Constructivism & Generating and Testing Hypothesis 

            Constructivism is a knowledge theory that can be challenging for my students to feel successful with. Constructivism states that each individual actively constructs his/her own meaning (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  So many of my students thrive under structured explorations or projects where I am giving them clear guidance and support. Many feel uncomfortable when lessons rely on their own ideas of how things work and their own discovery of main ideas (Culatta, 2011).  I know this is partly because I have some insecure students and others who have overly supportive parents.  I have thought a lot about how I can use the theory of Constructivism in my classroom while keeping in mind my students’ emotional needs. 

            To challenge my students in an appropriate way, I want to engage them in a system analysis.  Students will study parts of a system and make predictions about what would change if one or more parts were altered or removed (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  This process will fit in with our ecosystems unit perfectly as students will be able to engage in system analysis in two different scenarios.  First, I will use an online tool called My Life as an Elk to help my students have a virtual experience.  This interactive “game” allows a student to alter an elk’s habitat to see what will happen to the elk and its population.  I also felt that this would be relevant as elk are an animal many students in my class already have some background knowledge of just by living in Washington.  Second, students will create a wiki about an ecosystem of their choice.  In their wikis, students will discuss all the elements of the ecosystem and include a page where they predict what would happen to the ecosystem if ______ happened to the ecosystem (ex. humans put a road through it).  Other groups would be able to comment and add their predictions.  Also, there would be a follow-up page where students will have researched it using the Nature Works website.  From there, students would add their findings to their wiki after the other groups have had a chance to predict also.  This will be a huge test to my students critical thinking and collaborative skill set but system analysis will allow my students to engage in complex mental processes, apply content knowledge, and enhance their overall understanding of the content (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).

            For my readers, if you can think of any other age appropriate applications of Constructivism please offer suggestions below in the comments!  Keep in mind, my school has very limited technology (a shared set of 10 computers for every 3 classrooms) and I teach an immature group of 4^th graders. 

Thanks,

Katie :-)

Resources:

Culatta, R., (2011).  Innovative learning: constructivist theories of learning.  Retrieved from: http://www.innovativelearning.com/educational_psychology/constructivism/index.htm

Laureate Education, Inc. (2010). Designing curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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

Cognitive Learning Theories in Practice

 

            Cognitive Learning Theories focus on ways information is processed and stored (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  This theory is valuable for teachers as it is the foundation of what we do.  One thing I do to support student learning is trying to incorporate multiple senses throughout my lessons (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  After my exploration of resources to integrate more than one sense into various lessons, I am committed to using this virtual field trip resource as often as possible.  The idea that we can go where we cannot physically is incredibly inspiring!  I cannot wait to take my students on virtual field trip through ecosystems that are not located in our region!  I can also see students connecting to locations mentioned in the books we read together.  The connections made will create episodic memories that are based in rich experiences (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  The more connections a student is able to build in relation to the content being taught, the easier it is for them to access information (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). 

            To support students’ ability to make connections about our content, it is vital to use advance graphic organizers or another template for students to organize their learning.  Advance graphic organizers help students focus their learning (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).   In my opinion, they are more than just a Venn Diagram.  These organizers offer cues, guiding questions, or visuals that offer students a clearer sense of what they are going to learn and what the learning objectives are for that lesson (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  When using graphic organizers, I like to use a program called ActivInspire because it is very student friendly and can be edited post-creation by the teacher or by students.  By saving it to our student server, students are able to edit it, save it, and I can put my feedback directly onto the page.  I also like to use templates or frames prior to students summarizing information.  This will be especially helpful when my students begin responding to reading on our classroom blog and creating wikis to summarize science and social studies units.  Wikis and blogs are excellent ways for students to demonstrate summarizing while collaborating over content in a place where I can provide immediate feedback (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). What are some other ways I could support my students through cues and questions? 

            Today, I introduced the idea of Concept Mapping as a way to further support the cognitive development of my students.  Concept maps are a fantastic way for students to replicate the network model of memory (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  Concept maps let students to visually show connections as some information can be stored as images as well as text (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  Using concept map software allows teachers to integrate technology while keeping the focus on accessing the information stored in the brain.  The program I will use with my students is called The Brain and can be downloaded on PCs and Macs.  Are there any other concept mapping softwares that are student friendly? 

Thanks for reading and participating!

:) Katie

Resources:

Laureate Education, Inc. (2010). Designing curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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

Behaviorist Learning Theory in the Classroom?

This week I have been reflecting on the best practices within the Behaviorist Learning Theory.  I tend to be drawn to Social Learning Theories but am finding that Behaviorism has some very strong ideas in relation to homework and reinforcing student effort.  Behaviorist Learning Theory is focused around reinforcement of desired behaviors in students (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). 

Reinforcing Effort

                All teachers reinforce the behaviors they wish for in their students whether it is through words, rewards, or another system.   When reinforcing effort given by students, it is essential to recognize that not all students believe in effort (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  Often times these are our students who need the most positive support socially and academically.  Thankfully, students can learn to operate from a belief that effort pays off even if they do not initially have this belief (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  Clear behavior expectations will reinforce appropriate behaviors (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  One of the ways to help students track their efforts is through technology.  In the past I have used spreadsheets to create graphs that communicate the data and open up a conversation with feedback.  While I found this effective, I have transitioned to using an iPad app called Teacher’s Assistant to track student behaviors.  The data can not only be shown or printed off to share with students but it can be emailed to parents to reinforce student’s efforts as well.  Another element of the app that I like is that I can track student’s homework as a means of reinforcing effort.   Are there any ideas on how else effort can be reinforced with technology?  I am always looking for ideas of what works or doesn’t work!

Homework

                 In my school district the question “to give homework or not to give homework?” has been discussed for the last two years since we adopted a Standards Based Grading System.  The purpose of homework should be identified and articulated and then, communicated to students and parents (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).   Homework should be meaningful practice that compliments the work being done in the classroom.  If homework is assigned, then feedback should be given promptly to students to reinforce the work that is expected.  The Behaviorist Learning Theory supports this premise because as patterns of behavior are reinforced, the individual is conditioned to respond (Culatta, 2012).  Technology facilitates homework and practice by providing a wealth of resources for learning outside of the classroom, making it easy for students to work on collaborative homework assignments and providing “drill and practice” resources that help students refine their skills (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).   While I don’t drill students on facts in the classroom, I use web resources like ixl.com and xtramath.org to support student’s continued practice outside of the classroom environment.  One resource I hope to use in the future for collaborative homework is Google Docs.  A colleague of mine has used this with her gifted 2/3 multi-age class.  The feedback being exchanged between the teacher and students is high-quality and value.  Has anyone else used a collaborative homework resource like Google Docs? 

Do you have any other suggestions that would work for my 4^th grade students who have limited access to technology at home?

Thanks for being part of the collaborative process of teaching!

:) Katie

Resources:

Culatta, R. (2012).  Instructional design: Learning theories. Retrieved from: http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/index.html

Laureate Education, Inc. (2010). Designing curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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