The Cognitive Theory...think about it!

This week, the cognitive theory is in the forefront. I personally love the cognitive theory because it is the one after which I model my own learning. When I learn about a topic, I always try to fit it into my own network of thoughts. I ask myself how does this new information agree or disagree with what I already know. I try use the dual coding method mentioned in the DVD to help remember new or hard to remember item. I am a cognitivist.

So this week is much more enjoyable compared to the behaviorist ideas.

The instructional methods this week were great in my opinion. I have already thought of about 4 different lessons that I am going to change this upcoming year. The first tool is the concept mapping. I teach high school math so I am always trying to teach students about abstract concepts. This is hard to do with just words and notes. It is no wonder that students get lost in math do to the jargon, syntax, symbols and theory. Any method that would help students get a concrete image would be a great help in teaching math. This is why I am going to bring my students down to the computer lab for heavy note days and we are going to take them on concept mapping software so that they will have a better chance of staying active and actually understanding notes instead of just copying notes.

The virtual field trips also sound like a great idea. When I was playing around with the ones provided I saw a lot of valuable trips on many topics. The math applications were a little scarce, but I can see how a social studies teachers could use these on an endless amount of topics. These trips seem like they would be great for creating those "episodic memories" that our resources were so big on. I feel like some great long-lasting educational memories would be created using these field trips. Plus, when funds are low, it is a great way to get kids to the sources without breaking the bank.

The note taking strategies, summarizing strategies, and many other concepts in this weeks resources help teachers put the learning back into the students' hands. They make the students take an active part in the education. Students can't simply write down and hear information once. Instead, students have to analyze and summarize information as they learn it. This should help with retention and make long-lasting memories that students can always use.

Tyler