A Budding Instructional Technology Specialist
eventually master them. This is the struggle of every young teacher, but it is also the struggle of every student and learner. We are presented with experiences and we learn by engaging those experiences and mastering them using the tools we have available, including prior knowledge and past experience. By connecting new experiences to old we can figure out how to deal with new situations and master new information, forming bonds that help us transform ourselves into the more sophisticated and intelligent people we hope to become.
It is the nature of the humna mind to try and make meaning out of the meaningless, which means using information you already possess to try and comprehend something that’s not understood. Building upon an existing base of knowledge and creating connections to reach higher levels of understanding is the cornerstone of being a learner at any age. According to Cooperstein and Kocevar-Weidinger (2003), “they (students) must compare and question, challenge and investigate, accept or discard old information and beliefs in order to progress.” It is imperative that a teacher at any level provides students with opportunities to grow and create within a framework that has been designed to guide them from what was previously learned to the desired outcomes. “To ensure requisite learning, we impose a direct structure – scaffolding or a supportive framework (Vygtosky, 1978) – which guides students through a series of small steps, carefully fit together, to the appropriate discoveries” (Cooperstein, Kocevar-Weidinger 2003).
The strongest connections are made when new information is easily related to existing information, and the shorter the bridge to new information the easier it is for students to connect between the two. If learning occurs within the connections, then it stands to reason that one of the most important skills for any teacher is the ability to gauge students’ current levels of knowledge and create instruction that bridges the gaps where they are the smallest. The issue that arises when trying to design instruction in this manner is the differences inherent in every individual learner.
References
Cooperstein, S., & Kocevar-Weidinger, E. (2004). Beyond active learning: A constructivist approach to learning. Reference Services Review, 32(2),
141-148. Retrieved November 8, 2014, from www.unc.edu/~bwilder/inls500/111beyondactivelearningWED.pdf&ei=ZMpkVKXyM8P-
yQSAg4KIDQ&usg=AFQjCNFyfrBgon_EowSmXmrPUBynEnNExA&\sig2=04KU3guN5sN0OaVbDmO4fw&bvm=bv.79189006,d.aWwcad=rja
Tomlinson, C. (1999). Mapping a Route Toward Differentiated Instruction. Educational Leadership, 57(1), 12-16. Retrieved November 8, 2014, from
http://www.palmbeachschools.org/imlms/documents/MappingaRouteToward_DI.pdf
Images used under Creative Commons Licence retrieved from:
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/images/3446.jpg
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The most difficult part of being a teacher comes when you first graduate from college; holding that crisp new diploma in your hand certifying that you’ve been prepared for anything the world of education has to throw at you. Then you’re hired, and before you realize what’s happening 30 students have plunked themselves down in front of you and you’re supposed to teach them. As the panic sets in you realize that no amount of theory, knowledge, or experience can prepare you for that moment when all the strings are cut and you’re on your own.
Yet somehow we manage, and eventually excel at the business of teaching. This happens because as human beings we adapt, adjusting our perceptions to handle new situations and
My Philosophy of Learning
Since learning is made from the connections students make between new information and old through their experiences with the content, every student will have a slightly different set of previous experiences that will cause them to make connections in vastly different ways. It is imperative that we not only design instruction to be manageable steps, but also differentiate those steps so that they can be adjusted to fit the style of learning that each student prefers. “To make differentiation work – in fact, to make teaching and learning work – teachers must develop an alternative approach to instructional planning beyond ‘covering the text’ or ‘activities that students will like’” (Tomlinson 1999).
Technology is the way to create this type of differentiation. Using technology gives teachers the ability to offer new information in many unique ways that allow students to interact with it on their own terms, access it in ways that best relate to their personal preferences, and build the strongest connections to their unique
schema. Through technology teachers are able to provide choice in content delivery, content creation, and assessment strategies. Multiple outcomes can still yield similar data, meaning every student can choose a separate path, yet still show the depth of their learning in comparable results. “The first step in making differentiation work is the hardest. In fact, the same first step is required to make all teaching and learning effective: We have to know where we want to end up before we start out—and plan to get there” (Tomlinson 1999). Understanding that the same information can exist in varied formats, and that multiple formats are better for different people because of their varied backgrounds is the key to developing a comprehensive plan of instruction for a diverse set of learners.
Differentiation is the key to guiding all students in making connections to their diversified background knowledge, and creating an environment that encourages differentiation through technology is a key component of that process. The ideal classroom would integrate technology throughout the room in order to facilitate the opportunities and methods of differentiation available to students. Integrated technology would include interactive screens where groups of students could work together on various pieces of a larger problem at the same time to discover solutions. There would be opportunities throughout the room for students to present the information they discovered, and guide other students through their unique solution in an interactive format. There would be enough technology available that every student would have a choice as to how they wanted to interact with the content being delivered, and whether they wanted to approach it in a collaborative manner, or individually master the concepts.
Technology is the ultimate collaborative tool, and by working together students will not only gain valuable social skills, but also learn through interacting. Sometimes the best link between background knowledge and new information is through another’s perception, and collaboration promotes these types of interactions. The ideal classroom would promote collaboration through technology. Not solely through online resources, but also working side-by-side with peers on the same screen to piece together all available information and develop a solution.
It would allow constant, consistent monitoring across the board of every interaction within a group, providing teachers with real-time feedback on what topics are being understood and which need further elaboration. Assessments could be an integral part of the learning experiences, and not just saved for a cumulative demonstration of memorized material at the end of a unit. With a complete history of every edit and change made over the course of a project, it is clear what work was done, by who, and how the work progressed throughout the course of the instruction.
Using technology to differentiate in order to create the best opportunities for students to draw cohesive connections between new information and prior knowledge is the best method for designing instruction. A classroom equipped with technology suited to promote constant collaborative opportunities and consistent monitoring of student work is a crucial part of the 21st century classroom. Even though every new teacher must grow and adapt to become exceptional educators through a trial-by-fire, the right technology can provide the scaffolding students need to make those connections, and build their knowledge up to far greater heights.