Pedagogical+Practice+&+Theory

When I instruct students at a cognitive level, I change my teaching to be more constructivist and take an interpretive view on education. Marzano (2000) writes “Constructivism refers to the general principle that learners use their prior knowledge to construct a personally meaningful understanding of content that is the focus of learning” (Brown & Green, 2011). When I am teaching as a constructivist teacher, my instruction consists of peer-to-peer learning, hands-on activities, and student inquiries. In a constructivist classroom, students are provided the tools they need to learn through investigation, exploration, and development of their own ideas and strategies.

It is not necessary to incorporate all five facets into every lesson; however, our research shows that their use does have an overall positive impact on instruction. For that reason, the instructional example below specifically includes examples of using information-processing technologies as information banks, symbol pads, and task managers. Throughout the instructional example, constructivist techniques have also been used. Understanding theories of psychology and practice are a main ingredient when integrating technology into general instruction. Driscoll (1994) states that "complex learning environments that incorporate authentic activity" are essential in developing a meaningful learning experience for children of a “Nintendo generation.” Therefore, implementing pedagogical theories of constructivism with technology will enhance student understanding. Constructivists believe that incorporating real world problems into instruction can help students solve problems with higher complexity. Educators should make these environments more available.

Mobile learning is an instructional pedagogical means to transfer content knowledge through mobile devices such as tablets, phones, mp3 players, etc. As an educator teaching 21st century learners, we understand that these devices and technologies can create great opportunities to engage and motivate students of all learning styles and needs. Woodholme’s mission is to increase technology integration to promote critical thinking, problem solving, and innovation in students. As stated in NETP’s executive summary, in order to embrace these implementations, educators should be providing authentic learning environments and experiences which technology can do (National Technology Education Plan, 2010). Therefore, in an ideal world there is not much to argue about the success of mobile use integrated into instruction. The question is how are educators supposed to bridge the gap between equity opportunities and equity challenges for students of lower socio-economic status and cost barriers?

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References

Brown, A., & Green, T. G. (2010). The essentials of instructional design: Connecting fundamental principles with process and practice (2nd Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill 2 Prentice Hall.

Driscoll, M. P. (1994). Psychology of learning for instruction. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2010). Mobile learning as a catalyst for change. Open Learning, Vol.25, No.3, November 2010, 181-185

Marzano, R. J. (2000). The 20th century advances in instruction. In R.S. Brandt (Ed.) Education in a New Era (pp. 67-95). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology (2010). Transforming American education learning powered by technology. (Nov. 2010) []

<span style="font-family: &#39;Comic Sans MS&#39;,cursive; font-size: 90%;">Ralabate, Patricia K. (2011). Universal Design for Learning: Meeting the needs of all students. ASHA Leader, 16 (10). 14-17. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier (EBSCO) database.