Papert's View On Learning Best
After reading Chapter 5 I truly feel a connection with Papert, I feel as though we are cut from the same cloth. Papert believes that learning comes from the breakdown of how one learns. A teacher can stand in front of the class and explain how to solve a problem but without thinking about how a student truly learns and connects with a skill a student is not going to benefit from it. Papert (1993) found that "learning is an academic orphan," (p.82); which I couldn't agree more with. Teaching styles are broken down and explicitly taught, we think about the way we present information, we think about the art of teaching when in fact we need to be focusing on the different styles of learning. Papert believes that we need to teach to our kids interests which will then naturally incorporate life skills/ academics. I agree with Papert completely. My thinking when planning a lesson is how I can incorporate as much play, thinking and discussion into a lesson so that my students naturally discover the skill that I was trying to "teach" them.
While at Towson University in my undergraduate for Elementary Education and Special Education one class I vividly remember is a science based class on inquiry based teaching. I think inquiry based teaching goes hand in hand with what Papert is explaining, to a certain degree, but right now is not possible to use in every subject as of right now. There are so many rules, stipulations, deadlines, testing requirements, et cetera et cetera; that teachers do not get to fully dive into this mindset of how learners actually learn best. Papert (1993) mentions, "It is not using the rule that solves the problem; it is the thinking about the problem that fosters learning" (p. 87). What a beautiful quote for a teacher that does not have to worry about a pacing guide. Another pitfall to this theory is the support and guidance needed from not only administration but from the superintendent of schools. Teachers would need time to plan and professional development on this switch before fully engaging in this practice. I truly agree with Papert's way of thinking but I do believe that we are far from being able to reach our learners the way they could be reached best. |
Investigator VS Expert
Thinglink at Different Levels!
Here we are sitting in a fifth grade social studies classroom with one to one technology.
Topic of discussion: European Explorers!
Investigator at their finest:
Thinglink is an amazing tool that can be used at all ends of the technology spectrum. From novice to expert there is a thinglink for you!! For our investigators who are investigating the European Explorers we have a thinglink that is created by the educator to help guide them through their learning. This thinglink is a picture with links that bring it to life! The student gets to feel as though they are on the explorations along side of these explorers instead of reading about their adventures in a boring old book. The thinglink created by the teacher is a picture of a map with different routes. Each route has an icon that will link the student to photos, biographies, and even videos of each explorer. Here the investigator is engaged by the use of technology, specifically using thinglink. They are using this tool to acquire the information needed to learn about European Explorers, not only getting a sense for who they are but they are also looking at geography from their routes and learning about motivates for traveling. Thinking of the SAMR model, this technology use would be considered an enhancement. It is substituting for a textbook while also including augmentation because of the interactive/function piece.
Here we are sitting in a fifth grade social studies classroom with one to one technology.
Topic of discussion: European Explorers!
Investigator at their finest:
Thinglink is an amazing tool that can be used at all ends of the technology spectrum. From novice to expert there is a thinglink for you!! For our investigators who are investigating the European Explorers we have a thinglink that is created by the educator to help guide them through their learning. This thinglink is a picture with links that bring it to life! The student gets to feel as though they are on the explorations along side of these explorers instead of reading about their adventures in a boring old book. The thinglink created by the teacher is a picture of a map with different routes. Each route has an icon that will link the student to photos, biographies, and even videos of each explorer. Here the investigator is engaged by the use of technology, specifically using thinglink. They are using this tool to acquire the information needed to learn about European Explorers, not only getting a sense for who they are but they are also looking at geography from their routes and learning about motivates for traveling. Thinking of the SAMR model, this technology use would be considered an enhancement. It is substituting for a textbook while also including augmentation because of the interactive/function piece.
Expert Challenge:
My experts would be challenged with making their own thinglink to represent the European Explorers. They will have the background knowledge needed to know how to represent these explorers; including their motivations, routes, dates, etc. Students will think about how to display this information best. Do they use different voices to record themselves as different explorers? Do they include a timeline to show their knowledge of the different explorers? What images may represent their findings and/or challenges faced? This activity has endless possibilities for my expert students to express themselves while using geographic knowledge, knowledge of mathematics (i.e. timeline), connections between history timeline and the motivations of these explorers. Completing this activity is at the transformation stage of SAMR. Students now have the chance to complete their own research, create their own documents, and even record themselves which wouldn't be possible without the redefinition stage of SAMR. The expert level is challenging students to take the lead of the their learning and having teachers step back as the facilitators who help with guiding their learning.
My experts would be challenged with making their own thinglink to represent the European Explorers. They will have the background knowledge needed to know how to represent these explorers; including their motivations, routes, dates, etc. Students will think about how to display this information best. Do they use different voices to record themselves as different explorers? Do they include a timeline to show their knowledge of the different explorers? What images may represent their findings and/or challenges faced? This activity has endless possibilities for my expert students to express themselves while using geographic knowledge, knowledge of mathematics (i.e. timeline), connections between history timeline and the motivations of these explorers. Completing this activity is at the transformation stage of SAMR. Students now have the chance to complete their own research, create their own documents, and even record themselves which wouldn't be possible without the redefinition stage of SAMR. The expert level is challenging students to take the lead of the their learning and having teachers step back as the facilitators who help with guiding their learning.