Reflection on My Personal Learning Theory

In the beginning of this course, I described my personal theory of learning as a recipe. Indeed I am still the chef, blending Cognitivism, Constructionism, and Social Constructionism to be an effective teacher. However, I will admit that Behaviorism has a larger role as a base ingredient than I initially admitted. In today's educational trends, Behaviorism has fallen out of favor but I believe it still plays a critical role. Another adjustment I have made is the use of the term Constructionism rather than Constructivism because I better understand that in this theory of learning "people learn best when they build an external artifact that they  can share with others" (Laureate, 2009). I believe this is key in education because building a product shows the highest level of learning.

My short term goal is to change the way I use technology is to aim to use it more as a learning tool rather than an instructional tool. In the past, I as the teacher used various programs to help me teach more than I used it to help students learn. I had one of our school's SMARTBoards in my room at the beginning of the year, but I let another teacher keep it at the end of the year because I knew I was not using it to its' full advantage where all students were actively involved in the learning process. I was using it mainly like my usual LCD cart and had only one or two students actually touching it; and admittedly, only when time allowed. Over the summer I plan to use other technology tools like my new favorite, Spin Scape concept mapping along with interactive websites to plan lessons that require all students to be involved in the use of technology for learning.

In the long term, I would like to extend the above goal to use technology as a learning tool more than an instructional one. I have already begun searching for sites that will allow the SMARTBoard and concept mapping to enhance the students' learning. By the end of the summer, I hope to have at least one lesson per chapter that uses the interactive whiteboard along with another learning tool. Secondly, I want to plan more cooperative lessons to allow social constructionism to occur. In these lessons I will design basic guidelines but will ask students to create an artifact that means something to them on a more personal basis. "Technology can play a unique and vital role in cooperative learning by facilitating group collaboration, providing structure for group tasks, and allowing members of groups to communicate even if they are not working face to face." (Pitler, et al, 2007). I will ask the students to use the various forms of technology we have used in class to help them in whatever ways they deem fit and will assess them according to the requirements of a teacher-created rubric which will be reviewed before beginning the lesson. Hopefully the students will enjoy using technology and therefore become engaged learners because their teacher knows how to use it more effectively! 

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009b). Constructionist and Constructivist Learning Theory. Baltimore

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

 Expediency, 7(14) 345-367. 

Social Studies?

In my social studies class, the students have many opportunities to interact while learning. I was fortunate to have a forward-thinking mentor teacher when I was student teaching who told me that the students should always work harder than the teacher. On the surface, one might think this means the teacher can kick back and let the students be completely responsible for their own education. But what he meant was that the teacher should instead function as the facilitator or the 'more knowledgeable other' (Laureate, 2009) and that students should have a certain degree of self-motivation and direction of learning. Cooperative learning activities certainly facilitate both.

Our county is very supportive of social interaction in the use of Kagan strategies. Some were mentioned in this week's resources such as jigsaws, base groups, and three-step interviews. As you might guess, not all teachers embrace these strategies because group work can take a bit of adjusting to because of diverse ability levels, clashing personalities, and there's always the noise but they are denying themselves and their students. These teachers would see that "cooperative learning is not so much learning to cooperate as it is cooperating to learn." (Pitler, et al, 2007). And gradually teachers will notice that they are not the sole 'more knowledgeable other', but students will rely upon their peers to help them learn what they are trying to find out. Also it will give students the chance to develop their own unique talents and give them recognition among their peers and boost their self-esteem so that everyone plays an important role in the classroom environment. 

These roles can then be extended into networks thanks to technology. Many of the suggested resources in our text would be appropriate for allowing the students to develop and share knowledge. Social networking sites, webquests, calendars, blogs, and simulated games enable students to reach out and develop their interests and help others who want to know more about a certain topic so they can essentially go from asking the experts to becoming an expert. I was amazed to learn that there are over fifty benefits for students who use cooperative learning in the classroom in the areas of social skills, psychological abilities, academics and assessments (Orey, 2001). Thanks to technology, teachers don't have an excuse not to use cooperative learning. 

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009b). Program ten Social Learning Theories [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
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VoiceThread

Hi Everyone, 

Check out my post on VoiceThread to weigh in on our school's absence policy and providing make-up work here: http://voicethread.com/share/525517/. I look forward to hearing from you!