Unit 2

After reviewing the four models presented in the group-based collaborative instruction and multimedia the key similarity between them has to be the dependence on a group for learning. More specifically, guided design, problem-based learning, and situated learning & cognitive apprenticeship all seem to be based on authentic learning experiences. Another important element that I saw while reviewing these theories is the role of the teacher and student. In all theories, I saw that the teacher takes the roll of the facilitator. They may create the groups and problem or situation. It is the instructor’s job to provided feedback as well. In some of the models, the teacher would comment on discussion boards, and in others, the teacher would provide feedback at the end of a project. They may give an “expert” opinion on the situation or even ask for students to go back and to think about another solution. Another similarity that I found between the four models was the reliance on one another in the group setting. Having the teacher define rolls can certainly help the group work better together. However, without each group member pulling their weight, it may be difficult for groups to succeed. The one exception to this is cooperative learning competitive. This is where group members compete against one another. In this case, you rely more on yourself than on your group members.

Initially, I was surprised at how similar guided design, problem-based learning, and situated learning & cognitive apprenticeship were. The one theory that seems a little bit different was the cooperative learning theory. I actually think that these theories have some weight to them. My assistant principal sent out an article to the staff that asked if as teachers we were creating students that were “makers.” Are we giving our students the tools to go out and do something? I think in most cases, the answer is no. We are creating students that can pass a standardized test and show growth, but we aren’t creating students that will be our future “doers.” These learning theories I believe can help created the makers and the doers. Giving students authentic and real world situations can really give students a deeper understanding of what they are learning. It isn’t enough to be able to tell what 100 divided by 8 is. Shouldn’t we be teaching our students to use that information in a real world setting? I think we should. I try to do this in my class on a daily basis. When teaching about percent I try to relate this to shopping for clothes, video games, and electronics, because that is what I know is important to 6^th graders. I think that one of the barriers to these learning theories is the time it takes to plan and supervise. I think that it is easier to plan a lecture than an authentic experience. Teachers would have to make groups, create the problem, make sure students had the correct prior knowledge, teach the students how to research, teach them how to work well in a group, and then supervise and provide feedback to each and every group in a timely and efficient fashion. This would be great in a class of 20, but what about in a class of 35 or even 100? I think one of the only ways to overcome this barrier would be to change the mindset of the higher ups in education.  We need to stop the “learn and regurgitate” method of testing. Until that happens, I don’t think that we will see a change in teaching. Another barrier that I see is the negative feelings that older students have towards group work. Personally, I like being responsible for my own work and my own grade. Group work has always made me nervous. I always feel that I am doing more than my fair share of work. I think that the way to overcome this is to have teacher defined roles for students. For example, when I used to teach language arts, we would have students rotate roles such as leader, illustrator, summarizer, question master, etc. This made sure that each student wasn’t always doing all of the work.

Since I teach 11 and 12 year olds, I think that the theory that I would most likely use is the cooperative learning theory. As a math teacher, I have so many great ideas, but with the amount of material I have to cover in such a short amount of time, group work tends to be minimal in my class. Once I teach a new concept, I tend to let my students choose to work with a partner, group, or individually. I think these activities could easily be turned into a cooperative learning experience. I can think of one instance in which I’ve used cooperative learning in the past year. During our geometry unit, we have to teach the rules of all three transformations (reflections, rotations, and translations). Instead of me just creating a PowerPoint, I give my students coordinate graphs, shapes, and activities. The students take their shapes and go through my directions (reflect the shape over the x-axis; translate 3 spaces up and one space left). Once they are finished with my directions they are then to work as a group to come up with a general “rule of thumb,” for each transformation. I think in the future if I more clearly define roles, this could be easily turned into a cooperative learning activity.

Since the four learning theories discussed in this unit and blog are all group related, I think that all of the tools that should be used must be tools that facilitate group work. I think that a great place to start should be a Google Doc, Wiki, or Google Site. These are all great tools because they allow many different people to edit. A Google doc even allows a place for group members to chat and work on the same document at the same time. I think that this would be great for a discussion board and/or note taking. Students could do their individual job and then collaborate on a Google doc. Another tool that I would think would work well for these theories is Elluminate. This tool allows students to not only use a text chat feature, but also allows students to actually talk to one another. Elluminate has the ability for one group member to actually share their screens with other group members. This could also be a great tool for groups to collaborate. In order for the instructor to interact with students, they could join an Elluminate session or leave comments on a Google doc/site or wiki as well.