Constructivism in Practice

After reading "Generating and Testing Hypotheses" in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, I found that the strategy is very much related to constructivist/ constructionist learning theories. This is because by having students make their own hypotheses about a topic and test those hypotheses, the students are actually involved in creating (constructing) some project that helps them to test their hypotheses. By constructing some method of testing their hypotheses, students learn first-hand whether or not their hypothesis is correct. They also construct an understanding of the topic that they are hypothesizing about, which allows them to learn that particular topic.

One specific example that I liked from this chapter was Mrs. Omar's interactive spreadsheet that students used to determine which investment was best. Students were able to put in their own starting values to see which investment choice was best. This was a great way to allow students to test their hypotheses without a lot of tedious calculations. It allowed them to construct their knowledge by seeing how the values changed based on the initial investment made (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). By using technology, students are also more likely to get excited about the topic as well.

References

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

Using Cognitive Tools to Enhance Learning Experiences

After reading in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works about two instructional strategies that embed technology: “Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers” and “Summarizing and Note Taking,” I have taken the time to reflect on how they relate to the cognitive learning theories that I have also been studying this week.

In the chapter called "Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers," I found that many of the recommendations that were made in the chapter are all great tools to use that relate back to the cognitive learning theories. For example, in the text, the authors talk about "teach[ing] students how to use graphic advance organizers" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 74). Advance graphic organizers are a great way to use the cognitive learning theories in the classroom. They help students to make connections through dual coding and elaboration, two of the theories that Dr. Orey discussed in his video on Cognitive Learning Theory (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008).

In the chapter called "Summarizing and Note Taking," I also found that the recommendations made by the authors were very much strategies that can be used in the classroom to align with the cognitive learning theories. I particularly like how the authors state that "the classroom recommendations for note taking include using a variety of note-taking formats and giving students teacher-prepared notes" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 128). I agree that students need variety in they types of instructions that they receive to help them stay interested and excited about learning. I feel that this definitely falls into the category of cognitive learning theories since it has students making connections in ways that they might not make them otherwise. In the cognitive learning theory, the connections made in the brain are the primary way that learning takes place, so making those connections in many different ways is vital to the learning process.

Sally Moore

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program five. Cognitive Learning Theory [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore: Author.

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

Application 2: Behaviorism in Practice

I have recently read about two instructional strategies, "Reinforcing Effort" and "Homework and Practice," from the book Using Technology in Classroom Instruction that Works. Each of the strategies correlate very closely with the principles of behaviorist learning.

The first strategy I studied, "Reinforcing Effort," was all about using rubrics and spreadsheets to compare one's effort to his grades. The correlates with the behaviorism theory because when students see how their effort truly effects their grades, they will change their behavior and begin putting forth more effort to continue to receive the reward of a higher grade. I can see how this could be very helpful at getting students to become more self-motivated when it comes to paying attention in class, completing assignments, and studying outside of the classroom. This is a strategy that I may implement into my high school math classroom next year.

The second strategy that I studies, "Homework and Practice," was about different ways one can use homework and practice effectively. I felt that this strategy also correlated with the behaviorist theory. By having a homework policy in place, students are more likely to complete given assignments and therefore benefiting from the assignments. The grade for completing the homework is the reward. Also, by providing feedback on homework, students will see that the assignment is worth completing since they may actually learn something from it. This is behaviorism since students are working to receive feedback, which is the reward. I use homework very frequently in the classes that I teach. I have a policy in place that counts homework/classwork as a percentage of the student's final grade. I also check and go over homework at the beginning of the next class period so that students can find and correct mistakes that they are making.