The instructional strategies discussed this week were relatively easy to connect to social learning theory. Social learning theory is the belief that students learn by interacting and observing others through a variety of different situations. This can be observed in very young students as they imitate an older sibling or in older students as they observe a behavior or action and attempt to implement it themselves. Our very classrooms are social learning platforms where students observe and learn from their interaction with us.
The learning resources and strategies mentioned this week all came back to the same idea. Students need to interact with each other in order to construct and develop meaning. The different strategies included students developing projects together, or creating voicethreads, or even playing games together through their computers. All of these things promote interaction with course material which is what we should strive for in a strong social learning environment. Student interaction will foster strong development as long as it is focused and on task.
In my classroom sometimes it can be difficult to allow my students to work in groups. It really depends on what the class can handle. I've found that when I can manage to do focused group work in a class my students learn more. For some classes I've had this is simply not an option. Most classes I plan in group instruction and projects. I usually have one or two a year where I simply cannot trust the students with any equipment so they miss out.
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Do you think we need to do a better job teaching kids appropriate ways to interact socially when they are in younger grades? I believe every student wants to be involved in interaction. When you say that some groups cannot be trusted, is it because of inappropriate behavior or a lack of cooperation between students? I think it is beneficial for students to work with one another. I try to do "practice" group sessions or modeling for students so they understand what I expect in groups. I do sometimes have to move students from one group to another due to problems, but even when groups have a hard time together, I think they benefit from group work on occasion.
ReplyDeleteI think it is perfectly acceptable for you to do different activities with different classes dependant on what you think your classes can handle. I know that I have done this in the past. Classes with behavior problems should not have the same opportunities as well-behaved classes and activities should be modified to do so. It is unfortunate that "bad" classes miss out on better learning opportunities, but you need to do what you need to do to keep your classroom a safe environment.
ReplyDeleteStephanie
Hey James,
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about having to do different things with different groups. I think it's been well established that everyone learns in a different way, and multiply that by 20 or 30 students, and it's the same thing. We should never assume that what worked so well this semester will work just as well next semester. For me, this semester worked great as far as introducing new technology to my students and to my classroom. We did blogs and wikis, and I want to do them again, but I don't want to get caught up in the success I had this semester. One of the qualities that we must have as teachers is to adjust on the fly and to keep working so that we can accommodate every group and work our tails off so they can get the most out of their experience.
Great job.
César
James,
ReplyDeleteIt seems a shame that some classes miss out on the richness of group learning. Have you tried very short, extremely controlled group activities? You know, give them the chance to "work their way up?" I totally understand that different classes (different students within the same class, even) require different activities, levels of teacher control, etc., but they DO have to learn somehow! :)
Deana