The thing that really jumps out at me this week when looking at constructivism/constructionism is the concept that our minds need equilibration:  the balance of what we know and what we are learning.  When learning new information, we either assimilate it into what we already know or we accommodate new information and change our schema.

So what does that have to do with generating and testing hypothesis?  Everything!!! All of the six tasks of generating and testing hypothesis in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works tie to our need to create equilibration in our minds.  When we use each of these tasks, we are either assimilating the new information or accommodating it.  For example, when a student attempts to solve a problem, they begin the problem with schema they already have related to it.  As they work through the problem, they validate their schema or generate new schema based on what they are learning.  In the end, they have created equilibration, and have constructed their own learning based on the outcome of the problem solving.

Hey everybody, I apologize for taking a little bit different approach to my blog posting this week.  I recently got a copy of Inspiration 9 and wanted to try it out.  I also felt a visual was good for this assignment as the video talked about the importance of concept mapping in mirroring how our brain organizes information.   I found that while creating this map I was able to synthesize the information I learned.  As you can see, I briefly illustrate the cognitive learning theories.  The blue circles are the concepts of summarizing, note taking, and cues, questions and advance organizers with connections to the learning theories.  I realize that it is a bit busy and would probably not attempt to pack so much into one visual the next time around!  You may want to adjust your display settings so that you can see the graphic a bit better as my blog wouldn’t allow it to be very big.

Reinforcing effort and homework are tied to the principles of behaviorism in several ways.  Behaviorists state that only actions which can be observed are meaningful things to study.  Effort is an action that is easily observed and can be rated.  Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works indicates that students should track their effort by using a rubric or checklist when working on a project (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M. & Malenoski, 2007).  By so doing, students can see how their efforts effect their overall success in a particular project. They can then modify their behavior to improve their effort, thereby achieving the desired results on a project.  I have my students do this very thing when practicing their keyboarding.  They track their progress and can see what things they need to work on and feel rewarded when they advance to the next level.

Homework is also tied to behaviorism in the sense that the purpose of homework is practice.  In behaviorism, one practices something, is rewarded when it is correct, and will continue to do the work so as to be correct and continue receiving rewards.  Studies indicate that we need to practice a concept a minimum of 24 times before we really “learn” the concept (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M. & Malenoski, 2007).  When using educational games on websites, students receive immediate feedback on their responses.  Immediate feedback is another key component of behaviorism.  One will modify his/her behavior to be “correct.”