How much information can a student process, and better yet once it is processed how does he or she access it again? In this week's media resource Dr. Orey explains that 7 + or - 2 pieces of information is all that can be handled at once (Orey, 2010). This example makes me think of a few of my college professors who would stand at the front of the hall and lecture for 50 minutes non-stop. How did I ever get through?
Fast forward to today and thank goodness many educators have moved away from presenting lessons using primarily lecture style. It is important for educators to provide strategies that help students manage the information they are presented with in daily lessons. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski support this citing, "The instructional strategy cues, questions, and advance organizers focuses on enhancing students' ability to retrieve, use, and organize information about a topic" (pg. 73). By using these strategies in conjunction with technology, students are given many opportunities to make connections with the material. The significance of connections as a way to store information is an element of the Elaboration Theory discussed by Dr. Orey in his media presentation Cognitive Learning Theories.
Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malensoski provided many examples of how to use the above stated stategies with technology. One such example focused on the use of organizing and brainstorming software as a way for students to "preview what they are about to learn" (pg. 77). In the text a concept map was created using Kidsperation.
This week in my classroom I accessed Webspiration a similar software application. My students viewed a virtual field trip of the Everglades and as a class we developed a concept map with a focus question of How do invasive species impact an ecosystem? I was extremely satisfied with the result. My students were supplying information from both the virtual field trip and our Science text and having fun in the process. Imagine that.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). Program five. Cognitive Learning Theories. [Webcast]. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.
I have to say, the way you probably got through the lecture hours is by taking good notes, reading your text book, and probably a good sense of what the teacher thought was important. Unfortunately, that does not work for most of the population.
ReplyDeleteI too am glad that we have moved more towards an information management style from an information overload style. Teaching students how to think is a skill that they will need in the 21st century more than was needed in the industrial age.
I agree with Mr. Thorton :)And from how I'm reading you, you do not seem to be a tech rookie at all. Seems I could probably learn a thing or two from you and many others in my class.
ReplyDeleteI was amazed at the 7+ pieces of information at a time as well. Then I remembered that I had heard if you chunk things together, you can remember more. For example a phone number is 10 digits long, but you can remember the area code as chunk one, the next three numbers as chunk 2 and the final four as chunk 3. Now you've only memorized 3 details of information versus 10. This could also be what we call mnemonic codes in school; Please excuse my dear aunt Sally for the PEMDAS order of operations, My very energetic mother just served up nachos for the now 8 planets, etc.
Kuuipo