Constructivism in Practice

Constructivist theories allow for learners to lead their own learning through the use of inquiry-based lessons. Inquiry-based lessons are designed for the learner take their learning in a direction that they choose. It typically has an end result that allows the teacher to show what the student has learned throughout the project. The end result could be a number of things, such as a project in Publisher, an Excel spreadsheet, a Word document, a PowerPoint presentation, a blog, a podcast, a wiki, etc. There are many ways for students to show their learning.

I feel that technology lends itself well to a constructivist approach to teaching. Students have information at their fingertips and are able to take their learning where they wish to. Students are able to use the Internet to research information and concepts that they wish to learn more about.

One example of teaching using the constructivist approach that is introduced in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, is generating and testing hypotheses. This can be applied easily to the theory, as it allows students to develop a problem and find a solution to their problem. They have to find the information and a way to solve their problem, which is an example of inquiry-based learning.

Cognitivism in Practice

The book, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, discusses the idea of using cues, questions, advance organizers, summarizing, and note-taking as ways to assist students in learning. The book gives great examples of how to use different computer software programs to help teach and produce these different ideas. For example, students could make a graphic organizer using Inspiration to help them organize their ideas. These ideas all represent the cognitive learning theories, which suggest that students are stimulated with different senses and given ways to help move information from short-term memory into long-term memory, as Dr. Orey suggests in his video, Cognitive Learning Theories. By giving students these different ideas, we are giving them tools that they can use throughout life to help them learn and retain information in meaningful ways.

Behaviorism in Practice

Behaviorism is said to be a theory that is not widely used in schools today; however, many of the practices found within schools can be contributed to behaviorist theories. In the book, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, there are a few ideas that are discussed that represent behaviorist theories.

One of the classroom ideas that is represented deals with reinforcing effort (p.155). Behaviorist theories discuss reinforcement of positive behaviors. This idea goes right along with that theory, as it discusses having students keep a spreadsheet of their effort on a regular basis. Many students do not realize the important of putting forth effort, which is why it suggests having them track their own effort. The book suggests making a template in a spreadsheet software. This is a great way for students to visually track their effort, as spreadsheet software programs allow people to easily turn the information into graphs.

Another example of classroom ideas that represent behaviorist theories is homework (p. 187). When many teachers assign homework, they assign it as more of a drill and practice type of assignment. This is a behaviorist view, as well. In order to make homework more meaningful, it is suggested that the teacher incorporate more uses of technology (and if technology is not available, some of it can be done without). For example, when doing drill and practice, students could practice making a spreadsheet showing how many they got correct and how long it took them to complete the assignment (p.188). With technology, students can also complete homework in a manner that allows them to collaborate with one another. Through email, blogs, or wikis, students could collaborate from home to complete a homework assignment or a project.