Module Response

 

Cognitive Views on Learning

Guided Discovery based on Jerome Bruner

In the discovery learning environment the students must be active.  They must identify the key principles.  The teachers present examples which the students work on until they discover the interrelationships.

In Bruner’s Guided Discovery learning environment the concept is introduced.  The children generate ideas for the concept and then experiment on them under the guidance of the teacher.  The children then share their findings.  The students should then continue to explore the material to extend their learning and foster Transfer.  This can be done for homework or in the classroom working alone, in pairs or in groups.

In using Bruner’s ideas of Guided Discovery for the concept of bullying I would first introduce the concept.  Then I would have the students come up with some ideas of bullying.  Then I would introduce a Webquest where they will:

There will be a resource page with websites to help them learn more about bullying and how to prevent and stop it from happening.  They will need to present their project to the class using some form of technology like a PowerPoint presentation or web 2.0 tools like ToonDoo or Voicethread.  This will give the students even more realistic examples that will help with the Transfer of their learning.  To add to the transfer and extend their learning I will have each student grade each group using a rubric to decide if the learning was understood and used correctly.    

Exposition Learning Environment by Ausubel

In this learning environment, teachers present the concepts, principles, and ideas in a complete and organized form.  They move from broad concepts to more specific concepts.  The concepts, principles, and ideas must be presented and understood, not discovered.  The students need to create organized relationships between ideas and make connections to prior knowledge for meaningful learning.  They need to apply the principles they are learning to solve a problem. 

In using Ausubel’s Expository learning environment for the concept of bullying I would start by introducing the concept in an organized form.  I would start with the broader concept of what bullying is and then become more specific by describing the different types of bullying to include physical, emotional, and the more recent type of cyber-bullying. 

We would then fill out a KWL chart together.  They will share what they already know about bullying and then what they want to know or learn about it.  This will help direct attention to what is important.  Next I would have the students fill out a survey on SurveyMonkey about their experiences with bullying.  This will get them thinking more about their prior knowledge of bullying. 

The next step would be to present more examples and information on bullying.  I would read some stories on bullying.  Stop Picking on Me – A First Look at Bullying by Pat Thomas is a non-fiction book that explains the problem of bullying to children, discussing why it happens, how it might make them feel, and how they can handle bullies.  Another book, Nobody Knew What to Do: A Story About Bullying by Becky McCain is a fictional story about bullies picking on a boy at school, and a classmate who is afraid but decides that he must do something. I would also share the notes included in this book regarding bullying prevention.  I would also look for video examples through YouTube or TeacherTube to share with the class.  Another thing that would work well is role playing.  The students can evaluate the role playing with a rubric.  This is a way to keep them active in their learning and to foster Transfer.  Transfer is successful when the students use what they learned to solve new problems in the role playing.  The students can use technology to present different ways to handle bullies.  They could use Web 2.0 tools, PowerPoint or Publisher.