Constructivist Learning Theory?

Dr. Orey provides us with this look at constructionist learning theory: “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).”  This excerpt encompasses the anticipated result of the implementation of Learning By Design, Project-Based Learning, and Problem-Based Instruction.

Learning By Design is most effective when the learner is the designer and creator of the shareable artifact (Orey, 2001).  The learning is coming from those that are creating with their hands-on interaction with the process.  Project-Based Learning has the learners choosing their topics, the content and the method of presentation (Orey, 2001).  The learners are taking ownership in every step of the process.  Problem-Based Instruction has students actively working to resolve complex problems in real world situations (Orey, 2001).  They are coming up with the ideas that are going to be the solutions to those realistic problems.

I think it is very clear that all three of these strategies are, without question, constructivist learning theories.  The students are actively involved in every step of the process.  They determine the path of the research and the manner in which the result is presented.  This result is an artifact or piece that can be shared with others and is something in which they have worked and decided on with little restriction from the teacher.

It is interesting to think about my own classroom instruction (and possibly yours as well) and how often the curriculum can get in the way of creating these types of results in which students are excited and motivated to produce a product that they want to produce.  I can only imagine what that is like for my students when they have that freedom sometimes but not all of the time.  I think my eyes are starting to open up to some of the ways in which I can create these opportunities for my students on a regular basis.

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

Notes of Cognition?

Note taking is one of those basic skills that everyone can do at varying levels of effectiveness.  Some have learned strategies and others write down every minute detail in the hopes that they will catch the little facts that are the most important or that will hold the key to a perfect score on a test.  I am not the type of learner that takes a lot of notes because I know that I will not look at them again.  So how do I teach a student that this is important?  By giving them a few strategies to help them so how valuable effective note-taking can be.

One of the best ideas I’ve seen in a long time is that of combination notes that you can create inside of Microsoft Word  (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007).  This style combines the use of key words and facts with images that the students create using the drawing tool in Word and an original written summary (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007).  So why is this such a great idea?  Dr. Orey has made it very clear that the use of images will help learners visualize, remember, and recall ideas as well as make connections between those ideas (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  I believe these cognitive connections are strengthened when the students are the ones that create or determine those images.  That mixed in with their own summary of the information has tapped into multiple cognitive learning components.

Another idea that I really like is the idea of using the Track Changes option in Microsoft Word as a method of demonstrating or teaching summarizing of material (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007).  I struggle with teaching proper summary techniques to my students and I have not found an effective means to do this.  I am looking forward to trying this out and I think that my students will appreciate seeing the visual assist provided by this tool in Word.  I use summaries for many different types of lessons in my classroom and it would be great for my student s to learn it in this basic matter.  Dr. Orey’s idea about visualization is brought into play here as well with the modifications showing up in the text (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).

I am always looking for ways to make the material more interesting and memorable for my students.  I think these will provide a couple of strategies for them and in the end I hope they are able to learn the material a little better.  After all, that is the number one goal.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program five. Cognitive learning theory [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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

Hey Coach!!

The behaviorist ideals are still strong in the learning community and there is evidence to support it.  See if these ideas make sense to you and think about whether you have heard these (or something like them) in your past.  Maybe you remember softball or football practice and hearing “practice makes perfect” or the even better “perfect practice makes perfect”.  This doesn’t sound much different than “frequent practice is necessary for learning to take place” or “skills are not acquired without frequent practice” (Smith, 1999).  Could all of our coaches have been wrong?  I doubt it.

There is no way around it, our students need a fair amount of practice at specific skills.  That means that it is up to us to design assignments that focus on specific skills (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007).  If we are going to invest that much effort into the creation of a product designed to help students learn or perfect a skill then there is no way they can achieve this mastery by performing the task one time.  They must perform this task with repetition.  We might refer to this as skill and drill which can carry a negative connotation with it.  The reality is that it is a very necessary part of learning basic skills in so many areas of life that it seems ridiculous to remove it from education as though it has no place.  So this brings us back to the original idea that behaviorism has a place and a role in our classroom.

More than just our classroom of four walls and a ceiling is the much larger classroom of life (or the world) that we prepare our students for everyday we see them.  How would they learn the basic skills out in the world or in the workplace?  It seems a little contradictory that repetition is such a focus in business and yet again, we fight to keep it out of education.  Maybe our coaches had it right in the first place or maybe they just knew better.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Smith, K. (1999). The behaviourist orientation to learning. In The encyclopedia of informal education. Retrieved from http://www.infed.org/biblio/learning-behavourist.htm