Knowing how students learn is one aspect of
teaching but understanding how information is processed is another. Dr. Orey in our media resource stated that
“integrating multiple senses in presentations improves learning” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). As a teacher, our desired outcome is to have
the student process the information we present into their long term
memory. It has to go through a process
to get there and another process to recall it.
One way to present an engaging
learning experience is to conduct a virtual field trip. So many students lack the experience needed
to understand certain concepts. With budget
cuts and lack of resources for families to provide experiences, virtual field
trips is an effective way a teacher can bring the experience to the student
right in the classroom. Not only can you
bring the student to any place mentioned in your content but you can take them
beyond the typical place that it could be impossible to ever visit. Some examples are to the moon, under the
ocean, in a volcano or to other place you can imagine! The field trip features in our media resource
(Laureate Education,
Inc. Orey, 2011) not only took the students
to the theater where Lincoln was shot but also verified the information
presented in their text to the real thing.
Questions asked by the teacher made them think on a higher level by
making them come to conclusions based on what they learned and what they see on
the trip. The experience came alive to
them when they could make connections to the events and the people involved in
the historical event.
A unit of study that I am going to implement
a virtual trip will be the three branches of government. If students can make visual connections to the
three buildings in Washington, D.C. then I believe the information will make
the transformation into long term memory.
Dr. Orey explained Paivio’s Duel Coding Hypothesis (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011) as information being stored
as pictures and as text. With students
taking notes, perhaps outlining the information using a concept map, students
can connect the information with actual pictures and video. Using as many senses as possible to connect
information to meaning will help students not only store the information but
also be able to remember it and apply it to new knowledge and build concepts
and make new connections.
References
Laureate
Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program five: Cognitive learning theories
[Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology.
Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollge.com/ec/default.learn?coureid=5700267&cpurl=laureate.ecollege.com&survey=1&47=2594577&clientnodeid=984650&coursenau=0&bhcp=1 .
Laureate Education, Inc. Orey (2011). Program six: Spotlight on
technology: Virtual field trips [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved
from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1
Hi Deborah,
ReplyDeletevery nice post. You know I never had an idea about the virtual field that we can do in classes. It was a new information that I learned from the resources of this week. You cannot imagine how happy I am with this idea I am thinking of sharing it with all the teachers I have in school by sending an explanation about it and the link to the website by email to all my colleagues to use in their classes.
Great post! I agree that in order to have students understand information we have to make it meaningful to them. As students begin to use visual, auditory, and even kinesthetic ways of learning, those connections will be made. I love the idea of virtual fieldtrips. I found that as I took my fourth grade students to some of the natural wonders of the world, they were engaged and excited about learning. With your virtual field trip, you could also show video clips about the three branches of government by using United Streaming videos at http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/.
ReplyDeleteDeborah, You present a well thought out post. I concur with you (and Orey apparently) about the need to address all of the senses of a student if we want to engage them the most effectively. We have been pushing to meet the needs of diverse learners for some time. This concept seems to be looking at the window from the learners side rather than the curriculum side. Hopefully the two will meet and we will get smart students who actually enjoyed getting to that point. All of the talk about the virtual field trip had me thinking that there were resources dedicated to actually immersing the student in the "destination" as if they were actually there panning the horizon of some distant or inaccessible place. I have been a little disappointed that many resources that are touted as "field trips" are in essence simply web sites with information to be researched. I absolutely believe that they offer students access to some really good information and hopefully visuals but they are basically just a web quest with a different name and without a packed lunch or a bus trip. If we are going to "send" students to different places, personally I LOVE the Planet Earth and Blue Planet series. They offer incredible cinematography with exciting and intriguing scenes that is backed by sound science. My students are mesmerized when watching them and always react, respond and question what they are seeing and hearing. I personally have a tough time navigating through too many internet sites as I seem to not be able to leave enough "bread crumbs" for myself to get back to where I started. As a result I may not guide my students the most efficiently when it comes to developing an assignment or an assessment to accompany it.
ReplyDeleteYou are right on with the freedom and economics that the internet provides for your students. Your D.C. "field trip" would really help students to pull all of the pieces together and show them that government is not just a philosophy, it is actual people and buildings and places and events.
Thanks for the comments everyone! Diane, I too get lost in some of these sites or ask myself, "How is this considered a field trip?" Some are better than others. As long as it fulfills your purpose, then use it! Like Dr. Seuss says, "Oh, the places you'll go!"
ReplyDelete