Chapter 8 - Student Centered, Constuctivist Instruction

Front 1

constructivist theories of learning

Back 1

says that learners must individually discover & tansform complex information checking new information against old rules & revising rules when they no longer work.

Front 2

cognitive apprenticeship

Back 2

process by which a learner gradually acquires expertise through interaction with an expert, either an adult or an older or more advanced peer.

Front 3

discovery learning

Back 3

a constuctivist approach to teaching in which students are encouraged to discover principles for themselves.

Front 4

self-regulated learners

Back 4

students who have knowledge of effective learning strategies & how & when to use them.

Front 5

mediated learning

Back 5

assisted learning; an approach in which the teacher guides instruction by means of scaffolding to help students master & internalize the skills that permit higher congitive functioning.

Front 6

cooperative learning

Back 6

instructional approaches in which students work in small mixed- ability groups

Front 7

Student Teams-Achievment Divisions (STAD)

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a cooperative learning method for mixed-ability groupings involving team recognition & group responsibility for individual learning.

Front 8

problem solving

Back 8

the application of knowledge & skills to achieve certain goals.

Front 9

means-ends analysis

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a problem-solving technique that encourages identifying the goal (ends) to be attained, the current situation what needs to be done (means) to reduce the difference btwn. the two conditions.

Front 10

instumental enrichment

Back 10

a thinking skills program in which students work thru a series of paper-and-pencil excercises that are designed to develop various intellectual abilities.

Front 11

critical thinking

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the ability to make rational decisions about what to do or what to believe

Front 12

What is the constuctivist view of learning?

Back 12

knowing is a process & learners must individually & actively discover & transform complex information to make it their own. Constuctivist approaches emphasize top-down processing, in which studens begin with complex problems or tasks & discover the basic knowledge & skills needed to solve the problems or perform the tasks. Constuctivist appraches also emphasize cooperative learning, question or inquiry strategies & other metacognitive skills.
Discovery learning & scaffolding are constuctivist leaning methods based on cognitive learning theories. Bruner's discovery learning highlights sudents' active self-learning, curiosity & creative problem solving. Scaffolding, based on Vygotsky's views, calls for teacher assistance to students at critical points in their learning.

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How is cooperative learning used in instruction?

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small groups of students work together to help one another learn. Cooperative learning groups are used in discovery learning, discussion & study for assessment. Cooperative learning programs such as Student Teams-Achievement Divisions (STAD) are successful because they reward both group & individual effort & improvment & because groups are responsible for the individual learning of each group member.

Front 14

How are problem-solving & thinking skills taught?

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through a series of steps, including, for example, means-ends analysis & problem representation. Creative problem solving requires incubation time, suspension of judgment, conducive climates, problem analysis, application of thinking skills & feedback. Thinking skills include, for example, planning, classifying, divergent thnking, identifying assumptions, identifying misleading information & generating questions. Thinking skills can be taught thru programs such as Instumental Enrichment; creating a culture of thinking in the classroom is another useful technique.

Front 15

reciprocal teaching

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a small-group teaching method based on principles of question generation; thru instruction & modeling, teachers foste metacognitive skills primarily to improve the reading performance of students who have poor comprehension

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Cooperative Integrated Reading & Composition (CIRC)

Back 16

a comprehensive program for teaching reading & writing in the upper elementary grades; students work in four-member cooperative learning teams.

Front 17

Jigsaw

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a cooperative learning model in which students are assigned to six-member teams to work on academic material that has been broken down into sections for each member.

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Learning Together

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a cooperative learning model in which students in four-or-five-member heterogeneous groups work together on assignments.

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Group Investigation

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a cooperative learning model in which students work in small groups using cooperative inquiry, group discussion & cooperative planning & projects & then make presentations to the whole class on their findings.

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cooperative scripting

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a study method in which students work in pairs & take turns orally summarizing sections of material to be learned.