This is the link to see the solution:
http://voicethread.com/share/2695903/
If you have not done it, do not cheat, try it out. It is really interesting to do!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Friday, February 3, 2012
My voicethread
In my voicethread, I posted a problem to solve for students. This exercise is for high school students. Younger students would not have the skills needed to solve this exercise. This is the link:
https://voicethread.com/share/2684393/
I am sorry I could not use voice as well. My microphone got wrong, I need a new one :(
https://voicethread.com/share/2684393/
I am sorry I could not use voice as well. My microphone got wrong, I need a new one :(
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Cooperative Learning and Social Learning Theories
Social learning theories are based on the idea that culture and content are important in understanding what occurs in society and the knowledge we acquire (Jackson,
Karp, Patrick & Thrower, 2009). Human beings are social by nature and, since we are born, we learn from others. It is fundamental that teachers, in the same way teaching is not a solitary profession anymore, use strategies to enhance and encourage social interactions among the students to help them develop their skills and acquire knowledge by learning from each other. The instructional strategy Cooperative Learning applies what social learning theories say about how we learn.
The Cooperative Learning strategy "focuses on having students interact with each other in groups in ways that enhance their learning" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p. 139). This strategy allows them to learn to work in groups, skill they will need for the 21st century jobs they will acquire in a not so far future, and lets them construct knowledge learning from their peers. "The main purpose of cooperative learning is to actively involve students in the learning process; a level of student empowerment which is not possible in a lecture format" (Furney, Richardson & Ritt, 2006). As teachers, using this strategy we are enhancing social constructivism, giving students multiple opportunities to construct their knowledge from their peers and, at the same time, we are addressing multiple learning styles.
One of my favorite activities that can be used to apply cooperative learning is the Jigsaw strategy. It consists of organizing a small group of students to learn different parts of an extended content and each member would teach the others the part they were assigned to learn about. This strategy is way useful when reading books, learning aspects of history, to investigate the parts of the cell, and much more. The ways it can be used are unlimited. To find more ideas on how you can use the Jigsaw strategy in the classroom, check this link: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/group-work/cooperative-learning/48532.html. The reader might want to be careful checking this site because it allows you to see only five resources free.
It is very important when using cooperative learning to use a variety of criteria to group students, either informal, formal, or based groups (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p. 140). Taking this into consideration, the teacher will be able to include in the variety of assignments these five components, main base of the social constructivism ideas: Positive interdependance (we all work or we will fail), face-to-face promotive interaction (helping each other to learn and reinforce effort), individual and group accountability (each member has to contribute to reach a goal), interpersonal and small-group skills (like communication, trust, and leadership), and group processing (how the team works and how it can improve) (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p. 140).
This is not limited to their classroom mates though. Connecting with students in other places like cities, states, and countries, "challenges them to learn about other cultures, languages, and issues throughout the world" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p. 145). Technology gives us tools to make this possible. Some of the tools available for this are ePALS and Keypals Club International, among other great resources.
Technology provides wonderful and a wide range of resources to create cooperative learning scenarios. Creating a website, using WebQuests, sharing bookmarking and calendars, and even creating a course management system program provide the students thousand of opportunities to learn in groups and to work in groups. In this webpage, the reader will be able to find a lot of great resources to use this strategy, among other free teaching resources: http://www.lauracandler.com/strategies/co-op.php
I am sure it can be overwhelming to know all the alternatives we have as teachers to create a cooperative learning scenario. Even though, we should never forget the fact that we are helping our students to construct their future together.
References:
The Cooperative Learning strategy "focuses on having students interact with each other in groups in ways that enhance their learning" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p. 139). This strategy allows them to learn to work in groups, skill they will need for the 21st century jobs they will acquire in a not so far future, and lets them construct knowledge learning from their peers. "The main purpose of cooperative learning is to actively involve students in the learning process; a level of student empowerment which is not possible in a lecture format" (Furney, Richardson & Ritt, 2006). As teachers, using this strategy we are enhancing social constructivism, giving students multiple opportunities to construct their knowledge from their peers and, at the same time, we are addressing multiple learning styles.
One of my favorite activities that can be used to apply cooperative learning is the Jigsaw strategy. It consists of organizing a small group of students to learn different parts of an extended content and each member would teach the others the part they were assigned to learn about. This strategy is way useful when reading books, learning aspects of history, to investigate the parts of the cell, and much more. The ways it can be used are unlimited. To find more ideas on how you can use the Jigsaw strategy in the classroom, check this link: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/group-work/cooperative-learning/48532.html. The reader might want to be careful checking this site because it allows you to see only five resources free.
 |
| Picture retrieved from http://pedagogy21.pbworks. com/w/page/15478348/Social%20Interactive%20Model |
This is not limited to their classroom mates though. Connecting with students in other places like cities, states, and countries, "challenges them to learn about other cultures, languages, and issues throughout the world" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p. 145). Technology gives us tools to make this possible. Some of the tools available for this are ePALS and Keypals Club International, among other great resources.
Technology provides wonderful and a wide range of resources to create cooperative learning scenarios. Creating a website, using WebQuests, sharing bookmarking and calendars, and even creating a course management system program provide the students thousand of opportunities to learn in groups and to work in groups. In this webpage, the reader will be able to find a lot of great resources to use this strategy, among other free teaching resources: http://www.lauracandler.com/strategies/co-op.php
I am sure it can be overwhelming to know all the alternatives we have as teachers to create a cooperative learning scenario. Even though, we should never forget the fact that we are helping our students to construct their future together.
References:
Furney, Richardson & Ritt. (2006) Cooperative Learning. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Cooperative_Learning
Jackson,
Karp, Patrick & Thrower. (2009). Social Constructivism. Retrieved
from
http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Social_Constructivism
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works.Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
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