Transcript Power Point

The Learning Sciences
and Constructivism
Chapter 9
Educational Psychology, 11th Edition
ISBN 0137144547
© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
The Learning Sciences
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What are the learning sciences?
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Fields that study learning:
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Psychology
Anthropology
Sociology
Computer science
Neuroscience
Philosophy
Educational Psychology, 11th Edition
Anita Woolfolk
0137144547
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© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
The Learning Sciences
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Basic Assumptions:
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Experts have deep conceptual knowledge.
Learning comes from the learner.
Schools must create effective learning
environments.
Prior knowledge is key.
Reflection is necessary to develop deep
conceptual knowledge.
Educational Psychology, 11th Edition
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© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
The Learning Sciences
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Neuroscience
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Learning leads to changes in brain
structure and function.
Type of instruction can influence the
part of the brain used by an activity.
Scientists can follow brain activity during
stimulation using an fMRI.
Educational Psychology, 11th Edition
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© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
MRI
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The original Magnetic Resonance Image
(MRI) could provide only limited
information about physiological changes in
the brain.
A PET (positron emission
tomography) scan provides more
information than an MRI.
Educational Psychology, 11th Edition
Anita Woolfolk
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© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
Constructivism
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Two central ideas of constructivism:
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Learners are active in constructing their
own knowledge.
Social interactions are important in this
knowledge construction process.
Educational Psychology, 11th Edition
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© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
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Constructivism
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The learner is key to the knowledge-building
process (active construction vs. passive
reception)
How do Piagetian and Vygotskian models fit
with constructivism?
How can we be certain learners construct the
‘right’ information and arrive at the ‘correct’
conclusions?
Educational Psychology, 11th Edition
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© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
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Cognitive and Social Constructivism
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Cognitive constructivism:
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Individuals build develop cognitive and
emotional functionality.
Social constructivism:
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Social environs, cultural tools and other
group-based phenomena impact the
cognitive and emotional functionality.
Educational Psychology, 11th Edition
Anita Woolfolk
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© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
Constructionism
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Social Constructionism:
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Concerned with ways social information
is passed on through cultural
mechanisms.
Suggests things only acquire meaning
based upon cultural context.
Questions what education should
include, and ways information may be
culturally biased.
Educational Psychology, 11th Edition
Anita Woolfolk
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© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
Constructivist Teaching
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Social negotiation
 Collaborate with more experienced
experts.
 Articulate and defend problem solving
strategies.
 Build shared meaning among members of
a group.
Educational Psychology, 11th Edition
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Constructivist Teaching
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Inquiry-Based Learning
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Follow a scientific procedure to find an
answer to a problem.
Problem-Based Learning
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Students identify a problem and seek to
solve it given the restrictions of the
classroom and resources.
Educational Psychology, 11th Edition
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© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
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Constructivist Teaching
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Cognitive Apprenticeship
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Students work with an expert to learn the
skills and approaches experts use.
Helps students develop a thorough
understanding of ways to think about and
approach tasks.
Educational Psychology, 11th Edition
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Constructivist Teaching
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Reciprocal Teaching
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Students teach each other and critique each
others’ understanding of new material
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Social Processes in Learning
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Influences on Students
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Peers
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According to Steinberg …
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About 40% of students are not engaged learners
About 90% of students have copied someone else’s
homework
About 66% of students have cheated on a test
Educational Psychology, 11th Edition
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© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
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Social Processes in Learning
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Influences on Students
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Students DO NOT want to be considered “too smart”
Children tend to select like-minded peers as friends in
elementary school
There appear to exist cultural differences in value of
learning (or there are differences in the ways in which
value is expressed …)
Educational Psychology, 11th Edition
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Social Processes in Learning
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Influences on Students (cont.)
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Parents and Teachers
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Play a significant role in the absence of
peers
Involved parents play a role in students’
desire to avoid high-risk behavior and
Parents and teachers who are supportive
often have students who are more
motivated to learn
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Collaboration & Cooperation
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Students learn more than just what’s in the
curricula!
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Collaboration: philosophy about how to deal with people
that respects differences, shares authority and develops
everyone’s knowledge
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Collaboration & Cooperation
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Cooperation: working together towards a common
goal
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Cooperative learning: mixed-ability groups of
students collaborate and are rewarded based upon
collective achievement
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© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
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Collaboration & Cooperation
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Common problems with cooperative
learning
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Process over Purpose
Group Think
Socializing over Problem-Solving
Dependency on “brain” in group
Social Loafing
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Types of Cooperation
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Reciprocal questioning
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Scripted cooperation
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Students ask and answer each others’ questions
after expert (teacher or other) presents a lesson
Students pair to summarize material and critique
each others’ summaries
Jigsaw
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Students each receive a piece of a “puzzle” to
interpret and then teach everyone else in the
group
Educational Psychology, 11th Edition
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Classroom Community
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Three C’s of Safe Communities
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Example Conflict
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Peer harassment
Example Solution
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Cooperative community, constructive conflict
resolution, civic values
Peer mediation
Civic Values
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How should students relate to others in their
communities? What are their rights?
Responsibilities?
Educational Psychology, 11th Edition
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Learning in a Digital World
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Digital Divide
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Home computers appear to be positively
correlated with math and science
achievement.
Students who have computer experience
tend to come from higher SES
backgrounds.
Educational Psychology, 11th Edition
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© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
Diversity

Constructivism expects diversity; it
accounts for individual differences in
knowledge construction
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All Rights Reserved.