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Week 9 Chapter Insights


Learning With Technology: A Constructivist Perspective


The final chapter gives us the summary of what has been covered in the textbook. We reflect on the constructivist use of technology and the implications of constructivism. There are implications for teachers with the issue of acceptance of the new model of learning. The implications for students are they must develop skill in articulating, reflecting upon and evaluating what they know.


The authors would like to take with us an number of rubrics for assessing student work. The assessment is balanced on a set of scales which consist of ratings that describe the different levels of performance than might be expected of the students’ projects. This textbook will be apart of my lesson plan development for assessing my students. Of course I will have their input when the rubrics are developed to make sure they are aware of the expectations of the assignments.


Learning By Reflecting: What Have We learned?

Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement


Chapter 11

Teaching Specific Types Of Knowledge


This chapter’s focus is on teaching the five specific types of knowledge. Those introduced and supported by research are vocabulary terms and phrases, details, organizing, ideas, skills and tactics, and process.


Beginning with the theory of vocabulary terms and phrases, systematic vocabulary development has been researched to be one of the most important forms of instruction in virtually every school and teachers are encouraged to use as interventions for low-achieving students. The authors have provided the following generalizations to guide instruction in vocabulary terms and phrases:


1. Students must encounter words in context more than once to learn them.
2. Instruction in new words enhances learning those words in context.
3. One of the best ways to learn a new word is to associate an image with it.
4. Direct vocabulary instruction works.
5. Direct instruction on words that are critical to new content produces the most powerful learning.


The authors also give a five-step sequential process for teachers to follow that allows for multiple exposure.


Step 1. Present students with a brief explanation or description of the new term or phrase.
Step 2. Present students with a nonlinguistic representation of the new term or phrase.
Step 3. Ask students to generate their own explanations or descriptions of the term or phrase.
Step 4. Ask students to create their own nonlinguistic representation of the tern or phrase.
Step 5. Periodically ask students to review the accuracy of their explanations and representations. >p>
The research and theory on knowledge for defining details has two generalizations for teachers to guide instruction.


1. Students should have systematic, multiple exposures to details.
2. Details are highly amenable to dramatic instruction.


Again the term multiple exposure is used. Children generally need six to twelve interactions with a new concept for retention. 2. Students should be provided opportunities to apply organizing ideas.


Chapter 12

Using the Nine Categories In Instructional Planning


The text has introduced the nine categories as identifying similarities and differences, summarizing and note taking, reinforcing effort and providing recognition, homework and practice, nonlinguistic representations, cooperative learning, setting objectives and providing feedback, generating and testing hypotheses, and questions, cues, and advance organizers. The authors have an example to follow for instructional planning. The steps include these categories with a systematic intent to combine all the strategies contained in this textbook, Classroom Instruction That Works.


It is recommended that at the beginning of a unit one includes the strategies for setting learning goals. During a unit one should include strategies for monitoring progress toward learning goals, for introducing new knowledge, and for practicing, reviewing, and applying knowledge. At the end of a unit, include strategies for helping students determine how well they have achieved their personal goals.


It is mentioned in this chapter that through the use of learning logs students are able to organize their work and turn the finished material into the teacher for perusal. Yet last but not least the teacher utilized audiotape assessments. The teacher is able listen to student entries through the use of technology, which of course this class has been focused upon.


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