I believe that this weeks learning strategies do line up with the principles of cognitive learning theory, especially when it comes to how information is stored and processed. When I stop and think about how Dr. Orey referred to images being powerful and helping students put a name with things, the multimedia ideas talked about in text make sense. When talking about the Grapes of Wrath and the Great Depression, the example of the teacher using images and slides from the Dust Bowl period into her powerpoint only helps to drive home this message. Then, to take it one step further, to incorporate actual video clips into this slide show or at the end would help explain what thing were like. I even thought of taking that another step further and not only look at those images, but add in some more present day ones. These images could be not just from some parts of Africa, but even here in the U.S. including homeless people and soup kitchens/shelters.
The idea of note taking is another good example, if done properly. I could not agree more that few students know how to accurately take notes. (Pitler 2007 ) I see this every year with my seventh grade Social Studies class, and usually have to walk them through the process However, if a graphic organizer is used, and proper steps taken to follow up with a layout, it would become much easier. Also, if an or example or examples are given by the teacher - in handout form - students would have reference point to refer back too.
By using these two main ideas, I believe and have seen that students will retain information not only better, but longer. This is the result we desire in the end, instead of just stored in the short term memory long enough to get past an assessment of some sort, then on to the next topic.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program five. Cognitive Learning Theory [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore: Author.
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Mike,
ReplyDeleteI agree that most students do not know how to correctly take notes. I teach sixth grade math and have to teach "note taking" during the first week of school in order to help students learn how to organize their thoughts. I noticed in the resources that note taking doesn't have to be specifically "outlines" or "word form". Notes can also be pictures with captions or fill-in-the-blank. I thought it was interesting that they pointed out the various note taking styles. Do you think your seventh graders would benefit from a variety of note taking styles?
Jennifer Brock
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI also liked the idea of presenting the Dust Bowl using Multimedia resources. In fact, several years ago, I was trying to hold a discussion about this very topic. The students didn't quite understand the severity of the situation during the Great Depression and The Dust Bowl. My colleague decided to create a powerpoint presentation for the students that showed true pictures and also incorporated devastating facts. This reminded me of the Dual Coding Hypothesis that Dr. Orey had discussed in the video. By connecting pictures with facts, it makes the information memorable and easier for students to retain (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). The children loved the powerpoint and really showed a genuine interest and compassion towards those that were involved in this historical event. Shortly afterwards, I shared some journal entries of real people that were involved in the Dust Bowl. I had the students take the information from the journal entries and create an illustration with a description to demonstrate their understanding of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. The students absolutely loved it!
Meghan
Reference
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program five. Cognitive Learning Theory [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Jenn,
ReplyDeletei do think my seventh graders would benefit greatly from different styles. I will make sure i give them a variety to pick from when talking about taking notes. I am going to try the fill in the blank types to.
Mike--
ReplyDeleteYour thoughts regarding note taking and graphic organizers were spot on. I had to smile when you said that your seventh grade students did not understand how to take notes, therefore, you had to walk through the note taking process with them. I teach American History II (AH II) to tenth graders, we recently excited the Great Depression/Recovery and entered World War II. I describe this to you because I want to take your seventh graders’ lack of note taking skills to another level.
I presently have students in my four sections of AH II who range from reading levels of first graders to above grade level, I have at least eight students who cannot read. Of those eight students who are nonreaders, five if not all eight cannot write, please keep in mind this does not include my English language learners. Aside from instructing these students using verbally and utilizing audio/visual technology during instruction and assessments, how would you try to reach out to those students using the tools and methods or other instructional strategies to reach these students? How would you use the methods of the cognitive theories that you spoke of, and the others we have read about, to reach those students who fall into such a wide range of diverse learning styles?
Thank you for any insight you have on this conundrum I face in my classroom.
Courtney