For December 2019 Vacation
READING
https://www.cambridge-community.org.uk/professional-development/gswal/index.html
2. Read the handouts titled "The Call for Constructivism" and "Becoming a Constructivist Teacher". This is a light read. As you read through the material, underline the words and phrases that you think are important and convey the essence of constructivist's way of thinking. Share some of the key points in the comment section of this post.
This material is taken from Brooks, J. and Brooks, M. (2004). In Search of Understanding. Alexandria: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.
3. For secondary teachers only
Read the handout on Participation Model of Learning. Participation Model of Learning is inspired primarily by Vygotsky's work on socio-constructivism. This model proposes a community-centric view on teaching-learning process. As you read through the handout, highlight or underline the key points and try to integrate them into your notion of how people learn.
Share some of the key points in the comment section of this post.
For primary teachers only
Research on Participation Model of Learning. Participation Model of Learning is inspired primarily by Vygotsky's work on socio-constructivism. This model proposes a community-centric view on teaching-learning process.
Share some of the key points in the comment section of this post.
As you work on incorporating ideas from the above two resources into your own understanding of how people learn, you will find the technique of putting ideas randomly on a piece of paper and then connecting them into a more coherent, holistic and complex picture very useful. We had done this exercise when we were trying to apply theories to determine a framework for an effective lesson. You will also find that it is impossible to create in one sitting a coherent picture out of everything we have learned. It will be more effective and fruitful if you invest a fixed amount of time on a daily basis on this exercise -- just like you would in case of a hobby.
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WRITING
4. On a word document or on paper, respond to the following prompts. Your responses to these prompts will constitute about 75% of your final Evidence of Learning for Unit 1; so please DO NOT share them in the comment section. However, when the school reopens you will share them with the PL and your respective mentor. You mentor will help you add citations and upload them on your e-portfolio.
- Describe your personal understanding of the concept of
learning and how people learn. (250 - 300 words)
Candidates must briefly describe what their personal understanding of learning and how people learn was prior to starting the Certifcate programme. Reference should be made to an acquisition or participation model of learning where applicable. They must then describe their understanding as a result of engaging with some established learning theories, and in particular the concept of active learning, which is closely associated with the theory of constructivism. You will find the following link very useful for this exercise:
https://www.cambridge-community.org.uk/professional-development/gswal/index.html - Identify the teaching
methods and learning activities you use in your current practice that engage
and motive your students to learn. (150 - 200 words)
Candidates should identify at least two, but no more than four, teaching methods or learning activities they use in their current classroom practice that they think engage and motivate their students to learn. - Briefly explain why you
chose these teaching methods and learning activities.
For each teaching method or learning activity identified candidates must explain why they think it engages and motivates students to learn. They must support their explanation with relevant theory where applicable.
As may have already realized, this work cannot be done overnight or even in couple of days. I would strongly advise you to use your metacognition and plan ahead -- budget your time fairly between your social commitments and your personal growth (the above exercise should fall into this category) -- to avoid rushing, hence producing a subpar quality work, as you approach the end of the vacation.
Having said this, I should, however, also mention that even though all this may seem like a lot of work, it really is not. There is a significant amount of overlap between these tasks which will allow you to breeze through some of them quickly. Also, you will realize that many of the fundamental ideas that underpin the concepts discussed in the above resources (for reading) have been covered already in our sessions. These resources are meant to help you articulate your ideas for the 4th task.
MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
EXEMPLAR ANSWER
ReplyDelete________________________________
Learning about different theories like behaviourism, cognitivism, constructivism and humanism has helped me a great deal in understanding my teaching practice and how my learners learn. Until recently my classroom practice was based on behaviourist approaches to teaching and learning, often using a ‘carrot or stick’ approach. Having researched the theory of constructivism I now understand how my learners construct their own unique meanings or understandings of their experiences (CAIE, 2018a). This means I am now designing more of a variety of learning activities so I can try and meet the ability range needs of my learners. I believe that learners learn best when they find meaningfulness in it. According to Vygotsky’s (1978) theory of social constructivism, children tend to learn faster and retain concepts for longer periods of time when they can relate learning to real life. For example, to teach the abstract concept of importance of values in our life, I used Kolb’s experiential model of learning (McLeod, 2010). I took my learners to the school garden and showed them tree roots. They observed and discussed the importance of roots and discovered that just as roots help trees to connect to the soil, similarly, values help us to stay connected to our beliefs, families and culture.
Teachers must balance their role as facilitator to create a learner-centred classroom with multiple opportunities for learners to participate in the learning process with autonomy. This builds an environment where learners are actively involved and responsible for creating their own learning as suggested in theory of constructivism. The learning in Unit 1 has helped to improve my lesson planning. Teaching methods are now more meaningful for me since I can relate them to the learning theories. I understand that lesson plans should be coherent in structure, and teaching and learning strategies should be sequential to facilitate the process of assimilation of new learning. As a teacher it is important to instil metacognitive skills in our learners to help them become more reflective and conscious of their own learning. This increases their confidence and self-efficacy in enhancing their motivation to learn (Bransford, Brown and Donovan, 2000, p.242). Teaching becomes effective according to Petty (2014) when we make our lessons come alive by making them interactive and engaging. Challenges keep my learners motivated and excited about their learning journey. This is only possible when learning activities are age appropriate and meaningful to them. Keeping this in mind I plan lessons that are learner-centred and help them construct new learning through self-discovery, hands-on experiences and deep thinking. I scaffold and help my learners in building new learning of the concepts by firstly activating their prior knowledge and then introducing new lessons to build upon their previous knowledge, which according to Piaget (in McLeod, 2015) helps them to construct new learning through the process of assimilation and accommodation. Co-operative learning strategies such as discussions, think/pair/share games and quizzes provide opportunities to the learners to develop their problem solving skills and share their ideas with each other. In addition to this I also use strategies like role-play, show and tell and small group brainstorming activities to motivate learners intrinsically rather than extrinsically (Reading Rockets, 2018)
I.
ReplyDeleteAs the name “Getting Started With Active Learning “ states, one can understand through this informative article about what is active learning, the theories linked to active learning, which strategies can be used to implement active learning, the benefits, the most common misconceptions and how it can be put in practice.
After having read this article I could making the following connections with our classroom discussions:
1. Students must be encouraged to ‘think hard’ rather than being a passive recipient of the information given by the teacher. In other words, the classroom must be student centric rather than teacher centric. Based on the theory of constructivism, the teachers must build or construct the meaning based on the learner’s existing knowledge and provide an environment where all the learners participate without having a place to hide. This would lead to social interaction:dialogue between student and teacher. The learning must be in a cyclical format. The teacher needs to adopt the participation model of learning where the learner actively participates in the learning process rather than the acquisition mode of learning where the learner is the consumer of the information.
2. The idea of “zone of proximal development” by Vygotsky is introduced where the teachers help the learners to develop their understanding through scaffolding. Here, it is mentioned that the teachers are the experts who scaffold the students, however, in our classroom discussion, we took into consideration that ‘peer scaffolding’ can be conducted in a class by creating appropriate groups. Also, we had mentioned about the class being ‘community-centric’ rather than ‘learner-centric’.
3. Assessment for learning (AFL) or formative assessment is an essential tool in the process of learning and teaching. As mentioned earlier by Dr. Judy Willis in the video,”Neuroscience pathways from Lab to classroom” not waiting for weeks to assess the learning and having an immediate feedback leads to incremental progress as it motivates the learners to intervene their current action plan and modify it accordingly. The Kahoot gaming sessions carried out during the class act as a formative assessment tool and it is method for ‘priming- activating prior knowledge’. These sessions are ‘engaging and intellectually exciting’.
4. The active learning strategies adopted by the teachers are:
a. Experiential learning
b. Modelling
c. Group discussion
d. Scaffolding
e. Collaborative critical thinking/ Reflection/ Observation
In one of the sessions, we had designed an activity in which we had tried to incorporate the majority of the above mentioned strategies. We ,also, had taken into consideration the aspect of making an activity interdisciplinary. This helps in making new connections. Moreover, the activity should be age appropriate, time bound and the teachers must make the thinking visible which would help the learners comprehend the activity in a better way. This is a classic example of an active learning activity or an active classroom.
II.
ReplyDeleteBoth the handouts “The call for constructivism” and “Becoming a constructivist teacher” are based on the theory of constructivism.
I have summarized the key points as:
Constructivism is the construction of meaning and understanding which is a highly complex process. The new knowledge is constructed through reflection, interactions, synthesizing new experiences. These are dependent on the cognitive abilities of the learner.
When the emphasis is placed on learning rather than on performance the results are long-term.
Adult modeling and environmental conditions are essential factors which facilitate the students to become emerging thinkers.
Teachers need to ask umbrella questions which would give an opportunity to the learners to share their point of views and reflect on the current knowledge. Through this, the students challenge their own perspective.
The focus must be placed on the learners which can be achieved by engaging in interdisciplinary discussions.
For the teachers to become constructivist teachers there should be willingness to abandon the familiar perspectives and practices to adopt new ones.
Piaget’s view on constructivism is based on the cognitive abilities which include the processes of maturation, experience and an equilibrium between assimilation and accommodation.
Constructivism is indeed a formidable challenge but it is also a way to replace the behavioral approach of teaching and learning.
Becoming a constructivist teacher is challenging as the students must search or look for rather than follow. Many teachers avoid to adopt the constructivist approach as they are comfortable with their ongoing activities which gives them the necessary outcomes and/or they are concerned with the behavior management issues as the students are given an opportunity to put forth their point of views which could lead to chaos in the classroom.
When the students take the responsibility of their own learning, they become problem solvers as well as problem finders as they take into consideration their own ideas and ideas of others.
Learning must be in parallel with the real world problems and possibilities. The tasks must be well aligned where the teacher is a mediator who helps the student reach the required destination mainly by asking questions. These questions not only help in understanding the student’s point of view but also allows them to explore their ideas. The teacher must allow wait time after asking the questions for reflection.
The teachers must first explore and ask the students to elaborate their ideas before sharing their theories and ideas. Also, the teachers must make use of metaphors for making the learners understand the concepts.
The learners take necessary self regulatory actions when they are placed in an appropriate situation.
The learners must be encouraged to engage in dialogues: with the teacher and with the peers. This paves the way for cooperative learning, transformation of perspectives and reflection on the new ideas.
Good evening sir,
DeleteI will be sharing the key points for the third question at the earliest. Sorry for the delay.
III.
DeleteIn this article “learning as participation (not acquisition)”, one can read the different interpretations and can understand the views of numerous noteworthy theorists on the topics ‘acquisition’ and ‘participation’.
I would like to highlight the following key points:
Participation Model of Learning is rooted in the theory of Sociocultural approach proposed by Vygotsky. According to Sociocultural approach, the interaction between social, historical and cultural aspects leads to learning.
1. This model of learning is community-centric where knowledge is build by collaborating and interacting as affirmed by Sfard and Wenger, “... learning is a collective process(...)”. This relates to the concept of “Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)” proposed by Vygotsky. He defines ZPD as “the distance between the actual development level as determined by independent problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers.”
Within ZPD, scaffolding plays an important role which helps the learner complete the task.
2. Contradicting to Piaget’s idea of cognitive development which is based on the biological stages based on ages ,individual learning and where the role of environment is secondary, Vygotsky’s social constructivism emphasises on the need of social interactions: exchange of perspectives and opinions, cultural background based in an appropriate learning environment.
3. By the means of social participation and integration , the learner can benefit from the society which takes into account a wide spectrum of situations that can influence people’s learning processes.
4. The participation model of learning can be implemented in the daily lives of the learners. Interactive community sessions between Teachers and learners can be conducted online (E-learning). Similarly, this model can be put into effect at the workplace where the employees interact and observe more experienced co-workers.
The participation model of learning is based on shared goals, conscientiousness, interactions in short collaboration which aims at strengthening social skills, confidence and self-esteem.
Participation model of learning-Vygotsky's (few points )
ReplyDeleteHe emphasize on the role of others or social context on learning .Social interactions are critical, knowledge is co- constructed between two or more people.
Self regulation is developed through internalization( develop an internal representation) of actions and mental operations that occur in social interaction.
Human development occurs through the cultural transmission of tools .
( language, symbols )
language is the most critical tool .
language develops from social speech to private speech to converts (inner )speech.
The zone of proximal development is the difference between what children can do on their own and what they can do with assistance from others.
Interaction with adults and peers in the zone of proximal development promotes cognitive development .
Good learning occurs in zone of proximal development where the child distinguish between the children’s actual and potential level of development.
From Vygotsky’s perspective, learners construct meaning from reality but not passively receive what are taught in their learning environment .
Therefore constructivism means that learning involves constructing, creating , inventing and developing one’s own knowledge and meaning .
The role of the teacher is a facilitator who provides information and organizes activities for the learners to discover their own learning .
Thank you for sharing your ideas on participation model of learning. You have covered majority of important points in your response, the most important being the use of language as a tool and of culture as a means to transfer these tools.
DeleteIn the last line, I think you could also add that the role of teacher as a facilitator includes providing learning environments where learners can form positive experiences associated with learning which will motivate them to continue to invest time and effort into learning.
_The call for constructivism of understanding is the core elements in a highly Complex process which appears to be simple .
ReplyDeleteConstruct own understanding_ with tools _helps to understand buy reflecting upon our interactions with ideas objects .
Learning is not discovering more_ interpreting a different scheme or structure .
New construction depends on cognitive abilities to accommodate discrepant data, perception and experiences .
Student learning in school .
Schools should reflect the complexity and possibilities of the world.
There should be structured to facilitate the construction of knowledge.
Teacher’s should teach students for deep thinking and learn to appreciate uncertainty and inquire responsibility .
As passive teaching results in frequent boredom and over stuffing the learners with curriculum, classroom structurally discourage co-operation and students work in isolation on task that require low level skills , rather than higher order reasoning .
Students thinking is devalued in most classrooms .
They do not take risk , so negative emotions flow and dopamine flow is affected and we observe 3 responses (fright, freeze, flight).
The construction of new knowledge is not highly valued students are unable to connect the relevant matter to real life .
Performance_ little recall of concepts over time .
Learning long term is understanding ,when students were asked to apply knowledge which they supposedly had learned most could not
Education is for adult life not for child life (John Dewey) viewed education as a process of learning living and not a preparation for future living.
So schools should be student centre.
Schooling must be a time of curiosity, exploration ,enquiry, memorizing information subordinate to learning , fine information and solve real life problem .So adult modelling and environmental conditions play an important role for students development ,disposition and problem solving. Development principles _
Construct individual understanding is important Piageat meaningful learning )
Cognitive development important for constructing understanding .
Classroom environment should be organised, where interaction is encouraged, cooperation is valued, assignments and materials are interdisciplinary, new ideas are welcomed ,risk takers and willingness to accept challenges to their understanding help students as emerging thinkers .
Constructivism teacher requires continual analysis of curriculum, planning and instructional methodologies and reflective practices .
Students become responsible for their own learning to be autonomous thinkers and develop understanding to concepts and become problem solvers .
Traditional learning a mimetic approach a process that involves students repeating or miming, short term memory, newly presented information in reports or quizzes and tests .
Constructivist teaching helps learners to internalize and reshape or transform new information emerging from new cognitive structure .
So parents and teachers must invite this transformation .
So there is no zooming out or zooming in the classroom nor we can see different types of student’s behaviour .
Relationship between perceptions and objective reality .
paradigm - our perceptions and thinking .
Paradigm shift _ process occurs where individual is able and willing to change his lens ,so teachers required to have Paradigm shift .
Maturation and experience _ new structure is laid _ accommodation allows assimilation to occur_ equilibrium is reached .(piageats)
Equilibrium generate the development of new mental structures .
Problem solution demands commitment _emanates _ construction.
A constructivism framework challenges teachers to create environment in which they can encourage students to think and explore .
Becoming a constructive teacher
ReplyDeleteWhat I like most about this handout ,useful about as a practical guide to constructivist teaching. The development of classroom where students are encouraged to construct give understanding of important concepts .
Constructivism is a learning theory that emphasizes student agency through self guided exploration, reflection and evaluation.
A constructivist approach recognizes that there is often more than one correct answer and that many points of view are valid .
Knowledge is constructed by learners as they reconcile new information with their past experiences, analyze various source materials and work collaboratively with others.
Benefits of constructivist _
It’s active, it promotes student agency ,it develops advanced skills like critical thinking, analyses, evaluation and creation.
It promotes diverse viewpoint and it encourages students to reflect , evaluate their work .
The role of teacher in the constructivist classroom _
It helps students to build their knowledge and control the existence during learning .
It values the learners reflect and cognitive conflicts and encourages peer interaction .
It should allow students responses to drive lessons , shift instructional strategies and alter content .
Helping them to engage in collaborative learning provides opportunities as a facilitator in problem-solving providing rich environment , experiences and activities for learning by incorporating opportunities .
Teacher should concentrate on students learning rather than on teacher performances .
If traditional approach never probe for deep understanding or thinking .
How can one expect students to achieve deep understanding when we do not allow them time to make enquiry by keeping them shallow (due to time, coverage, efficiency ,curriculum ) so their knowledge never runs deep .
Encouraging inquiry by asking thoughtful, open ended questions and encouraging students to ask questions to each other.
Seek elaboration of students initial responses .
Use hands on experience or manipulative.
Encourage students to analyse ,synthesize and evaluate.
Learning becomes result of research related to real problem .
Teachers should use cognitive terminology like classify ,analyse, predict and create for mental activities to create new understanding .
Teacher must make use of learning cycle model, which leads to discovery.
The first three points in "The role of teacher in the constructivist classroom" section start with "It". Shouldn't they start with "She" or "He"?
DeleteOk sir will take care and will not repeat it .Sorry for it .
DeleteActive learning
ReplyDeleteActive learning theory is based on constructivism ,learners develop their existing knowledge and understanding.
It helps students to develop understanding in stages (piaget theory ) social interaction learning happens Vygotsky’s .Teachers provide feedback (formative assessment)
Learning should be relevant and meaningful content .( John Dewey) Importance of experimental learning in classroom .
Students do not learn much by sitting in the classroom listening to teachers, memorizing pre-packaged assign.(passive learning) or giving out answers. They must talk about what they are learning , write about it , relate it to past experience and apply to their daily lives .
Active learning relates to metacognition _ ability to predict and monitor his or her own learning .(self assessment, reflection and how to improve )
Dewey child centric learning ( learning by doing )
Vygotsky’s _ stress on social interaction in development of cognition _ as he believed strongly that community plays a central role in process of making meaning , he has developed a socio cultural approach to cognitive development .
Active learning is based on constructivism theory _
As learning happens mainly through social interaction with others (Vygotsky )
Behaviourism learning is a response to external stimuli .Learner is passive ,learns via external process .Positive reinforcement method , lecture ,rote-learning, multiple choice test .
Cognitivism _ learning is a process of acquiring and storing information .Learning goes beyond external and internal process _ short and long-term memory .
Methods _ lectures, visual tools , mind maps , charts etc to facilitate memorization for learning , multiple choice and essay assessment .
Constructivism _ learning is a process of building and understanding. Learners built on personal experience ( internal ) active and social in the learning process .
Methods _ discovery ,collaborative , group work , scaffolding , learning based on personal experience , peer grading / review .
Benefits of active learning _
Stay focus _ greater enthusiasm _ enjoys academic discussion .
Active learning approach _
Develops collaborative skills , encourages risk taking , requires students preparation , increases engagement , improves critical thinking .
Active learning students engage with materials , participates in the class and collaborates with each other , It helps them to analyse , discuss or apply a concept to a real-world situation .
Active learning conflicts with students traditional views of teaching and learning develops skills by doing .
(For secondary teachers)
ReplyDeleteSociety Centric Learning Theory of Vygotsaky is very useful. What the student learns with his peer group at school cannot be learned by sitting alone. Anyone gets bored by sitting alone. Learner can not focus on learning for long time . There is a saying in English - 'No Knowledge Without College.' The student learns from the society , learns by the teacher and learns by his peer group. The child learns something directly or indirectly by the family and society before coming to school.
In Active Learning direct examples of objects are given or the student is introduced to the real object. The student sees, touches, uses, experiences the real thing himself, then his knowledge becomes permanent for life time. This is the deeper understanding level.
When the student studies only to pass the exam, then his knowledge goes into short term memory. Student remembers for short time and later he or she forgets . To leave a deep impression of knowledge and understanding in the student's mind, teachers have to develop deep understanding.
Constructivism plays important role for active teaching - learning process . Teacher has to use a new method of learning process . By doing this the student becomes interested, studies, and passes the exam and exam of life .
Cognitive and metacognitive development is necessary for learner's growth . He can touch the object related to topic , make the right plan for the task. The student can develop cooperative learning technique with the help of teacher / facilitator . A research trend arises in him. He becomes curious about learning . In this way, the student values inquiry based learning. A sense of inquiry arises in him which gives him a chance to learn more and expand his own.
The teaching-learning process proves useful under active learning.
Theories of various psychologists such as Piaget, Bandura, Skinner, Harlow etc. proves very helpful. In active learning, the student asks questions to the teacher in the process of learning . The teaching learning process is student centric in active learning . There is some misconception that teacher or mentor has no role in active learning. This is just a misunderstanding. The teacher remains as a guide or facilitator.
Sir, I think your have covered majority of important points on active learning in your response. However, I think the handout I had given for 3rd task was based on participation model of learning. So, I was expecting that the response would be dominated by participation model of learning. I think a lot more could have been said here about participation model.
DeleteReading part :-
ReplyDelete2. 'The call for constructivism' and 'Becoming a constructivist teacher '
'Starting from what the learner knows' is the first link in the learning process.
The old tradition has been that teachers rely more on textbooks. But sometimes thinking beyond the textbooks and classrooms gives rise to new knowledge and new inventions. For example, the Revisionist View of Columbus discovered America.
Student's cognitive developmental abilities are another major factor in the process of constructing understanding. Teachers should have some understanding of fundamental principles of cognitive development theory.
Considerating the possibilities is main point for constructivism.
Deep understanding occurs in the presence of new information prompts the emergence or enhancement of cognitive structures that enable us to rethink our prior ideas .
In the constructivist approach, we look not for what students can repeat , but for what they can generate , demonstrate and exhibit .
*constructivist teacher free students from the dreariness of fact - driven curriculums and allows them to focus on large ideas .
*They place in student's hands the exhilarating power to follow trails of interest , to make connections , to reformulate ideas and to reach unique conclusions .
* They share with students the important message that the world is complex place in which multiple perspectives exist and truth is often matter of interpretation .
Thank you sir for your important take-aways from your reading.
Delete"Deep understanding occurs in the presence of new information prompts the emergence or enhancement of cognitive structures that enable us to rethink our prior ideas ." I did not understand the meaning of this sentence. I think some parts of this sentence are missing.
Reading part :-
ReplyDelete1. Active learning and theories
Active learning does not teach what to learn, it teaches how to learn. In active learning students think hard. This is not passive learning.
Feed back is very important for active learning. After formative assessment teacher can get actual idea whether student has learnt something or not. Teacher can do necessary changes after getting feedback.
Skilled teachers use assessment for learning (AFL) in teaching - learning process for two purposes :-
1. To know current strengths and weaknesses
2. what the learners need to do to improve
AFL are sometimes based on formal assessment . AFL can also be based on informal assessment such as peer assessment , where student assesses each other .
Active learning links to many theories of learning .
Learning should be relevant within meaningful context . Jean Jacques Rousseau ( 1712 - 1778 ).
John Dewey (1859 - 1952) and Maria Montessori (1870-1952) also influenced by this idea . The main idea is that Learner learns best when he see usefulness of what he learn and connect it to real world .
Learning should be age appropriate . This idea is formulated by psychologist Piaget .
Vygotsky also formulated the learning theory of social constructivism .
Some important facts about active learning :-
*Activities
* Analyse
* Assessment - formal and informal *Constructivism
* Thinking
* Open ended questions * Formative and summative assessment
* Synthesise
* Zone of proximal development
Thank you sir for sharing your views with us.
Delete"Learning should be relevant within meaningful context." I think you can also attach Ausubel's name with this statement. He had proposed the theory of meaningful learning.
I really appreciate that you included the points on feedback and assessment. These are perhaps the most important components of any effective lesson.
I think you could have elaborated on socio-constructivism and share with the key ideas that underpin the theory of socio-constructivism.
Good afternoon sir ,
ReplyDeleteThe doubt which you have raised , for that correct sentence is like this .
Deep understanding accurs when the presence of new information prompts the emergence or the enhancement of cognitive structures that enable us to rethink our prior ideas .
This makes sense now.
DeleteThank you sir for getting back with the corrected version :)
Good afternoon sir ,
ReplyDeleteThe doubt which you have raised , for that correct sentence is like this .
Deep understanding accurs when the presence of new information prompts the emergence or the enhancement of cognitive structures that enable us to rethink our prior ideas .
I tend to teach students in the way I have been taught, which is the behaviorist method.
ReplyDeleteThe constructivist method has its merits , but requires more time per lesson as the student has to be prodded to arrive at the answers and naturally since this is not one way instruction, the classroom is not a scene of passive listeners and requires further efforts to control.
It takes a conscious effort to plan each lesson to become a teacher who helps student to search for the answers.
It is my observation that there is greater participation of students once they have successfully been able to arrive at the answers, aided by the scaffolding method from the teacher.
The passage talks about 'teachable moments' which makes me draw a parallel to my class today. Teaching a civics chapter on "Directive policies of the state" The seemingly dull objectives were brought alive when the student had the autonomy to interpret, analyze , predict and then synthesize the text book matter and relate to the topical issue about the Aarey Forest controversy.(This corresponds to David Ausubel's theory on meaningful learning)
On the topic of constructivist teachers inquiring about students understanding.
I have now modified my style of teaching English literature. After the student having read out aloud a passage, I encourage him to summarize the same. This gives me an opportunity to gauge the extent of his understanding and simultaneously build on his language skills.
By permitting another student to correct, his understanding if required, I can encourage the social interaction , which Vygotsky recommends for learning to occur.
Adding to my above comment, permitting a student to summarize his understanding of the passage .(Duckworth -1993)
Delete"It is my observation that there is greater participation of students once they have successfully been able to arrive at the answers, aided by the scaffolding method from the teacher." I really like this point. Actually, this observation describes one of the important point Judy Willis was trying to make in her talk "Neuroscience Pathways From Lab To Classroom".
DeleteSuccess of any kind results in dopamine shots in the brain which makes brain feel happy. We are genetically programmed to do things that make us feel happy. This is one of the ways to motivate a person. Initial success is necessary to motivate anyone to focus and continue to invest their time and effort into learning specific things. By designing the activities in a manner that allows students to experience periodic successes, we can get them "hooked" and thus motivate them to pursue activities on their own. This is an effective way of getting them to focus on things we want them to focus on. This, in turn, takes care of the issue of additional time required to manage students when working with active learning approaches. This applies to classroom education and to everything else in life.
"After the student having read out aloud a passage, I encourage him to summarize the same." This is an excellent strategy. I wish my teacher had done this. I find it difficult to simultaneously read a text aloud and comprehend its meaning simultaneously because I never had to do it in life.
Aww. Thankyou Sir. That most certainly raised the dopamine levels for me to take on the next task right away :-)
DeleteMy key takeaway on the Active Learning article shared with us is that while we teachers concentrate on building activities around our lessons, we teachers should place "The desired learning outcome" foremost. As the activities would amount to nought, if the learning outcome is not achieved at the end of it.
Ms Jasmine Masani.
ReplyDeleteInputs on Participation Model of learning.
1)Learning through participation has links with Vygotskian socio-cultural theory.
2) In participation model of learning the learner is taking part in learning rather than just acquiring knowledge.
3) Participatory learning, such as "practice," "discourse" and "communication" suggest that the learner should be viewed as a person interested in participation in learning activities rather than in accumulating chunks of knowledge.
4)Traditionally, learning has been viewed as the transfer of knowledge from teacher to learner, however in the last few decades this view of learning has shifted. Nowadays, most researchers agree that knowledge not only exists in individual minds but also in the discourse and social relationships of, and between individuals (Jonassen & Land, 2000).
5)It is widely acknowledged that students learn and support each other both inside and outside the classroom, in fact, most learning in higher education occurs outside the classroom (Ramsden, 1992).
6)Many consider participation to be important as a mode of learning, as they believe that learning involves more than acquiring an understanding; it involves building an implicit understanding of knowledge and the context within which that knowledge is used. Learning by participation has strong ties with situativity theory, which focuses on learning in relation to the individual and the context (Barab and Duffy, 2000).
7)(Brown, Collins, & Duguid (1989) argued that knowing and doing are one and the same; that learning is always situated and developed through activity.
8)Learning through participation has also been likened to developing expertise (Edwards, 2005), where expertise is a capacity to interpret the complexity of aspects of the world and the ability to respond to that complexity.
9) Participation in learning environments is thought to facilitate effective learning by considering learning in context so that learning takes on a new and relevant meaning for the learner.
Thanks!
DeleteIn the fifth point, you note that "students learn and support each other both inside and outside the classroom" in the learning process. This is also known as peer-scaffolding.
In the ninth point, you note that "considering learning in context" gives learning a new and relevant meaning for the learner. This is the founding principle of meaningful learning theory. Learning is contextualized by connecting it with the real-life situations, examples and challenges. In fact, this is one of the most important ways of making concepts relevant.
Ms. Jasmine Masani.
ReplyDeleteFew points on Active Learning.
1) Active learning is based on a theory called constructivism.
2) Constructivism emphasises the fact that learners construct or build their own understanding. Constructivists argue that learning is a process of 'making meaning'. Learners develop their existing knowledge and understanding in order to achieve deeper levels of understanding.
3)The theory of 'social constructivism' says that learning happens mainly through social interaction with others, such as a teacher or other students. One social constructivist, Lev Vygotsky (1896–1934), developed the idea of the Zone of Proximal Development. This zone lies between what a learner can achieve alone and what a learner can achieve with their teacher’s expert guidance.
4)Skilled teachers scaffold learning by providing guidance and support that challenges students based on their current ability. This helps students to develop their understanding in stages.
5)Skilled teachers also provide rich feedback using Assessment for learning (AFL). Firstly their current strengths and weaknesses and secondly what they need to do to improve.
6)Learning should be relevant and within a meaningful context. ( this can be realted with the video of Dr Martha Burns).
7) The main idea is that we learn best when we can see the usefulness of what we learn and connect it to the real world.
8) Learning experiences for young people should be appropriate to their level of development. ( theorie of Piaget)
9) Active learning helps students to become 'lifelong learners'.
I think if you try to put this along with the other, you will see a significant overlap between many concepts. I would summarize your points in the following way:
DeleteActive learning requires: (relevance = meaningful = usefulness = context) + age appropriate experiences + social interactions + scaffolding + (assessment & feedback)
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ReplyDeleteActive learning
ReplyDeleteActive learning is student centric as it focuses on how students learn and not what they learn. Students play an important part in their own learning process by building their knowledge and understanding with the help of the opportunities provided by the teacher. Students are motivated to be active learners and think hard to gain higher order thinking skills.
They are actively engaged in learning by focusing on their own learning by doing activities, having interesting academic discussions, challenging students to develop and apply ideas in a reflective manner rather than being a passive recipient of information.
Thus active learning is based on the constructivism and social constructivism theory of learning. In constructivism the learners construct their own understanding or make meaning. The learners develop their existing understanding to achieve higher level of knowledge enabling them to analyze, evaluate and synthesize ideas by providing learning environments, opportunities, interactions and activities that cultivate deep learning.
In the social constructivism theory, Lev Vygotsky developed the idea of 'Zone of Proximal Development' which ranges between the existing knowledge or understanding of learners to what learners can achieve with the guidance of a skilled teacher. The focal points of a skilled teacher are learning activities and scaffold learning by providing guidance and support that challenges learners in their current ability.
A gainful feedback is provided to learners to enable them to understand their current strengths, weaknesses and need for improvement using 'Assessment for Learning'.
Active learning helps students to be lifelong learners as it is age appropriate and develops learner's autonomy giving them greater involvement and control over their learning. The learners develop analytical skills which help students to be better at problem solving and applying knowledge.
That's why active learning is not only engaging but intellectually challenging enabling students to be lifelong learners.
Ms. Nital Ashar
Constructivism Key Points:
ReplyDelete• Educational reform – starting with how the teaching and learning takes place, rather than with legislated outcomes.
• Learning takes place with tools helping us understand experiences.
• When presented with something new, we either interpret what we see to conform to our present set of rules, or we generate a new set of rules. This is how children learn at an early age. If they believe something to be true but it is challenged by an experience, they try to make sense of it and arrive to some conclusion.
• Knowledge comes neither from the subject nor the object, but from the unity of the two.
One’s interactions and reflections on those interactions lead to structural changes in the way one thinks. Reflecting plays an important role in learning.
• Teachers must encourage students to ask their own questions and seek their own answers, and challenge them to understand. Let the student seek the answers rather than telling them what it should be. Discussions and debates on a certain topic can help.
• Constructivist schools are settings where teachers invite students to search for understanding, appreciate uncertainty, and inquire responsibly.
• Rather than relying heavily on textbooks/written material, alternative interpretation of what is written should also be considered. Encouraging students to do research on the topic and consider various possibilities may be helpful.
• The construction of new knowledge needs to be highly valued rather than only mastery of conventionally accepted understandings. The students should be capable of arriving to understanding through a constructive process of connecting dots. Rote learning is not true learning.
• Emphasis on performance usually results in little recall of concepts over time, while emphasis on learning generates long-term understanding. The teachers should focus on what is happening in class (the teaching learning process) rather than just the grades and marks.
• Value the child’s present conceptions, rather than measure how far away they are from other conceptions. Each student is unique and would have his/her perception about what is being learned. They need not be compared with each other.
• Teachers should ask questions and allow the students to generate their own analogies, rather than drawing out the analogy for them. Rather than stating what the concept should be, let the students derive it for themselves.
• The main goal of a teacher is to help students to clarify for themselves the nature of their own questions, to pose their questions in terms they can pursue, and to interpret the results in light of other knowledge they have generated. The students can, therefore, learn to learn.
- Neha Britto
Participation Model
ReplyDeleteThere have been two conceptions of learning:
1. Acquisition learning
2. Participation learning
Acquisition learning suggests that individuals have a knowledge capacity to be filled. It implies some form of ownership of one’s accumulated ideas. It objectifies knowledge as a thing to be possessed.
It undermines the importance of the environment and the context within which learning takes place. The same topic being learned in a different setting (such as a different culture) impacts learning which it fails to take into consideration.
It does not talk about the concept of ‘developing’ existing learning. A learner develops his existing knowledge as he further learns about a topic. This is not explained.
Participation model sees learning as the participation in different cultural and social practices, which involves constant interaction, which modifies one’s cognitive processes, leading to the enhancement of community. This is how a classroom can function depending on the interaction of the students with the teachers and with each other.
It speculated that learning cannot exist on its own and within individual minds. It incorporates one’s involvement in social situations.
The traditional information-based view of learning has been criticized by scholars due to its insufficient explanation of certain processes such as development of new knowledge and participation model (theoretically) fills in the gaps. But this theory remains challenged as it is not universal.
- Neha Britto
Active learning: Learning happens best when we are able to make meaning out of it also it must be relevant so it is more logical, acceptable and easy to link with real life experience which creates lifelong learners(who take ownership of their own learning)
ReplyDeleteIt encourages learners to ask questions and to approach a problem in a critical and reflective way.
It is extremely difficult to forget something what you have actually understood.(Mark Winterbottom) Hence if we focus on understanding rather than remembering it would lead to success.
Learners must be involved in the learning process such that they should be able to think, construct, apply and develop their own understanding or meaning of things based upon the environment provided by the facilitator.
The facilitator must focus learning activities in ZPD based on the individual capabilities of the learners so that the challenge makes it engaging and intellectually exciting.
1 Before entering the teaching field, the concept in our minds about this profession was that whatever a teacher teaches, the student learns. We used to think that students learn from reading and rote learning. In B. Ed., through learning theory, we learned of various teaching skills and styles. During that period, we only stressed on teaching and practiced teaching in the different styles of teaching. We had a preconceived notion about LD cases and special children that their brain doesn't develop but, in PDQ we learned about brain development and neuroscience and our thinking changed. In the modern day the human brain works in such a way that students are inquisitive and will instantly look up information through technologically advanced options. While teaching language, apart from using books, we stimulate natural and practical environments for students so that they can actively learn - (through discussion, group activities(Vyogotsky) , encouraging participation, performing activities to strengthen vocabulary and developing critical thinking skills. Grammar learning is facilitated by individual and group activities. For creative writing skills, we introduce the standard formats for pieces to be written, give an example, further encourage participation and give application-based exercises.
ReplyDelete2 Learning is a continuous and lifelong process. Students learn through active participation, discussions, experiential learning, vocabulary building etc.
Using the concept of “sandhi” (compound words), students learn to make new words and develop their vocabulary. “Sandhi”, meaning agreement, can be explained using the examples of “agreement between two different nations”, “negotiations between states after a war”, “India Pakistan deal”, “peace talks” etc. I explain the concept of “sandhi” using the following example: Two friends fought, and then made up, i.e., they become friends. The concept of “sandhi” is developed. This is constructivism.
Dialogue:
Conversation between an electric pole and road – show the images(Skinner's theroy) of an electric pole, ask the children to identify it and try to get them to say the correct Hindi word for it. The students do not find the words “bjili” (meaning electric) and “khambhaa” (pole) easy to pronounce.
“Khambhaa” :
In this word, the sounds “n” and “m” (“anuswaar”) are supposed to be taught by me. Our job is to teach and inform the students how to identify the sounds of either of them. (If a dot appears before these letters “p”, “f”, “b”, “bh”, “m”, the sound is a “m” before these letters. In the rest of the “varnamala”, the sound is a “n”.) In this way, they obtained remedial teaching as well as were introduced to the sounds of “m” and “n”. Due to this, the students revised all the “varnamala” (alphabets) and the swar-vyanjan (vowels-consonants). They also learned how to break down words into swar or vyanjan.
Constructivism key points:
ReplyDeleteConstructivism builds exploring learners who think, generate their own hypothesis as well as try them out.
It encourages learners to frame questions and issues, it assists them to explore and analyse various ideas, encounter new information with the help of which they take the responsibility of their own learning that creates problem finders and solvers.
The learners must be provided with the real world possibilities and then they must be assisted to make connections between them which will lead to research based learning which would be more relevant.
Tasks must be framed by considering cognitive activities like analysis, classification, interpretation, prediction and creation that will generate new understanding s amongst learners.
Before sharing the direct information with the learners, they must be inquired about their personal understanding of the concepts and at the same time each idea must be provided with an appropriate feedback.
Interaction between peers is a factor that affects learning and development. It facilitates the meaning making process, it creates new understandings, it also helps to reflect on the old ideas.
The learners must be challenged to extend their horizon of learning by asking thoughtful and open ended questions.
At times the learners tend to answer instantly without thinking much about various factors related to certain ideas. The teachers should consider various point of view of the learners and at the same time ask for an elaboration of their ideas that will assist the learners to reconceptualize and assess their own ideas.
Revisiting a current perspective leads to cognitive growth.
Learners learn according to their individual capabilities hence the learners who take time to respond must be provided with wait time which will provide them with an opportunity to develop their ideas.
Curiosity leads to inquisitive thinking such as exploration, investigation and learning which is a key factor that builds lifelong learners. Therefore, the teachers must nurture the natural curiosity with the help of learning cycle model.
Part 1 (Active learning)
ReplyDeleteActive learning is a process in which the students are engaged with the content /course material through problem solving, discussion, case studies where the students build up their knowledge and understanding in response to the opportunity provided by the facilitator/teacher .Active learning focuses on how students learn, not what they learn .Students are encouraged to ‘think hard’ rather than being a receptor who receives information from the facilitator/teacher .
Theory of constructivism emphasis on the fact that the learners build their own understanding and knowledge, learners develop and build knowledge on their pre-existing information (schema) which leads to deeper understanding where the learner will compare, analyze, evaluate and synthesis ideas
By providing conducive teaching and learning environment the skilled teacher can help learners in facilitating deeper meaning and learning . (Ausubel’s theory is concerned with how individual learning a large amount of meaningful material from verbal / textual presentations in a school setting .
The theory of ‘social constructivism’ conveys that learning basically takes place by the social interaction with peers, teachers as well as the society
The idea of ZPD (zone of proximal development was given by social constructivist, Lev Vygotsky.
The zone lies between what the learners can achieve alone and what a learner can achieve with the teacher's expert guidance .Skilled teacher focus learning activities in this zone
A skilled teacher should provide guidance and support which challenge student on their current abilities .He/she should provide valuable feedback using assessment of learning (AFL) which includes their current strength and weaknesses and what they need to do to improve.
Learning can be useful when we connect those skills with to day to day life activities and also connect it to the real world and the learning should be age appropriate.
Students will stimulate a dialogue between and electric pole and the road using their own point of views and creating situations by brainstorming methods.
ReplyDelete3 A teacher is a facilitator. Today's education is learner-centered. Considering the student's learning skills, a teacher introduces age-appropriate teaching methodologies. The learning theory in Unit 1 was quite helpful to me. We should strive to keep the students engaged through live discussions and interactive sessions to not lose their interest and attention, which will ensure that they stay motivated to learn newer things. When students are motivated to learn, the class automatically becomes disciplined. Students give necessary and deep thought to a topic being taught because of that, and try to understand it from different perceptions, and also reflect effectively on it, which considerably improve their reading, writing and speaking skills required in languages. So that students develop an interest in language, we need to create an environment which helps their skills to be improved and they develop an ease and comfort with the language. I've always been hearing from people that language is boring, but I never let my students lose their intrigue in my class.