Description:
The focus of reading and discussion in EDAT 6115 this week was on the constructivist view of learning and student-centered instruction. Our discussions in class were based on the challenges of student-centered instruction for teachers and students and how we can overcome the challenges. When thinking about instructional strategies it is important to think about and reflect upon what strategies will work for our students’ and problem-solving ahead of time what types of challenges could come up and what our next steps could be to solve those challenges.
Analyze:
For students to truly understand the content you teach, they need to be able to apply their knowledge and learn to problem solve on their own. This is where the constructivist view of learning comes into play. Slavin (2018) describes the constructivist view of learning, “The essence of the constructivist theory is the idea that learners must individually discover and transform complex information if they are to make it their own” (Slavin, p. 188). Students are encouraged to think critically and through inquiry, which is why constructivists utilize strategies known as student-centered instruction. Within this format, the teacher is more of a facilitator and the students are discovering the new knowledge.
Constructivists approach teaching in a much different way and utilize different strategies to guide their instruction such as top-down processing, peer interaction, discovery learning, self-regulated learning, and scaffolding. The top-down approach begins with the problem and students work to discover what is required to solve the problem. Peer interaction is often utilized because students are able to comprehend difficult concepts if they can problem solve with their peers. In addition, constructivists utilize discovery learning to encourage students to be more independent. Discovery learning is similar to inquiry learning in which the students learn on their own based on getting involved with the concepts through experiments and discovery. This model encourages students to be independent problem solvers.
The various strategies described are what makes the constructivist model so great, it can easily be utilized across all content areas. In my experience, I only teach science and social studies, so I utilize these strategies within those content areas. When specifically thinking about science I implement discovery (inquiry) learning, group work and cooperative learning the most. Slavin (2018) describes how to implement constructivism into the science classroom, “…constructivism translates into an emphasis on hands-on, investigative laboratory activities, identifying misconceptions and using experimental approaches to correct these misconceptions, cooperative learning, and teaching of metacognitive skills” (Slavin, p. 197). In my classroom, I enjoy utilizing probes to encourage students to think critically and to discuss any possible misconceptions when I first introduce a new topic or concept.
One of the strategies constructivists enjoy utilizing is cooperative learning instructional methods. This type of learning elicits students working together in small groups. Within cooperative learning, there are multiple methods teachers can use such as student teams-achievement divisions, cooperative integrated reading and composition, jigsaws, learning together, peer-assisted learning strategies, cooperative scripting, informal structures such as think-pair-share, and project-based learning (PBLs). Studies on cooperative learning show that they are effective when recognition or rewards are used and when there is accountability with individual students (Slavin, 2018, p. 202). In addition to rewards and accountability, cooperative learning teaches students communication skills, problem-solving skills, and metacognitive learning strategies. Although cooperative learning has many great benefits it can also be challenging to implement in our classrooms. Some possible problems that might come up are having a noisy and chaotic classroom. Teachers might struggle to manage students when students are working through different parts of the project (like on a PBL). Lastly, some students don’t like to work in a group setting, so it is important to think about student need when choosing instructional strategies.
In my classroom, I commonly utilize jigsaws, informal structures, and PBLs. In jigsaws, students are divided into teams and they work on specific sections of an assignment. In my classroom, I utilize jigsaws with longer informational articles. Students are assigned a section to become an ‘expert’ on, then they meet with students from different teams who are also ‘experts’ on that section. Students return to their teams and teach their teammates about their section. Slavin (2018) discusses why jigsaws work well in the classroom, “Because the only way students can learn sections other than on their own is to listen carefully to their teammates, they are motivated to support and show interest in one another’s work” (Slavin, p. 201). I also enjoy utilizing information structures such as think-pair-share. In this structure, students are working in pairs to think about, discuss, and share answers to a question with a partner. I enjoy using this strategy because it ensures all students are actively participating and I can walk around to informally assess students’ understanding of a concept or question. Lastly, I love utilizing PBLs in my classroom. This model involves students working together in self-chosen groups to problem solve and learn something new in depth. PBLs also have a focus on taking issues worldwide and making them real-life. In my classroom, I utilize a PBL with my economics unit through a market day experience. The gist of market day is students form companies based on similar interests, create a homemade product, complete market research, advertise, and sell their product at a market day event at school.
Students can also learn problem-solving solving skills through cooperative learning. Slavin (2018) argues, “Students cannot be said to have learned anything useful unless they have acquired the ability to use information and skills to solve problems” (Slavin, p. 204). Teachers can teach problem-solving to students by teaching students’ strategies, one that I find particularly effective is teaching creative problem-solving. This type of problem-solving forces students to stop and think and reflect on the various solutions to a problem prior to taking action. In addition to teaching our students problem solving, we must also take the time to provide students with feedback on how they are using their strategies.
In addition to teaching problem-solving skills, we also need to teach our students how to think critically. Slavin (2018) argues, “One approach to teaching thinking skills is to incorporate them into daily lessons and classroom experiences – to create a “culture of thinking” (Slavin, p. 2017). I like to utilize strategies such as Socratic Seminars or Philosophical Chairs. Both of these strategies encourage students to think critically about a topic, conduct research, and form options. Within these strategies, students are given the opportunities to hear other students’ opinions and interact in discussions using accountable talk to discuss the various sides.
Student-centered instruction, specifically cooperative learning, is an effective strategy because it allows the students and teachers to interact equally and share the teaching and learning. It is also effective because students learn to collaborate and communicate with each other. In addition, I think students have more interest in topics and learning when they have the opportunities to investigate and interact with their peer. Based on the readings from Slavin and from the class discussion, it is important to consider various strategies of instruction in our classrooms and to analyze and determine any challenges to the strategies we choose to use.
Reflection:
As a second-year teacher, I am always learning about new instructional strategies to implement into my classroom. In my first year of teaching, I hated using cooperative learning because I ran into so many problems like my classroom management and being able to handle the noise level and chaos of my students. Throughout my second year of teaching, I had different students and was able to implement more cooperative learning into my teaching and I learned how beneficial it is to my students learning, especially when learning about difficult concepts. I feel much better about using cooperative learning in my classroom. I know that it not only encourages collaboration with our students, it teaches our students important skills they can utilize in all areas of their learning.
Based on my prior knowledge and experience, the reading, and the discussion board this week, there are several positive and negative aspects of this concept. Some of the positives is that students are learning vital skills such as communication and collaboration through working in a group setting. In addition, they are taking control of their learning and figuring out how to analyze problems. One of the most negative aspects and challenges that came up is classroom management. It is difficult to manage students when they might be working at different points of a project, or when they are grouped together with their friends. In addition, cooperative learning creates a hectic and noisy classroom. Lastly, another challenge is that some students prefer to work by themselves, so when group work comes up, problems can arise. Some solutions to these challenges are to ensure you as the teacher are spending your time creating activities that will keep the student engaged, share the work load with a partner teacher, focus on important content, explain to your students the importance and benefits of working together, listen to your students, and make sure that you are grading in a fair way since students are working in groups
I have learned a lot through the reading and discussions about cooperative student-centered learning. Based on what I learned I am going to implement some suggestions in order to become a better teacher. I think one of the most important things I learned and reflected on is that some students don’t like to work in a group and that I need to ensure I am accommodating the needs of all of my students. My next step is to create a learning inventory to give my students at the beginning of the year where they can explain how they like to work best (independently, in a group, etc). I think that taking the time to learn about how my students learn best will allow me to plan strong instructional activities to best meet the needs of my students.
In conclusion, through reading the discussion posts and reading and reflect on the text this week my beliefs about student-centered learning and cooperative learning have changed. I now have a better understanding of the importance of ensuring students are involved in the learning, not just having students sit through lectures and discussions, it is vital to get the students involved through cooperative learning. I also learned that students need to learn to communicate and collaborate with their peers in order to be successful students.
Reference
Slavin, R. E. (2018). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (12th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
No comments:
Post a Comment