In this week’s resources the focus was on Social Learning theories. Constructivisim, Constructionism, and Connectivism were examined. Dr. Orey discussed the subtle differences between Constructivisim and Constructionism. The basic premise of these two theories is that “knowledge is derived from interactions”. Connctivism as discussed by George Siemens maintains that a “learner is in a networked world”. Learning is forming networks (connections) and navigating these networks. All three theories site the importance of learners interacting with each other to form stronger understanding of a concept.
One such teaching strategy that lends itself well to social interaction is Cooperative Learning. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski caution, “Cooperative learning is not so much learning to cooperate as it is cooperating to learn”(pg. 143). This is an important point. Simply placing students in groups and hoping for learning to occur is not cooperative learning. In order for cooperative learning situations to be successful a great deal of planning must be done. Everything from group make up, how the work will be assessed, and specific roles of each group member must be developed.
Technology allows for a richer cooperative learning experience. Students are no longer limited to their classroom. Through the use of the internet they are now able to communicate effectively with classrooms around the world. Vociethread is one such technology tool which is easy to use and provides a forum for pictures, video, and voice recordings. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski state, “When students work in cooperative groups, they make sense of, or construct meaning for, new knowledge by interacting with others” (pg. 139). The quality of these interactions can be magnified by utilizing web resources.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). Program Eight. Social Constructivism. [Webcast]. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA:ASCD
That quote about cooperative learning has quickly become one of my favorites. I am planning on having it up on my wall next year in my classroom. I think many teachers focus on the wrong part. In a class I am aware of, there was a class assignment for groups of two. One set of partners could not find the time to meet due to scheduling conflicts, and so the teacher insisted that they do them separately. This defeats the true purpose of the assignment.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that technology plays a crucial role in cooperative learning because it allows the students to interact beyond the classroom. What technology do you use with cooperative learning?
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