Problem-based, project-based, or inquiry-based instruction is my strategy of choice in my classroom. Not only are students more engaged within a genuinely authentic learning experience, but they are given experiences that are very learner-centered instead of teacher-centered lectures. There is something very rewarding as a teacher in watching students interact with the content and each other to come to a cohesive endpoint. This type of approach, which demonstrates the constructionist theology, is sometimes intimidating to teachers because it involves allowing students to evolve their own learning within a semi-structured activity. It causes the teacher to become a facilitator or motivator, while the student is given the responsibility of planning, creating, and processing information in an individualistic way (Orey, 2001). Some teachers need absolute control over the progress of each student, especially in the age of mandated standardized testing. While it seems like it takes some control from a teacher, an effective classroom manager can monitor collaboration and progress within a subtly structured setting.
I believe that this type of approach within the classroom improves student achievement for a few reasons. First of all, students are able to take greater ownership for their learning. Too often, I see students just going through to motions of the daily grind to satisfy the expectations of the teacher. In this way, the students are merely working for the adult, not themselves. The constructionist approach, if it includes a bit of flexibility to interpretation or option to add unique and creative touches, puts students in the driver seat to explore and interpret curriculum concepts from their own perspective. Second, it is a great motivator. Worksheets are boring and lack the pizzazz that accompanies projects or inquiry lessons. I’ve said it many times – teaching isn’t about just educating youth anymore, but about educating and entertaining them to keep a focus on learning. This sentiment, instead of breeding contempt and complaints, should be thought of as a challenge that allows creativity on the part of the teacher. Third, experimentation and exploration leads to reflection and further development of ideas. Because of time restraints, we don’t always give adequate time to students to reflect and assimilate/accommodate information into new schema (Laureate Education Inc, 2009). Within project, problem, or inquiry-based instruction, this reflection is built in to the activity so that each student can take time to understand and ask relevant questions to those students he or she is collaborating with or an adult.
The resources from this week offered many mediums to create this type of lesson. In all suggested technologies, the student engages in a firsthand experience during which they create or build something to share with others. Simple PowerPoint (or similar programs) projects as shown in the video series (Laureate Education Inc, 2009) engage the student in a meaningful activity in which they create an artifact to revisit. This artifact, though given certain parameters of expectation via a rubric, displays a student’s unique conceptual understanding of material. For presentation purposes, a PowerPoint presentation to accompany a speech could increase the span of information presented and encourage creative presentations for an actively listening and watching audience. I loved the book report idea shown on the video as each student creates an individual project with creative interpretations of self-chosen novels. As the students said, it was difficult and frustrating at times, but the reward of a finished artifact strengthened their understanding and motivated them to continue. I previewed several of the websites mentioned in the book (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007) as each allowed students to experience the concept and explore for deeper understanding. I particularly enjoyed the NASA SCIence Files Problem Board and ExploreLearning websites as they were uniquely interactive and problem-based. Finally, the spreadsheet ideas were interesting to me, but seem to be a bit out of the grasp of my fifth graders. I will be exploring the online collaborative spreadsheet software mentioned, such as Google Spreadsheets, to see how I can use it in my classroom. I like the idea that they allow students to manipulate information, “consider graphical patterns, and test their predictions or hypotheses by receiving quick feedback on multiple scenarios,” (p. 204).
While all teachers have their lists of projects and inquiry-based activities, technology can do much to enhance the possibility for creative thoughts and artifacts. For example, many teachers in my school still love creating posters with markers, rulers, and large paper. This is a constructionist type of activity, but it could be enhanced and made more relevant to today’s students by using tools like Word Drawing or some other technology resource. From my experience, students will continue to work on something using technology until it fits their definition of perfect much longer than they will with paper and pencil activity.
In my class, we build solar cookers to be tested outside on a nice, sunny day in May. The students must plan, hypothesize, blueprint, build, test, and reflect upon a design. For the past couple years, I have been using technology for the planning, hypothesizing, and blueprinting stage, using PowerPoint to present their ideas to me before building. After testing, they complete the PowerPoint with pictures and a reflection about their successes and weaknesses. Some students have decided to make an iMovie instead, showing actually footage of the building and testing process with narration. By merely substituting technology for paper and pencil work, I saw an increase in the amount of time used to think and effort exhibited by the students. The potential to motivate by using technology seems boundless.
Resources:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). 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/index.php?title=Main_Page
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
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According to Concept to classroom(2004)"Constructivist teachers encourage students to constantly assess how the activity is helping them gain understanding. By questioning themselves and their strategies, students in the constructivist classroom ideally become "expert learners." This gives them ever-broadening tools to keep learning. With a well-planned classroom environment, the students learn HOW TO LEARN.
ReplyDeleteYou might look at it as a spiral. When they continuously reflect on their experiences, students find their ideas gaining in complexity and power, and they develop increasingly strong abilities to integrate new information. One of the teacher's main roles becomes to encourage this learning and reflection process".(Concept to Classroom, 2004).
When I read this article I realized how important it was to utilize project base activity along with the use of technology. I find that technology within the classroom enhances their imagination. The limits that they will go in order to implement the different web 2.0 tools are endless. It is almost as if there are no reins in regards to their learning. You are so right, technology enhances the work because there are so many programs that are available to students. According to Thomas, Mergendoller, and Michaelson (1999), “projects are complex tasks, based on challenging questions, that serve to organize and drive activities, which taken as a whole amount to a meaningful project.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program seven. Constructivist and Constructionist 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/
Thomas, H.W., Mergendoller, J.R., & Michaelson, A. (1999). Project-based learning: a handbook for middle and high school teachers. Novato, CA: The Buck Institute for Education.
Joe,
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more in your statement, "teaching isn't just about educating youth anymore, but about educating and entertaining them to keep a focus on learning." Unfortunately, students are tuned out of a lesson if it does not grab their interest. As students continue to familiarize themselves and become experts with the media rich resources that surround them outside of the school setting they become engulfed with these new technology tools and bored with the "old" ways. As a result, the classroom setting, may become dull and boring for our digital native students that thrive on the use of technology to motivate and encourage student achievement and success. Therefore, teachers need to implement new teaching strategies that incorporate media rich resources that not only educate, but engage and motivate their students to keep them focused while strengthening their understanding of the concept.
The use of Power Point presentations in my classroom is one way that I engage my learners throughout the lesson. Creating a Hollywood Squares theme game or Jeopardy are just two examples of ways in which I use the constructionism approach to engage, motivate, and reach all learners due to the audio and visual learning styles that it addresses. I also have had the students use Power Point to create a slideshow regarding different Geometric shapes that they have learned as well as an creating a slideshow autobiography about one of our authors in our reading series. Orey (2001) points out that student knowledge is created when "learners are actively engaged in building some type of external artifact that they can reflect upon and share with others." As a result, Power Point presentations lend itself well to the creation of an artifact to exhibit the student's understanding of the concept. As Dr. Michael Orey highlights, educators have to engage our students "deeply enough that they are then faced with these disequilibration states, these states where they have to make assimilations and accommodations" (Laureate Education Inc., 2008). Enabling students to create Power Point presentations is just one way to exhibit their understanding while making assimilations and accommodations.
Melissa Smith
References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program seven. Constructionist and Constructivist 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/
Najele - A lot of people seem to be afraid to use technology to enhance learning activities citing the old philosophy, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." These people tend to say that the old fashioned methods have worked for years, so there is no use changing. I usually tell them that it MIGHT be working well now, but think about how much better it could be using technology.
ReplyDeleteMelissa - I'm glad someone agrees with the entertainer mentality. I know it's an unfortunate truth to our profession, but it is the world we live in. The mind needs focused by something entertaining or stimulating. As adults who did not have this technology growing up, our minds have even adjusted to the reality we live in. Drill and practice is fine, but if technology can at least make it subtle and enjoyable for the students, then why not use it?
Joe,
ReplyDeleteyou are so right. Even at our College only 5 teachers out of 45 uses technology within the classroom. I am going to take a survey that will show me the percentage of technology within the classroom. The other day a teacher saw a powerpoint presentation that I did, and she said wow that is a lot of work. I believe that is why a lot of people don't do it. If you look at the animation that I did for my blog, it took me a really long time to do, but the student's were so appreciative. That is what it is all about. What do you think?
Joe,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your statement regarding the feeling you get as a teacher when you watch students work with the conent and their peers. This feeling, in my opinion is partly why we became teachers. To see the light turn on students explore and learn the content.
You also brought up another great point about how we don’t always give students time to reflect on the content we teach. This is very true considering the amount of content we are required to get through and the amount of time to cover it all. I too believe that project, problem, or inquiry-based lessons will allow students to reflect as they go.
Joe,
ReplyDeleteI whole heartedly agree with your sentiments about project based learning and the trend to keep the students "entertained" in today's classroom.
We (teachers) often joke about this and can sometimes feel we are doing a "song and dance" in front of the classroom in order to get their attention in our classes. In reality, we do need to get their attention so they can focus on our subject matter and they can have the opportunity to learn the content.
Teachers don't have to be stand up comedians or vaudville acts to keep students attention on a subject, but need, in my opinion, to treat the students as valued human beings who are soon going to be out on their own trying to earn enough money to keep a roof over their heads and food on their table.
I often talk straight to my special ed behavior disorder kids as to what they can really expect once they leave school, without a proper education and with a proper education. The education does not garuntee a good job and a happy life, but it sure increases the odds.
Many have the mistaken notion they can live at home forever and mooch off their parents, fall back on welfare, or worse, their eagerness to rely on their so-called criminal skills.
We often review the results of those "strategies" and count the number of their friends for whom those techniques didn't quite work out so well.
Many of our projects focus on actual things they would need to be able to do in the outside world away from the comfort of their parents.
I often relate the joy I felt when I left home at 18 and got my own job and apartment. I was free and no one could tell me what to do...except my boss and landlady.
After a few years of living hand to mouth and paycheck to paycheck, even if they were pretty good wages, I felt I might need a higher education afterall, and made efforts to learn at trade schools and eventually earn my college degree at age 40.
Some students seem to get it and will use the projects to actually learn their content skills, and those are the ones we focus on, those that really want it.
If we as teachers can reach those who want it, and at least expose the rest to what we have, perhaps we will eventually reach them as well.
We may not reach them directly through me, but through another teacher who is able to build upon what students may have heard in my classroom, or another teachers classroom.
Eventually, we may reach more than we originally thought possible.
take care
Rob Zingg