Teaching: What is necessary?

As an instructor that has worked in both the online learning environment and the traditional classroom, I have experienced many different scenarios, age levels, and teaching methodologies. Constant professional development sessions for my school district, and now for my colleges, help to update me on the latest trends in instruction. However, trends come and go and sometimes we only learn the wrong ways to teach our students by trial and error. So what is necessary for me to provide my students with effective instruction? Does it differ by age and grade level? What philosophy do I hold to in order to provide the best possible learning environment?

My philosophy of teaching is something that I have thought about quite a bit. I cannot seem to fill out a job application without having to include my philosophy of teaching. While I want to look professional and make it all sound wonderful to my potential employer, for this blog post, I want to dig deep and really reflect on what I believe my students need and what is absolutely necessary for me as an educator. Not that I don't adhere to my philosophy of teaching that I include with potential job applications, but let's get "real" and break it down to the nuts and bolts.

I believe that in order to meet the needs of my students, at any age, I must provide differentiated instruction. Whether it is in teams, or individual, it needs to exist for all my students. We all learn differently and there is no mold that fits everyone. Accommodations for my students' learning needs are imperative. Second, I must engage my students. Whether that is standing on my head and giving my lecture via webcam, or dressing up like Raggedy Ann for my elementary students, they must be engaged. I must go the extra mile to make it happen. I cannot sit back and be a mediocre educator. I must find a connection and use it to engage my students. This will take time and effort outside of what is normally required in the classroom. This means thinking "outside" the box. This means using a variety of learning theories like: social constructivism, cognitive learning theory, and connectivism (a mixture of the other two, not yet recognized as a learning theory). I need to provide a learning environment that my students can absorb, that allows them to use critical thinking skills, and that builds on their prior knowledge.

Finally, I need to be present. Whether it is in the traditional classroom, or the online learning environment. My students need to know I am there and that I will support them and guide them along the journey. Distance education should not be "distant" in the classroom. Making it personal and getting to know my students will help me to build the trust and connections that will help them to feel comfortable and safe in the classroom. Only then can I teach them...or rather as a wise man once said: "I never teach my pupils, I simply provide the environment in which they learn." ~Albert Einstein

Cynthia

Module Five-Dealing with Attitudes!

When Nobody Wants to Hear a New Idea...

As a library media specialist in an elementary school for several years, I tried my best to introduce new technology into the classroom. My students loved working on the computers and listening to books on CD. I used silent movies, interactive games, spent a fairly large amount of money on a Jeopardy game played via monitor and DVD, and worked to provide in-service for teachers that highlighted every available piece of technological equipment the school possessed.

I became very frustrated when the fruits of my labor gained me little to no innovative implementations in the classrooms. I did get appointed the new inventory person for all of the school's technology and audiovisual equipment (Oh, joy!) I was disappointed and discouraged, but I continued to implement technology within the library media setting and whenever I could find someone to listen, I worked to emphasize the importance of technology.

Eventually, I found out that it was not the lack of enthusiasm about the technology as much as it was the lack of training on how to use the technology and the fear of asking for help or instruction. Many of the teachers would come to me privately and explain to me they did not know how to check their email. This happened after the principal began to send weekly updates to teachers via email and required them to check their email on a daily basis. Some of the teachers did not even have valid sign on and password information for their accounts. So, I had to go back to the basics.

I worked to make sure everyone had access to the computers in their classrooms. I made sure they all had access to their email boxes. Then, I worked to provide access and instruction to them about Renaissance Place and the Accelerated Reading Program, so their students could take assessments in the classroom as well as in the computer lab. I created laminated signs for the computer lab with step-by-step instructions for logging in to take assessments in the program. I also created laminated signs for educational websites the students could log in to during their computer lab sessions. We did not have a computer instructor for these fifty minute lab times. This was not "in the budget" or important enough. For a while the computer lab was used for students who had misbehaved and were sent out of class.

Now, if you knew you were going to get to play on the computer, would you misbehave and get out of class? I am just saying...let's think about this "punishment".

I found that working with the teachers on an individual basis helped to build their confidence and maintain their privacy. Once I had conquered this hurdle, I began to work with each grade level in groups. Then, I worked with the lower grade levels together and the upper grade levels together. This worked well and it was paced so that everyone was comfortable and on the same level.

Keller's ARCS Model focuses on:

Attention
Relevance
Confidence
Satisfaction

I addressed these issues one at a time to help produce motivation to learn something new. This was the only way to approach the implementation of new technology in the classrooms and to help bridge the gap between the unknown and the 21st Century classroom. Now, this elementary school has at least three to five new computers in each classroom. All new computers and a SmartBoard are displayed in the library media center, and the first grade just received a grant for new audiovisual equipment and books on CD's to help with struggling readers.

I didn't do it all, but I threw a pebble into the water and it began to ripple!

Cynthia

Response to the "Isms" Blogs-Schools of Educational Thought

I was so excited to read the two blog posts by Kerr and Kapp!

I have considered myself to be a "mostly cognitivist" for the majority of my exploration into the schools of educational thought; however, I have found myself making excuses for my comments that may tend to trickle over into a gray area between two of the theories. The blogs of Kerr and Kapp helped me to understand that I am not the only one who can see valid arguments in each of the schools of educational thought. The quote from Kerr is one that I will keep and I decided to share it with you to help you better understand how it impacted my thinking and let me know that I am not as confused as I thought I was.

"It seems to me that each _ism is offering something useful without any of them being complete or stand alone in their own right." (Bill Kerr quoted in Kapp's blog)

This quote says it all and helps me to understand that a theory of learning is not solely one school of thought, but a combination. It may be that one theory is incorporated more, but there are gray areas where the theories of learning blend together to create the best possible learning environment. We are complex beings and our minds and thoughts and processes are not easily traced. No one has everything correct and knows how it all works. It takes many skills to teach individuals with various learning styles. We must keep this in mind when we are designing instruction and think about all the schools of educational thought and which theory would be the best to implement for our students.

Please take a look at Bill Kerr and Karl Kapp's blog post links listed below. I think you will find they are excellent insight into the various schools of educational thought and how we "process" (smile) these theories.

Cynthia

Bill Kerr's Blog
Karl Kapp's Blog

Is This Learning or Just Pressing Buttons? A Look at Learning Theories

Online learning is progressing rapidly here in the 21st Century, but how do we know if our students are learning or just responding to stimuli? Is keyboarding our greatest skill in online learning? How can we approach learning in the online environment to achieve the best possible results?

First of all, let's make ourselves familiar with the different learning theories:
(Summary for each learning theory taken from: http://www.learning-theories.com/paradigms)

Humanism:

Believes that we should have a personal experience with collaboration and support.
The learning is student-centered and the teacher is seen as a facilitator.

I call this: "It's all about me" theory.

Cognitivism:

Believes that we cannot see what is being learned because it is inside the brain and we will eventually see certain outcomes due to what is input. This theory focuses on memory.

I call this: "Using my noodle" theory.

Constructivism:

Believes that learning is constructed all around us. We relate our learning experiences to prior knowledge and all learning is subjective to our perspective.

I call this "Lego" theory.

Behaviorism:

Believes that learning is a response to a stimuli. You see it and you model or respond to it.

I call this the "Go, Fetch!" theory.


Now, that we have an idea of the different types of theories, let's look at some learning experiences that fit into these categories:


Humanism:




Behaviorism:




Constructivism:




Cognitivism:






So, what is the best approach to learning?



For me, it is the cognitive learning theory. Why is it important for us to implement learning theories in the online learning environment? Because we want to achieve the most effective outcome for our students. Before we can begin to design learning, approach learning, or teach content, we must understand how our students learn, so that we can provide them with experiences that will enhance learning and trigger cognitive processes. This will in turn increase recall and help students transition new knowledge to long-term memory; thereby, creating a new learning experience. Without understanding how we learn, we cannot teach!

Behaviorism just requires a reaction to a stimuli. A student might become conditioned to react in a certain way, but that does not mean actual cognitive processes are involved. Constructivism only relates to the surroundings and prior knowledge. It provides a foundation to build on, but only on what is already in memory. The knowledge must be linked to something existent. Humanism focuses on the student and his/her thoughts, feelings, and needs. While this may sound good, we cannot always succeed by concentrating only on ourselves and our needs and desires. It is important to promote self-esteem, but you may not be able to stop and find your inner "chi" each time you need to be reminded.

Cognitivism allows for transition in the environment, ability to adapt, and to rationalize and process new information if conditions change and the world does not focus solely on needs and desires.

More to come....

Cynthia