in Practice

Instructional strategies described in the resources this week correlate with the principles of constructivist/constructionist learning theories because the strategies allow the students to deepen their understanding of content material and produce artifacts that represent what they have learned. Students need to be engaged in what they are learning and when they are completing tasks that have “real world” significance to them, they are more likely to take an interest in what they are learning and develop a clear understanding of the information.

The first strategy that correlates with the constructivist/constructionist learning theories is “Generating and Testing Hypotheses.” Technology can play a vital role in generating and testing hypotheses because new developments in probeware and interactive applets allow students to spend more time interpreting the data rather than gathering the data—a process that can be tedious and error prone (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Students are creating artifacts that promote further understanding. The data they are receiving can be used as a study guide and can help students visually organize information.

Another strategy that correlates with the constructivist/constructionist learning theories would be the use of inquiry-based activities. One activity that I would like to focus on is WebQuests. A WebQuest is a web-based, inquiry-oriented activity through which students examine evidence about a particular topic and then respond to an issue or make a decision from a particular point of view (Orey, 2001). This form of learning engages students and promotes and student-centered environment without lectures and memorization of facts. Students work independently and/or collaboratively to explore resources related to a problem and create a final product that represents what they have learned.

An important component of constructivist theory is to focus a child's education on authentic tasks (Matusevich, 1995). If a student does not feel that the information is relevant, they will recall it long enough for the assessment but will not develop a clear understanding and will not retain the information in long-term memory. Technology is playing an important role in the change of how we educate students. “The key to success lies in finding the appropriate points for integrating technology into a new pedagogical practice, so that it supports the deeper, more reflective self-directed activity children must use if they are to be competent adults in the future" (Strommen and Lincoln, 1992, p. 473 as cited in Matusevich, 1995).

References:

Matusevich, M. (1995). School reform: what role can technology play in a constructivist setting? Retrieved on November 25, 2009 from http://pixel.cs.vt.edu/edu/fis/techcons.html

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.

Instructional Strategies and their Correlation to the Cognitive Learning Theory

Cognitive tools allow students to interact with information in order to acquire, synthesize, create, and share new knowledge (Orey, 2001). Cognitive tools have four roles: information seeking, information presentation, knowledge organization, and knowledge integration. These roles can play a large responsibility in helping students understand information they are learning and apply it in a manner that makes sense to them. Two strategies, discussed this week, that relate to the cognitive learning theory are “cues, questions, and advance organizers” and “summarizing and note taking.”

The instructional strategy cues, questions, and advance organizers focuses on enhancing students’ ability to retrieve, use, and organize information about a topic (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). This strategy correlates to the cognitive learning theory because it helps students with the role of information seeking. Students are able to identify information that they feel is important by seeking out the key topics in what they are reading or discussing. When students are ready to present the information, they are able to use concept maps, and advance organizer. This is a way for students to connect new information to prior knowledge and present the information in a meaningful way. Concept maps are a great way for students to organize their information, build on prior knowledge, and prepare for a test. This strategy will deepen a student’s understanding of material.

The instructional strategy summarizing and note taking focuses on enhancing students’ ability to synthesize information and distill it into a concise new form (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). This is a strategy that students will need modeling and practice with for the younger grades. I like the idea of combination notes, inverted T chart, for younger students. This is something that I can fill out ahead of time for students to use as a guide and then fill out during the discussion. By having the students write a sentence on the bottom, they are summarizing what they have learned. This can also be used as a study guide when preparing for a test. This also allows the student to focus on the key terms the teacher listed, information seeking, and pay attention to the left side of the inverted T chart. The teacher has taken out the step of organizing the information for younger students. Students can also use this chart when going on a virtual field trip to record the important information they have learned.

I am very interesting in using the four roles described in Dr. Orey’s article when preparing lessons so that students have the opportunity to explore various forms of technology to take their learning to a higher level of thinking. Students will be able to develop a vast amount of knowledge and retain it for future use.

Here is a link to an interesting article: http://www.twinpinefarm.com/pdfs/games.pdf, titled Considering Games as Cognitive Tools: In Search of Effective “Edutainment.” If you have time to read it, you may find it very interesting.

References:

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.

Behaviorist Learning Theory and Its Relationship With Technology

The first strategy discussed this week was “Reinforcing Effort.” This strategy correlates with the behaviorist theory because students exhibit operant conditioning. The research indicates, however, that students can change their beliefs and make a connection between effort and achievement (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). That is a prime example of operant conditioning because the satisfying responses are conditioned.

This strategy uses technology to help students keep track of their effort along with academic achievement. When a student is receiving praise for increased effort/achievement, they are more likely to make an effort and do well in class because of the intrinsic or extrinsic rewards they may receive. By allowing students to be responsible for efforts through spreadsheets, they are held accountable for what they are doing and can easily visualize the improvements they are making. Using a rubric when creating spreadsheets also provides students with clear expectations of how to meet the set goals.

Another strategy discussed was “Homework and Practice.” This strategy aligns with the behaviorist theory because it provides students with positive reinforcement. When students complete their homework, they are reviewing what they already know and refining their skills. Technology facilitates homework and practice by providing a wealth of resources for learning outside of the classroom, making it easy for students to work on collaborative homework assignments and providing “drill and practice” resources that help students refine their skills (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). The teacher is also able to model appropriate procedures on how to complete homework to ensure understanding.

This strategy uses technology by modifying the homework or practice work to best meet the needs of all students. All students can complete the same skill but at varying levels depending on the instructional level of that student. Technology also allows the teacher to quickly assess how a student is doing and modify that child’s work if necessary. Students can also use technology to create their own projects to show understanding of the material and present it to their classmates.

I believe that technology does correlate to the instructional strategies and behaviorism. We are focusing on desirable behaviors and reinforcing what is appropriate. Behaviorist techniques have long been employed in education to promote behavior that is desirable and discourage that which is not (Orey, 2001). By using technology, we are able to reach all students, focus on their individual strengths, and build on what they already know. Our school uses various online programs that provide students with practice on skills they need to know.

I look forward to learning about more strategies and how technology can play a role in helping students become successful. I already use many of the strategies discussed in this week’s resources but have learned new ways to implement them in my classroom.

References:

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.