Reflection 6711

During the first week of this course, I created a personal learning model that reflected my practice in the classroom.  Looking back on that personal learning model, I feel that not a whole lot has changed since completing this course.  I still use a majority of methods associated with Constructivism and Social Constructivism in my classroom.  Like it said in my personal learning model, I still continue to open lessons in a way that activates students' prior knowledge and engages and motivates them to learn.  My lesson activities usually revolve around student exploration where they create meaning themselves by working together using resources I provide.  My closure activities still are designed to reinforce the content.  As my personal learning model originally stated, I am still a firm believer in the power of experience and believe now more than ever that students learn best when they are actively engaged in the process.  Dr. Michael Orey really helped confirm my own beliefs but also open my eyes to how powerful certain strategies and theories are.  I also rarely if ever use operant conditioning or drill and practice type methods like in the Behaviorist theory.  One theory I do not use but am considering incorporating a little is Cognitivism where I can "chunk" information in certain ways that appeal to the senses. 

I think the only modification I would make to my personal learning model is the addition of Cognitivism in a small way.  I do use a lot of visual pictures and so forth in my lessons, but I would like to incorporate even more.  I also really want to add a limit to the amount of information I give to students.  I liked how I learned in the Cognitivism theory that students really should not have more than seven new pieces of information in a lesson.  Showing students connections between ideas is also a modification I would make that would be extremely beneficial to their learning.

This course has really influenced the way I see students and how they learn.  I am more motivated than ever to make sure students are actively engaged in activities and in their learning.  It is really interesting to observe other teachers in my building and decide what learning theory their activities represent.  I feel more confident in my ability to impact student achievement because I know great strategies that are extremely effective that I learned from this course. 

The immediate adjustments I would make with technology integration is to stop using my Interactive Whiteboard as a projection tool and more of an interactive tool with students.  Also, I want to have students create more projects using technology instead of using posters or pamphlets.  Two specific technology tools I plan to use with students are the PowerPoint or Prezi software where students can create something with new material they learn and also the VoiceThread software.  These technology tools are excellent for students to use to show what they have learned or to have them create tools they can teach other students with.  This technology is very user-friendly and would support their creativity and allow them to make connections between content.

My repertoire of instructional skills has definitely expanded as a result of this course.  The strategies I read about each week that went along with the different specific learning theories were ones I tested out in my own classroom.  Learning new strategies and trying them out really added to my experience and allowed me to see what worked and what did not.  I feel very confident in my ability to effectively use certain strategies and I feel confident that using certain strategies will greatly impact how my students learn.  I went from having a handful of strategies in a folder to an entire binder of strategies that I can select and use based on what and how I want students to learn content.

Two long term goals I have regarding technology integration in my classroom are: 1. Create interactive quizzes on my Promethean Board to use as pre-assessments or post-assessments; 2. Use the VoiceThread or PowerPoint presentation tools with students to have them create something with the content they learn.  To achieve these goals, I need to spend time after school outlining my lessons better and planning ahead so I can be more prepared and ready.  I also need to spend time on my own creative the interactive quizzes so I can use them year after year and only make small adjustments as necessary.  I also need to create a VoiceThread or PowerPoint presentation to show students my expectations for projects.  Time also needs to be spent teaching students how to correctly and effectively use these programs to create presentations. 

Overall I really enjoyed this class and thought it was very beneficial to my own professional growth.  I look forward to using the new knowledge I acquired to positively impact student learning.

Social Constructionism

I think the instructional strategies described this week are great for the Social Constructionism Learning Theory.  First of all, you can’t get any more social than the Cooperative Learning strategy!  Students here are actively engaged in creating or problem solving together while they have conversations together.  They are constantly interacting and bouncing ideas off of one another, getting validation for their thoughts, and gaining confidence in their learning and practice (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  This type of learning together in cooperative groups really gets students to participate in a real world learning scenario.  More often than not, students will find themselves in college and in their careers working with others.  Two thoughts are more powerful than one and sometimes students bring different background knowledge and experiences to the conversation which can help others think at different levels in different ways.

Another instructional strategy described this week was the Jigsaw activity (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  I have actually used this strategy many times throughout my teaching career.  The students always enjoy learning this way because it is something different and the results are always extremely effective.  My students love being considered an “expert” regardless of what the topic might be.  This jigsaw activity allows students to come together to research, “build something” in the form of an instructional tool like a PowerPoint, and then teach the material to others.  Not only are they socially constructing something, but the teaching component is a huge learning bonus.  As a teacher I can relate because I know so much more about the Revolutionary War than I ever did due to the fact that I have to teach it!  Dr. Michael Orey in his video on Social Learning Theories even said, “One of the best ways to learn content is to teach it” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). 

Resources:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program eight: Social learning theories [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

VoiceThread

Link to my VoiceThread:

http://walden.voicethread.com/share/3757581/

Cognitive Learning Theory

The Cognitive Learning Theory primarily focuses on how we process information.  Dr. Michael Orey in his video on the Cognitive Learning Theory said that there are three main ways to process information.  The first thing that must happen is that a person must receive information via their senses.  Then, that information goes into short term memory.  With repeated “rehearsal”, that information can then be stored in long term memory (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  It is very important for teachers to understand this process so they can create lessons and activities accordingly.  Asking students questions and prompting them for a response helps guide and structure their learning.  Using advance organizers is also a great strategy to structure student learning for easier processing.  Pictures can be added to advance organizers so the sensory information students receive is varied, and organizers can be created to show connections between ideas, which mimics the Elaboration Theory (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  Dr. Michael Orey suggests “integrating multiple senses in presentations” because “anything you can do to keep things manageable for the learner is important” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  Cueing students to focus on specific information or connections and having advance organizers that affect multiple senses will ultimately increase student learning for the long run.  Summarizing information is a great example of rehearsal.  Students need to “digest” what they’ve received through their senses and having them put it into their own words is one great way to do that.  Note Taking also helps get information from short term into long term memory because students practice writing the information which forms a visual representation and serves as another form of rehearsal.  All of these instructional strategies help teach students to understand information.  They allow students to focus on information and create a network visually (organizers and note taking) or through audio (cues and questions).  Teachers can use these strategies to help students concentrate on key ideas and help them understand those ideas for immediate or long term use.

Resources:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program five: Cognitive learning theory [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Constructionism

The instructional strategy on generating and testing hypothesis is perfect for Constructionism because students are involved in project-based, problem-based, or inquiry-based learning.  At its core, Constructionism is the learning process where students are involved in creating something (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  If students are creating something, such as a hypothesis, they are engaged in their learning (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  Testing a hypothesis forces students to ask questions and reflect, which are both powerful learning tools.  They may even need to make adjustments or recreate a hypothesis.  Also in the resources this week, the technology programs Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Word were discussed.  These programs again allow students to create an external artifact based on what topic they are exploring (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  Providing students with problems instead of feeding them information allows students to try to make connections to content in different ways.  Each student brings different experiences to the table so it is important to have them collaborate among one another to share ideas or suggestions.  Students solving problems requires them to use more of the different types of knowledge they possess and put them together in an effort to find a solution.  Students are likely to have more meaningful learning take place that will remain with them in the future.  Asking students questions or posing problems to students causes disequilibration in their brains (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  In an effort to get their brains back into equilibration, students must work hard to assimilate or accommodate new information while using their schema (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  Giving students real-world problems or activities lets students see the value in what they are doing and it also makes assimilation and accommodation more meaningful.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program seven: Constructionist and constructivist

learning theories [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology.

Retrieved from

http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

The strategies that were discussed this week in the resources focused on reinforcing effort and homework and practice.  Other strategies that were discussed dealt with managing behavior in classrooms and remedial drill and practice work for low achieving students.  All of these strategies fall into the behaviorist learning theory as they use the idea of operant conditioning.  Operant conditioning revolves around two main objectives: reinforcing desirable behavior and punishing undesirable behavior.  When teachers reinforce effort, they are rewarding desirable behaviors in students.  This can be done through verbal praise, privileges, or other tangible rewards.  Students then learn that if they repeat the good behavior, they will receive a reward.  Behaviorists believe that this is how learning takes place.  The homework and practice strategy really focuses on having students repeat what they've learned through drill and practice.  The behaviorist learning theory claims repetition is an extremely powerful learning tool.  Frequent practice in necessary for learning to take place based on the behaviorist model.  Managing student behavior can be done effectively using the behaviorist strategy of operant conditioning with rewards and punishments.  Again, the good behavior is rewarded while the bad behaviors are punished with consequences.  Remedial work with the low achieving students in an effort to boost test scores or ratings is usually accomplished through drill and practice programs that also follow the behaviorist model.

Reflection

Being part of the EDU 6710 course at Walden University absolutely helped increase my technology skills as a professional teacher.  I learned how to effectively incorporate various forms of technology into my classroom like blogs, wikis, and podcasts.  Having little to no knowledge of these forms of technology posed a concern for me prior to starting this class.  The reading and educational videos each week, along with discussion support and clear guidelines helped me be successful in this class and helped me learn more about how to use and troubleshoot this new technology .  I feel far more comfortable and confident using new technology in my classroom and am aware of the many benefits these tools can have on my teaching and on the students’ learning.   Speaking of student learning, I now because of this class more aware that 21^st century students learn the best when the teacher acts as a facilitator.  Teaching has changed over the last several decades because of new technologies and today it is far different.  The role of the teacher now is to teach students how to appropriately evaluate and use all of the knowledge available at their fingertips.  The teacher no longer provides all of the facts, but instead helps students sift through facts so they can take more responsibility for their learning.  It is no longer the case where teachers are thinking about how they can use new tools, but instead teachers think about how students can use new tools.  Learning is more hands on and real-world connected.  With all of these cycles of change in the teaching profession, it is my responsibility to stay up to date on new research and information by participating in professional development opportunities through my district, continuing to further my education by taking classes, subscribing to professional blogs and PLCs, and doing my own research and reading.  Continuing to collect student data both formally and informally and reflecting on my own practices will help me expand my knowledge of learning, teaching, and technology.  This collection of data will drive my future instruction so students can be successful at all levels. 

Two long-term goals I have for myself over the next few years is to: 1. Create a successful blog specifically for my Language Arts class to help promote the love of reading and 2. Create more opportunities for students to gather knowledge on their own through various technology mediums and evaluate and use this knowledge to further their learning on specific topics.  I plan to accomplish the first goal by practicing and doing a trial run with students for a few months, then reflecting and gathering feedback to help make sure that the process is successful when it is finally launched.  The second goal I can accomplish by planning projects that require students to gather information on their own.  I can provide the materials for students such as ipads, computer lab time, websites, podcasts, and videos that focus on a specific topic.  The second goal will require more planning time and will require time spent teaching students how to evaluate information and sources.  Initially investing time to teach students these skills will pay off in the long run as they will have fewer problems finding credible information quickly and efficiently.

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills Website

After browsing through the website called: “The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills” (http://www.p21.org/), I had to refill my ink cartridge from printing off so many great ideas.  I thoroughly enjoyed browsing the website as I found it to be very well organized and clear in its messages and goals.  It was very easy for me to follow and the ideas made a lot of sense to me as a teacher.  To me, my overall goal is to mold students into lifelong learners.  I am teaching them more than just how to take a test or which battle happened first in the Revolutionary War.  I am teaching them how to be effective and successful citizens of our future nation.  Students need to be taught so much more than just content, and I think this website paints a pretty clear picture of the other important skills that need to be developed in our students.  It was interesting to look at all of the ideas and concepts presented in this website about what 21^st century skills really are.  Before this website, I viewed 21^st century skills as just technology skills.  Now I know it is way more than just being technology literate!  I thought the framework rainbow graphic organizer was a bit difficult to follow but after further reading and re-reading, I grasped the concept a bit better.  I really liked that this website included support systems along with the student outcomes.  Professional development and classroom environment are both huge pieces of the master teacher puzzle that I think some districts fail to recognize.  One of the website’s messages that rang clear to me was the following: “Students must learn the essential skills for success in today’s world like critical-thinking, problem solving, communication, and collaboration.”  This is so true because students will most likely forget what year the Louisiana Purchase happened, but they will never forget the way they worked together in a group collaboratively to research information and communicate their findings through a PowerPoint report.  The Interdisciplinary themes I thought were also a very important piece to the goal of developing more wholesome students.  I liked the Health Literacy and Global Awareness areas especially.  There really were no bits of information or opinions that I disagreed with.  I think it is an excellent idea to develop these specific 21^st century skills within our students today.  I was surprised to see that Ohio was involved with this Partnership Program because I have never heard of it in my entire life.  It seems strange to be teaching in a state where this is apparently happening and not even know about it.  Hopefully they will shine more light on this program in the near future.  Until that time however, it is my job to continue building lessons that support 21^st century skills like critical-thinking and problems solving and to make more real-world connections.  Incorporating more technology would also be useful as it will continue to become a larger part of students’ lives in the future.  Also, making sure to tie in health, national, and global related information and issues into the content would support the interdisciplinary themes presented in the 21^st century skills framework model.  We are becoming more globally literate and competitive as we continue to do business and make connections with other countries.  Students need to be aware that other cultures exist within our world that are important components to our survival as a nation.  With my handy new print outs that I have decorated with highlighter, I hope to begin including these suggested student outcome elements from The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills website into my everyday teaching.

Classroom Demographics Podcast

Click the link below to check out my new Podcast about the digital learners in my classroom:

Classroom Demographics

The use of blogs in classrooms

A blog could be used in my fifth grade Language Arts classroom by having students write book reviews.  The blog could serve as a discussion board for students to talk about different story elements from the books they read.  Students could write whether or not they would recommend a book they've read to other students.  Comments could be made on the book reviews by student readers saying whether or not they plan on reading the book from the review. A blog could also be used as a way for students to interact with content.  In my fifth grade Social Studies class, students could comment on questions I post about content they've been learning in class.  It could serve as a closure type activity that they could complete in school on ipads or computers, or even at home after school.  In my fifth grade Science class, I could post videos of experiments on my blog and take pictures of student projects to display on the site.  A blog could also be used as a service learning opportunity to help students raise awareness for a particular topic.  They could encourage friends and family members to join our class blog and get informed about an important topic.  I think blogs can enhance a lesson by adding a real world connection component.  Students are more involved and engaged when given the opportunity to connect with technology. 

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