Reflection

            In the beginning of this course, I talked about my personal theory of how students learn.  I specifically wrote about having a student centered classroom where the teacher should guide students along the way.  I also spoke about having students work with each other, which supports cooperative learning.  As this course is coming to a close, I have added to my personal theory.  I still believe in a student centered classroom and having my students work together.  After learning so much about constructivism, I have incorporated more of this into my classroom.  I have really learned that my students enjoy when they can physically create something and have witnessed firsthand how well they retain the information that comes along with it. 

            An immediate adjustment I will make regarding technology I learned about based on this course is to use more!  I would like to use my interactive white board more and also have students start using PowerPoint.  I know this is a difficult task for first graders, but I was able to work with groups of two to help them create a few slides and it went well.  I think that if I use this technology tool more, then by the end of the year my students might have a decent understanding of it.  PowerPoint is used extensively in the higher grades and if there is a solid foundation built early, then I believe it will help my students in the future drastically.  

            I use my interactive white board every day, but I feel I can do a better job letting my students use it more.  There are many great resources on the internet for ways students can use the interactive white board.  I have been experimenting by looking at some different morning meeting ideas for the interactive white board.  There are a lot of great ideas out there and I think I would like to start using my white board for morning meeting.  It could keep track of the calendar, weather, days of the week, and other morning activities that my students do on a daily basis.  

            I enjoyed this course thoroughly and learned a great deal.  I also enjoyed learning from my peers in this course through the discussion board and blog posts.  It is a great way to bounce ideas off each other and respond to them as well.  I am looking forward to using what I have learned in this course in my own classroom. 

Social Learning Theories and Cooperation

Cooperative learning and social constructivism go hand in hand, in my opinion.  Four key ideas of cooperative learning are using a variety of criteria to group students, using informal, formal, and base groups, keeping the groups to a manageable size, and combining cooperative learning with other classroom structures (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M. & Malenoski, K.).  According to Dr. Michael Orey, social constructivism is collaboration and interactions that occur as students are engaged in constructing something and conversing with others.  The conversations that happen help students understand what they are doing (Laureate Education, Inc.).

Technology can help aide cooperative learning and social constructivism.  Technology can facilitate group collaboration, provide structure for group memebrs, and can allow a group to work together even if they are not face to face (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M. & Malenoski, K.). I can remember when I was in high school and had a group project.  We would all communicate through instant messenger to designate roles and get our work done.  We were also able to bounce ideas off each other this way and keep working outside of school.  Cooperative learning and social constructivism are two great methods to use to help our students learn these vital 21st century skills.  

Constructivism in Practice

Generating and testing hypotheses is an important 21st century learning skill for students to learn.  You can deductively or inductively generate and test hypotheses (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M. & Malenoski, K.).  It is also important for teachers to stress to their students that they need to clearly and concisely explain not only their hypotheses, but their conclusions as well (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M. & Malenoski, K.).  Teachers need to guide their students through generating and testing hypotheses by using specific tasks.  Six tasks that are useful to help students do this are systems analysis, problem solving, historical investigation, invention, experimental inquiry, and decision making (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M. & Malenoski, K.). 

Generating and testing hypotheses goes right along with the constructionist theory, which is a theory of learning that states people learn best when they build an external artifact or something they can share with others (Laureate Education, Inc.).  Generating and testing hypotheses is creating an artifact.  First you need to do some research and then come up with a hypothesis.  Testing the hypotheses may involve creating something and of course, in the end you will share your results. 

I think that a good way to present and share a hypothesis is to use a PowerPoint presentation.  Students would have a nice finished product, one of with they created themselves, to share their findings.  By creating a hypothesis, testing it, and then creating a PowerPoint to share their findings, students will be following the constructionist theory. 

Resources:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Constructionist and constructivist learning theories. Baltimore, Maryland.

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

Instructional Strategies and Cognitive Thinking

There are many great instructional strategies that can be used by teachers to help students learn.  Some of them are cues, questions, and advance organizers.  Cues and questions are directly related because cues are foreshadowing what students will learn and questions perform the same function by helping students access prior knowledge (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, 2007).  Advance organizers are used to help students understand  and organize the content they will be learning, and helps them focus as well (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, 2007).  A few things I like about these three topics are that they focus on what is important and they all require higher level thinking.  I am a big fan of Bloom's Taxonomy and the more levels that can be attained for each lesson the better.  Using these three instructional strategies can help students to reach many of the levels.  

Summarizing and note-taking may seem old-fashioned, but they are skills required for students to succeed.  Summarizing teaches students how to break down information and keep what is essential, which means analyzing the information at a deep level (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, 2007).  Note-taking is only effective when students realize they should not write down word for word what the instructor is saying, and notes are used to help students study (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, 2007).

Cognitive learning is associated with these instructional strategies and I will use note-taking as an example.  As Dr. Michael Orey states, students will have long term learning experiences if they can connect things they are learning to what they already know (Laureate Education, Inc.).  Orey used the example of trying to remember who Robert E. Lee was.  Orey said that a way to do this would be to associate him with Lee jeans because you wear them, and also your friend Lee (Laureate Education, Inc.). When students can associate what they are learning to what they already know, it will be long term instead of short term.  This can be done while note-taking and goes along with what I previously wrote, not writing down every single word.  Sometimes students need to write down clues for themselves that they understand so that when they go over their notes, they make the connection for a stronger learning experience.  

Resources

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (ND). Cognitive learning theories. [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology [DVD]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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

Effort, Homework, and Behaviorism

This week I looked at reinforcing effort and homework as two instructional strategies that are used in the classroom.  Research on effort states that not all students realize how important effort is and that students can learn to work from the belief that effort pays off, even if they do not believe it in the beginning (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  Two important recommendations for teaching effort in the classroom are teaching students about the importance of effort and having students keep track of their effort and achievements (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  These are two great ideas and reinforcing effort in the classroom is important.  This goes back to the behaviorist learning theory, more exclusively operant conditioning.  If a student shows strong and persistent effort, they should be rewarded for this.  I teach first grade and early in the year, my students constantly said "I can't do this," referring to a problem or question they had to answer.  They said this before even trying to answer the question or figure out a problem.  I told them that they weren't allowed to say they can't do anything, especially if they haven't tried it yet.  My students now understand that they need to at least try something and put forth effort.  I think they surprised themselves when they discovered most of the time they could figure it out on their own.  I really like the idea of using a spreadsheet to keep track of effort and how it relates to test scores.  As a first grade teacher, I do not deal with many test scores, but effort is a big factor.  I would like to come up with a way for my students to track their effort and see how it pays off for them.

Homework has always been a huge factor in schools.  Four key ideas about homework are the amount of homework should vary from elementary to high school, parents involvement should be minimal, the purpose should be clear, and teachers should review and comment on it (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  Based on these ideas, teachers should have a homework policy, make homework have a purpose and outcome, and have varying approaches to provide feedback (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  As a first grade teacher, I assign homework three to four nights a week and plan on it taking my students no longer than ten minutes.  Homework in first grade is more of a reinforcement of what was done in class that day, and also a good way for parents to see what their child is learning in class.  Operant conditioning comes into play with homework because when it is done, students are rewarded.  In my first grade classroom, it is with a sticker on their homework (you might be surprised at how exciting a sticker is to a first grader!).  There are many opportunities for technology when it comes to homework: word processors, spreadsheets, databases, websites, and communication software.  

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

Reflection

Education is starting to make some major changes as it strives to become more in tune with the 21st century.  One of the biggest aspects of the change that is happening now is the use of technology in the classroom.  The role of technology is not only for teachers, but for students to use as well.  As teachers, it is our job to start integrating it in our classroom as we teach and as our students learn so the can become fluent with it.  During the current course I am enrolled in, I was able to create and use three great technologies:  blogs, wikis, and podcasts.  I grew up with technology around me so I have felt comfortable using it in many aspects.  To be honest, I was way out of my element when it came to blogs, wikis, and podcasts.  I picked up on blogs and podcasts fairly quickly but struggled to become familiar with wikis.  I owe my classmates a big thank you for working together with me and collaborating to create a wonderful wiki with many great resources included in it.  Being able to collaborate with classmates over the internet greatly helped my understanding of wikis. 
I have a greater sense of the teaching and learning process now thanks to this course.  I have always known that students learn differently but it was not until this course that I really started to understand this completely.  I have a very small class (six students!) so after learning about how important it is to reach every student even if they learn differently, I have been able to implement this in my classroom.  My students get at least fifteen to twenty minutes of one on one time each day, so I feel I have been able to meet their learning needs using various methods. 

As a teacher, I have felt since day one that a classroom needs to be learner-centered rather than teacher-centered.  Growing up and going through school, I had plenty of teacher-centered classes I was a student in.  Honestly, those classes are the ones I remember the least from.  I loved the classes where I was active and was able to discover things on my own and learn by doing rather than listening or taking notes.  I vowed never to become the teacher that lectures and gives notes and tests.  I have been using learning centers in my classroom so my students are independent and still learning.  I take this time during the day to pull students and work with them one on one while the rest of the class is doing their centers.  I have found this to be a very effective way of creating a learner-centered classroom. 

I know that teachers are constantly learning and that this is something I need to keep up with as well.  I came across many great education blogs with great resources and ideas to use technology in the classroom.  I plan on continuing to read these so I can stay up to date on the latest technological ideas to try in the classroom.  I also hope that my classmates continue to blog so I can read about what they are doing in their classroom to get new ideas as well.  I think another great way teachers can learn is to go to professional development conferences and participate in the workshops provided.  Recently in my school, a presentation was given about a new website for our school.  The teachers were all able to use the new format and talk about it with the presenter.  We are all very excited to get it up an running for the new year. 

One goal I have for my future is to get parents more involved in the classroom.  I think the best way to do this is through the use of technology.  If I have a class website or blog then parents can stay up to date with what their students are doing.  Many parents are becoming more technologically savvy, so I think they may be more apt to check a website.  It would be great to upload a podcast or video of students giving a presentation for parents to view at home.  Another goal I have set for myself is to get more technology in my classroom.  Currently I have an interactive whiteboard and that is it.  I would love to have more at my hands to enhance my teaching experience and my students learning experience.  The only thing in my way is the school budget, which is hard to overcome.  Working in a private school has its advantages though, one of them being parents.  Many parents are willing to donate to the school if they think it will help their children learn and grow.  If I can convince parents, members of the community, and the school board how important technology is, I am hoping they will help find a way to get more in our school. 

At the beginning of this course, I competed a checklist to assess how I integrate technology in the classroom by filling in often, sometimes, and rarely.  Looking back at this checklist, I have changed the most in many of the categories for developing technology skills for the school and workplace environment.  I felt hesitant to bring new ideas to my colleagues because I am a first year teacher and I was still learning new things.  Now that I am more familiar with my colleagues and surroundings, and the fact that I have practiced many of the technologies I learned about, I will take more of a leadership role when it comes to integrating technology throughout the whole school.   

First Graders and Technology

I recently interviewed my first grade class on their use of technology both inside and outside of school.  Because my students are in first grade, I kept the questions simple enough so that they would understand them.  I was impressed with their answers and it was nice to see that my students are using technology outside of school as well.  Marc Prensky called students that grow up in a technology rich world are called digital natives (Prensky, 2001).  My students are definitely digital natives and are already comfortable and familiar with the idea of technology.  I feel that this will only help them along their educational path and after it as well.  I hop you enjoy the interview, you can find it here.


References:

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5).