Instruction Thru Constrution

     One of the first lessons I received as a teacher from my mentor during student teaching was that "you never know what you have learned until you have to teach it."  My mentor teacher was reminding me that I may have to go back and re-learn a thing or two before giving a lesson while simultaneously suggesting that when students present information to the class they have to learn it on a far deeper level then when they simply answer questions from the teacher.
     This week we read about a series of websites and ideas for using technology to achieve learning through a constructivists theory.  In essence, when students learn they have to either incorporate the new material into their world view or alter their world view to fit this new concept.  A number of the ideas appear to be have great possibilities for learning when applied to this method of thought.
     While reading the course text I could not stop myself from going to several of the websites to find out more about them than provided in the book, many for my personal entertainment more than professional gain.  (Unfortunately, as an 8th grade Civics teacher, there were not really any websites named that screamed, "You can use me next week!" in the text.)  www.history-making.com was one of those, I got sucked into the download and lost almost an hour of my life moving troops around France.  www.ciconline.org/windward and meted.ucar.edu/hurrican/strike/index.htm were two others that caught my eye, as a junior meteorologist, if only in my head.  All three of these websites allow for students to interact with the world in a realistic way.  They appear to be fun and educational at the same time.  By using strategies such as these we can "trick" students into learning and liking it.  The spreadsheet software applications discussed in the chapter also have great ways of allowing students to test out what they think they have learned to find out whether or not they have got it correctly.
     The basic ideas behind it are sound - if students can interact with the content and apply the content, they will have developed a better understanding of the material.  Constructing a PowerPoint is another example of this line of thought.  Students have to take the information they have learned, or find new information on a topic, and assimilate it into a presentation format.  It adds in pictures and potentially sound so add layers to the learning (going back to cognitive learning theory as well).

Concerning Cognitive Learning

     Simply put, cognitive learning is a theory that learning occurs when connections are made in the mind of a learner.  One remembers things by remembering and making these connections.  We may retain a lot of information, but we need to be able to make connections to that information for it to be used.  This reminds me of the commercials for a search engine on TV right now (I believe its for bing.com) where people start saying random phrases that have one thing that makes them tangentially related to what someone else said.
     All this makes sense when you think back to a time when you knew you knew something but could not quite come up with the answer until a hint was given - POW! instant reconnection of a memory. 
     I was intrigued by the part of this weeks video that talked about how an extra sense adds to the layer of connectivity such as smell.  There are certain smells (like dirty gasoline) that will always transport me back to another moment in time (to my grandfather's tractor shed).  This is cognitive learning.
     The technology resources we began to use last week have some interesting applications for the cognitive learning theorist.  bubbl.us and webspiration are similar methods for displaying graphically a map of connections.  A few months back I was introduced to www.prezi.com and have been enthralled with it ever since (now if I could just get a few hours to complete the two projects I began).  Virtual field trips like the one I am working on to the US Supreme Court at www.oyez.org/ further student understanding by adding a episodic memory contingency.
     Our previous discussion about learning have involved the theory that students need to see new material in multiple ways for it to make it into their long term memory.  Cognitive learning falls right in line with this - the more ways one sees something the more connections one makes, making it easier to remember.

To (Behavior) Mod or not to Mod, that is the Question

Teachers naturally modify behaviors on a constant level, anytime we tell a student to quiet down or tell a student good job on a test, we are modifying their behavior.  Just to what extent we are doing so is a question up for debate.
I believe there is a time and a place for behaviorism in today's classrooms. I think it is important that punishments be used only when necessary as they do tend to have a negative relationship towards learning. Rewards should be used to instill the desired behaviors.
My school has a monthly rewards program for our eighth graders. If I see a student doing something really nice, or going outside of his or her comfort zone for the benefit of someone else, I can recognize them with an award. At the end of the month, the students that have received awards get pizzas for lunch as opposed to the school cafeteria food. Some students will beg and plead to receive one, but I only will give one out if the student is not overtly aware that their actions could involve a reward. I feel rewards should be more instantaneous, but the program has seemed to work effectively thus far.
In the spring I coach Tennis. The basic methodology of coaching is as follows: 1) introduce a new skill 2) practice the skill 3) simulate the skill in a game like situation. I think this general idea works in the classroom as well as on the tennis court. Students need to practice a real life use of the new skill or content that is learned. I believe that with technology in particular, this is an effective strategy. Technology can make it easy to tailor-make learning at a student's difficulty level.
I think a blending of behavior modification with other strategies is important.  Kids will not respond the same way every time a reward/punishment is offered.  If done properly, a well-managed classroom incorporates behavior modification seamlessly and without being overtly noticeable.