Constructivism and Constructionism

This week’s video and reading assignment were very informative.  In the video, Dr. Orey discussed constructivism and constructionism.  Constructivism is the idea that everybody creates their own meaning associated with a word based on prior experiences.  Constructionism is the theory that people learn best when they build something they can share with others.  We learn through experiences or project-based learning.  Our reading assignment from Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, was focused on “generating and testing hypotheses”.  

True learning takes place when students are asked to think about a problem, formulate possible solutions based on their prior knowledge, and then use hands-on materials or simulations to test the solutions.  This process will help the students develop higher order thinking skills.  I see this as something that is lacking in many classrooms.  Students are not being expected to think or make decisions on their own without depending on their parents or their teachers to give them the answers.  How can these students ever know what success is, if they have never experienced failure?  I think it is critical for student to be taught to use what we called “the scientific process” in order for them to succeed in the jobs of the future.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Constructionist and constructivist learning theories [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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

Instructional Strategies and Cognitive Learning Theory

The cognitive learning theory is, in simple terms, information processing.  It is taking new information from short-term memory to long-term memory.  This can be accomplished by using the instructional strategy's in this weeks assigned reading from Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works.

The first strategy was "Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers.  I already use these for most of my lessons in the form of presenting a summary of what we will be learning, using BrainPopJr, UnitedStreaming, graphic organizers, and power point presentations as advance organizers to introduce the lesson.  These techniques have all helped my students make connections, process information, and store the information in their long-term memory. I have worked with concept maps using the activboard and the Promethean Planet resources.  I just didn't know it was called "concept mapping".  It's nice to be able to manipulate and move the organizers around the interactive white board.

The second strategy was "Summarizing and Note-Taking.  These excellent strategies to help students organize and process information.  While summarizing and note-taking work for most students, I can not help but think of one particular student who had the most amazing, detailed notes but struggled with the test that came directly from their notes.  The student could tell me word-for-word what was in the notes but could not get the information back on the paper due to how their brain processed information.  This was extremely frustrating for both of us.  I found when they added pictures, doodles, or symbols to the notes, their ability to recall the information significantly improved.  For this reason, it is important to individualize our instruction to meet every students' cognitive learning needs.

Behaviorism

There has been many discussions about the use of behaviorism in the classroom.  I believe that the use of behaviorism is important to managing classroom behavior.  The first step is making the students aware of expectations, rules and procedures.  During the first few days of school each year, my class goes through "basic training".  We practice everything....how to line up, small group procedures, bathroom procedures, to name a few.  We are in training for ten days.  I explain to my students that there will be individual rewards for positive behavior and punishment for negative behavior.  I also give group rewards and class rewards.  This has worked very well.  It helps that there is a little competition between groups too.  


I really enjoyed the reading assignments from the book Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works.  I had not given much thought to the concept of reinforcing effort.  The effort rubric is a great idea for using operant conditioning.  With the use of the rubric, the expected behavior is clearly defined for the students.  They know exactly what is expected of them.  This is an excellent visual tool when combined with spreadsheet and data collection tools.  The students are able to see the relationship between effort and achievement.


I also read about homework and practice.  I do give homework to my students, but only as additional practice to reinforce the lesson we have done in class.  I do not believe is giving homework just to give them something to do.  I keep it to a minimal, but I do expect my students to do it on their own.  I want to know who has mastered the skill and who need additional instruction.  The text gave several examples of sites where educational software can be found that students can use for practice.  One of the sites I love is IXL.com.  The site has all the math standards for Pre-K through 8th grade.  Students practice their skills and get rewards along the way.  There are reports that show strengths and weaknesses, problem areas, amount of time a skill is practiced and many more.  It makes it very easy for the teacher, student and parents to track their progress.  This was a great hit this year in my class.


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