Metacognition
1)METACOGNITION consists of three basic elements:
Developing a plan of action
Maintaining/monitoring the plan
Evaluating the plan
Before - When you are developing the plan of action, ask yourself:
What in my prior knowledge will help me with this particular task?
In what direction do I want my thinking to take me?
What should I do first?
Why am I reading this selection?
How much time do I have to complete the task?
During - When you are maintaining/monitoring the plan of action, ask yourself:
How am I doing?
Am I on the right track?
How should I proceed?
What information is important to remember?
Should I move in a different direction?
Should I adjust the pace depending on the difficulty?
What do I need to do if I do not understand?
After - When you are evaluating the plan of action ask yourself:
How well did I do?
Did my particular course of thinking produce more or less than I had expected?
What could I have done differently?
How might I apply this line of thinking to other problems?
Do I need to go back through the task to fill in any "blanks" in my understanding?
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/learning/lr1metn.htm
2)
Concept Definitions
Compiled by Pang Chang, Rose Creswick, Baranda Fermin, and Ashley Yost
View Concept Map
Anchored Instruction
Definition: Anchored instruction is a problem-based approach to learning that develops knowledge that is useful and flexible but not inherent. Students actively develop schemata through meaningful learning by attaching new knowledge. Learning is conceptualized, meaning activities should be designed around an "anchor" which provided realistic and authentic settings.
Application: This approach can be used by teachers along with video technology or organized sites that take children on virtual tours to discovery-based learning through manipulation and questioning of the learning situation.
Sources
Woolfolk, A.E. (1998). Educational Psychology. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Anchored Instruction. www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/t/a/tak10/AI.html
Authentic Activity
Definition: Authentic activity connects to a real life problem and addresses situations that students encounter in the outside world. Instead of busy work or memorizing facts, they learn information that applies to situations they have and will encounter. Authentic activities are meaningful learning situations.
Application: Teachers can take students on field trips and incorporate problem-centered learning in the classroom. Teachers should incorporate situations from the students' environments in the classroom activities. Using a calculator to balance a checkbook or computer programs to design a make-believe bridge are two examples.
Source
Woolfolk, A.E. (1998). Educational Psychology. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Authentic Assessment
Definition: Assessment that assesses tasks that are applicable to real-life situations. It aims to assess a broad range of abilities. It also attempts to assess the process as well as the product and values the mental strategies used in accomplishing a task.
Application: Takes place in real life situations, and multistage demonstrations requiring a knowledge of "why" and "how." It is rich, multi-dimensional and has varied formats. An example would be a teacher requiring students to create a portfolio. Opportunities for self evaluation by learners is necessary. Types of authentic assessments are check-lists, rubrics, portfolios, student projects, observation, and self & peer evaluation and rating scales.
Sources
Woolfolk, A.E. (1998). Educational Psychology. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
What is Authentic Assessment? Houghton Mifflin Company, 197. www.eduplace.com/rdg/res/litass/auth.html
Media Attributes
Definition: Media attributes are aspects of a particular source of media that control their ability to handle certain instructional strategies and methods.
Applications: As an example, print can be used in a classroom to provide information that can be easily viewed on-line or otherwise. Students can engage in interactive activities via the Internet in order to gain different viewpoints on the same subject.
Source
Media Attributes. http://home.att.net/~arlington/mattrib.htm
Situated Learning and Cognition
Definition: Situated learning is the learning and knowledge that is obtained from certain situations. Generally the knowledge gained from the situation is not so much applicable in another situation. The knowledge in situated learning is knowledge gained over the history of the situation.
Application: This concept can be applied through activities that require students to use specific knowledge as tools in new situations.
Sources
Woolfolk, A.E. (1998). Educational Psychology. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Edwards, J. & Robyler, M.D. (2000) Integrating Educational Technology Into Teaching. Prentice-Hall, Inc: New Jersey.
Cooperative And Collaborative Learning
Definition: Cooperative and collaborative learning involves student groups where they work on a particular problem or assignment together. They are individually and collectively assessed. They are able to draw upon their schemata while working on subjects they find interesting.
Application: Teachers can challenge students through clearly worded explained assignments. The groups should be small to promote contribution from every member. For example, a group could perform a play or be involved in a jigsaw activity.
Sources
Woolfolk, A.E. (1998). Educational Psychology. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
What are Cooperative and Collaborative Learning? Concept to Classroom. http://www.thirteen.org/wnetschool/concept2class/month5/
Scaffolding
Definition: Regulating dialogue with children while maintaining the conversation just above the level where they can perform activities on their own. As children learn, teachers continue to support the child but give him or her increasing responsibility for the activity. This concept was dubbed "scaffolding" by Jeremy Bruner and his colleagues.
Application: Scaffolding is best accomplished in the collaborative classroom. Although it is possible to achieve it through one-on-one tutoring, this method has not been found to be ideal. Scaffolding is associated with Vygotsky and takes place when teachers place students in the zone of proximal development through classroom discussion.
Source
What is the Collaborative Classroom? http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/rpl_esys/collab.htm
Transfer
Definition: Transfer is the passing on of knowledge. It can be take place as children interact with the society surrounding them.
Application: The transfer of knowledge can be facilitated by teachers placing the students in disequilibrium through classroom discussions or group work. An optimal level of disequilibrium will create greater desire in the child to understand the world around him or her, and he or she will be more responsive to the transfer of facts, concepts and ideas.
Source
Marek, E.A. & Cavello, A. (1997). The Learning Cycle: Elementary School Science and Beyond. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
Self-Regulated Learning
Definition: According to Piaget, self regulated learning takes place in equilibrium when the student is not being pushed by an inward or outward force to assimilate new knowledge.
Application: The teacher, according to Piaget, should be aware of self regulated learning and should push students to go further. This goal can be accomplished through collaborative classrooms and group discussions. Piaget was also a vocal proponent of small groups.
Source
Marek, E.A. & Cavello, A. (1997). The Learning Cycle: Elementary School Science and Beyond. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
Multiple Perspectives
Definition: Problems are approached from more than one perspective using various analogies or a wide range of examples. Rather than showing students only one way to understand a concept, teachers should provide multiple views and techniques for a more thorough explanation.
Application: Teachers can show students more than one way to solve a problem, such as different approaches to multiplication or different ways to find research information. In reading, multiple strategies can be taught in order to broaden the students’ intellectual resources. Reviewing information in different contexts throughout the year can teach students multiple perspectives.
Source
Woolfolk, A.E. (1998). Educational Psychology. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Community of Learners
Definition: In a community of learners, the teacher(s) and students work together collaboratively and with purpose on real-world situations to create a particular learning environment. The class forms a family-like environment that allows students to increase interaction, form a deeper understanding of the material, and more responsibility over their own learning.
Application: The class needs a common goal or purpose to work towards. Activities that are collaborative in nature also promote a community of learners. Other applications can be open discussion, group work, and a class project where everybody plays a part.
Source
Tompkins, Gail.E. (1997). Literacy for the 21st Century. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
http://www.thecol.org/col.html
Distributed Intelligence
Definition: Each student has their own storage of knowledge, and can become experts in that particular area. Students with different knowledge can come together, each bringing something different, to solve the task.
Application: This can be done by the use of collaborative learning with small groups, peer tutoring, and jigsaw group activities. Also, students can solve problems as teams, each person contributing something different.
Source
Woolfolk, A.E. (1998). Educational Psychology. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Reciprocal Teaching
Definition: Reciprocal teaching is a method used to teach students strategies for improving reading comprehension. Teacher and students work in collaborative groups where the teacher models strategies for students; the strategies promote student discussion, which promotes reading comprehension. This method includes summarizing the reading content, asking a question about the main idea, clarifying difficult parts, and predicting what will happen next.
Application: Reciprocal teaching can be used improve reading comprehension for all texts. Reciprocal teaching leads students through questioning and making sense of readings. This strategy is effective for all levels of readers.
Sources
Woolfolk, A.E. (1998). Educational Psychology. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Berk, L.E. (2000). Child Development. 5th Ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Generative Learning
Definition: Generative Learning is a model of learning where students actively participate in constructing their knowledge and makes it meaningful by forming connections between concepts. With generative learning students build upon prior knowledge as well as construct new knowledge.
Application: Using Venn's diagram as an advanced organizer would be an application of generative learning. With Venn's diagram, students make connections by noting the differences and similarities in two or more ideas. Generative learning can also be applied to problem solving. Students refer to their prior knowledge of the information concerning the situation to generate a solution.
Sources
Generative Learning (Environments) http://www.aln.org/alnweb/magazine/issue1/sener/genlrng.htm
Generative Learning http://www.ed.psu.edu/nasa/genetxt.html
Problem-based Learning
Definition: Problem-based learning is an authentic task where students learn through experience with realistic problems/situations. The problems can have more that one solution. Problem based learning encourages students to think beyond mere mathematical computations.
Application: In mathematics education, problem-based learning can be used to make learning meaningful to students. Problem-based learning requires students to communicate and work in groups to find solutions.
Sources
Woolfolk, A.E. (1998). Educational Psychology. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Wheatley, G.H. (1999). Effective Learning Environments for Promising Elementary and Middle School Students. In L. Sheffield (Ed.), Developing Mathematically Promising Students (pp. 71-80). Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Metacognition
Definition: Metacognition is awareness of one's own thinking processes and how they work. It includes declarative knowledge about the learner, factors that influence the learner, and ways the learner can enhance the learning experience (i.e. skills, strategies, etc. that are needed to carry out the learning or activity).
Application: This knowledge can be used by both the teacher and student to help regulate students' thinking, learning and motivation. Metacognition is also an essential component of the reading comprehension process.
Source
Woolfolk, A.E. (1998). Educational Psychology. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Cognitive Apprenticeship
Definition: The relationship between an expert and a less experienced learner that results in the novice's acquisition of knowledge and skills under the the guidance of the expert.
Application: A pairing of this kind is a great way to ensure that group work is meaningful. It can be used in schools to motivate students with self-efficacy or focus issues to pay attention because they can be paired with a less experienced student and used as a tutor or study buddy.
Source
Woolfolk, A.E. (1998). Educational Psychology. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Substantive Conversation
Definition: Substantive conversation is conversation that may take place within a classroom that attempts or actually increases the understanding of the content of a subject.
Application: Substantive conversation is the type of conversation that should take place in order for student's learning to meaningful. Assessment of classroom discussions and group discussions work/discussion should be based at least partly on the level of substantive conversation that takes place.
Source
An Administrator's Eye View of Authentic Learning. Authentic Instruction Standards.
http://www.coe.missouri.edu/~vlib/David's.html
Disequilibrium
Disequilibrium: A component of Piaget's Theory. It is the state that occurs within a student when s/he realizes that their existing schema(s) are inadequate for the problem they are trying to solve or for understanding of new information presented.
Application: Teachers can use this state as a motivational tool. If used properly this mental state can peak curiosity and create flow within their students.
Source
Woolfolk, A.E. (1998). Educational Psychology. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Zone of Proximal Development
Definition: Component of Piaget's Theory. This is a phase/place in the learning process where students' can master a task or concept if given appropriate help and support.
Application: This is a great time to introduce JIGSAW groups, and various other types of collaborative learning. By helping the students help themselves during this phase it's a great opportunity to increase self-efficacy as well as skill and knowledge levels.
Source
Woolfolk, A.E. (1998). Educational Psychology. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
http://students.ou.edu/C/Pang.Chang-1/concepts.html