Constructivism in Practice

I really like the Constructionism Theory. I think that a lot of students need those hands on moments to really build an understanding of something. Even if they are not hands on students, those experiences help to gain more understanding on any given topic. I have always been the type of person that needs to do something in order to learn it. I cannot sit through a lecture and take anything from it. Because I know who I am as a learner, I try to incorporate many different strategies in my classroom for my different learners. Constructionism is no exception.

Through this weeks reading of Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, I noticed that there was one recommendation they made for classroom practice that just stood out. They stated "Make sure students can explain their hypotheses and conclusions." I thought, "Wow! This is so similar to the questions that I always ask my students, 'How did you get this?' and 'Why is this true?'" Those questions really push students to think about how they got their answer. It allows for them to think more about the process of solving a problem rather than focusing on getting it correct.

One strategy that was talked about was that of data collection tools. The math unit that my fourth graders are currently in, is about data collection and methods of organizing it once it has been collected. I think that being able to input data into a computer program and to organize it from there would be a fascinating experience, especially for those kids who are more analytical. I also liked the idea of sharing the information with other people online.

Finally, the using web resources to gain information is valuable. There is so much to learn and it never ends. We are constantly building our knowledge with everyday experiences. The Internet is a great resource to find answers to questions and gain more knowledge on topics. I find myself hooked on Google when looking for answers. I believe that we need to teach our students to use the resources available to them and that the Internet is a great resource if used appropriately.

I believe that the Constructionism/Constructivism Theory allows students to build on what they already know, but to gain knowledge from doing something interactive. They need time to play, manipulate, build, and learn from being creative. That is what this theory allows them to do. Yes, we all make mistakes, and yes, they will too, but we also learn from those mistakes. In order to have those "ah-ha" moments that we get when we understand something new, we need to be put into a situation that allows us to play, manipulate and build.

Cognitivism in Practice

The Cognitivism theory is extremely interesting to me. I think that a lot of knowledge in teaching comes from being able to understand how the brain receives information and decides what to do with that information. In many cases, I feel as though I am not getting through to my students, but now realize that maybe their brains need a different way of receiving the information so then they know what to do with it.

One strategy that I found to connect extremely well with the Cognitivism theory is that of graphic organizers. Dr. Orey spoke about who the brain makes connections to previous knowledge and can create a network of information. Essentially a graphic organizer does the same thing; there is one central topic and it expands based on information related to that one topic. Having a network of information allows a student to make connections between new information and their previous knowledge. All students have had many different experiences and have a lot of prior knowledge, but sometimes it can be hidden away. When new information is received, it may take awhile to find where that previous knowledge is hidden before an actual connection can be made.

Another strategy that I found interesting in how it relates to the Cognitivism theory is that of note taking. Dr. Orey talked about how Paivio's duel coding hypothesis indicates that the brain can store information in different places. Often the brain stores information with an image and text to go with that image. Note taking includes a combination of both imagery and text, therefore making it easier to store the information in long-term memory. I really liked how the inverted T was described by requiring students to write text on one side and draw images on the other side. Too often than not, images are not required when taking notes. I feel a lot of people do not realize how important it is for our brains to take in pictures.

All in all, I think that a lot of what we do in our classrooms has a connection to the Cognitivism theory, even if we do not realize it. I do feel that it is important to understand why we are using certain strategies over others. I truly believe in knowing the reasons why, rather than just doing it. I ask my students all the time, "How do you know?" and "Why is this true?" The same goes for us as teachers, "How do we know that certain teaching strategies work?" and "Why is it true?"

Behaviorism in Practice

I think that all instructional strategies have some sort of behaviorism worked into them. There are so many resources that help teachers to facilitate how students are learning and most of those include classroom management. Through this weeks readings, I see a strong correlation. In chapter 8, it starts off by saying "People attribute success to different sources: to their own innate abilities, to the assistance of others, to luck, and to effort." Behaviorism falls into the part of assistance of others because behaviorism can be used as reinforcement. In general people will find the want or need to do something if they see a positive outcome at the end. It is the same with students, they will comply with their teacher if they know what they are getting in the end. There are so many ways to look at behaviorism in the classroom, but the most obvious in my classroom is reinforcement, whether it's by using rewards, or just saying something that I noticed. Either way, a lot of my instruction has opportunity for reinforcement, therefore including behaviorism.