In my class, there are many different projects that students are given that put them into a place they are not all that comfortable with. This place is known as "Problem-Solving". Students are given a task, and with this task, are asked to solve the problem at hand. It could be as simple as "How can we determine all parts of a drawing with the lack of dimensions", or more complicated as "Can you develop a bridge of 25 grams or less that can hold a minimum of 50 lbs?". It's projects/problems like this that can develop a thought process that can not be obtained through direct instruction or lecturing. With Problem solving activities, it is important to give students some, but not enough to give them the answer they are so desperately searching for. We must give a problem, and then have students be able to explain their solution to the problem and their hypotheses and conclusions. Doing this, takes the teaching out of the instructors hands, and puts the learning directly into the students hands.
Using Generating and Testing Hypotheses can greatly increase the level of understanding of our students because they are able to experience a problem first-hand and use prior knowledge and experiments to determine a possible and probable outcome/solution to the task given. This instructional strategy relates directly to the constructivist/constructionsist learning theories due to the nature of the work. In this strategy, the teacher is acting as a facilitator, rather than an instructor/lecturer. Having students work independently on a project allows a much higher level of learning and can help to develop life-long skills that these students must obtain for futures in college and beyond.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). “Cognitive learning theories” [Educational video].
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K.(2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
When I think about my classroom and the teaching strategies that I use, I find many of them very similar to that of the ideas related with "Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers" and "Summarizing and Note Taking". Both topics have much relevance in any classroom at any grade-level. Although Technology class isn't categorized with that of Math, English, History, or Science, I still use many of the same methods that my counter-part core classes do.
Much of my lesson presentations use cues and questions to both prompt my students and to help assess their prior/current knowledge of a given subject. Using Cues certainly begin the gears in my students heads and get them thinking more deeply on a topic and help to promote question asking and problem solving. My cues focus only on the most important details, due to the capacity of learning these students have. I feel that it is crucial that we emphasize the importance of lessons to ensure our students are focusing most on these ideas. Using these concepts help to begin group discussions and allow students to begin the learning process. I also feel that the "wait-time" involved with questioning is the most important aspect. It's a given in a class that some students will understand and process information much quicker than others, which certainly gives them a learning advantage with a teacher that doesn't allow time for all students to process the information at hand. Although this process can sometimes be quite awkward, it truly does seem to help all students the equal opportunity for success.
Although in a technology class, students are still expected to effectively summarize information given, as well as become intelligent note-takers to help not only the learning in my class, but as well as in other classes currently and in the future. Having these vital life-skills will allow students to exceed at a much higher level to the level of knowledge they are able to obtain. I really like the idea of students deleting information from the brain, and replacing it with more relevant and pertinent information. This focuses, once again, on the important factors of a lesson and doesn't allow students to obtain knowledge that is irrelevant or unrelated. I find that connecting literacy with summarizing, even in a tech. class, can have huge rewards. This idea helps students to reinforce knowledge obtained and store it as long-term information, rather than day-to-day, short-term memory.
Using these concepts in the classroom truly helps to reinforce the cognitive learning theories we use everyday in our classrooms. It helps students to use multiple strategies to enhance the learning of every individual as well as allowing students to obtain knowledge at a much higher level. Linking these aspects of teaching with other strategies such as using visual imagery, collaboration, and exploration can really make the difference of some to all students being successful and learning at the highest levels of our expectations.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K.(2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD
Much of my lesson presentations use cues and questions to both prompt my students and to help assess their prior/current knowledge of a given subject. Using Cues certainly begin the gears in my students heads and get them thinking more deeply on a topic and help to promote question asking and problem solving. My cues focus only on the most important details, due to the capacity of learning these students have. I feel that it is crucial that we emphasize the importance of lessons to ensure our students are focusing most on these ideas. Using these concepts help to begin group discussions and allow students to begin the learning process. I also feel that the "wait-time" involved with questioning is the most important aspect. It's a given in a class that some students will understand and process information much quicker than others, which certainly gives them a learning advantage with a teacher that doesn't allow time for all students to process the information at hand. Although this process can sometimes be quite awkward, it truly does seem to help all students the equal opportunity for success.
Although in a technology class, students are still expected to effectively summarize information given, as well as become intelligent note-takers to help not only the learning in my class, but as well as in other classes currently and in the future. Having these vital life-skills will allow students to exceed at a much higher level to the level of knowledge they are able to obtain. I really like the idea of students deleting information from the brain, and replacing it with more relevant and pertinent information. This focuses, once again, on the important factors of a lesson and doesn't allow students to obtain knowledge that is irrelevant or unrelated. I find that connecting literacy with summarizing, even in a tech. class, can have huge rewards. This idea helps students to reinforce knowledge obtained and store it as long-term information, rather than day-to-day, short-term memory.
Using these concepts in the classroom truly helps to reinforce the cognitive learning theories we use everyday in our classrooms. It helps students to use multiple strategies to enhance the learning of every individual as well as allowing students to obtain knowledge at a much higher level. Linking these aspects of teaching with other strategies such as using visual imagery, collaboration, and exploration can really make the difference of some to all students being successful and learning at the highest levels of our expectations.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K.(2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Behaviorism in Practice
When I try to compare my instructional strategies used in the classroom to that of the principles of behaviorist learning theory, I am able to make quite a few connections. When it comes to my instructional strategy, I feel that I have a very student-centered classroom that revolves around my Constructivist instruction as well as collaboration. To go along with these aspects of my classroom, I also vary instruction everyday in a way that allows my differentiated learners to get the most out of my lessons and become highly successful. Reinforcement, a strong concept of the behaviorist learning theory, is one of the most effective classroom management skills I use to connect instruction, review class content, and to prevent disciplinary problems. Using both instructional strategies and behaviorist learning theory in connection with one another in the classroom will not only help you to succeed and to grow as a teacher but your students, too.
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