Reflection Week 3&4

What a class conversation! The first part of the discussion about the different learning theories (Behaviorist, Cognitivist, & Constructivist) both cleared up some questions and supported the conclusions I had drawn myself. I had said previously that I thought I had incorporated more behaviorist theory in my own classes. As we discussed these theories I realized that while I do incorporate a good bit of drill and practice I actually should give myself more credit! I often incorporate many more learning strategies to accommodate for multiple learning styles. I often incorporate projects, videos, audio, pictures, and cooperative learning activities. All of these would be much more constructivist than behaviorist.

I realized that I don’t incorporate much constructivist theory. Perhaps this is because of my content material or because my students always seem to be much more reluctant to take more control of their own learning. Either way, I see this as a challenge to myself – incorporate more “real world” learning activities!

In regards to some of the other learning theories – Behavioral Learning theory, Cognitive Learning theory, & Piaget’s Development theory – as teachers, we may know these theories but reviewing them from time to time is always a good idea! We also discussed how these theories relate to research. These theories provide a framework or base for research & inspire new research. The framework set in place by previous research can both strengthen theories as well as challenge old notions as students and learning evolve.

These theories and how they relate to research are important to the understanding of research as a whole. Teachers often (and if they don’t they should!) look to research to find new and innovative strategies to implement in their own classroom. Without this knowledge it is hard for teachers to read current research and implement research-based strategies in their own classrooms. To fully understand this research teachers need to understand the difference between descriptive and prescriptive theories. Descriptive theories describe how and why a particular strategy works. Prescriptive theories prescribe or predict outcomes based on a set of variables. Teachers can use these descriptive and prescriptive theories to help teachers implement new strategies in their own classrooms because these theories can provide teachers with a fundamental basis for their innovations (descriptive) as well as probable expected outcomes based on the innovation (prescriptive). By understanding these research-based theories, teachers can better allocate their own time and resources to implementing these strategies in their own classrooms.

As far as future research is concerned, I agree with the conclusion Elen & Clarebout describe in regards to descriptive and prescriptive theories that although descriptive and prescriptive theories can be distinguished they are highly interrelated (p 708). These theories are separate, but they complement each other to explain past research and support new research. This cycle of descriptive and prescriptive will only continue to inspire new research and support or disprove old research as this field continues to evolve!

Reflection (Week 1 &2)

Chapters 1-3, AECT Handbook - Historical Foundations, & Classroom discussion.

Well, as a history teacher I enjoyed reading the chapters and foundations article as well as our classroom discussion! Even though I teach about Socrates, the Dark Ages, the Renaissance, the Turn of the Century, and the 1900s, I often don't get the chance to really think about HOW those teachers were teaching and what they were using to teach. Sometimes we get so caught up on the newest technology, we forget that Socrates had little more than a porch and his voice! I also find it fascinating that the 1840s saw the first "blackboard"! I guess I just always took it for granted & never thought about where that technology came from. The 17th century saw slides illuminated by oil lamps, the 1900s saw silent movies and eventually recorded sound with those movies - all things that I teach about, but never really stopped to think about them as educational tools. Photographic images, movies, and recorded sound are all things that we barely even consider technology anymore. I know in my own experience I get funny looks from students when I introduce something like barbed wire or the phonograph as new forms of technology. I have to remind my students that technology does not have to require electricity or batteries, but it just means that it is an improvement over what you had before the new technology.

I also found the information presented about media use during and after WWII very interesting. The fact that Hollywood directors and actors produced over 400 sound films and over 400 silent filmstrips is amazing! Using these films to train troops not only taught them to care for their weapons, but teaching them about jungle diseases like malaria kept them safe as well. These films were also used to inform citizens. Even Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck had wartime films that encouraged citizens to buy war bonds or recycle materials.

A few things that come up often when talking about the lack of technology used in the classroom today was also an issue in the 1940s &50s - lack of teacher training, limited budgets, and lack of resources! It is very easy for us to think that these are new issues, but in reality they are the very issues that always seem to come when implementing any new technology.

Then came the computers! Computers in the classroom were going to change education forever! Well, they did, didn't they? Just maybe not the way it was originally envisioned. I remember as a kid playing "Oregon Trail" for hours during "Computer Lab" classes in the library. Thinking back there was not much to it & I probably learned more about playing computer games than what life was actually like along the Trail - well, I did learn I did not want to lose little Susie to dysentery or get my wagon wheels stuck in the mud! :)

With the creation of (and continued emphasis on) Instructional Design models, these new technologies are being implemented more efficiently and with more emphasis on student learning. HOW students learn (cognitivism, constructivism) has also emerged as important to the instructional design process and the implementation of technology into the classroom. These models, like ADDIE, ensure that the learning process is learner centered, has specific goals, is meaningful, is measurable, is revisable, & the creation usually involves many viewpoints. I would be willing to bet if the "Oregon Trail" game has been remade for classroom use Instructional Design strategies were used!

Students of the "Digital Age" have the world at their fingertips with the Internet, mobile devices, and even virtual schooling the world is so much more open to students than ever before. Socrates had his voice and a porch - today I have my voice AND voices from all over the world! Teachers today can use recorded videos from the History Channel, websites from around the world, and live streaming video of experts that the kids can question. What would Socrates think about that!?