Constructivism in Practice

          I really enjoyed this week’s learning resources.  Mainly because I could identify with many of the example presented.  For one, the train problems only bring back bad memories from college math courses.  I still don’t understand why it matters when the two trains will collide, or what time they’ll arrive at the station.

          When reading Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, they stated that six tasks that teachers can “use to help students generate and test hypotheses” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p.203).  When describing system analysis they stated that students could explore a change if something were added or removed from an existing system.  The constructionist approach states that you need to have students create something.  This to me connects to the constructionist approach because I would want my students to show me how it would affect the system.  I wouldn’t want a student to simply write me a paper; I want them to show me that they understand what would happen.

          The book also goes on to explain that invention is also one of the six tasks that teachers can use.  They go on to say that “students involved in invention examine a need, then work to create a solution to the need” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p.203).  To me, invention screams constructionism.  Students would need to create a solution for the problem.  Not only would I want my students to come up with an answer, I would want them to make it and show me how it would work.  I would even want to offer extra credit for those who went out and tested in and reported the results back to me and the class.

          “Technology […allows…] students to spend more time interpreting the data rather than gathering the data” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p.203).  Gathering data is certainly an important aspect of learning, but the interpreting of data allows student to think more deeply and process what they may have collected. When students are able to interpret information without having to go through the time consuming process of collecting it, this will allow more time for creating.  When students have a problem to solve, they need to first figure out what the problem is and what a good way to solve it might be.  The students could create something to actually solve the problem, or could create a PowerPoint showing the class what they would want to create.

In conclusion, I really love the idea of being able to create genuine learning in the classroom and the constructivism theories really lend themselves to this process.  Constructivism can be interpreted in many different ways and that is what makes it so great.  Each teacher can create lessons that are different but are addressing the needs of their students.

Resources

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

Be sure to check out the book: Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works

And: Constructionism, Learning by Design, and Project Based Learning

Cognitive Learning Theory and Instructional Strategies

          While I was reading the chapters cues, questions, and advance organizers and summarizing and note taking in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works there were many connections that I made to the cognitive learning theories.  These chapters whet in detail describing what each one was and how to get the most bang for your buck.  The chapters had hints and tips about how to best use the strategy and get the most out of your instruction for each student.

          While reading about cues and questions I realized that these strategies had many connections to the cognitive learning theory.  The learning theory is rewarding correct responses, by cueing students you are helping them think in the correct direction.  “Cues are explicit reminders or hints about what students are about to experience” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p.73).  Often times in the classroom when you are cueing students towards the main idea, you reward them after they do the hard thinking and come up with a correct response.  Their reward might not be a prize, but may come in the form of a high-five, or some praise.  I believe that building up the student and rewarding them with a confidence boost so that next time they are unsure they can take the leap and try to think more deep.

          “Questions perform the fame functions cues by triggering students’ memories and helping them to access prior knowledge” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p.73).  By having the students make connections to past knowledge that they’ve learned you are using the cognitive learning theory because you are trying to access their long-term memory (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  Questioning will help me teach for understanding by allowing the students to form new connections in their brains.  These connections will not only be stronger than the ones before but they will also stay longer because they are meaningful to them.

          In addition to cues, questions, summarizing, and note taking strategies to support deeper understanding and higher-level thinking being direct with students and providing enough wait time are just as important.  When you are beginning a lesson it is important to “[…] tell students what content they are about to learn” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p.77).  At the beginning of each day I go over my schedule with my students.  Telling them what we will learn in reading, writing, math and any other subject we will do that day.  Also, I remind them one more time right before we learn it.  This way they are prepared to learn and know what to expect.  Another strategy that I find to be extremely effective to get higher-level answer from students is to give them wait time.  I always wait just a little longer after they finish their answers to see if they will add to their answers.  “Waiting briefly before accepting responses from students has the effect of increasing the depth of students’ answers” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p.74).

          In conclusion, it is important to wait long enough after the students answer a question to see if they will add more information and possibly make more connections or bring their answers to a higher level.  I believe that if you have high expectations and expect the best from your students they will feel that and try to meet those expectations.

Referneces:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Cognitive Learning Theories. [Motion picture]. United States: Laureate Education, Inc.

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

Be sure to check out the book: Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works

Behaviorism in Practice

          When I was reading “Reinforcing Effort” and “Homework and Practice” from the book Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works I was amazed with how many examples the book provided and how great that was.  After I read the chapters I went back and looked up some of how they worked.
          The first strategy that I connected with was the spreadsheet rubric.  The purpose of creating a rubric is to “give students a clear idea of what effort looks like” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007).  This chapter stressed the importance of effort, “not all students realize the importance of effort” and to some students effort must be explicitly taught to them.  For these students a rubric is exponentially helpful.  A strategy that I may try later on in the year to help stress the importance of effort is to collect their own data.  I believe that this will help show them how important it is but it can also teach graphing, data collection, and recording.  In addition, later in their schooling collecting data or creating a survey will be important in their education.  Introducing them to the technology of how to create and send out a survey in 5^th grade will only help them next year in 6^th grade and on to high school.
          These first two strategies correlate to behaviorism by trying to get the students to perform in a specific way.  The specific skill that these strategies are striving for are success.  Of course all teachers want their students to succeed, so why not use the behaviorist theory to try to get them there?  I think that by using these strategies you would be pushing the students to see that effort relates to their scores, that the harder they try, the better they get.
          In the chapter “Homework and Practice” the information that stuck out to me most was the list of recommended websites for homework.  I think this will be very helpful because when we send homework home, we really don’t know who is doing the work.  We can only rely on work that was done in the classroom under our supervision.  For this reason, when we get work back we provide feedback but cannot use it as an actual grade.  “McREL’s research on homework [does] support [that] parent involvement […] should be kept to a minimum” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007).  Another strategy in this chapter I found useful was the Research tool in Microsoft Word.  I knew that it existed but have never really found a need for it.  I can see, however, how it would be better for elementary, and even older, students to not have to get on the internet and find information.  For students to be able to search for information that they know will be reliable right from their word processing document will make the process much easier.  I know that students do need to know how to do research but for smaller projects it may be easier for students to just use the research feature instead of trying to sift through all of the World Wide Web’s information available.  I believe that this feature relates to behaviorism by trying to help guide the students to correct information.  If we only allow them to use one source, and encyclopedia, then we are only allowing them to use that one site.  That way we are causing students’ research to go one way, the way we want it.  This may not be our first purpose but this is one way in how this strategy relates to behaviorism.
          In conclusion, you can find behaviorism in many teaching strategies and many of these strategies are beneficial for students and teachers.  I believe that many of the strategies in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works will be helpful in my teaching career.  I find them to be particularly applicable with my grade level of 5^th graders.         

References

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

For more information see:

• Behaviorism
• The Behaviorism Orientation
• Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works by Howard Pitler, Elizabeth R. Hubbell, Matt Kuhn & Kim Malenoski