Reflection

I spent a considerable amount of time reflecting upon my personal theories of learning and instruction and how they have changed throughout this course. I feel as though I still believe that each students learns in their own individual way and that it si the responsibility of the teacher to dicsover how students learn best and design instruction to meet those specific needs. However, after taking this course, I have added many instuctional learning theories and strategies to my personal learning beliefs. I feel as though there is much value in social learning theories, constuctivist learning theories, as well as behaviorist learning theories. I feel that students definitely possess the ability to construct their own knowledge through their own expereinces and also from their interactions with others. Within these theories I have learned some very effective startegies that I have adapted in my personal learning theory. Cooperative learning opportunities and problem-based, project-based, or experimental learning provide highly effective student learning. Along with these adaptations to my personal learning theory, I have also increased and imporved my level of integration of technology. I have discovered and explored several new powerful web tools to use in the classroom, and pan to do so!
I would like to make some immediate modifications in my teaching including the implementation of 2 new web tools! One thing I would like to do is to be more efficient when designing my lessons. I would like to be sure that I am creating authentic learning opportunities for my students where they are actively engaged and able to construct meaning through their experiences, rather than me simply delivering information in instruction. I would also like to immediately be sure that when and where I integrate technology that it is for students learning not only to assist my own instructional practices. I would first like to try concept mapping in my classroom, as well as the virtual tours/fieldtrips. I believe that although all of the web tools learned throughout this course were very valuable, these most appropriately apply to the age group of children that I teach.
In the future, I would like to see myself integrate a larger amount of technology into my classroom and be more willing to try new things with my students. Although I clearly understood the difference between using web tools for student learning and using web tools for my instruction, I still mainly used it for myself. I would like to in the future find that I am integrating a higher level of technology into valuable learning experiences for my students. I would first like to begin acheiving this goal by continuing to complete my courses here at Walden Universty. I would also like to see myself not be so inhibited by the fear of failure and begin to try new web tools and utilize technology in my classroom. I have set a personal goal to implement at least one new web tool a month! I truly believe in the benefits of technology and of the use of valuable instructional strategies and want to see myself begin to explore these in the learning opportunities that I provide for my students.

Application 5: Voice Thread

http://voicethread.com/share/660033/

Social Constructivism

Social constructivism is based on the theory that people build understanding through social interaction and culture. Social constructivism is much like social learning theories that suggest that people primarily construct knowledge from social interactions with others in their environment. In the book, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, the chapter on cooperative learning explores a teaching strategy that "...focuses on having students interact with eachother in groups in ways that enhance their learning"(Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, 2007, p. 139). After reading this chapter, the correlation between social constructivism and cooperative learning becomes very evident.

We can clearly see that cooperative learning and social constructivism are related. Social constructivism suggests that people learn through interacting with people and the environment around them. Cooperative learning is a strategy to foster this type of learning. When teachers design a cooperative learning environment, they are providing an opportunity for students to construct meaning from their interactions, both social and academic, with their fellow classmates. Students not only effectively learn content matter from this type of instruction, but they also inherit the ability to work cooperatively which is a lifelong benefit. "To be prepared for the fast-paced, virtual workplace that they will inherit, today's students need to be able to learn and produce cooperatively"(Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, 2007, p.139). We as teachers need to remember that it is not only our job to teach children curriculum content, but to also prepare students to be successful and productive members of society.

Cooperative learning is a building block of social constructivism. Using cooperative learning as an instructional strategy in the classroom is a very valuable learning tool. As we use this strategy to successfully teach content matter, we can also foster and encourage the ability to work copperatively in a variety of situations.


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

Constructivism in Practice

Constructionist/constructivist learning theories are based upon the notion that people construct their own knowledge when learning. If we as teachers provide authentic and meaningful learning opportunities where students are able to learn from an experience and they are actively seeking information as opposed to teacher-directed lessons, we will find a more effective approach to teaching various content. In the book, Using technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, it suggests "Generating and Testing Hypotheses'" is a strategy that is possible to use in all content areas. "When students generate and test hypotheses, they are engaging in complex mental processes, applying content knowledge like facts and vocabulary, and enhancing their overall understanding of the content" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p.202). Opportunities where students are able to generate and test hypotheses align perfectly with the theory of constructivism. Students are able to use methods of learning that are project-based, inquiry-based, or problem-based, which provides students with the experiences to construct their own knowledge!
When teachers use instrucitonal stragies that are teacher directed, often they find them ineffective and students quickly become disengaged. It is vital that teachers find ways to make learning fun and to motivate students to take responsibility for their own learning. As we are all aware, their is a strong correlation between effort and acheivement. Therefore, we must encourage our students to put in the effort that will acheive a high level of success. From my own personal teaching experience, I have found that using a method that presents a question or a problem to students and then allows them to research and investigate possible answers and solutions has always produced a high level of learning. Students admire and respond to the control that they are given over the situation. This motivation alone fuels students to seek information, be actively engaged, and construct knowledge.
When considering constructionist/constructivist learning theories and the types of instructional strategies that correlate with this type of learning, the implementation of technology can be an effective tool. "Technology can play a vital role in generating and testing hypotheses because new developments in probeware and interactive applets allow students to spend more time interpreting the data rather than gathering the data- a process that can be tedious and error prone"(Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 203). Experimental inquiry, problem solving, and decision making are just some of the tasks mentioned in the book that teachers can use to help students generate and test hypotheses across different content areas. These tasks correlate with taking the constructivist approach to teaching and not simply delivering instruction to students on a particular skills or subject. These tasks described in the book offer students the opportunity to consider various answers and solutions, to invent, to experiment, to predict, problem solve, and investigate. They are methods that design authentic learning experiences in which students are free to explore and experience real-world issues and discover multiple solutions. Constructivism in teaching, including generating and testing hypotheses and the various tasks that assist in doing so, provide a way for students to learn content matter through building and applying their own knowledge. Thanks to technology, this method of teaching/learning is much more realistic and accesible than ever before. In the past, using constructivist approaches like testing hypotheses for example, may have been too time consuming to utilize in mulitple content areas. However now, thanks to tools such as spreadsheets software, data collection tools, and web resources, it is time effecient and highly effective!
Constructivism in practice fosters a desire to learn. When students are given opportunities to explore content matter in different ways, they are better able to learn and retain information. Using technology in conjunction with the various instructional strategies discussed in the learning resources this week support the theory of constructivism and its effectiveness as well!









Reference:

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