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Learning Theories - Much of the table is repetitive... can it be condensed into 4 categories, cognitivism, behaviorism, constructivism, social constructivism? I like the idea of "Mind Tools" at the bottom.
I think it was neat that 2 of us gave the example of "Turn and Talk" as a constructivist teaching style.
Thanks for putting it all together for us. It was easy for me to read. - Also, the Computer Usage activities under Constructivism did not seem 'Computer' based. They were great activities, but should they be activities a student would do on the computer?
Lesson Plan Development
- Before I got my projector, that's how I would do it too! You have to work with what you are given. I do think the projector idea is better though. Keep asking your technology person at your school for a projector. I bugged mine so much that he finally gave me a projector and a stand for it to go on with an attached DVD/VCR player.
- I really like your assessment because it is a "constructivist approach" to assessment. I also like Candace's format of her lesson plan because it was very direct and straight to the point. Do you think you could number the lesson plan parts according to Dr. Wang's assignment for our lesson plan? That is the only suggestion I have. Google Earth is so interesting!!!!!
Definition of Learning - Due on March 11- My colleagues and I were discussing this the other day! I think a student learns if he remembers what it taught. And I also think that he will remember what it taught if his current perspective is challenged. For example, a small child may think that everything round is a ball until he realizes that not all round things bounce. Does this make sense?
- Good point Candace. My fellow graduate students were commenting on how funny it is that we do not want our own students to cram for a test and forget what they have stored in short term memory. So, I think that students have 'learned something' when that knowledge is stored in long-term memory. Some graduate level courses require you to regurgitate information for an exam, and then we forget that information shortly after the test. The class where I learned the most has been Conni Kami's math class. We did not have any tests in that class, but I think I learned the most and I remember what I learned and apply the constructivist approach to my daily teaching.
- I disagree... you have not learned something if is it not in your memory. For example, someone may tell you how to change a tire, and someone may even show you how to change a tire. However, you will not have learned how to change a tire until you have done it yourself! Like you said, if learning new material is not applied, you will not learn it.
- I also like this definition:
An exercise of constructing personal knowledge that requires the learner to be mentally active rather than passively interpreting when recording information.www.maine.gov/education/higher ed.Glossary/Glossary.htm( I like the words actively interpreting...)
Do you think that we should include that learning is 'making connections' with our memories? I know we've had a hard time deciding if memory is a part of learning, but I think they go hand in hand. A student cannot learn material if they do not remember what they learned. One of my students baffles me. She receives modified tests, and can perform very well on them, especially spelling tests. However, when she does not have modifications for a test for the same set of spelling words, she cannot spell any of them. Has she learned the words? I do not think so. If she cannot apply it in a different setting, then I do not think she has learned them. - People learn when they are challenged... this discussion has definitely challenged my views of 'learning'. I have talked with students in other groups in our class, and no group is having the discussion like ours that I have spoken with! This is good.
- I would consider the behaviorist approach as extrinsic learning. Students are motivated to learn by external forces, such as rewards or punishments.
I would consider the cognitive approach to include constructive learning. Students who are taught constructively are most likely intrinsic learners. Your definition included constructive learning under the humanistic approach. Is that right? I didn't see Piaget's name under this list either, and he views learning as a constructivist approach.
However, great points made about how we as a group are having a hard time coming up with a unified definition of learning. Many psychologists who have made contributions to the field of education cannot agree on a unified definition of learning either. - This definition is too long. I think it would read better if it were broken up into more than one sentence.
Original:
Learning consists of acquiring a new skill, process, or knowledge and can be acquired by making new connections with prior experience and knowledge, thus creating new understanding and ability to apply newly acquired information.
My proposition:
Learning consists of acquiring new skills, processes, or knowledge. Learning can be acquired by making new connections with prior experiences and knowledge, thus creating new understanding and ability to apply newly acquired information.
Does this read better?
The chapter on Technology in English and Language Arts Instruction raised a good point about typing classes. Should typing/keyboarding classes be required of students as a prerequisite to the use of computers for other writing classes? I asked my husband, who graduated from Mountain Brook High School in 1992, if he had to take a typing class and it was not a requirement for him. However, I graduated from Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School and it was a requirement for me in the ninth grade. Our textbook argued that students will learn bad typing habits if they do not take a typing course, which will inhibit students from typing fluently and accurately. Our textbook also reported that some people view keyboarding instruction as unnessecary and it takes up valuable student time and school resources. Can people succeed using the computer if they only know the basic keyboard familiarization? I have been thinking which side of the keyboarding arguement I am for and I am convinced that typing classes are not a waste of time and are very valuable to the students. First of all, computers are used more in high schools today than they were even 10 years ago when I graduated. If students do not get keyboard instruction, they will struggle to type quickly and may become frustrated with their assignment. Students today use computers for classroom use, research, and communication. If they are slow to type and find letters, it would be difficult for them to use the computer for its designed purposes. I took a typing class and I am very efficient at typing. My husband has not taken typing, and he still does not know the proper hand placement for the keyboard. He told me that he does get frustrated with typing long assignments for class, and wishes he had taken a typing course. Taking a typing class and learning where the keys are and learning correct hand placements on the keyboard is similar to learning how to hold a pencil. There are correct ways to hold a pencil for steady and quick writing, and I think it is just as important to show a child how to hold a pencil as it would be to show a student where to place their hands on a keyboard. Children who do not hold their pencil correctly struggle to write quickly and their writing is often hard to read. Writing, whether it be with a pencil or a keyboard, should be taught so students can do it fluently and accurately.
Roblyer (2006) reports five current pitfalls in Internet use.
1. Accessing sites with inappropriate materials.
One way that I prevent my student from going to inappropriate websites is by creating a link on the computer desktop to the webpage that I want my students to access. I know that first graders are still learning how to operate the computer mouse and finding letters on the keyboard. Creating a link makes it easier for my students to access the Internet site.This link also ensures that the students access a website.
2. Safety and privacy issues for students.
The webpage coordinator where I work has a privacy policy on our school webpage that states if a parent does not want their child's picture on the webpage to contact him and he will remove the picture. Our school however, encourages us to post pictures of our students on our individual teacher pages. As long as the children's pictures are not labeled with names, our students are insured privacy. What is your school's policy on student pictures being posted on the Internet?
3. Fraud on the Internet.
I do not think that teachers have to be worried about fraud on the Internet at school. For one thing, teachers should not be purchasing items online from a school computer. Secondly, students would not be purchasing items either since children do not have credit cards!
4. Computer viruses and hacking.
Our technology coordinator at the school where I teach instructs teachers every year to NOT open emails with attachments from people we do not know. I still do not like opening attachments from people I know. I have had a virus on my computer before and I sent the virus to other people through email attachments without knowing it. I think it is safe to not open any attachments in an email.
5. Copyright and plagiarism issues.
As a first grade teacher, I do not have to worry about plagiarism. However, my brother who teaches high school deals with this every semester as his student turn in their term paper. He tells his students that they have to print out every Internet source they use and turn it in with their assignments. Hopefully, this will deter his students from copying sources as their own.
