Instructional Design Approaches

     I looked at two approaches to instructional design. The first one reminded me of a familiar K-12 Madeline Hunter approach, Gagne’s theory of learning. This is a behavioral approach. The second is a Constructivist lesson plan I found through a Google search that was produced by the eMiNTS National Center  (professional development of educators by educators). Here are the two approaches in a nutshell:
Gagne
1 Attention: Gaining attention
2 Inform: Stating the objective
3 Stimulate: Stimulating recall of prior learning

4 Present: Presenting the stimulus

5 Guide: Providing learning guidance

6 Practice: Eliciting performance

7 Feedback: Providing feedback 

8 Assess: Assessing performance

9 Evaluate: Enhancing retention and transfer to other contexts
Constructivist
1 Engage
Capture the students’ attention; stimulate their thinking and help them access prior knowledge.
2 Explore
Give students time to think, plan, investigate and organize collected information.
3 Explain
Involve students in an analysis of their explorations. Use reflective activities to
clarify and modify their understanding.
4 Elaborate
Give students the opportunity to expand and solidify their understanding of the concept and/or apply it to a real-world situation.
5 Evaluate
Evaluate throughout the lesson. Present students with a scoring guide at the beginning. Scoring tools developed by teachers (sometimes with student involvement) target what students must know and do. Consistent use of scoring tools can improve learning.

A New Pedagogy?

There is little doubt that Will Richardson in his blog believes so fervently in a new pedagogy, he is out there promoting it through his blog, his book, his presentations and his collaborated efforts with others. Reading his most recent post and a post he had on “Connectivism” (Nov. 15, 2007) I sense that he is frustrated by the public schools’ glacial rate of change: “At some point, I want one of the goals and outcomes for the students at my kids’ school system to be that they will graduate with the ability to build their own learning networks in effective, ethical and safe ways. But that will only happen when enough of the administrators and teachers understand that for themselves. Only then will they be able to help my kids add dots to their world maps in ways that teach them the power of networks in the ways we already know.”
I agree with him that the key to change in public educational environments will come from where all such change has always come in the past, the teachers themselves. He is putting his efforts to work in the area that will most likely nurture that change: professional development.
Almost two years later in his latest post of Sept. 20, 2009, Will laments the 8-page “Acceptable Use Policy” for a school he’s presenting at which stresses the “don’ts”, not the “do’s” of computer and internet usage. How typical. Having worked in such environments for many years I observed the shift from empowering learning to maintaining control. The new pedagogy Will is promoting is reflected in his “Admirable Use Policy” all stated with Do’s” like “Do use our network to connect to other students and adults who share your passions with whom you can learn.” etc. etc. I agree with his emphasis on opening up possibilities rather than stifling them.
I see parallels between our time and the time I attended high school in the late ‘60’s. There was a great social movement revving up and we were locked in our school buildings, dress codes, hair length codes, and tracked classes. Then 1968 came around, and everything changed at once. It was a tipping point. The new pedagogy may be similar to a movement as well. How liberating to students and teachers when schools become immersed in a new pedagogy. It is certainly possible through the use of new technologies such as blogs where students are not writing solely for their teacher. Instead, they can have a worldwide audience who can respond and stimulate more thought and learning connections. Let’s face it, students are already using these technologies as are the business world and retail. It’s about time we tipped into a new pedagogy that embraced the possibilities while teaching students safe, ethical, responsible usage. I think it is happening at the ground level, one classroom, one teacher at a time.

Podcast of Educator Who Uses Blogs to Teach Biology

I was reading Ch. 2 Weblogs: Pedagogy and Practice in our text by Will Richardson Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. When I got to the part where he discusses the classroom blogs of different curriculum area teachers, I went online to check those blogs out. To my delight, I discovered that the Extreme Biology blog he wrote about had a recent posting on Friday 9/25/09 about the teacher, Stacy Baker having spoken on Science Friday on NPR. The topic was Building Science Education. Is this a good example of a new pedagogy or what? I started with a text reading, moved on to a blog reading, and am now embarking on a podcast. I listened to it and found it worth the time. Stacy Baker shares how to make a subject more relevant, interesting, and teachable through the use of blogs in her classroom. Isn't that what a new pedagogy should be about?

Teacher as Learner: My Teaching Philosophy

My philosophy of education has evolved over the years to this current snapshot featuring
•    Learner centered education
•    Teacher as learner
•    Active learning
•    Diverse learning styles and multiple intelligences
•    Lifelong learning
I am a learner-centered educator. Like Carl Rogers I don’t believe that you can make anyone learn anything. The desire to learn comes from within the individual. The teacher’s role is to be the facilitator in the learning process, setting up experiences and activities that will engage the learner and lead the learner to discover information that is relevant for him or her. The teacher is a learner as well, making the education endeavor a synergistic experience. In a standards based environment it is important to set up opportunities for learners to explore on their own through research projects or other authentic learning experiences.
Learning is an active process, one where the learner is engaged and involved in critical thinking. My presentations involve my learners through their questions and comments. As much class time as possible is devoted to students talking about the material in small groups or pairs discussing case studies, brainstorming ideas to solve problems, and using the higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy of thinking skills to create solutions to real world situations.
Learners are diverse in their learning styles and multiple intelligences. Each learner has their own profile of learning strengths and learning styles that combined are their own unique way of experiencing the world and learning new things. I believe in recognizing these intelligences and learning styles and using them to the learner’s advantage. I have learners participate in assessing their own learning styles and intelligences so they can capitalize on them and be an active partner in the learning exchange.
Learning is dynamic. It is important that I, along with my learners, develop skills for lifelong learning. Technology and the read/write world of the Internet take center stage in this process in the 21st century. I’m true to my philosophy of teacher as learner when I take technology courses such as EDU 255 so I can stay relevant and effective in my chosen vocation. Who knows what the next snapshot of my teaching philosophy will look like as I keep evolving in my practice?

LD OnLine :: What Is the Relationship Between ADHD and Self-Control?

LD OnLine :: What Is the Relationship Between ADHD and Self-Control?
There is always new information coming out on this subject. I'd like to learn more about the methods suggested by the author.

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Are Schools Killing Creativity?

Hello!

Hello, this is my first blog post.