One of the great social theory approaches that we learned about in this weeks resources is the jigsaw strategy. This described by Dr. Orey and he states, that students learn about certain subjects and then they are able to teach them to the class. This helps the students to do their own research cooperatively and find a ways as a group to present to everyone else. I believe this is an effective way to use the social theory as long a the perameters are set by the teacher and each group follows them. According to Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, there are a few strategies that they talk about where blog sites and wikis are used and students can interact socially through the different technology (p. 150). they also said that when allowing studnets to work together they are allowed to share ideas to create better sites that would include more valid information compared to them creating their own. Blogs and wikis are a great technology tool that helps the students to strenghten the assignment as well as to furture the discussion topics.
Trenton
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Trenton,
ReplyDeleteYou are right! Whenever multiple people work on a problem, they are going to bring different perspectives to the table. For me, I tend to see patterns and relationships, and I work best at organizing ideas and data into a table or chart and analyzing it graphically. Someone else may be drawn to developing a unique way to display information, while someone else works best at researching a topic. When all of these qualities are brought together, each individual has been able to offer their best, while also learning through the expertise of others. It is the way real life is! We are not all experts at everything life throws at us, but we are experts at certain things that, when viewed as part of a larger group, is pretty amazing!
Great ideas!
Holly
The jigsaw puzzle approach is a great way to promote social interaction between the students and they will all have to listen to the other student in order to learn the necessary information. I use this as much as I can in my classroom because it holds each and every student accountable for the material.
ReplyDeleteIt is a great way to allow students to share ideas and thoughts. Promotes leadership among the students and can even create new friendships.
Hi Trenton, Good points showing the effectiveness of social learning theories. I also mentioned the importance of setting parameters between groups working collaboratively. What I could foresee happening is that students come too dependent on their peers or the use of technology. By setting parameters on the assignment, students will be more apt to divvy up the responsibilities and all will gain by completing the assignment. I fully support social learning theories and feel it is a critical way for students to gain understanding for the content being taught, but we do not want students to become dependent on it. We want them to seek their peers and technology as an extra resource not a clutch. Have you tried any of the strategies you suggested with your students? If so, how did the collaboration work?
ReplyDeleteTrenton,
ReplyDeleteJigsaw strategies are a great way to involve our students in social learning, but as you stated, the teacher needs to set effective parameters and make sure that each group follows them. I find that keeping students on task is the hardest part of this type of social learning, but the information learned through students teaching each other is worth the effort. Through the use of jigsaw projects, my students are able to better retain the information that they learned, as they are applying that information through teaching others.
Ross