Constructionism and Hypotheses

When one thinks of constructionism one envisions building blocks, and the other tools that go with the trade. We also think of workmen wearing their hard hats. They are equipped for their job. This is the exact impression we need to have when we think of how we teach our students. Constructionism refers to the need to have first hand experience in building stuff (Laureate 2005.) It deals with equilibrium, assimilation and accommodation. As human beings we want to constantly be in a state of equilibrium and if per chance we experience disequilibrium we assimilate the situation and make accommodations so that we can return to that state of equilibrium (Laureate 2005.)

Our aim is to build our students higher level thinking skills. One way to do this is through generating and testing hypotheses. This can be done right across the curriculum not just in science. Technology can play a vital role due to new developments that now allow students to spend more time interpreting the data rather than gathering it using spreadsheet software, data collection tools and Web resources (Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, Pitler, 2007.) As an educator moving forward in the 21st century my duty is not to engage my students in tedious, monotonous, useless calculations but to provide them with information so that they can apply their knowledge of the topic and tools to synthesize their understanding through collaboration with fellow classmates.

Thus we find that generating and testing hypotheses will go hand-in-hand with the constructionism theory where students are guided to synthesize their thoughts from information gathered to make decisions that will help them as they mature into adults.

References: Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., Malenoski, K., Pitler, H., Using Technology with classroom instruction that works, McREL 2007

Laureate Education Inc, custom edition.

Cognitivism in Practice

This week's resources presented my highlight into the cognitivism practice. Dr. Orey in his video spoke about how information is processed in the brain. He made reference to the fact that people remember more images and use a process of elaboration theory where information is stored in the long term memory. (Laureate Inc, 2009). Our students remember less of what they are told and more of what they do. As educators we also have to be aware of the different learning styles that are in our classroom and thus gear our lessons to accommodate and facilitate such learners. We want our students to store the information they have learned in their long-term memory but the reality is that our students will not even remember what they did in the last 24 hours. School is of little importance to some of them and so getting them to remember important information can be difficult.

Concept mapping is a wonderful tool to help students organize and see the bigger picture. I use concept maps during a topic. My students are presented with a graphic organizer in which they fill in the topics we will be covering for the topic in Algebra class. Then as each lesson progresses they write a key word, definition and/or interesting fact in the subsequent nodes. I believe this concept map helps them to see the big picture and when it is time for us to summarize each topic and ultimately the chapter they have a visual representation which they can refer to.

I like the idea of the virtual field trip but as a teacher of mathematics it is more difficult for me to find information/websites that have virtual tours related to high school math such as Algebra, Geometry, Algebra2. I however did find something useful at www.brightstorm.com. This is an interactive website that allows students to listen to tutorials and practice at their own pace. I am adding this one to my collection of websites.

Instructional Strategies that Embed Technology

Two instructional strategies that embed technology include "Reinforcing Effort" and "Homework and Practice." Effort is the most important factor in achievement. Research shows that the level of belief in self efficacy plays a strong role in motivation for learning and achievement. Reinforcing effort enhances students understanding of the relationship between effort and achievement by addressing their attitudes and beliefs about learning (Marzano, p.155). The behaviorist learning theory focuses on reinforcing effort. Since some of our students come from diverse family situations where sometimes there is little or no focus on education, these students may not realize the importance of effort and believing in themselves. So we have to use reward strategies to get them to believe that they can. It is our responsibility as educators to not only teach content but to teach the hidden curriculum to our students. Homework and Practice give students a chance to review and apply what they have learned. Homework should be relevant to their classroom experience because we want them to do their work independently with little or no help. As always feedback is vital. Feedback should be meaningful. Comments such as 'nice job' and 'great' are considered weak. Feedback should also be given within reasonable time for it to be effective.

We also have to give enough time for practice. In the teaching of subject such as mathematics it vital that students be provided with as many examples of varying degree and be allowed to practice as many questions in order to reinforce learning of a particular topic. Marzano, in his book, Which Strategies will Help Students Practice, Review and Apply Learning, says 'students need about 24 practice sessions with a skill in order to achieve 80% competency (p. 187)

In looking at the correlation between homework and practice and reinforcing effort we can incorporate technology effectively. Sometimes technology can become mundane and tedious. By careful planning and integration it can aid in students learning. Even if my school has been classified as schools in need of improvement, technology can help to achieve this. If we engage in meaningful technology activity that has clear guidelines and students have a clear understanding of the task they need to complete then technology will prove to be an effective learning and reinforcement tool.

Learning Continues

Hi everyone.
This course seems to be interesting already. I hope to become proficient at bridging learning, theory and instruction to be the best for my students. Looking forward to working with you all.
NOD

Reflection

When I started this course eight weeks ago I was quite naive to the different tools that existed to create a technology rich classroom. Here I am eight weeks later more confident with the practices that I can implement in my classroom.
As a 21st century teacher of math I have learned about various web 2.0 tools such as web logs, wiki, podcast and voice thread. I was a little apprehensive initially but with guidance and direction from my instructor I gained confidence in applying these tools. I have come to realize that my first duty as a teacher is to prepare students with the knowledge and skills required to have the competitive edge in today's work world. I have tried to create a more student-centered classroom and moved away from the teacher-centered environment. I still take charge of the content and foundation skills that I want them to learn but more time is spent working collaboratively in groups to solve problems and incorporate more web 2.0 tools.
I understand more that our students have all this technology that they use everyday in their lives and by incorporating it in their daily lessons school can be a little more exciting for them. When they are held accountable for their own learning we encourage them to be independent thinkers and great problem-solvers.
The main reason I am pursuing this masters in integrating technology in the classroom is because I want to expand my knowledge of teaching, learning and leading with technology in order to increase student achievement. I will be incorporating blogs as a means of giving the students a voice to discuss their feelings in a positive light and to offer constructive criticism and practice their communication skills. I want to use wiki as a means of collaborative group projects. Most of my students today enjoy working in groups. By encouraging them to produce their work by using a wiki they will have a medium that even in years to come after they have graduated from high school they can look back to see their work they produced. I am still unsure how I will incorporate podcast in the teaching of math.
One obstacle I face is that we have to teach to the test. My goal is to incorporate more technology to reinforce concepts learned and required for passing the state tests. This should increase scores since students will be able to practice even when they are not in a school setting. Incorporating the web 2.0 tools will also allow them to speak about their individual problems with a particular topic or skill and receive feedback that will help them to be more proficient.
My other goal is to encourage as many of my coworkers to embrace this new tool. Too often we change our method of teaching by instead of lecturing we place the same notes in a power point presentation. Nothing has really changed but how we deliver the content. In incorporating web 2.0 tools we not only change the way we transfer information but create more responsible leaders for the 21st century. Students learn how to work together and take responsibility for their learning.
It sure was great meeting many new people. I especially liked working with my groups. I was challenged to ask more meaningful questions and write more challenging posts. This course really took me a little out of my comfort zone but it was a great challenge. I really learned a lot.