The experts agree that instructional design should consist of multiple learning theories to target several dimensions of learning (Kapp, 2007; Kerr, 2007). An underlying grievance with focusing on one theory is that learners do not bring equal insights into the learning context. Therefore, educators should consciously integrate multiple approaches in designing a lesson to ensure all students construct knowledge. For example, behaviorism and cognitivism propose the most efficient manner of knowledge acquisition. Both agree that repetition of a skill is one way to achieve meaningful learning. Although, cognitivism focuses more on the type of activity rather than the behaviorist view of drill and practice (Driscoll, 2005).
Pondering on the recommendations of each strategy, I created a personal mental representation of two students in my classroom. The following chart describes two situations in which a student faces difficulty in Reading. However, one student lacks memorization while the other lacks comprehension. I attempted to use what I have learned to create an instructional plan for each student. Please read and make comments.
Interestingly, both theories also agree on the importance of internalizing information. Yet, experience and research has developed the idea of externalization as the most significant method to understanding new information. The following video clip from George Siemens (2007) discusses externalization of knowledge as the best strategy for facilitating meaningful learning. His notion that students need to express and share knowledge with others in a variety of ways changes traditional views that learning is a remote process. According to Siemens (2007), true knowledge acquisition occurs through social networks where the externalization of thoughts is encouraged and skills of learning are developed.
In my experiences as an early childhood educator, students who express and share ideas through graphic representations and writing are able to apply knowledge in a variety of situations. Without this instructional skill, students are only successful when the experience matches the first acquaintance, Cooperative group tasks such as digital storytelling and wikis allow students to connect with information and accurately create models of knowledge (Talisayon, 2010). If you are not giving your students the opportunity to externalize knowledge, you are decreasing their capacity for learning.
References
Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
Kapp, K. (2007, January 2). Out and about: Discussion on educational schools of thought. Message posted to http://karlkapp.blogspot.com/2007/01/out-and-about-discussion-on-educational.html
Kerr, B. (2007, January 1). _isms as filter, not blinker. Message posted to http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filter-not-blinker.html
Siemens, G. (2007, September 2). The conflict of learning theories with human nature. Video podcast retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTgWt4Uzr54
Talisayon, A. (2010, March 25). Series G: “Grawing-and-griting”: Making visible what we are thinking together. Message posted to http://apintalisayon.wordpress.com/
Wonderful Post! Your cognitive comparison is dynamic in that it shows a very realistic picture of the types of students in our classrooms. How we deal with them will determine their success and ours. Getting both your theoretical students to share their knowledge via some social networking may allow them the opportunity to externalize their learning that might help them to improve their particular deficits. I wonder how both these students would adapt to using wikis or other graphic media to share their knowledge.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the networking idea. I try to be a collaborative teacher, and we do about 60 minutes a day in cooperative, small groups. I spend more time dealing with social issues than academic ones though. I think this has a lot to do with their maturity. I also feel this keeps a lot of elementary school teachers from engaging in centers like the primary-aged students.
ReplyDeleteHmm, wikis and graphic media. I admit, I have not tried this with this group of kids. Mainly, we spend so much time dealing with behavior issues. I am going to try this though. Maybe, I will prevent the behavior problems by making them work on something as detailed as a digital storytelling project.
I wish we had time to teach this way. It seems like all we have time for is covering the standards!! How do we cope with this??
I agree with your approach that children learn differently as well as incorporating social newtorking within the instructional environment. Although teachers have the knowledge, a student can learn best from their peers. Their friends will joke off constructive criticism whereas a teacher gets frustrated because they expect the student to get the information on the first, no later than the second time around. How do you find time to include cooperative group assignments within your lesson plan, especially for your diverse learners?
ReplyDeleteI love the comparison map. Unfortunately our school does not offer programs like Dibels, which may be very beneficial to poor readers. Great post.
Hey!
ReplyDeleteIt is very hard to do cooperative groups. We team teach, so I only have my first group for about 2 hours. 1 hour of that is small groups with the class divided into 4 groups, 15 minutes at each center. I often feel like I do not get enough explicit instruction with the kids. I am anxious to see the CRCT results (our standardized test) and evaluate whether I proficiently covered the standards. Now that I have a better understanding of how to increase achievement using the principles from the cognitive strategy, I plan on using this skill to improve instruction with my groups. Hopefully, I will see improvements in comprehension, our weakest skill at the moment.
Thanks for responding!
I agree that the learning process is multi-facet and students learn in various way. however, with allthat we know about how students learn, either through behavorism, cognitivism or constructivism, we are still unable to improve the reading and math scores in many of our schools. We theorize so much about how students learn, we are not evaluating what students are learning. Children learn from their immediate environment, then through outside environments; such as schools, then from socialization with others.
ReplyDeleteToday children are learning not only from the three elements above, but they are learning from the use of computers. Therefore, behaviorism, cognitivism and constructivism all seem to be intertwined in the learning process.