Papert would say that it is imperative that students learn via hands on activities. These are the activities and lessons that used to be strictly based on strategies that were supposed to be "delivered" to students. Today, with so many different technologies available, there are many ways that student can receive the information in that invite a constructionists' point of view. Sadly, Piaget cannot see the fruits of his constructionist labors, however students today are able to take advantage of what Papert calls "help[ing] children experience knowledge and construct meanings" (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008, p. 19) via technology. Students are drenched in a technological splash-water falls, which enables them to adhere to current curricula and stay on the cutting edge of educational technology and stay within the parameters of "constructivism".
Educational specialists, such as Dr. Michael Orey, would say that students benefit when teachers allow them [students] to learn through personal construction of knowledge, and not simply addition of knowledge. Orey explained that students need to work until they reach "disequilibrium", and once this stage is reached they must either assimilate or accommodate for the new knowledge. Students cannot simply retain knowledge, but must be allowed to process it and create something with it. If a student can show mastery of a subject through the engaged creation of something (Orey, 2008)they can grow educationally.
Lever-Duffy, J. & McDonald, J. (2008). Theoretical Foundations (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2008). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
The Cool Uses of Technology to Support the Cognitive Learning Theory
The Cognitive Learning Theory is, put simply, a process; you take in data, contemplate it, put it in a mental storage box with a big label on it to easily find it later. Here's a simple example: I enjoy the t.v. show "House". It comes on USA, channel 30 (the data). It is always on channel 30 (contemplation). I associate "30" with "House", with the enjoyment I get from watching Dr. House act unprofessional, and with relaxing after a long day (storage and recall).
Implementing the cognitive theory in the classroom using technology can be a highly powerful tool in helping students to actually process the information that is given to them, allowing for students to remember more of what is required. Several of the ideas given to implement the cognitive theory to help students learn data seem like great tools to use in the classroom. Dr. Michael Orey, of the University of Georgia, discusses how virtual field trips enable students to create episodic memory of information that is typically dull. This idea is wonderful, and as a teacher of Georgia history, I would love to find and create virtual field trips to help students connect with places when they cannot physically go. Another activity that I think would be especially beneficial, and fun, for students would be for them to create a "teaser" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, 2007, p.129) using a wiki for collaboration and the Windows Movie Maker application for the actual teaser. Both the virtual field trip and the "teaser" would be great ways for students to make connections and cognitive maps with information, incorporate Paivio's dual coding via video clips and pictures to help create larger and more definitive connections to the material, and would give them the episodic experience of actually working with the information, not simply having to swallow it.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Implementing the cognitive theory in the classroom using technology can be a highly powerful tool in helping students to actually process the information that is given to them, allowing for students to remember more of what is required. Several of the ideas given to implement the cognitive theory to help students learn data seem like great tools to use in the classroom. Dr. Michael Orey, of the University of Georgia, discusses how virtual field trips enable students to create episodic memory of information that is typically dull. This idea is wonderful, and as a teacher of Georgia history, I would love to find and create virtual field trips to help students connect with places when they cannot physically go. Another activity that I think would be especially beneficial, and fun, for students would be for them to create a "teaser" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, 2007, p.129) using a wiki for collaboration and the Windows Movie Maker application for the actual teaser. Both the virtual field trip and the "teaser" would be great ways for students to make connections and cognitive maps with information, incorporate Paivio's dual coding via video clips and pictures to help create larger and more definitive connections to the material, and would give them the episodic experience of actually working with the information, not simply having to swallow it.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Behaviorism Doesn't Have To Be All Bad...
Raise your hand if you've forgotten everything from high school.
It seems like forever ago, right?
Now raise your hand if you remember hearing about an experiment in which a bell was sounded, causing dogs to salivate.
Ah-ha! You do remember something! You may not remember that the name of the man who conducted that particular experiment was Ivan Pavlov, but the lesson stuck. Conditioning the brain to respond to external stimuli is powerful!
Taking the idea of behaviorism into the classroom is one that seems to be fundamentally rooted in schooling. Work hard, and you earn good marks; the external stimuli poses as positive reinforcement and/or negative reinforcement depending non the choices a students makes. However ingrained in the educational strata, however, Dr. Michael Orey (2001) comments that many educators frown upon the behaviorist theory as lacking higher level brain function, thus being a poor educational strategy. Orey continues his argument to include the behaviorist theory as one of inherent good, and great potential if used properly. I personally like to think that any theory or strategy that encourages and promotes academic success and build intrinsic motivation is one to be utilized within the classroom.
In looking at ways to integrate a response to external stimuli with technologies available within the classroom, Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007)have provided many wonderful, simple ways to combine behaviorism and technology. Firstly, they suggest to have students keep a spreadsheet, based on a rubric, to determine their OWN effort versus achievement connection. The idea behind this is rudimentary, but affective: students visually understand that the amount of effort they give directly results in their grade, causing a general lift in effort, and improvement in achievement. Another way to powerfully meld behaviorism and instructional strategy via technology is as simple as creating a flash card. Create a response to a certain word, term, date, etc., with basic wrote memory. Dr. Pat Wolfe explained (Laureate Education, 2007) that the brain is "physically sculpted" based on experience, and using flash cards to generate that basic understanding is a tool that cannot be overlooked based on it's simplicity. Dr. Wolfe went on to say that students need a certain network based on concrete examples for information to reach the brain. Technology can be used to create virtual flash cards (www.flashcardexchange.com) (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 197), and create flash card memory games. These illicit a response based on a stimuli, but help to forge a powerful and necessary synapse in learning. They also create emotion. Can you imagine the sight of a dog when it knows that dinner is on the way? Tail's just a-waggin', the mouth is wide open, and typically the dog seems happy. Giving a student that same emotional feeling of success based on flash cards and empirical information, and you have built a foundation for an understanding of material and higher ability of analysis of information.
Behaviorism is a great tool in the classroom- Now, if I could only remember everything else I forgot from high school!
Resources
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Bridging learning, theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Lever-Duffy, J. & McDonald, J. (2008). Theoretical Foundations (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
It seems like forever ago, right?
Now raise your hand if you remember hearing about an experiment in which a bell was sounded, causing dogs to salivate.
Ah-ha! You do remember something! You may not remember that the name of the man who conducted that particular experiment was Ivan Pavlov, but the lesson stuck. Conditioning the brain to respond to external stimuli is powerful!
Taking the idea of behaviorism into the classroom is one that seems to be fundamentally rooted in schooling. Work hard, and you earn good marks; the external stimuli poses as positive reinforcement and/or negative reinforcement depending non the choices a students makes. However ingrained in the educational strata, however, Dr. Michael Orey (2001) comments that many educators frown upon the behaviorist theory as lacking higher level brain function, thus being a poor educational strategy. Orey continues his argument to include the behaviorist theory as one of inherent good, and great potential if used properly. I personally like to think that any theory or strategy that encourages and promotes academic success and build intrinsic motivation is one to be utilized within the classroom.
In looking at ways to integrate a response to external stimuli with technologies available within the classroom, Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007)have provided many wonderful, simple ways to combine behaviorism and technology. Firstly, they suggest to have students keep a spreadsheet, based on a rubric, to determine their OWN effort versus achievement connection. The idea behind this is rudimentary, but affective: students visually understand that the amount of effort they give directly results in their grade, causing a general lift in effort, and improvement in achievement. Another way to powerfully meld behaviorism and instructional strategy via technology is as simple as creating a flash card. Create a response to a certain word, term, date, etc., with basic wrote memory. Dr. Pat Wolfe explained (Laureate Education, 2007) that the brain is "physically sculpted" based on experience, and using flash cards to generate that basic understanding is a tool that cannot be overlooked based on it's simplicity. Dr. Wolfe went on to say that students need a certain network based on concrete examples for information to reach the brain. Technology can be used to create virtual flash cards (www.flashcardexchange.com) (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 197), and create flash card memory games. These illicit a response based on a stimuli, but help to forge a powerful and necessary synapse in learning. They also create emotion. Can you imagine the sight of a dog when it knows that dinner is on the way? Tail's just a-waggin', the mouth is wide open, and typically the dog seems happy. Giving a student that same emotional feeling of success based on flash cards and empirical information, and you have built a foundation for an understanding of material and higher ability of analysis of information.
Behaviorism is a great tool in the classroom- Now, if I could only remember everything else I forgot from high school!
Resources
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Bridging learning, theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Lever-Duffy, J. & McDonald, J. (2008). Theoretical Foundations (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
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