Professional Learning Communities Voice Thread

Generating and Testing Hypothesis

When I think of generating and testing hypothesis I always think of Science however after reading “Generating and Testing Hypotheses” I can see how it can be applied to many different subjects (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). When using a problem based approach students go into the activity with a belief that they think they are going toprove through the activity. Using technology can help the students spend more time interpreting rather than collecting data for example a concept like ordering fractions many trials can be done quickly using virtual manipulatives. The student will have a hypothesis regarding how to order fractions and through the use of manipulatives will either prove or disprove their theory. This experience can cause disequilibrium so the student will work to make or change their current hypothesis, belief or schema to fit the reality causing learning to take place (Laureate Education, 2009).

Many of the different tools that were explored this week such as internet relay chat rooms or simulations are all avenues that students and teachers can use to communicate and explore the different theories they are studying. The emphasis is put on the student participation, engagement in the activity and sharing it with others all the while bringing in their own experiences and expanding upon them. They provide the avenue for the students to “construct” their own learning.

Resources

Laureate Education, I. P. (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.

Orey, M. (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. Denver: Mid=continent Research for Education and Learning.

Cognitivism in Practice

When trying to teach students you always want the information to go from short to long term memory and make connections that allow students to be able to recall the information when needed. There are quite a few instructional strategies that assist in this and now technology can expand upon them. One of the all time favorites is concept maps which help learners to organize and visualize information which according to Dr. Orey replicates the network model of memory. There are several programs, such as inspiration, that allow students and teachers to create concept maps allowing them to be easily manipulated and edited as many times as desired. This visual information also provides and supports dual coding of information making it easier for students to remember the information. These concept maps can be used both for organizing information to write an essay or to take notes during a lesson.

In looking at using word and teaching students how to summarize I did not know that word had an auto summarize option. This is a feature that can be very powerful especially for struggling students and teaching them not to plagiarize. I had always wondered why someone would use the track changes feature but it is a great visual model of how to summarize a paragraph for taking notes so students learn to focus on the important concepts. My daughter learned to summarize by reading many passages and underlining key words and crossing out unnecessary information. She spent hours of homework doing this to learn how to read for information and summarize. If she had been taught to use the track changes feature and given text on the computer she would have learned the same thing and would have saved her hours of tedious writing especially when writing is difficult due to hand tremors. I am sure at this point she has lost the connection because it is not a task that she used beyond the 4th grade. However using word it would have had more applications for her since the majority of her research is done on the internet and she could then simply copy it into word and use those techniques to summarize the important information for her reports. Plus she would use it in different contexts building numerous connections helping to store the information into long term memory.

Homework, Practice and Behaviorism

The technology and specifically the internet have changed the students’ access to getting help with homework when their parents are unavailable or unable to help them. Most textbooks come with websites that students can utilize for studying. There are additional websites such as WebMATH in which students can type in a math problem and it will show a step by step solution. Behaviorists believe that if a behavior can be learned then it can be unlearned. By using sites like WebMATH students will learn the proper steps and unlearn the incorrect steps. Other websites provide practice or drills in various skills from vocabulary to math facts. It has been stated that students need about 24 practice sessions to achieve about 80 percent success rate (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Using such sites as Keyboarding Practice or Prentice Hall Social Studies Skills Tutor students can get the practice they need to achieve the 80 percent success rate. Behaviorists believe that behavior is a learned habit therefore if students practice long enough then they will learn the material hence the development of these types of websites. The practice sites give the students immediate feedback providing either positive or negative reinforcement of the skill.

Pearson. (2010). Social Studies Skills Tutor. Retrieved May 11, 2010, from Prentice Hall Social Studies Skills Tutor: http://www.phschool.com/curriculum_support/ss_skills_tutor/

Pitcher, M. (2002, August 22). Keyboarding Practice. Retrieved May 11, 2010, from http://www.davis.k12.ut.us/cjh/appliedtech/Business/Keyboarding/

Webmath - Solve your math problem. (2009). Retrieved May 11, 2010, from Webmath: http://www.webmath.com/exponents.html

Behaviorism and Reinforcing Effort

“Effort is the most important factor in achievement” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007) and yet many students attribute achievement to environmental factors. It is recommended that the students track their effort and achievement so they see the relationship between effort and achievement. This can be accomplished by developing an effort rubric with the students. Then as they work through a current unit they track their grades and effort on a spreadsheet. At the end of the unit they can create a chart that shows a clear representation of the relationship between effort and grades. By having the students tracking their effort this way it allows the teacher and students to see observable and measurable behavior. You could even go as far as to say that the weekly grade and effort score is a stimulus for the student to make a choice (or response as the behaviorist state it) regarding their effort for the next week which is what the teacher wants. When you break down many of the teaching techniques in the classroom you will find them rooted in behaviorism.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Denver: Mid=continent Research for Education and Learning.