How does Cooperative Learning relate to social learning? They are synonymous in my mind with each other. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski (2007) state “When students work in cooperative groups, they make sense of or construct meaning for, new knowledge by interacting with others” (p. 139). (give it a try by leaving a message on my voice thread)
I think one main concept of social constructivism is learning is happening on many areas outside of a given focus point. Compared with memorizing information on my own, at the end of a time frame I might do very well on a standardized test but I will not have gained any other skills. I liked Dr. Orey’s example of very talented academic students studying to become doctors, after they had passed their exams and were put in the real world, their knowledge did not transfer. By using strategies of social learning theory like social constructivism, students are learning in not only reaching the teachers desired destination of acquiring information but a lot of learning is taking place in the journey to that destination. Life skills like knowing how to work with people needs to be trained. Using technology can facilitate the interactions of people. For example, Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski (2007) state “student created video is a natural environment for cooperative learning. Creating a video is a complex task that requires many roles and responsibilities” (p. 141). Using technology forces students out of their comfort zone and forces them to become experts in given areas where they can become peer tutors for their partners. I learn best when I have the opportunity to teach material I am trying to master, students do the same, because technology is so vast, students are forced into the role of being a teacher and become comfortable knowing you do not know all the answers and they will have to ask their peers for help. Technology used by students has grown so much in popularity because of the possible ways students can stay connected with each other. I think social constructivism taps into the energy, desire, and need, students have for staying in contact with their peers. The added bonus is they become more skilled at material they are working on as well as better communicators and team players, skills needed for a 21st century learner.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2000). Bridging Learning theory, Instruction and Technology. Baltimore: Author.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
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It is so important to be able to apply information that is learned and not just memorize it for a test and then forget about it later in life. I think many students get caught up with memorize the facts for each class or subject and then moving on without really using applying it to real world situations. If teachers can make students realize the importance of what they are learning, then students may be more motivated to engage in each lesson and be self motivated to learn more.
ReplyDeleteBrian,
ReplyDeleteAgain, some really great stuff in your post. Like you, I found Dr. Orey's talk about the change in education for medical doctors interesting. I think it should apply to all education, in the sense that if the learning can't be applied then why even bother teaching it. Even if new strategies take longer, I think you'll agree that it is worth the extra time and effort to give our students a higher quality of education. I also am glad that you touched on "life skills". This is something I might not have mentioned in my blog, but I know I mentioned it on the discussion board. This and the changes in doctor testing kind of relates in the sense that these are skills that they will use in the real world. We don't know if our students will end up as doctors, engineers, stay-at- home moms, or world leaders, but every student can benefit from learning how to share their opinion constructively or take pride in their work. These are the kinds of things that don't show up on state or government set curriculums or standardized tests. However, I would venture as far to say that %80 of the things that students take away from our classes and actually apply to their real lives have nothing to do with the objectives we set for our lessons. I might be missing the mark, but I think that thinking a little bit more and trying to do some planning for the life skills that students take away from our class can only result in a positive outcome. What do you think?
Jason
I agree with you that often times students get into the habit of memorizing information so that it may be written down on a test. I was guilty of that at times in school myself. As I posted in my discussion response this week, I think that it is important for teachers to tap into their creativity and give their students many opportunites to interact with one another throughout a lesson. The Jigsaw method is a great way to hold students accountable for certain information, allow them to teach it, and then learn from other groups. Applying knowledge is an excellent way to increase learning and technology can only add to this theory!
ReplyDeleteI could relate to the example provided in our resources for this week about the medical students who did amazingly well on tests but were not prepared to actually practice medicine. I had an amazing student teacher a few years ago. He was incredibly smart. He knew more about history than I probably ever will. When he got his fist job teaching middle school history, he found that his knowledge did not necessarily translate into being a good teacher. Even though he had a wealth of knowledge to share, he could not manage the class effectively and the students did not choose to listen to him.
ReplyDelete