Integrating Constructivist/Constructionist Learning with 21st Century Skills

As teachers today, we always saying we do not have enough time to get all of our instruction into the day. We are in need of teaching strategies that make the best use of our limited time, and give the student an authentic learning experience in which they can make connections to the real world. Using project based learning that incorporates technology skills is an effective way to accomplish goal. As we set our learning objective and students develop artifacts to show us they have synthesized the new knowledge, we are sure to have a higher level of student engagement if we use technology.

Many effective computer based projects can accomplish this goal. Power Points developed with a learning objective are exciting for students to build an artifact. They also give the student a chance to take ownership of the project and to make choices on how to best present the new knowledge. They can choose the image that fits their schema; they can include the music that connects to them cognitively. We can also incorporate other technologies like music downloading and CD burning. Have students create their own sound track to a book is a learning experience they give them a strong cognitive connect to the new assimilated material.

I know that learning is happening in my classroom when I am not teaching. By that I mean that I am spending my time wandering the classroom listening to the buzz of my students developing a project together that they will use to teach each other my learning objectives. Using technologies to achieve this is critical to build the bridge between what I teach plan them and what they actually learn.

Technology and Graphic Organizers

“Where do I start”, is often the in the mind and voice of a panic stricken learner who is in complete disequilibrium as new material is presented. The cognitive learning theory with the focus on processing information within a structured approach can be successfully support by combining new technologies with support of graphic organizers and concept maps. Teachers are able to combine students past learning with clues to new learning that will advance a students synthesizing of new learning. By effectively asking the right questions we are able to help student develop critical thinking skills, and providing the experience of organizing this new information with different types of organizers that target different learning styles. When you combine web based links you are able to support concepts with both video and audio, thus further bridging the new learning to prior knowledge.

Technology and Behaviorism

I teach 5th grade and have students in class each who are just starting to grasp the concept of personal effort equals results in the grade book. Up until 5th grade, much of our instruction is hands on with little independent work. I struggle a lot with instilling in some of my students that their effort in homework is vital to them learning and build for future success. I will highly recommend this course text, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, to each of my colleagues for their summer reading. It contains excellent strategies that combine technology with our goals of students working independently and learning to take personal responsibility for their effort.

The strategy of providing an Effort Rubric so students can begin to make these connections early is fantastic. We can start the first week of school by building a rubric with our students and having them have input on the rubric themselves. We can of course guide them in the right directions with their choice of categories and expectation levels. Using a Microsoft Excel program to track their individual progress is an excellent way to combine teaching 21st century skills while reinforcing the effort with earn you results message.

Clearly, our students today are digital learners, immersed in all things technology. As soon as the bell rings they reach for their iPods (I love the fact my spell check just told me that I spelled iPod wrong, without the capitol P), game stations, or cell phones. By embracing this and using multimedia in every area of our curriculum that we can, we are bring their word into the classroom and will a chance to be even more effective in meeting learning objectives. I get an entirely different reaction in class from students when a plan a unit review session with a game show on www.iknowthat.com, versus having them take out a sheet of paper to answer question on page 289 in the textbook. All students are engaged, participating, and interacting with the material.