Cooperative Learning is the major component in social learning. Our class explored the social learning theory with regards to how students learn. I believe that an effective, successful classroom is one where students are communicating with one another and they are actively engaged in their work. A quiet classroom, to me, is one that little learning is occurring. Yes, there is a time and place for students to work independently, such as silent reading or test taking. However, the majority of the time should be spent questioning, analyzing, and talking with peers. Students are able to build upon key social skills that they will need by involving themselves in small or large group discussions.
The authors of our class book, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, discuss the idea of cooperative learning. They noted, “When students work in cooperative groups, they make sense of, or construct meaning for, new knowledge by interacting with others” (2007, p. 139). Students need to be able to work together to solve problems. Most jobs of today involve communicating and working together to come to a consensus or generate new ideas. One idea that I hope to take from the authors is web site creation. Allowing students to work cooperatively in small groups to create a website based on a project or idea will allow them to learn to express themselves in a positive, sharing environment.
Resource:
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD
I love that idea. My first quarter of college had us work in a group to examine anything we wanted and then create a website that shared our findings/thoughts on the subject. We had one class that specifically taught us HTML code and gave us a cheat sheet so we could work with our groups later on. I agree that an absolutely quiet class is probably not learning. I only insist on silence in my room when they are taking a test or engaged in silent reading. There should be moments of silence throughout the day though when we are being good listeners as someone takes a turn sharing thoughts on a subject. The rest of the time I expect it to be quiet, not silent so that everyone can hear the ideas shared in their area of the classroom and not have our noise level grow exponentially as someone tries to talk over the noise of someone else. We also share a folding wall with a first grade room, so we can't get too loud or we disrupt their instruction. Quiet to me means that I can raise my voice just a little above a normal speaking voice and the entire class can hear me. This means that if there is an announcement over the loudspeaker that everyone can hear it start and immediately stop talking so we can hear what is being said.
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of students creating a website. What better project that to create a website for the classroom. I think that would be an excellent idea.
ReplyDeleteKira Gresham