Technology Supports All Learning Theory Approaches

1. Technology Supports All Learning Theory Approaches • Behaviorist • Cognitivist • Constructivist

2. All Learning Theories May Be Used • The learning environment or situation may be critical in the choice of theory used. • Though all may be used, the constructivist approach is advocated by most educators today.

3. Driscoll, M.(1994). Psychology of Learning for Instruction. Allyn and Bacon: Massachusetts, USA. "It is probably no accident that constructivisim is gaining popularity and momentum at the same time interactive, user friendly computer technologies are becoming widely available. The computer offers effective means for implementing constructivist strategies that would be difficult to accomplish in other media" (Driscoll,1994, p376).

4. Constructivism Vs. Instructivism • The contention between student-centered and teacher-centered approaches has a long history. • Constructivism is often related to the philosophies of Rousseau and Dewey, and inspired by Piaget and Vygotsky. • Instructivism is related to faculty psychology, behaviorism, and to the research-based programs of the last few decades known as process-product pedagogy. such as the work of Bereiter and Rosenshine.

5. The Impact of the Debate • It is important to understand how underlying philosophies of education influence not only educational practice but also research. • The extent to which teachers see themselves as "instructivist" versus "constructivist" implicitly determines the extent to which classroom activities are based on teacher or student preferences, and may also influence the focus of research design. (reference)

6. Constructivism and Technology • A constructivist approach allows both learners and facilitators to take advantage of the World Wide Web, because the theory focuses on making connections and making meaning in the learning process.  • Web-based courses that are designed with a constructivist approach encourage the learners to navigate, create, and construct their unique knowledge base.   Constructivist Learning Theory to Web-Based Course Design: An Instructional Design Approach  - Simone Conceição-Runlee and Barbara J.Daley

7. Constructivism and Ed Tech • The methods of constructivism emphasize students' ability to solve real-life, practical problems. Students typically work in cooperative groups rather than individually; they tend to focus on projects that require solutions to problems rather than on instructional sequences that require learning of certain content skills. • The job of the teacher in constructivist models is to arrange for required resources and act as a guide to students while they set their own goals and 'teach themselves‘ (Roblyer, Edwards, and Havriluk).

8. How Educational Technology Impacts Learning

9. A First Question and Answer • One of the first questions that arises in the discussion of educational technology is whether technology increases student achievement. • The answer to this question is, "It depends.” • According to Ted Hasselbring, a co-director of Vanderbuilt University's Learning and Technology Center in Nashville, "It's kind of like asking, 'Are pencils effective?' • “It depends on what you are going to do with them"

10. Ineffectual Technology • The blame was sometimes assigned to logistical problems, but, more often, it was laid at the feet of teachers. • Earlier reformers underestimated the importance of the teacher's role in the classroom and tried to impose change from the top down. • Little formal effort was made to support teachers who tried to implement new technologies.

11. Assessing Technology Effectiveness • The problem in trying to assess the effectiveness of computer technology is that educators are increasingly using computers to assist in transforming their classrooms into constructivist learning environments. • The traditional types of standardized testing are not effective in measuring the kinds of benefits gained in technology-rich classrooms, and where benefits can be demonstrated, it is hard to tell how much of the success is due to the technology, and how much is due to the changed learning environment.

12. 2000 Research Report on the Effectiveness of Technology in Schools: Executive Summary by the Software & Information Industry Assoc. • Conclusions reveal that the effects of technology depend on school subject area, student population, the teacher's role, how students are grouped, software design, and access to technology. • Of vital importance is teacher training: students of teachers with more than ten hours of technology training perform better than students of teachers without such training. • In terms of how technology affects student achievement and motivation, the report indicates positive effects for all subject areas, in all levels of schooling. (Ref www.edc.org/LNT/news/Issue8/brief2.htm)

13. Effectiveness of Technology • Students feel successful and confident using technology, which increases their motivation to learn. • These positive effects are seen within special needs populations as well. • The report confirms that how technology is used, rather than how often, marks the biggest difference in terms of its effectiveness. • Tips for using technology well include collaboration between students, careful planning by teachers, and frequent interaction between students and teachers.

14. Effectiveness of Technology • Studies focusing on science education suggest the benefits of simulations, microcomputer based laboratories, video to anchor instruction to real-world problems, and software that targets students’ misconceptions. • A learning advantage has been found when students have developed multimedia presentations on social studies topics. • Kindergartners who have used technology have benefited in areas such as improved conceptual knowledge, reading vocabulary, reading comprehension, and creativity.

15. Effectiveness of Technology • Educational technology has significant positive effects on achievement for special needs populations: speech recognition is an especially valuable compensatory tool for the learning disabled. • Interactive video is especially effective when the skills and concepts to be learned have a visual component and when the software incorporates a research-based instructional design. • Use of online telecommunication for collaboration across classrooms in different geographic locations can improve academic skills.

16. Positive Impacts of Technology on Student Motivation and Self-Concept • Educational technology has been found to have positive effects on student attitudes toward learning and on student self-concept. • Students felt more successful in school, were more motivated to learn and had increased self-confidence and self-esteem when using computer-based instruction. • The evidence of these effects is the strongest for: • Language arts and writing instruction • Mathematics instruction • Science instruction • Telecommunication technology, including the Internet Video technology • Educational technology has significant positive effects on student attitudes for special need populations.

17. Effects of the Teacher’s Role and Instructional Decisions • The teacher's role is of primary importance in creating an effective, technology-based learning environment—an environment that is characterized by careful planning and frequent interaction among students and the teacher. • Teacher professional development and decisions about how computers are to be used in instruction may matter more than how often technology is used. • Students trained in collaborative learning on computer in small groups had higher student achievement, higher self-esteem and better attitudes toward learning than students working individually. • The positive effects of collaborative learning were especially pronounced for low ability students and for female students.

18. Effects of Specific Software Design Features • Specific software design elements have been shown to have a positive impact on student achievement and on student motivation and self-concept. • Offering students some control over the amount and sequence of instruction, including options for student review of material, can result in higher achievement and better student attitudes toward learning than having the software control all instructional decisions.

19. Effects of Specific Software Design • However, low-achieving students and students with little prior content knowledge are likely to require more structure and instructional guidance than other students. • When students have a high need to learn, this may nullify the impact of the level of learner control. • In tutorial and practice software, programs with feedback providing knowledge of correct responses were found to be superior to programs that require students to keep answering until they achieve a correct response. • Furthermore, feedback that identifies why a response is wrong was found to be more effective than feedback that only identifies what was wrong.

20. Effects of Specific Software Design Features • Software that includes embedded cognitive strategies provides students with a learning advantage. • Helpful cognitive strategies include: • Repetition and rehearsal of content • Specific note-taking techniques • Paraphrasing • Outlining • Cognitive mapping or diagramming • Drawing analogies and inferences • Generating illustrative examples • Having students explain their steps in solving problems • Specific techniques for reading in the content areas • Using pictorial information

21. Academic Benefits of Software • Students can benefit academically from software with embedded conceptual change strategies that move students from their faulty preconceptions to a more accurate understanding of the concepts involved. • Instructional scaffolding—gradually decreasing the level of help available and/or gradually increasing the complexity of the task—can be effective in improving student achievement. • Animation and video can enhance learning when the skills or concepts to be learned involve motion or action. • Animation accompanied by spoken narration is generally superior to animation accompanied by explanatory text. When including narration, additional extraneous audio (e.g., music, sound effects) should be avoided. • Still graphics can enhance learning when the concepts or skills to be learned have a visual component but do not involve motion or action.

22. Other Research Findings Recent research additionally suggests possible benefits from inclusion of the following software design characteristics (subject to further exploration and confirmation) : • Providing sufficient practice • Stating objectives • Advanced organizers in simulations • Pedagogical agents that communicate with a human voice in a personalized dialogue with the student • Graphs in mathematics instruction • Multiple representations of concepts • Dynamic visualization of abstract concepts • Motivational contexts, such as story, game, and fantasy elements • Multiple window presentation options (overlapping vs. tiled windows)

23. Impact on Math Instruction • Technology has been used effectively to support mathematics curricula that focus on problem solving and hands-on, constructivist, experiential activities. • Students participating in such technology-supported learning experiences have demonstrated superior conceptual understanding of targeted math topics than students receiving traditional instruction.

24. Impact on Student Cooperation Greater student cooperation, sharing and helping behaviors has been shown to occur when students use computer-based learning in which students compete against the computer rather than against each other.

25. Impact on Student-Teacher Interaction • Regarding student-teacher interaction, the report recommends involvement by the district, a technology coordinator, and the classroom teacher. • The classroom teacher should receive extensive technology integration training, and he or she should make an effort to connect with other computer users at the school. • Smaller class sizes work better than large ones, but large wallets work better than small ones—software acquisition is expensive! • Teachers should focus on classroom activities that encourage self-directed learning experiences, self-expression, and interaction among students.

26. Benefits That Don’t Show up on Standardized Tests • In the meantime, anecdotal evidence suggests that students in technology-rich classrooms are reaping benefits that are not apparent on standardized achievement tests. • They write more, finish units of study more quickly, show more self-motivation, work cooperatively, express positive attitudes about the future, and are better able to understand and represent information in a variety of forms (Viadero, 1997).

27. Characteristics of Teachers that students remember.

28. 1. An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment and each person.

29. 2.   No interest in pre-judging or judging any student.

30. 3.  Accepting of and embracing each and every student.

31. 4.   Gives everything he or she has, and asks the same of each student.

32. 5.   Lots of persuasion.

33. 6.   Dwell on students' strengths rather than moaning about their weakness.

34. 7.   Lots of expressions of appreciation.

35. 8.   Lots of encouragement.

36. 9.   Constant connectedness with each student.

37. 10.  Frequent attacks of smiling hearts.

38. 11.  An uncontrollable urge to be kind.

39. 12.  Believes in the power of love of, faith in, belief in, and hope foreach student.

40. 13.  Allows things to unfold to the needs of each student rather than resisting and manipulating to his or her own wants.

41. 14.  Ever seeing and listening, ever mindful and sensitive and attentive.

42. 15.  Wants to make a difference and believes the world can be changed.

43. 16. Doesn't wait for students to be friendly and civil; modelstact, courtesy, respect, honesty, civility.

44. Multiple Intelligences Founded in 1983 Howard Gardner “Frames of Mind” Created by Scott P. EDT 605 Cynthia Sistek-Chandler

45. What are Multiple Intelligences • Multiple Intelligence is an educational theory established by Howard Gardner in 1983. His theory suggests that individuals possess a variety of intelligences which manifest themselves differently in each individual. These differences provide a unique cognitive profile in each individual. • Gardner argues that traditional intelligence definitions do not adequately encompass the wide variety of abilities that humans possess. Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York: Basic Books.

46. How Multiple Intelligences Can Be Implemented in the Classroom • Many advocates for the use of Multiple Intelligence curriculum in schools suggests five approaches to curriculum change: 1. Lesson Design 2. Interdisciplinary Units 3. Student Projects 4. Assessments 5. Apprenticeships Guignon, A. (1998). Multiple Intelligences: A theory for everyone. Retrieved May 16, 2007, from http://www.education- world.com/a_curr/curr054.shtml

47. Gardner’s 8 Criteria for Identifying an Intelligence • Developmental history with an expert end performance • Prodigies, savants and exceptional individuals • Isolation as a brain function • Set of core operations • Evolutionary history • Supported psychological tasks • Supported psychometric tasks • Encoded into a symbol system Gardner’s definition of intelligence: Intelligence is the ability to find and solve problems and create products of value in one’s own culture. McKenzie, W. (n.d.). Gardner’s eight criteria for identifying an intelligence. Retrieved May 16, 2007, from http://surfaquarium.com/MI/criteria.pdf

48. Howard Gardner: Founder of Multiple Intelligences Howard Gardner is a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education who is considered the father of MI theory. He first brought his theory to the public’s awareness through the release of his book Frames of Mind (1983). In 2005 he was selected by Prospect and Foreign Policy magazines as one of the 100 most influential public intellectuals in the world. Gardner has spent most of his career studying the effects and implications resulting from the concept of Multiple Intelligences. Gardner, H. (2006). Biography of Howard Gardner. Retrieved May 16, 2007, from http://www.howardgardner.com/MI/mi.html

49. Howard Gardner (cont.) • During the mid 1980’s Howard Gardner became involved in the reform of schools in the United States. This reform includes the design of performance based tests and individualized teaching and testing methods for students • Gardner has written over 20 books to date and 400 research articles. Doorey, M. (2001). Gardner, Howard Earl (1943- ). Retrieved May 16, 2007, from http://findarticles.com/p/ articles/mig2699/is_0004/ai_2699000478 Gardner, H. (1997). WEAC convention. Retrieved May 20, 2007, from http://adulted.about. com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn= adulted& cdn=education&tm=19&gps=308_755_1020_621&f=21&su=p554.2.150.ip_&tt=2&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.weac.org/abou twea/conven97/audio1.htm

50. Gardner’s Original 7 Intelligences • Linguistic • Logical-Mathematical • Musical • Spatial • Bodily-Kinesthetic • Interpersonal • Intrapersonal Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York: Basic Books.