Cognitivism in Practice
This week we explored Summarizing and Note Taking and Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers. These instructional strategies that were introduced correlate with the principles of cognitive learning theory. Dr. Orey mentioned the Information Process Model which involves understanding, retaining, and recalling information. The instructional strategies previously mentioned are used for that reason.
In Cues, questions, and advance organizers, students can create advance organizers to help with note taking and recalling information. This is a word processing application that will contain terms, links, pictures, etc. In this case, technology is used to in organizing information. Students make connections and visual representations are used to help students remember information. Dr. Orey had mentioned "elaboration" and how students must make as many connections as they can.
Another technology tool that was explored is Kidspiration Organizer. I would use this to begin a lesson as described in the text. This organizer provides students with a learning objective, illustration, and more importantly, an essential question. The essential question will assist students in thinking at a higher level, if the appropriate question is asked.
In Summarizing and note taking, I would use Combination Notes that are created in Microsoft Word with my first graders. This to me, can be used effectively with my young students. It is used to help them recall information. Not only does this include text, but illustrations as well. I think this is a great way to organize information.
Blogs are an excellent way to implement reciprocal teaching. Students learn from one another not only in class, but by using a blog. Students are given the opportunity to voice their opinions, ideas, and really learn from one another.
How do the strategies mentioned correlate with the principles of cognitive learning theory? James Hartley had mentioned in Key Principles of Learning Associated with Cognitive Psychology that instruction should be well organized because it will be easier for students to remember. He also stated that instruction should be "clearly structured." This is the whole concept that Orey spoke of which is making connections. In our video, it was said that the cognitive learning theory also includes the element of effective use of images, and that too was described in the instructional strategies learned for this week. James Hartley also stated how important prior knowledge is. In Brainstorming with Inspirations RapidFire Tool, students are given an essential question and must brainstorm possible answers or solutions. This is a way of activating prior knowledge. James Hartley states that "Things must fit with what is already known if it is to be learned."
Posts
Carol,
ReplyDeleteYou did a really nice job making the correlation between the instructional strategies and cognitive learning theories!
Sherry
P.S. This past year I started blogging with my students. It was very successful.
Carol,
ReplyDeleteDo you plan to create combination notes for your first grade students? I believe they would benefit the most from creating the notes themselves, especially for the visual representation. The first grade students I have had over the years do not always have strong computer skills, in particular with Microsoft Word. Many have a hard time just typing their names. Do you think first graders are capable or ready to use Microsoft Word to produce combination notes?
I have also thought about using a blog with my first grade students. I plan to make it an optional site for parents to visit with their child to interact and see what we are doing in the classroom. I would use it to display artwork, writing samples, and other assignments we have done in class. I hope this will provide the students an opportunity to explain things they learned at school to their parents or siblings. Overall an oral summary of the assignment to make more brain connections. How do you plan to use it with your first grade students?
Carol,
ReplyDeleteI agree that blogging can be a great tool for reciprocal teaching! You could have a page for questions and answers where students post questions they have about the content and then other students respond to their questions. You could also assign a few students each day to summarize key information in a particular subject area and post it on the blog for others to read. This would also allow you to see if there were any misconceptions. I think this idea might be difficult for first graders though, simply because of all of the typing involved, but I think it would be great for my fifth graders. Great post!! :)
Hello Sherry! What grade do you teach? I am so happy that blogging has been successful in your classroom. How do you use blogging in your class, and do you have many computers?
ReplyDeleteHello Shonda. I would use a blog to display my students' work as well, but I think they can also answer a question of the day or complete one of my sentence starters. This is a way to encourage my students to use 21st century skills. In my school we have alphasmarts. Although outdated, students are given the opportunity to learn and strengthen typing skills. I would probably introduce combination notes to my students the middle of the school year. I believe that this could work, especially since I work so closely with the computer teacher. The two of us can model and facilitate as needed. I expect some students to have a more difficult time than others and in that case they can illustrate and I can type what they want to say. An example was given in the text for an inverted T and it was for a first grade class. I am eager to try it and give it a shot! Hopefully we will be successful! Thank you so much for your feedback. I really appreciate it!
ReplyDeleteBlogs worked wonderfully in my classroom just this past year as a way of keeping students actively involved, even when they were not in the classroom. Everyone's ideas of problems of the day surveys are all perfect ways you can use a blog. A lot of times I have used it for them to submit a response to a prompt. It worked great during our writing units, preparing students for what the writing prompts on the NYS 6th grade ELA test would look like. They also loved typing a lot more than writing in a notebook.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your feedback, Matthew!
ReplyDelete