Mysterious Monster Learning Theories!

1. Mysterious Monster Learning Theories! Kim Bowlsbey – Multiple Intelligences Wendy Rawlings – Brain Based Learning Alicia Oliver – Social Learning

2. What is a theory? A theory is a group of ideas about a specific topic, subject, idea, etc. These ideas are often tested, compared and revised to match the data from the test results. So, based on the definition above, a learning theory is a group of ideas proposed by a scientist, psychologist, etc. based on a belief they have about how children and people learn, behave, etc. and why.

3. All About Howard Gardner Howard Gardner is a psychologist and professor at Harvard University. In 1983, he developed his theory of multiple intelligence. Originally there were only seven, but since then two have been added. He believed that limiting a person’s learning with their IQ was constraining. Gardner suggested eight different intelligences by which people learn. Student can learn using several of the intelligences.

4. Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths: • Teachers can incorporate several intelligences into each lesson to encompass the needs of each student. • Students have a better chance of learning when using one or more intelligence rather than just basing learning off an IQ score. Weaknesses: • Teachers may not have the time or resources to incorporate several intelligences in each lesson. • Teachers may not include the necessary intelligences in a lesson causing some students not to learn to their best ability.

5. Intelligences & Instruction and Technology Multiple Intelligences fits the constructivist application of instruction because students can learn using several of the intelligences. Students can use the different intelligences to question and form their own meaning of what is being presented. As a teacher, we should try to incorporate activities that include several intelligences in every lesson. Technology can be included during direct instruction through the use of a videos or audio to teach students about a topic or concept. The teacher could preselect a video or audio file and play it for the class. Technology can be included during constructivist instruction through the use of the SMART Board or other computers. Students can be presented with a topic and allowed to research that topic using the SMART Board, computers, eReaders, etc.

6. The Eight Intelligences: Verbal - Linguistic Logical – Mathematical Visual – Spatial Body – Kinesthetic Musical – Rhythmic Interpersonal Intrapersonal Naturalistic

7. About the Multiple Intelligences • Verbal – Linguistic: students can use words, symbols and language to persuade or express their ideas, beliefs, emotions, etc. • Logical – Mathematical: students can use formulas and equations. They also can identify numbers and abstract patterns. • Visual – Spatial: students can visualize and manipulate objects mentally. • Body – Kinesthetic: students can use movement to help learn and do work.

8. More About the Multiple Intelligences • Musical – Rhythmic: students can identify patterns in music, sound, and rhythm. • Interpersonal: students can develop relationships with classmates and can engage in dialogue with others. • Intrapersonal: students can self-monitor, self-regulate and self-reflect on their work, emotions, behaviors, etc. • Naturalistic: students can identify, group and examine items found in nature.

9. Lev Vygostky • Vygotsky was a pioneering psychologist and his major works span six separate volumes, written over roughly 10 years, from Psychology of Art (1925) to Thought and Language [or Thinking and Speech] (1934). • Vygotsky's interests in the fields of developmental psychology, child development, and education were extremely diverse • Less known is Vygotsky's research on play, or children's games, as a psychological phenomenon and its role in the child's development. Through play the child develops abstract meaning separate from the objects in the world, which is a critical feature in the development of higher mental functions.

10. Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths • Explains the role of social influences from the media, peers and parents • Covers a wider range of explanations such as the importance of cognitive factors rather than suggesting we have no control Weaknesses • Reductionist- could be other factors affecting behavior such as genetics • Its questionable whether vicarious reinforcements are consistent enough to change behavior.

11. Social Learning: Directed or Constructivist Instruction • We call Vygotsky's brand of constructivism social constructivism because he emphasized the critical importance of culture and the importance of the social context for cognitive development. • Adults such as parents and teachers are conduits for the tools of the culture, including language. • The tools the culture provides a child include cultural history, social context, and language. Today they also include electronic forms of information access. • Learning and development is a social, collaborative activity. • The Zone of Proximal Development can serve as a guide for curricular and lesson planning. • School learning should occur in a meaningful context and not be separated from learning and knowledge children develop in the "real world.". • Out-of-school experiences should be related to the child's school experience.

12. Technology and Social Learning • There are many resources available on the web for students to interact, communicate and collaborate with others. • Keypals (e-mail pen pals) is one activity that facilitates communication between peers from different regions of the country or world. • This technology-based strategy can be used by almost any age group while supporting the social learning theory. Students can learn from other students around the world about culture and languages without leaving the classroom. It can also be used to collaborate with other students within the same school. Students from different classrooms can use e-mail to communicate and collaborate about a shared project. • Using sites on the internet that allow students to view shared calendars and shared bookmarks is another great resource that helps students stay connected when collaborating on a project. • Web Quests, which are inquiry-oriented activities that allow students to work together to learn about a particular subject, is another great technology-based strategy that supports social learning theory. Students work together while using critical thinking skills to analyze the information presented. To create your own Web Quest try visiting TeacherWeb. For a small fee, you can create your own cooperative learning activity that is accessible from any computer with internet access

13. Jean Piaget (1896 – 1980)Background Information • Piaget was a Swiss psychologist and major contributor of developmental psychology in the twentieth century. • He published his first paper about the albino sparrow at the age of 10! • After receiving his doctorate in science, he began research on intelligence testing and questioning how children reason. • He published many books throughout his lifetime. • After marrying in 1921, he had 3 children (2 daughters and 1 son) who became the focus of his studies. • Piaget coined the term “genetic epistemology” which means the study of the development of knowledge, after researching the development of thinking. • Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development is his most significant contribution to developmental psychology and was developed after noticing a similar pattern of assimilation and accommodation in children.

14. Characteristics: Theory of Cognitive Development • There are four stages that begin with infancy: • Sensorimotor stage (birth-age 2) – The child uses his senses and motor ability to learn about the world around him. • Preoperational stage (age 2-7) – The child develops pretend and creative play, begins to use symbolic representations and understands the concepts of past and future. Children at this stage are still very egocentric. • Concrete operations stage (age 7-11) – Children in this stage use logic and manipulation to solve problems in concrete situations. • Formal operations stage (12 and up) – Children can now problem solve in non-concrete, abstract or hypothetical situations.

15. Characteristics: Theory of Cognitive Development • There are four factors that affect a child’s ability to progress through the four developmental stages: • Experience • Maturation • Social interaction • Equilibration (bringing together experience, maturation and social interaction) • There are many other concepts that children must develop including: circular reactions (primary, secondary and tertiary), mental representations, conservation, classification, seriation and hypothetical thinking.

16. Strengths and Weaknesses • Strengths • Although not precise, Piaget’s theory provides us with a model of childhood development that can help us identify developmental strengths and deficiencies in children. • The Theory of Cognitive Development reveals other important models of development (i.e.: conservation, etc.). • Weaknesses • The sociocultural environment can be a large contributing factor of a child’s development and is undervalued with this theory. • The theory also undervalues children’s motivation, emotions and variability of performance.

17. Association with Instruction • Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development is often associated with Curriculum Development with its guideline of developmental stages. • Examples: • Creative and pretend play is often incorporated into the primary grades because the typical student is in the “preoperational stage” of development. • Concrete situations and examples are often used during instruction during the intermediate grades because students are in the “concrete operations stage” of development.

18. Constructivist and Directed Instruction • The Theory of Cognitive Development is primarily associated with Constructivist instruction. • Piaget coined the terms schemas and adaptations, including assimilation and accommodation which are important components in the constructivist classroom. • Schemas • Learners use schemas when introduced to new information. • They build upon the knowledge they already have (prior knowledge) and make connections. • In essence, learners use schemas to “construct” their new knowledge using their old knowledge as a foundation. • Adaptations • While actively making connections to prior knowledge, the learner can either supplement (assimilate) or modify (accommodate) existing schema. • Directed Instruction - Piaget’s theory can be used to guide direct instruction through the four stages of development.

19. Technology Integration • There are varying beliefs about the integration of technology. • Some believe that technology integration can help students develop visual representations • Others believe that students should experience real life concrete examples in instruction prior to exposure to the visual representations of instructional technology. • Integration in a constructivist classroom • Students can explore Web sites for research purposes or other inquiry-based learning. • Integration in a directed instruction classroom • Computer games can be used to reinforce previously taught skills or even used for drill and practice.

20. Resources! http://schoolworkhelper.net/2010/08/howard-gardner-biography-multiple-intelligence/ http://www.funderstanding.com/v2/theory/multiple-intelligences-2/ http://www.careernotes.ca/uploaded-content/2010/01/Multiple-Intelligences.jpg • Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

21. What intelligences do you use?