Cognitive theorists believe “learning is a mental operation that takes place when information enters the brain through the senses, undergoes mental manipulation, is stored, and is finally used” ( Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2003, p.16) and there are many resources in today’s educational system that support this thinking. This week I was re-introduced to several techniques that I have used in the classroom many times and find very valuable but over the years I have become lazy I suppose and never really thought about the theories behind the activities. Renewing my foundations to education has really been an eye opener for me and a journey that my students will benefit from.

Over the years I have found activities that have worked and have developed a style in my teaching and never really put the energy into referencing these activities and lessons to theories. My instructional methods are a “mod podge” of sorts that does not rely on just one theory or style but rather a fine blend of many. Depending on the specific concepts and/or curriculum and the group of students I am working with my techniques will vary.

Our text, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski2007) lists a few different strategies that would be successful in the classroom while supporting the cognitivist’s point of view. “Cues, questions and advanced organizers” (Pitler et al., 2007) provides various samples of graphic, narrative and expository organizers, and numerous types of questions and questioning styles to provide the students with the opportunities to link learning to prior experiences and knowledge. This ability to connect with prior knowledge allows the student to transform this short term memory information into long term memory (Novak & Canas, 2008) and provides the learner with not just a written form of the information but also a visual form of the information therefore providing for multiple intelligences. Developing solid note taking skills is also essential for the students and again would concur that connecting the important facts with prior knowledge in a meaningful way to the learner is vital for those following a cognitive theory.

Concept Mapping is being labeled the “New Model of Education” (Novak & Canas, 2008) and requires that teachers be adequately trained on this type of instructing or guiding because it all starts with an essential question. Novak states that the “first step to learning is to ask the right question” (2008, p.12) and this would coincide with what the cognitivists believe. Ask a question based on your prior knowledge and you can link this new experience to an “old” experience and then find an easier more permanent connection to your long term memory. The questions need to be relevant and meaningful (Novak, & Canas, 2008) to the students to help retain the information and develop that connection even further. Cognitivists would expect that learners be exposed to physical experiences that would involve many of their senses. Touch, smell and sight are very important to the cognitivist theory. Hands on or actual real life experiences would be the best but when physically impossible technology makes it possible to bring these opportunities to the classroom rather inexpensively and quite conveniently. When discussing events in history or mathematical concepts that relate to the real world what better experience then to bring the children there. Our video resource (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008) refers to a virtual tour of Ford’s Theater that Lincoln was killed in, and reveals students as they experienced the lesson differently once they had the tour as compared to the textbook picture. I use virtual tours to insight interest and excitement. When we started our banking unit I took my students on virtual tour of the US Mint. This 15 minute experience provided my students with the concrete image to connect the new knowledge to, therefore giving it a better opportunity to stay in their long term memory and become learned knowledge.

Reading this material rejuvenates me as I begin to reinvent or confirm my style and my philosophy and connect it with theorists that I have studied years ago. In the everyday world of teaching and mothering it is easy to throw these formal titles out of your mind but I am relieved to know that the strategies and techniques that support these theories are being actively practiced in my classroom on a daily basis.

Please share with me some interesting virtual tours that you have been on or hope to go on. I would love the ideas and I would love to hear about the experiences. I also would like to hear about any experiences anyone has had with concept mapping in mathematics. I struggle as I try to incorporate a concept mapping activity into my current course.

LORI POWERS

Link to US MINT TOUR: http://www.usmint.gov/mint_tours/index.cfm?flash=yes

National Zoo's webcams: Virtual field trips to see the animals.
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/WebCams/default.cfm

Yellowstone National Park Webcams: Old Faithful:
http://www.nps.gov/yell/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm



Resources: ( I apologize as I can not get the formatting on this blog to post my resources in correct APA format.)

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program six. Spotlight on Technology: Virtual Field Trips [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore: Author.

Lever-Duffy,J. & McDonald, J. (2008). Theoretical Foundations (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Novak, J. D. & Cañas, A. J. (2008). The theory underlying concept maps and
how to construct and use them, Technical Report IHMC CmapTools 2006- 01 Rev 01-2008. Retrieved from the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition Web site: http://cmap.ihmc.us/Publications/ResearchPapers/TheoryUnderlyingConc eptMaps.pdf


Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.