Constructivism: Active Learning

This week’s reading of “Using Technology in the Classroom that Works”, the class studied the strategy of generating and testing hypotheses in relation to the constructivist/constructionist point of view of education within the classroom. The constructivist/constructionist idea of education is focused on the individual learners process of collaborative and constructed/created representations of concept comprehension. This coincides with the strategy of generating and testing hypotheses classroom approach in that they both promote students to have an active hands on learning approach to the education. And these two intersecting ideas promote the use of technology in the classroom from the perspective of problem-based education, project-based education, as well as the inquiry-based approaches to learning.

For example, problem based education, I feel, is the most motivating for students. When students are presented with problems/scenarios that pertain to their personal lives, creating real world application, students are more likely to be more interested in the material as well as using critical thinking skills to solve the problem in question. For example, in an urban Detroit neighborhood there might be many problems for students to identify and collaborate problem solving ideas on. The class identifies and lists the problems. The class, then selects, while the teacher facilitates, which one they feel pertains to them most. Students pick the issue of overwhelming trash build up and less bulk trash pick up days. Students will then present their research and findings on the topic in a myriad of ways. The days that seem to have the most litter can be graphed using a Word document or Excel spreadsheet. Photos can be loaded onto a computer for a Power Point presentation on the effects of trash on the neighborhood, physically and mentally. Or all of these things can be presented by a group of students who organized their thoughts for presentation using a concept map from Spinscape. Students can then analyze each others presentations and work to create some sort of collaborative effort of solution, which can also be documented and presented either by itself or as a culmination using Voice Thread.

Cognitive Instructional Strategies

This week's studies in class, Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology, the importance of utilizing cognitive tools was emphasized. Cognitive tools serve an important roll of student motivation. Lessons and concepts can be introduced to students by utilizing virtual field trips. Although students are not at the field trip site physically, they are still being stimulated by the environment that they see and hear being projected to them.
The use of cognitive tools allows students to be fully engaged in their studies, fostering a more in depth perception and understanding of concepts by being motivated to create and build representations of their comprehension level.

Behaviorism Instructional Strategies

This weeks' reading of Pitler's "Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works", the theory of BF Skinner's Behaviorist Model was exemplified through the explanation of the primary function of homework and technological software programs as being reinforcements to what the teacher has modeled. For example, teachers created spreadsheets for students to account for the own individual efforts in their studies and thus their correlating grade. From using this spreadsheet self evaluation tool the idea that the more effort is put into their studies the higher of a grade can be expected (Pitler, 2007). Another example of technological instructional strategies correlating to the behaviorist ideals of Skinner was with the use of computer software such as academic games to reinforce student retention of ideas. If, for example, a class was studying the inverse relationships between multiplication and division number stories, students could use software to access games that support that particular learning objective. This type of strategy is used to create multiple encounters with the objective to "deepen" students understanding of that material. However, is this game of drill and practice only a means of memorization and base level comprehension? Or does this promote the building of a solid foundation to scaffold to higher order thinking skills?