Social Learnig Theories

Our focus this week is on Social Learning theory and the implications this has on our activities and lessons as well as the use of technology in the classroom. This theory is based on the idea that learning is a social process and that students create meaning through interactions with others and their environment. We have examined many strategies that are anchored in social interaction this week in our reading and lectures. These strategies clearly correlate with social learning theory in that they are based on many ways to discuss, organize, and present information – via voicethreads, blogs, group projects, collabortive word processing and spread sheets, small groups, and many other activities. When students interact they share information AND their own perspective on the information. This will cause students to consider what they know and reformulate it to fit in with new information or perspective on that information. Students also benefit from interacting with “more knowledgeable” others. They can model behavior and social skills as well and gain knowledge in a less threatening manner that putting themselves “out there” alone.

I am looking forward to implementing the use of Google Docs, exploring The Jason Project, and getting involved on “del.icio.us.” I am gaining so many resources that my students will benefit from ! As always I am a little worried that we will not have access to the equipment necessary to employ the use of these tools on a regular basis. Our technology is scarce and I need to find creative ways to meet the social and technological needs of my students

Constructivism In Practice

The instructional strategies we are considering this week include using spread sheet software, data collection tools and using web resources are all centered around integrating technology to produce and actual artifact or actually solving an authentic problem. According to the article we read this week by the Department of Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology at the University of Georgia, “PBL environments include authentic content, authentic assessment, teacher facilitation but not direction, explicit educational goals, collaborative learning, and reflection.” Project based learning is embedded in real life problem solving and working together on more longer term projects that have a series of components or artifacts that make up a whole. Students decide what they are going to do and how they will do it with the teacher as a facilitator – more working with them instead of telling them what to do. The article further states that in learning by design “Designers (learners) create objects or artifacts representing a learning outcome that is meaningful to them.” By its nature it is very individual and constructed in strong correlation to the experiences of each student. The artifacts are different and meaningful in different ways to different students based on prior knowledge.

The strategies correlate with constructionist/constructivist theory because the meaning and development is coming from the students themselves. As they build an artifact they are organizing and synthesizing information to construct meaning that is more relevant to them. The technological tools make is easier for students to see patterns emerge and/or visual representations of information to make more streamlined analysis of information.

Cognitivism in Practice

Cognitive learning theory revolves around how our brains take in information and store it. The more connections our brains make with information the more likely it will be stored in long term memory. In addition, the more images and experiences that are associated with the information, the more coding that happens in our brains. According to Dr. Michael Orey, we will be better able to retrieve desired information if we have experienced “elaboration” which means that we need to try to make as many connections as possible when we received information.

In our reading this week we learned about “Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers” and “Summarizing and Note Taking” as strategies that embed technology. These strategies correlate to cognitive learning theory because they activate prior knowledge, encourage our students to organize the information in ways unique to their own experiences, and make more connections between the information itself as well as with prior knowledge. When students summarize, they zero in on the main points and dump the unnecessary details – helping them focus. In the case of virtual field trips students can be exposed to imagery, music, and may other sensory inputs. This is significant because when the brain codes images it also codes text that goes with it. This “dual coding” cause more connections to form and increases the likelihood that the new information will become part of long term memory.

Behaviorism in Practice

The instructional strategy of “reinforcing effort” has the potential to make a considerable difference with student achievement. When students are able to make connections from their own data input and see the results it should have a greater impact on them. I think this is important because what we are really talking about it changing their perception or beliefs. The realization that they can actually have some control can be powerful encouragement to buy in. I teach in an inner city high school where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced meals. There is not much in their lives that students have power or control over. They often feel hopeless and that NOTHING they do matters. If we can use spread sheets to show them the effort they make can change the outcome, they may feel empowered. The only problem I see with this is that they may not be honest about how much effort they actually put toward their work. Or their perception of great effort may not be realistic.

I have had some experience with Brainpop.com (mentioned in chapter 10). My students like to do the quizzes after watching a short video on the site. They like the review quiz because it gives them immediate feedback on whether they have chosen correctly. I use a laptop and projector and we do the quiz as a group. Before we click on a choice we sometimes have lively debate and discussion on which choice is the correct response. The students are usually pretty engaged during these quizzes. The immediate reinforcement is there when they get the right answer. If they choose incorrectly they go back and choose again. This seems to me to be in line with the behaviorist theory.