Cognitive Learning Theories and Classroom Instruction

          Although I am sure I rely on Behaviorism, especially for classroom management strategies, more than I am probably aware of, it is with the Cognitive Learning Theories that I read about this week that I identified with, and support the instruction and learning experiences taking place in my classroom.  Cognitivism focuses on how learners process information (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011a).  It is in a three-phase model of: 1) new information taken into short-term memory; 2) that information is worked with by the learner, and if rehearsed enough; 3) becomes part of the long-term memory (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011a).   

            The instructional strategy of Cues, Questions and Advance Organizers relates to cognitive learning theory through the use of images, which are powerful learning tools ((Laureate Education, Inc., 2011a).  Cues and Questions also support the three-phase model of cognitive learning theory with cues representing phase 1, or the new information; questions representing phase 2, allowing them to access and work with information they have previously learned; and the advance organizers help students demonstrate their understanding and development of long-term memory and understanding.  Technology that supports the development of advance organizers could be word processing programs to create tables, charts, stories or programs.  Examples of software programs that work well with the development of cues, questions, and organizers are Kidspiration and Inspiration (Hubbell, Kuhn & Pitler, 2012). Through the development and use of organizers, students have the opportunity to construct elaboration, which is how information becomes stored in long-term memory (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011a).  Working with these types of programs allow the learner to make multiple connections with new information, which aids in learning and understanding.

            The instructional strategy of Summarizing and Note Taking also relates well to the cognitive learning theory.  When using summarizing and note taking, teachers are helping students develop the skills of pulling out important facts and learning how to state information in their own words (Hubbell et al, 2012).  Both summarizing and note taking require students take in new information, rehearse and work with the information, and finally connect the new information with long-term memory and understanding, which are the three phases of the cognitive learning theory. 

            Word processing programs can help teachers develop strong summarizing and note taking skills in their students. Combination notes, which incorporate text and image, support the dual coding hypothesis found in the cognitive learning theory (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011a).  Definition frames, graphic organizers and wikis for summarizing and note taking are other technology tools that support cognitive learning by providing the learners with opportunities to rehearse new information, helping developing long-term memory and understanding.

            Concept Maps are graphical tools that help students organize information (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011aa).  This technological approach to learning also supports cognitive learning theories because it visually allows learners to connect pieces of knowledge.  Dr. Orey explains concept maps as “graphical tools that allow you to organize and link ideas” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  Concept mapping offers learners dual coding opportunities through aural and visual expose to new information.

            Virtual Field Trips allow teacher and students the opportunity to explore sites that they are physically not able to visit.   For example, if my students were learning a unit on opera, we cannot travel to Sydney, Australia, but through a virtual field trip, I can show my students this amazing piece of architecture that we could not possibly travel and view ourselves as a class.  Virtual Field Trips also support cognitive learning theories because the experience of viewing places such as the Sydney Opera House, provide students with a rich experience and memory, which helps them make connections with information (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011b).   

            Incorporating teaching strategies that correlate to cognitive learning theories will provide learners with a richer learning environment.  Students are able to interact and internalize new information, making connections that help them remember, learn and grow.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011a). Program five: Cognitive learning theory [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011b). Program six: Spotlight on technology: Virtual field trips [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

           

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. & Kuhn, M., (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that             works (2nd ed.). Denver, Colorado: McRel.

           

Behaviorism, the Classroom and Technology

Learning Theories can be a deep, complicated topic.  As educators, do we really stop and think about learning theories, especially in this day and age of standardized testing and results, results, results?? Personally, I tend to focus more on Learning Styles, so in my current master’s program class on bridging learning theory, instruction and technology, I appreciate the opportunity to learn about how the brain actually works.

The theory we are exploring this week is Behaviorism, which focuses on reinforcement of positive behaviors and punishment of negative behaviors.  According to our class readings this week, as a learning theory, behaviorism is not highly regarded in the education field because it is based upon repetition or drill and practice rather than the development of critical thinking and problem solving skills (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  Personally, I do believe there is a place for drill and repetition learning in education.  Some topics lend themselves to this type of learning, such as math facts.  In my subject area, elementary general music, using flashcards in a drill and repetition manner allows for the practice of note naming to improve music-reading skills. 

Two teaching strategies that work well with behaviorism are reinforcing effort and providing recognition and assigning homework and providing practice.  Reinforcing and recognizing student effort provides students with the motivation to continue quality effort, which is in keeping with the principles of behaviorism.  Students often do not understand the importance of effort (Pitler, Hubbell and Kuhn, 2012).  An important factor that influences achievement is effort (Pitler, Hubbell and Kuhn, 2012).  Through the use of technology, students can record and track how their effort has an impact upon their achievement (Pitler, Hubbell and Kuhn, 2012). This task can be easily recorded and tracked through the use of a Google Doc spreadsheet.  In following the thinking of behaviorist theory, recognition of student effort will create more effort.  Recognition can be accomplished through a wide variety of technology, such as programs that create certificates, bookmarks, or stickers.  In addition, teachers can incorporate multimedia into their recognition by posting pictures of class accomplishments on the Internet.

Assigning homework and providing practice offer students the drill and repetition that the Behaviorist Learning Theory is based upon.  Many computer-based tutorial programs allow students the opportunity for continued practice outside of school (Pitler, Hubbell and Kuhn, 2012).  These programs also provide immediate feedback to the students, acknowledging correct and incorrect replies, again demonstrating a strong connection to behaviorism.  Instructional Interactive programs can be found on-line for all subject matters, are engaging for learners, and offer scaffolding and immediate feedback to assist learners in practicing concepts (Pitler, Hubbell and Kuhn, 2012).

The ideas of drill and repetition and reward and punishment of behaviorism are not new to education.  There are many technology sources that support its use in the classrooms of today, providing students with the opportunity to practice and improve skills, along with providing feedback and encouragement.

References

Laureate Education, Inc., (Producer). (2011). Behaviorist Learning Theory [Video webcast].

            https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2F            webapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_3469            248_1%26url%3D

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. & Kuhn, M., (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that             works (2nd ed.). Denver, Colorado: McRel.

Quality Learning, Time for Doing

As the summer draws to a close, so does my first technology class for my master’s degree.  This marks course number four for me in my program, and by far the most fun, exciting, educational and rewarding.  In the past six weeks I have been exposed to, learned about, and am now using blogs, wikis and podcasting.  The most exciting aspect of these new technologies is the opportunity to continue their use to improve my classroom teaching and communication with colleagues and parents.  Being a digital immigrant (Prensky, M., 2001) I was always slightly fearful of how to go about using these basic Web 2.0 tools, and the fear kept me from incorporating them into my teaching. To say that this class has stretched my technology knowledge, abilities and confidence is quite an understatement! I am now excited about the new opportunities these tools will offer my students for collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving activities as they explore the world of music. 

            Students that occupy the seats in my classroom learn in such a different manner from my first students 32 years ago, and even more so from how I learned as a student.  To be the most effective, engaging teacher I can for these modern-day students, I must understand and appreciate their familiarity of technology, their demand for instantaneous information, and be willing to acknowledge and incorporate the information and knowledge students bring to the classroom (Prensky, M. 2005).  Rather than being the source of all information for my students, I need to position myself as a facilitator for them, helping them make sense of the wealth of information that is at their fingertips.

            As an instructor of music, my title is director; I am a leader.  Students look to me for direction.  However, not all activities need to be teacher-led.  As I work to incorporate learning experiences into my classroom that develop the necessary 21^st-Century skills in my students, those experiences such be developed around students sharing, planning and creating with one another.  Giving students the opportunity to collaborate as they use technology to explore music will engage and motivate students and provide them with a quality-learning environment.

            I have just barely scratched the surface in my learning of ways to incorporate technology into the classroom.  I look forward to implementing blogs, wikis and podcasts into my teaching this year.  I am sure I will continue to learn and refine my objectives and goals as the year progresses.  Luckily, I have more technology classes to tackle over the next twelve months that will provide me with continued opportunities for technology growth and development.  The more tools I learn and implement with my students, the greater their experiences become.

            Words look nice on paper, but it is the action that really matters.  Technology can be valued and appreciated but there must be a plan for how it is to be incorporated and used in the classroom.  A goal I am establishing for my classroom this year is to have students in grades four and five use blogs to respond to various music selections.  I plan on devoting one class period each month towards this activity, first modeling for the students blogging, listening and responding, and then having the students blog after listening to selections. Another goal I have to integrate more technology into my teaching and classroom is to work with my students in grades two and three with composition programs. Again, I plan on starting with small steps, working first together as a class, and then having the students work in pairs to write short melodies and then have them play their melodies on our melody bells.

            With the completion of this first technology course and the beginning of a new school year, my lesson plans are growing and changing in regards to the use of technology.  Things that occurred rarely will now happen much more frequently, such as designing instructional activities that require student collaboration and providing students with the opportunity to share and present information through a variety of mediums.  I also hope to become a colleague that others can turn to for help and advice with technology.  Being a teacher from an older generation, I hope that I can be a role model and resource for other teachers that find themselves fearful of how to begin using technology in their classroom. 

References:

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

Prensky, M. (2005). Listen to the natives. Educational Leadership, 63(4), 8–13.

Learning to Podcast

I really understand what it means to be a life-long learner today; I created my first podcast! It was fun! It helped me to better understand why today's students love technology.  It's amazing the products that can be created, and as I was editing some of the statements made by my interview subjects regarding their use of technology, I became keenly aware of  how easy it could be to misquote or misrepresent someone's thoughts or feelings.  Technology ethics, another important concept to be taught. 

The assignment was to study students' use of technology. The link to my podcast is: http://podcastmachine.com/podcasts/15277
I hope you enjoy hearing their thoughts about how they use technology in their world.  

Meeting the needs for 21st Cenury Job Skills

I have spent time this week reviewing many viewpoints and articles regarding the role of education in preparing students for their future, and what types of employment skills they will need to be successful in the workplace of tomorrow.  Focusing on the Partnership for 21st Century Skills website, I discovered their mission is to ensure that education in the United State, K-12, has the development of 21st century skills at the core of its purpose and passion. The Partnership works to build understanding and value of these skills among leaders in the fields of education, business, community and government (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, n.d.). 

I found their website well organized, visually appealing and containing a wealth of information. The website explains the groups mission, history, members very well.  As I was working my way through the drop-down tabs across the top of their site, however, I found myself feeling slightly overwhelmed with the amount of information available. The Skills Framework graphic (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, n.d.) gives a strong visual representation of their beliefs and mission and the important connection between student outcomes and the necessary support systems to achieve these outcomes. 

As I researched the site, I discovered an Arts Map, which was very encouraging to see that fine arts education has value and importance in this framework.  There are maps for all content areas, and as an elementary general music teacher, it is important to me that fine arts is viewed as a content area.  I also appreciated reading the links to what educators, employers and the public is saying about the value of 21st century skills. 

While I did not find anything on the website or in the literature that I disagreed with, I found myself frustrated at what felt like I was reading the same information over and over.  How often do we find that happening in our education professional development?  We hear of a good idea but there is no plan of implementation.  The more I researched and read, the more I found myself feeling this way.  I was looking for more sold implementation strategies on the site than what was offered. 

There is no doubt that the US education system has not kept up with advances in technology.  With a strong focus on assessment and mandated testing in order to provide the public with measurement data on the achievement of schools, we have fallen behind in equipping our students with the more important skills of communication, collaboration, problem solving and creative thinking, or the 4Cs (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, n.d.).  It is now more important that ever that teachers update their pedagogy, curriculum, and assessment to better prepare our students for their futures (Laureate Education, n.d.).

References:

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/overview

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.) Skills for the 21^st Century. [Video Webcast].

https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_3397675_1%26url%3D

 

Using Blogs as a Productive Teaching Tool

As I continue to focus on the task of using technology to do different things rather than just doing things differently (Thornburg, 2004), I like the idea of using student blogs to analyze music.  The elements of music are frequently talked about and discussed in my elementary general music class.  In all grade levels, kindergarten through fifth, weekly effort is put into helping the students have an understanding of melody, harmony, pitch, tempo, dynamics, form, tone color, rhythm and beat and how they are used to create music.   The ultimate goal is to have students develop a discerning ear for how the elements are expressed in different musical selections.  Both the ear and knowledge need to be developed through frequent listening activities and exposure to a variety of musical styles and compositions. 

In fourth and fifth grade music class, students will create blogs about class listening selections.  The blogs will give students an opportunity to analyze what they are hearing using musical terms and strengthen their understanding of the elements of music.  Initially, their blogs will give them the opportunity to privately express their understandings and feelings about pieces of music.  As students' blogging experience grows, they could be invited to post comments about classmates interpretations. This experience could also lead to blogging between students in another class, another school, or even possibly a composer.  Incorporating this activity into the elementary music class curriculum supports the goal of doing different things because it presents the opportunity for very different lines of communication for students to experience.  It also gives every student a voice and opportunity to express their personal reactions to music in a private setting, something a tradition, teacher-lead class does not offer. 

Weekend Musical Accomplishments

It has been a great musical weekend!

It began with learning some new tricks on incorporating some of the teaching materials, such as Rhythm Call Charts and Note Naming Activities, into flip charts for my Promethean Board.  I am beyond excited about this new technology discovery.  I have spent the first four weeks of summer wondering how I would do this piece of the puzzle, really hoping that I wouldn't have to completely reinvent the wheel since I have already developed some leveled rhythm activities for beginning readers. This is when you love technology, when you learn how to properly use it, save time and be productive.  I can't wait to continue with more of this type of work this week.  It brings a peaceful and comfortable feeling to know that I am using my time wisely and efficiently to prepare for a new school year that will be starting soon.

Today I had the opportunity to perform, participate and direct in a concert at church.  We are blessed to have a vital, active music ministry program.  Some selections were Patriotic while others were summertime favorites.  We enjoyed vocal, instrumental and piano solos along with keyboard ensembles, handbell and senior choir performances.  Prior to the concert I was somewhat worried about audience attendance; how many people could we pull in on a holiday, summer weekend?  The support and interest was amazing! The pews were full of community and congregation friends and family there to enjoy and support our efforts. This is our second such concert.  Our first concert took place in October as we dedicated our new grand piano. 

All this leads me to think about my students and how they are exposed to music.  Their exposure and knowledge of music is completely different than what I experienced when I was growing up, mostly due to advances in technology.  I plan on uploading some of the performances to You Tube to share with the world. I will be able to show the video of the saxophone quartet this fall, allowing my students to hear and see a soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophone, which will have a significantly stronger impact on them as compared to my just telling them we have different sizes of saxophones.  Yes, technology can definitely enrich learning experiences, I am learning how to utilize and plan for such experiences, and that is as exciting as today's concert!