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

Course Reflection

This course has given me an opportunity to develop and implement some of the technological pieces that I have wanted to bring to my classroom for quite a while.  The most meaningful and immediately useful piece is the blog that we created.  I will be working to use this in connection with my classes.  I’m not sure exactly what role it will play.  It is created and already there so I have no reason not to use it.  I enjoyed making the podcast and working through some of the issues I had really tested my problem solving abilities.  I have also been thinking about using these pieces as ways to reach my students.  They live in this digital world and spend the majority of their time on the computer and the internet, I need to reach them where they are.  I have also been working to find ways to put the focus more on them when it comes to learning.  In the beginning of my career I decided to be the one that was driving the learning in my classroom.  It didn’t take long for me to discover that this was not the best way to operate.  I have been working to make this happen and this course has continued to drive me towards that ideal.  I think that I will continue to seek out resources and experiment with technology and the possible uses inside and outside of the classroom.  There are teachers around the country that are doing great things when it comes to these applications, I just need to be proactive in finding them and then reaching out and tapping into them as a resource.  This networking can also lead to ideas that I have not even thought of yet.  Using these resources in a focused manner that benefits student achievement is my goal.

My first goal is to have a fully functioning blog that my students will access and use on a regular basis.  They can respond to postings as part of their classwork and also comment and respond to postings by other students.  Creating this type of interactive networking is an exciting prospect.

My second goal is to have a regular (bi-weekly or monthly) podcast that I can post to provide students and their parents access to information outside of the classroom.  I see this as a great tool for parents to have a little ammo when talking to their kids about what they did or are doing in school.  I also see it as a refresher for students who can make deeper connections to the material that we are studying or have previously covered.

The obstacles to these goals are that there aren’t very many teachers in my entire district trying these types of technological tools.  Whenever it comes to something new, people fight it.  I can see my administrators being suspicious and questioning the value or intent.  There is always a concern (and sometimes rightfully so) that teachers are reaching too far into students personal lives or that they are sharing too much of their own personal lives.  Getting people to believe and back what you are doing is sometimes the biggest challenge that can be faced.  I see this as the wall that I must break through.

This course has driven me to take some of my ideas and actually put them into reality.  I have always done fairly well when it comes to technology and now I have taken that it moved it towards my classroom and using it for the benefit of my students.

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills

http://www.p21.org/index.php

I had the opportunity to spend some time reading through this website and found some very interesting information.  I also found quite a bit of the information to be of the types of strategies and ideals that are already in place.  There is plenty of information about how you can work with this organization and lobby for change in your state.  This is where I think the roadblock is with my state.

The State of Washington has repeatedly shown that they do not value education and that spending money on education is a low priority.  It has also been the case that our state only cares about operating at the minimum standard and that the only things that are important are those that help our students pass standardized tests and raise AYP scores.  When we have had the opportunity to step up and challenge our students to reach for a higher level in the areas of math and science, we have crumbled when we couldn't get the score results that we wanted.  Passing scores in these areas are no longer on the table for graduation requirements.  Social Studies entered the conversation briefly but didn't make it very far down the road before being squashed as well.

What does this have to do with the previously mentioned website?  If the State of Washington is unwilling to fund and/or pursue the most basic of education areas, why would they think that the four Cs (critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation) are worthy of funding or time?  I think that there is a great deal of value in having students that can perform the four C's at a high level.  I agree with the website and the idea that our business leaders are looking for employees that can do these things and do these things well.  I just don't see that working its way into the education environment in this state.  Our state has voted down numerous education reform options (you don't want to hear about the charter school debate).  We don't like how it is now and we are afraid of change so the easy thing to do is to keep it the same.

I would love to see some of these ideas put into place in my classroom and in other classrooms like mine.  I think that there is a lot of positives that can come out of changing what we do to help students be better poised for success in their future.  The question is:

What's holding us back?

Bloggin' in the Classroom

I think a blog is a great way to extend classroom discussion to a forum outside of the walls of the school day.  The posting of thoughts, ideas, or questions that students can reflect on and comment on would be incredibly valuable in a classroom like mine.  I think there are many other possibilities available for utilization of a blog.  I know that I would focus my energy in the realm of online classroom discussions and interactions with my students.  Having students access the information online and on their own time places a level of responsibility on them that is an important skill for them to be well versed in.  You also provide a safe forum for quieter or more reserved students to think and post their thoughts that they might be afraid to share in class. 

What do you think??

Blogs good?  Blogs bad?

Ray Brassard
High school
Social Studies