After completing the readings for this unit, I think there are some obvious similarities between the models that are used. All four of the models in this unit incorporate a collaborative component. Students learn how to communicate and work with one another in some way, shape, or form. In the cooperative learning, PBL, and Guided Design Process models students are working in groups and define roles for each other. The division of work and holding each other accountable is a task that I feel all students need to be successful in the 21st Century. Although these models are similar, they also have a few differences as well. In Guided Design Practice, students work in groups to teach themselves and the teacher then guides students through open-ended style questions. In the PBL model students are required to solve the open-ended problems on their own but they are able to come up with more than one correct answer. The role of the teacher in the PBL model is to be more of a facilitator and ask probing questions that will force students to think deeper on a topic. The Cooperative Learning, students work together by assigning each other specific jobs to do. Students are also held accountable for the work of others. By doing this, the students aren’t just accountable for themselves but they must be concerned about their peers as well. By using this model, students learn how to accept differences of opinions and ideas and become more responsible. To me, the one outcast of the group from our readings is on Situated Cognition and Cognitive Apprenticeships. This model I think can be incorporated in all of the other previously mentioned models because it applies to real-life application. Students understand how math problems can be used in the real-world which is another skill important for the 21st Century, and one that is incorporated into these other modules.
My initial reaction to these modules was “Hmm, why don’t we do this more?” These models I think are used partially in many classrooms today but are missing pieces here or there. I feel a lot of teachers might combine different ideas from different models. As I continued reading week-by-week and looking over the available resources, I realized that even though these are great, they would also be hard to do for EVERY subject all day long in an elementary classroom. Ideal world, right? I wish I could incorporate all of these but the process of developing all of these ideas would be extremely time consuming. Even though the work would be time consuming, I think it would be better to start somewhere instead of nowhere. Maybe if I started small and worked my way up, I wouldn’t take so long at creating these ideas. These models are important because they teach students important skills that will help them be successful in the 21st Century. I am a teacher; I am supposed to prepare my students not hinder them. Using these models would be helpful in school because I think they would help build a classroom community. Students would learn how to work, and respect, one another and just talk even if they have varying opinions. Speaking from experience, this is something my students need a great deal of work on. Maybe including more and more of this work in my class would lessen the arguments and ugly word choices some of my students use with one another.
After making one of these models and seeing how it goes for this class, I think I would try this with my classes. My students currently do Webquests and research information on their own but sometimes they also work in groups on projects where they have specific roles as well. My students also already work on partner talk during reading so I feel like I have a little bit of a base foundation that I could work with to try one of these models with. Overall, I am not sure if I favor one model over another but I would probably integrate a few of them together. At the fifth grade level, some of my kids may get overwhelmed with the possibility of having more than one right answer choice, so I would probably have to give them a set question/answer model.
Creating a model on the Internet has become extremely easy due to all the readily available tools. Personally, I feel Blogs, Google docs, Moodles, Weebly and Skype are probably some of the most useful tools for collaboration on the web. Students could also use Voicethread, Prezzi, or a Screencast of some sort. Overall, there are endless possibilities that can be used for these models on the web.
Do you think certain methods would be more difficult to implement in your classroom?
ReplyDeleteYou have an interesting perspective coming from elementary school. These models seem to lend themselves more easily to older students, but I think that some of them could be used with elementary if it is presented at their level. Perhaps the approach would be more hands-on for younger learners? One friend of mine did a seminar with 6th graders and he taught them their roles, making it VERY concrete, and then walked them through the cooperative learning process with very concrete tasks. I think problem-solving could be really fun too for elementary school, since they typically enjoy "discovering" answers.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your comments, Heather. I agree with Karen that these models seem better suited for older students, but I wonder if they are difficult in any environment due to today's emphasis on testing, and preparing for tests. It seems that doesn't give much time for collaborative learning.
ReplyDeleteYour question, “Hmm, why don’t we do this more?”, was a great one! Given the strong research and the benefits collaboration provides, why aren’t these models more widespread in practice? I wonder if part of this is cultural, since our culture tends to foster independence and seems to put less value on collaborative efforts, as the reading described. Or maybe lack of use is related to the high risks involved…it seems very bold to revamp an entire curriculum to a collaborative approach, although the readings indicate this has been done successfully (e.g., PBL at some medical schools). On the classroom level, I wonder if shifting to a collaborative model is seen as too risky for the instructor. The instructor must give up a lot of control with these models. If the lesson is a flop, then valuable time is lost. Another question mark in my mind is individual assessment. Is it possible to assess individuals, is a group grade reflective of everyone’s performance or doesn’t the grade really matter? Anyway, given the benefits, it is hard to say why these models are not in more widespread use!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement on how it is possible to integrate multiple models or theories into one lesson or class. I have Middle School students and I feel like I am on the same page as you with my student becoming overwhelmed of the possibility that there are more than one answer choice that could be used for a "problem based model".
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you are excited about trying these in your own classroom! Don't get overwhelmed by all the possibilities, though. I think your idea to start small is great. If each semester you teach you develop an activity and incorporate it into the class, in a few years, you may have an activity like this to do every month!
ReplyDeleteOne of the issues I've run across with collaborative work is that students often want the instructor to tell them the right answer (or answers) and are not always interested in learning from the perspectives of their fellow students. I think this type of resistance from students is another reason why these approaches are not as popular as they could be.
Heather,
ReplyDeleteI never considered how hard it would be to incorporate these models in an elementary school classroom, but you are right. When I taught high school, I used these models a lot, especially to get the students to understand the principles of cause and effect. However, I still had students frustrated with the idea that there can be more than one way to solve a problem. I wonder if this has something to do with all the standardized testing we force upon students, and the notion that there has to be one answer?
I have read some examples of an elementary school classroom that was set up like a small town for the entire school year. You could maybe try it as a unit, but it meant the students had to solve the problems of their community by contacting real world professionals, establishing rules and making change etc. I can't remember everything, but it might be worth checking out.
ReplyDeleteWillis Isley