All of the instructional strategies of this week are interesting to me because this is definitely the way I learn myself. The idea of graphic organizers and note taking are all essential tools for all educators regardless of grade. Our school has been using Thinking Maps, which are essentially Concept Maps by a different name. It has been very beneficial and our test scores are showing that it is working. These correlate to the principles of cognitive learning theory because it gives the students a visual, concrete link and connections that enable them to transfer the information into long term memory. A great example of this is the idea of getting readers to make connections. We spend lots of time trying to get the students to make Text to Self, Text to Text and Text to World connections in order to more cement their learning or understanding of whatever text we are reading. It definitely works!
The tool I found the most interesting from the resources was the idea of virtual field trips. I use Google Earth a lot to go to places we are learning about that the students do not have knowledge of. In a sense, this is a virtual field trip in that it gives the student a concrete visual rather than some abstract idea. For instance when we read "The Mysterious Giant of Barletta,” I hop on the computer and we travel to Barletta, Spain via Google Earth. It gives them one more connection to make to the story. After reading the resources this week and watching how powerful the virtual field trip on the video was to Ford’s Theater, I discovered a website that did basically the same thing with Alcatraz Island:
http://www.nps.gov/history/museum/exhibits/alca/overview.html
I will use this when I read Al Capone Does My Shirts with my class. It is a story about a boy whose father is a guard on Alcatraz Island and his family lives on the island. To be able to virtually take them to the Island, tour the cells, mess hall and other areas of the island will make the connection so much stronger. In addition, this site even has audio clips of prisoners talking about how they would do time. One inmate describes closing his eyes and covering them real tight until he could teach his mind to make up movies on his eyelid screens. I think adding this to the unit will make Alcatraz Island during the same timeframe come alive for the students. I can’t wait to give it a try!
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I really enjoyed your post. I thought your points were well addressed and gave light to today's classroom. I think your point about having students make text to self, text to text and text to world connections is crucial. I think to often in our students lives they only make text to self or really anything to self connections. It is a challenge and one that I am glad you put out there.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree when you stated it was the way you learn. I think balance is the key with anything in life. Therefore there isn't any perfect panacea for education. The cognitive approach really addresses the mental capacity in that it gives students the organizational experience in their own way. Behaviorism tends to provide them with feedback within their environment and although it is also psychological, it is very different. Virtual field trips provide our students with an experience that is visual, and the experience tends to be embedded in their minds because they are experiencing it firsthand and they own it. They learn from it. I enjoyed your comments this week.
ReplyDeleteA vivid image is something that really sticks in the minds of anyone. That is why virtual field trips are such a good tool. I like your example of Alcatraz. You can describe it all day and even show still life pictures, but the moment you take the virtual tour, students can really "step inside" the building and see what it was really like. Good luck when you give it a try.
ReplyDeleteTonya,
ReplyDeleteI have also been trained to use "thinking maps." I think these maps truly give the students the visual image they need to retain the information that is learned. Do you know if there is any computer program for the "thinking maps" to use them on the SmartBoard? I have always drawn the maps on paper.
Jennifer Hicks MacDonald
Geat post --Your virtual field trips will bring your lessons to life in amazing ways that will spark the minds and memories of your students. Its tough to find virtual field trips to take that are more than links to web pages with lines and lines of text for students to read. (Not really the point of a virtual field trip) but I will take a hint from you and use google maps on my smartboard to "take" students to the place we are discussing in science class. For students who have never even flown on an airplane, these "trips" will feed their imaginations and fill in context. - Thanks
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