MODELS OF TEACHING METHODS

COMPILED BY Tushti Sharma

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page no.

INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………. 2

OVERVIEW OF THE TEACHING MODELS …………………………… 3

DESCRIBING THE MODELS ……………………………………………... 5

THE INDUCTIVE THINKING MODEL…………………………………… 8

THE CONCEPT ATTAINMENT MODEL ……………………………….. 15

ADVANCE ORGANIZERS MODEL ………………………………………… 20

ROLE PLAYING MODEL ………………………………………………….. 26

CYBERNETIC’S MODEL …………………………………………………… 33

CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY …………………………………………….` 38

BIBLIOGRAPHY . …………………………………………….……………… 45

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INTRODUCTION

Approaches are learning theories which will be applied when delivering subject

matter. Methods are a set of teachers’ systemic action to reach learning objectives

in a limited time frame; it includes procedures based on approaches. Techniques

are the manipulation of the method to optimize learning, for example, exercises in

class pertaining to a subject matter. A teacher, therefore, is free to construct a

teaching method based on an approach. The relationship between approaches,

methods and techniques delivers model. Models will explicate teaching methods

and strategies, which are in turn based on teaching approaches (Kamaruddin,

1993).

Teaching models prescribe tested steps and procedures to effectively generate

desired outcomes. The number of emerging models and the ones that have

emerged is uncountable. Each emerging new model either explores a new

approach or attempts a modification of the conventional ones as to cater the

uniqueness of individuals. Most importantly, any teaching model should optimize

learning experiences to the needs of each learner by carefully exploring the

learning problems and offering tailored assistance.

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OVERVIEW OF THE TEACHING MODELS

(1) INDUCTIVE THINKING

The ability to create concepts is generally regarded as one of the basic thinking

skills. The model presented here is from the work of Hilda Taba names for

concepts; and to explore ways of becoming more skillful at discovering and

organizing information and at creating and testing hypotheses describing

relationships among sets of data. The model has been used in a wide variety of

curriculum areas and with students of all ages.

(2) CONCEPT ATTAINMENT

This model, built around the studies of thinking conducted by Bruner, Goodnow,

and Austin (1967). It is designed to help students learn concepts for organizing

information and to help them become more effective at learning concepts. It

includes an efficient method for presenting organized information from a wide

range of areas of study to students of every stage of development.

(3) ADVANCE ORGANIZERS

During the last twenty years this model, formulated by David Ausubel (1963), has

become one of the most researched in the information-processing family. It is

designed to provide students with a cognitive structure for comprehending

material presented through lectures, readings, and other media. It has been

employed with almost every conceivable content and with students of every age. It

can be easily combined with other models-for example, when presentations are

mixed with inductive activity.

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(4) ROLE PLAYING

Designed by Fannie and George Shaftel (1984) specifically to help students study

their social values and reflect on them, role playing also helps students collect and

organize information about social issues, develop empathy with others, and

attempt to improve their social skills. The model asks students to "act out"

conflicts, to learn to take the roles of others, and to observe social behavior. With

appropriate adaptation, role playing can be used with students of all ages.

(5) CYBERNETICS

Two approaches to training have been developed from the cybernetic group of

behavior theorists. One is a theory-to-practice model and the other is

simulation. The former mixes information about a skill with demonstrations,

practice, feedback, and coaching until the skill is mastered. For example, if an

arithmetic skill is the objective, it is explained and demonstrated, practice is given

with corrective feedback, and the student is asked to apply it with coaching from

peers or the instructor. Simulations are constructed from descriptions of real-life

situations. A less-than-real-life environment is created for the instructional station.

Sometimes the renditions are quite elaborate (for example, flight and space flight

simulators). The student engages in activity to achieve the goal of the simulation

(to get the aircraft off the ground, or to redevelop an urban area), and has to deal

with realistic factors until the goal is mastered.

(6) CONSTRUCTIVIST MODEL

Bruner's constructivist theory is based upon the study of cognition. A major theme

in this theory is that "learning is an active process in which learners construct new

ideas or concepts based upon their current/past knowledge" (Kearsely 1994b).

Cognitive structures are used to provide meaning and organization to experiences

and allows the individual to go beyond the information given.

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DESCRIBING THE MODELS

Each model has of four concepts: syntax, social system, principles of reaction, and

support system. These descriptions are the operational heart of each model: They

tell us what activities should occur and, when appropriate, in what sequence. The

four concepts used to describe the operations of the model itself (syntax, social

system, principles of reaction, and support system) as a way of communicating the

basic procedures involved in implementing any instructional model.

SYNTAX

The syntax or phasing of the model describes the model in action-for example,

as we use it. How do we begin? What would happen next? We describe syntax in

terms of sequences of activities we call phases; each model has a distinct flow of

phases. For example, one model begins with a presentation to the learner of a

concept called an advance organizer, which the leader presents to the student

verbally, in either written oral form. In the second phase, data are presented to the

learner. He or she reads them, watches a film, or is exposed to the data in some

other way. This phase is followed by another in which the learner is helped to

relate the material to the organizing concept.

In a different model, the first phase of a typical activity includes data collection by

the student. The second phase involves organization of the data under concepts

the student forms himself or herself, and the third, a comparison of the concepts

developed with those developed by other people. As shown in Table 1, these two

models have very different structures or sets of phases, even though the same

type of concept might emerge from both models, and they were in fact designed

for somewhat different purposes. The first was designed to encourage mastery of

material, and the second, to teach students inductive thinking processes.

Comparing the phasing of the two models in Table 1 reveals the practical

differences between them. An inductive strategy has different activities and a

different sequence than a deductive one.

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THE SOCIAL SYSTEM

The social system describes student and teacher roles and relationships and the

kind of norms that are encouraged. The leadership roles of the teacher vary

greatly from model to model. In some models the teacher is a reflector or a

facilitator of group activity, in others a counselor of individuals, and in others a

taskmaster. In some models the teacher is the center of activity, the source of

information, and the organizer and pacer of the situation (high structure). Some

models distribute activity equally between teacher and student (moderate

structure), whereas others place the student at the center, encouraging a great

deal of social and intellectual independence (low structure). One way to describe a

model of teaching, then, is in terms of the degree of structure in the learning

environment. As roles, relationships, norms, and activities become less externally

imposed and more within the students' control, the social system becomes less

structured. As we see, some models are inherently more structured than others.

However, the structure of all models can be varied greatly to adapt to the skill

personality of the students.

PRINCIPLES OF REACTION

Principles of reaction tell the teacher how to regard the learner and how

to respond to what the learner does. In some models the teacher overtly tries to

shape behavior by rewarding certain student activities and maintaining a neutral

stance toward others. In other models, such as those designed to develop

Table 1   Phasing In Two Models    PHASE ONE PHASE TWO PHASE THREE   MODEL 1 Presentation of concept Presentation of data Relating data to   MODEL 2 Presentation of data Development of Identification and  categories by naming of concepts      students  

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creativity, the teacher tries to maintain a non-evaluative, equal stance so that the

learner becomes self-directing. Principles of reaction provide the teacher with rules

of thumb by which to tune in to the student and select model-appropriate

responses to what the student does.

SUPPORT SYSTEM

This concept is to describe not the model itself so much as the supporting

conditions necessary for its existence. What are the additional requirements of the

model beyond the usual human skills and capacities and technical facilities? For

example, the laboratory model may require a trained leader; the Nondirective

Model may require an exceedingly patient, supportive personality. Suppose a

model postulates that students should teach themselves, and that the roles of

teachers should be limited to consultation and facilitation. What support is

necessary? Certainly a classroom filled only with textbooks would be limiting and

prescriptive. Rather, support in the form of books, films, self-instructional systems,

and travel arrangements are necessary, or the model will be empty. A few

examples of the use of the model are given-usually in classroom settings. The

examples are not exhaustive, but are selected to make real some of the

possibilities.

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THE INDUCTIVE THINKING MODEL

Inductive reasoning is a branch of logic. In a valid inductive argument, the

conclusion is believed to be true on the basis of modifying, rejecting and accepting

hypotheses. One of the influential constructivist’s curriculum developers, Hilda

Taba, believes that students make generalizations only after data are organized

and exemplified (Hannah, n.d.). She believes that students can be led toward

making generalizations through concept development and concept attainment

strategies, and describes generalizing hypothesis actively as a higher order of

thinking. Hilda Taba (in Hannah, n.d.) further utilizes three main assumptions in

developing her teaching model.

1.Thinking can be taught.

2.Thinking is an active transaction between the individual and data.

3.Processes of thought evolve by a sequence that is “lawful.”

In short, the inductive teaching strategies are powerful tools that can be utilized

and manipulated by teachers in their classes. Since these models cover contents

that range from concept, relationship between concepts to organized bodies of

knowledge, these teaching strategies can be used in pure sciences, social sciences

and even art classes. It focuses on developing students’ self-constructive of the

understanding, critical thinking and active participation in class as well as

teacher’s role as an active guidance.

The focal point of this model is the emphasis on learners’ active involvement in the

classroom activities and learners’ development of critical thinking. One of the

strategies to develop such environment is the utilization of real examples that

represent the content of the lesson plan. Students, then, have to hypothesize on

the theory based on the presented examples. The effectiveness of this model

depends on the active role of the teacher in assisting students to process and

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hypothesize the information from the examples and the active role of learners to

develop their critical thinking.

1. CONTENT TYPE

The focus of the Inductive Model is to assist students to build deep understanding

of specific topics or ideas. These specific topics as promoted by the model can be

categorized as follows:

Adopted from Eggen & Kauchak (1996).

1.2 Concepts

Concepts are classes or categories of ideas with common characteristics. Concepts

can be found in various areas of studies, such as language, social sciences, science

and mathematics. As such, the Inductive Model can be utilized in art classes as

well as science classes, as long as the content of the lesson focuses on concepts.

An essential characteristic of concepts is its defining features. Concepts are also

best described through its characteristics, related concepts, examples and

definition. Therefore, the teacher should ensure that the examples provided

contain essential characteristics of the concept; and the success of the lesson

depends on how students are able to identify the characteristics in the examples

(Eggen & Kauchak, 1996; Newby, 2003). Examples of concepts are adjective,

direct object and protagonist in language arts, and democracy and social norm in

social sciences.

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Concepts Relationships among Concepts

Principles Generalizations

Content Types

Academic Rule

1.3 Relationships among Concepts

To understand or form ideas about concepts, we can also generalize its common

characteristics. This is because concepts possess common patterns among its

characteristics, which we tend to generalize. The broad patterns can be

categorized as principles, generalizations, and academic rules (Eggen & Kauchak,

1996).

a) Principles

A principle of a concept is any relationship among concepts that can be

accepted as true or valid for all known cases. Principles are mostly found in the

sciences. Examples of principles are:

• Change is inevitable.

• Like magnetic poles repel and unlike poles attract.

• The greater the unbalanced force on an object, the greater its

acceleration.

b) Generalizations

Generalizations of a concept are relationships between concepts that

describe patterns that have exceptions. Examples of generalizations are:

• People immigrate for economic reasons.

• A diet high in saturated fat raises a person’s cholesterol level.

• Teachers increase achievement by calling on all students equally.

c) Academic Rules

Academic rules are relationships between concepts arbitrarily derived by

people. Examples of academic rules are:

• A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number and gender.

• In English, an adjective precedes the noun it modifies.

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• In rounding off a number, if the last digit is 5 or more, you round up,

and if it is 4 or less, you round down.

2.TABA’S THREE TEACHING STRATEGIES

Taba identifies three inductive thinking tasks and then develops three teaching

strategies to induce those tasks. Each task represents a stage in the inductive

thinking process as Taba describes it.

The first is concept formation (the basic teaching strategy),

the second is interpretation of data, and

the third is the application of principles.

Concept formation

This stage involves

(1) identifying and enumerating the data that are relevant to a problem;

(2) grouping those items according to some basis of similarity; and

(3) developing categories and labels for the groups.

To engage students in each of these activities, Taba invented teaching moves in

the form of questions. These eliciting questions are matched to particular types of

activities. For example, the question, "What did you see?" might induce the

student to enumerate a list. The question, "What belongs together?" is likely to

cause people to group those things that have been listed. The question, "What

would we call these groups?" would be likely to induce people to develop labels or

categories

Interpretation of data

Taba's second teaching strategy (inter- pretation of data) is built around the

mental operations she refers to as inter-preting, inferring, and generalizing

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Application of principles

The third cognitive task around which Taba builds a teaching strategy is that of

applying principles to explain new phenomena. This strategy follows the first two; a

unit or course would lead the students from concept-formation activities to

activities requiring interpretation of data, and then to activities requiring

application of principles. At each stage, students would be required to expand their

capacities to handle information, first developing new concepts, then developing

new ways of applying established principles in new situations.

The first phase of the strategy requires students to predict consequences, explain

unfamiliar data, or hypothesize. We might continue our previous example by

asking students, "How would it change the picture if the value of currency were

based on iron ore?" Or the teacher might change the emphasis by asking students

for various hypotheses about things that might stabilize the international monetary

situation as exemplified by the currencies of the three countries.

In the second phase, students attempt to explain or support the predictions or

hypotheses. For example, if someone feels that a fixed currency rate for all

countries should be established and held for a long time, he or she would attempt

to explain why he or she thought this system would work, and how he or she

thought it would fare with such factors as the relative prosperities or production

ratios within the countries.

In the third phase, students verify these predictions or identify conditions that

would verify the predictions.

3. THE MODEL OF TEACHING

SYNTAX

These three teaching strategies strongly resemble each other. Each is built around

a mental operation: concept formation, interpretation of data, application

of principles or ideas. Thus, the sequence of activities forms the syntax of the

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teaching strategies and is presumably accompanied by underlying mental

processes. In each case, the teacher moves the strategy along by means of

eliciting questions to guide the student from one phase of activity into the next, at

the appropriate time. In the case of concept formation strategy, for example, the

grouping of data would be premature if the data had not been identified and

enumerated. But to delay too long before moving to the next phase would be to

lose opportunities and interest.

SOCIAL SYSTEM

In all three strategies, the atmosphere of the classroom is cooperative, with a good

deal of pupil activity. Since the teacher is generally the initiator of phases, and the

sequence of the activities is determined in advance, he or she begins in a

controlling, though cooperative, position. However, as the students learn the

strategies, they assume greater control.

PRINCIPLES OF REACTION

Taba provides the teacher with rather clear guidelines for reacting and responding

within each phase. In matching the eliciting questions or moves to the specific

cognitive tasks within each strategy, the teacher must be sure that the cognitive

tasks occur in optimum order, and also at the right time. As mentioned earlier, the

teacher should not direct a grouping question to a person who has not yet

enumerated or listed, and if the teacher is working with a large group, he or she

must be sure that the enumeration and listing activity is completed and

understood by all before proceeding to the grouping questions. The most

prominent moves by the teachers are questions, and the eliciting questions are

modeled after the cognitive functions. The teacher's primary mental task in the

course of the strategies is to monitor how students are processing information, and

then to use appropriate eliciting questions. The important task for the teacher is to

sense the students' readiness for new experience and new cognitive activity with

which to assimilate and use those experiences.

SUPPORT SYSTEM

These strategies can be used in any curricular area that has large amounts of raw

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data that need to be organized. For example, in studying the economic aspects of

various nations, students would need large quantities of data about the economics

of those countries and statistics about world affairs. Then the teacher's iob would

be to help them process the data in increasingly complex ways, and at the same

time to increase the general capacities of their systems for processing data.

Summary Chart Table: Inductlve Thlnking Model

SYNTAX

Strategy Three: Application of Principles

Phase Seven: Predicting consequences, explaining unfamiliar phenomena, hypothesizing

Phase Eight: Explaining and/or supporting the predictions and hypotheses Phase Nine: Verifying the prediction

SOCIAL SYSTEMThe model has high to moderate structure. It is cooperative, but the teacher is initiatorand controller of activities.

PRINCIPLES OF REACTIONTeacher matches eliciting questions to students' level of cognitive actlvity, determinesstudents' readiness.

SUPPORT SYSTEMStudents need raw data to organize and analyze.

Strategy Two:

Interpretation of Data

Phase Four : Identifying critical relationships

Phase Five: Exploring relationships

Phase Six: Making inferences

Strategy One:

Concept Formation

Phase One: Enumeration and listing

Phase Two: Grouping

Phase Three: Labeling, categorizing

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THE CONCEPT ATTAINMENT MODEL

This model is closely linked to the Inductive Model. The Concept Attainment Model

also suggests that learners construct their own comprehension of the lesson. This

model is designed to help students reinforce their understanding of concepts and

practice hypothesis testing. However, if Inductive Model solely rely on the positive

examples that represent the concept, this model utilizes both the examples and

non-examples to illustrate the concepts. Since hypothesis testing is particularly

common to describe scientific method; therefore, it is useful in the sciences. This

model is designed to lead students to a concept by asking them to compare and

contrast examples (called exemplars) that contain the characteristics (called

attributes) of the concept with examples that do not contain those attributes.

1. ELEMENTS OF CONCEPTS

A concept has four elements:

(1) A name;

(2) Examples;

(3) Attributes (essential and nonessential); and

(4) Attribute values.

Understanding a concept means knowing all of its elements.

The name is the term given to a category. Fruit, dog, government, ghetto are all

names given to a class of experiences, objects, configurations, or processes.

Although the items commonly grouped together in a single category may differ

from one another in certain respects (dogs, for example, vary greatly), the

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common features cause them to be referred to by the same general term. Often

we teach ideas that students already know intuitively without knowing the name

itself. For instance, young children often put pictures of fruit together for the

reason that they are "all things you can eat." They are using one characteristic to

describe the concept instead of the name or label. If students know a concept,

however, they can easily learn the name for it, and their verbal expressions will be

more articulate.

The second element, examples, refers to instances of the concept. Part of

knowing a concept is recognizing positive instances of it and also distinguishing

closely related but negative examples. The positive exemplars have something in

common in the work they do in the sentence. The negative exemplars do different

work.

The third and fourth elements of a concept are attributes and attribute value.

Essential attributes are the common features or characteristics that cause us to

place examples in the same category. Exemplars contain nonessential attributes

as well. Although in the supermarket we often see a sign with the price per pound

beside each type of fruit, we know that this sign does not play a role in

distinguishing fruit from other foods or objects. We can refer to cost as a

nonessential attribute of fruit as it appears in the market. Most concepts have

attributes that are often associated with them, but are not essential to them

(women's tennis socks, for example, frequently have tassels). Again, part of

knowing a concept is distinguishing its essential attributes from its nonessential

ones.

2. THE MODEL OF TEACHING

SYNTAX

Phase one involves presenting data to the learner. Each unit of data is a separate

example or non example of the concept. The units are presented in pairs. The data

may be events, people, objects, stories, pictures, or any other discriminable units.

The learners are informed that there is one idea that all the positive examples

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have in common; their task is to develop a hypothesis about the nature of the

concept. The instances are presented in a prearranged order and are labeled "yes"

or "no." Learners are asked to compare and justify the attributes of the different

examples. (The teacher or students may want to maintain a record of the

attributes.) Finally, they are asked to name their concepts and state the rules or

definitions of the concepts according to their essential attributes. (Their

hypotheses are not confirmed until the next phase; students may not know the

names of some concepts but the names can be provided hen the concepts are

confirmed.)

In phase two, the students test their attainment of the concept, first by correctly

identifying additional unlabeled examples of the concept and then by generating

their own examples. After this the teacher (and students) confirm or disconfirm

their original hypotheses, revising their choice of concepts or attributes as

necessary.

In phase three, students begin to analyze the strategies by which they attain

concepts. As we have indicated, some learners initially try broad constructs and

gradually narrow the field; others begin with more discrete constructs. The

learners can describe their patterns: whether they focused on attributes or

concepts, whether they did so one at a time or several at once, and what

happened when their hypotheses were not confirmed.

The phases of the Concept Attainment Model are outlined in Table

Summary Table : Syntax of the Concept Attainment Model

PHASE ONE: PHASE TWO:PRESENTATION OF DATA AND TESTING ATTAINMENT OF

IDENTIFICATION OF CONCEPT THE CONCEPTTeacher presents labeled examples Students Identify additionalStudent's compare attributes in positive and unlabeled examples as yes or no.negative examples. Teacher confirms hypothesesStudents generate and test hypotheses names concept, and restatesStudents state a definition according to the Definitions according to

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essential attributes. essential attributes.

  Students generate examples

PHASE THREE:

ANALYSIS OF THINKING STRATEGIES

Students describe thoughts.

Students discuss role of hypotheses and

attributes.

Students discuss type and number of

hypotheses.

SOCIAL SYSTEM

Prior to teaching with the Concept Attainment Model, the teacher chooses the

concept, selects and organizes the material into positive and negative examples,

and sequences the examples. Most instructional materials, especially textbooks,

are not designed in a way that corresponds to the nature of concept learning as

described by educational psychologists. In most cases teachers will have to

prepare examples, extract ideas and materials from texts and other sources, and

design them in such a way that the attributes are clear and that there are, indeed,

both positive and negative examples of the concept. When using the Concept

Attainment Model, the teacher acts as a recorder, keeping track of the hypotheses

(concepts)as they are mentioned and of the attributes. The teacher also supplies

additional examples as needed. The three major functions of the teacher during

concept-attainment activity are to record, prompt (cue), and present additional

data. In the initial stages of concept attainment, it is helpful for the examples to be

very structured. However, cooperative learning procedures can also be used

successfully .

PRINCIPLES OF REACTION

During the flow of the lesson the teacher needs to be supportive of the students'

hypotheses-emphasizing, however, that they are hypothetical in nature-and to

create a dialogue in which students test their hypotheses against each others'. In

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the later phases of the model, the teacher must turn the students' attention

toward analysis of their concepts and their thinking strategies, again being very

supportive. The teacher should encourage analysis of the merits of various

strategies rather than attempt to seek the one best strategy for all people in all

situations.

SUPPORT SYSTEM

Concept attainment lessons require that positive and negative exemplars be

presented to the students. It should be stressed that the students' job in concept

attainment is not to invent new concepts, but to attain the ones need to be known

beforehand and the attributes visible. When students are presented with an

example, they describe its characteristics (attributes), which can then be recorded

that have previously been selected by the teacher. Hence, the data sources

Summary Table : The Concept Attainment Model

SOCIAL SYSTEM

The model has moderate structure. Teacher controls action, but it may develop Into freedialogue within phase. Student interaction encouraged. Relatively structured withstudents assuming more initiative for inductive process as they gain more experiencewith the model (other Concept Attainment Models are ower In structure).

PRINCIPLES OF REACTION

1. Give support but emphasize hypothetical nature of discussion.2. Help students balance one hypothesis against another.3. Focus attention on specific features of examples.4. Assist students In discussing and evaluating their thinking strategies.

SUPPORT SYSTEM

Support consists of carefully selected and organized materials and data in the form ofdiscrete units to serve as examples. As students become more sophisticated, they canshare in making data units, just as in phase two they generate examples 

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ADVANCE ORGANIZERS MODEL

David Ausubel is an unusual educational theorist. First, he directly addresses the

goal of learning subject matter. Second, he advocates the improvement of

presentational methods of teaching (lectures and reading) at a time when other

educational theorists and social critics are challenging the validity of these

methods and finding fault with the "passiveness" of expository learning. In contrast

to those who advocate discovery methods of teaching, "open education," and

experience-based learning, Ausubel stands unabashedly for the mastery of

academic material.

Ausubel is also one of the few educational psychologists to address himself

simultaneously to learning, teaching, and curriculum. His theory of meaningful

verbal learning deals with three concerns:

(1) How knowledge (curriculum content) is organized;

(2) How the mind works to process new information (learning); and

(3) How teachers can apply these ideas about curriculum and learning when they

present new material to students (instruction).

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Meaningful learning is intellectually linked to what we have learned previously. We

must be able to transform this new knowledge and to apply it creatively in novel

situations. Rote learning, in contrast, typically lacks conceptual and critical

approaches to the information we acquire. It usually does not prepare us to

transform this knowledge or to apply it in new contexts. Furthermore, material

learned by rote is highly subject to forgetting. According to Ausubel, whether or

not material is meaningful depends on the learner and on the material not on the

method of presentation. A meaningful learning set implies that the learner must be

ready to comprehend and relate what is being presented, rather than to memorize

it verbatim.

THE MODEL OF TEACHING

The model of teaching developed here is based on Ausubel's ideas about subject

matter, cognitive structure, active reception learning, and advance organizers.

SYNTAX

The Advance Organizer Model has three phases of activity.

Phase one is the presentation of the advance organizer,

Phase two is the presentation of the learning task or learning material, &

Phase three is the strengthening of cognitive organization. Phase three tests the

relationship of the learning material to existing ideas to bring about an active

learning process.

A summary of the syntax appears in Table.

The activities are designed to increase the clarity and stability of the new learning

material so that fewer ideas are lost, confused with one another, or left vague. The

students should operate on the material as they receive it by relating the new

learning material to personal experience and to their existing cognitive structure,

and by taking a critical stance toward knowledge.

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Phase one consists of three activities:

clarifying the aims of the lesson,

presenting the advance organizer, and

prompting awareness of relevant knowledge.

Clarifying the aims of the lesson is one way to obtain students' attention and to

orient them to their learning goals, both of which are necessary to facilitate

meaningful learning. (Clarifying aims is also useful to the teacher in planning a

lesson.) As mentioned earlier, the organizer is not just a brief, simple statement; it

is an idea in itself and, like the learning material, must be explored intellectually. It

must also be distinguished from introductory comments, which are useful to the

lesson but are not advance organizers. For instance, when we teach, many of us

begin our instruction by asking students to recall what we did last week or last

year or by telling them what we are going to do tomorrow. In this way, we give

them a context or orientation for our presentation. None of the just described

techniques are advance organizers. However, all of them are part of a well-

organized presentation, and some of them reflect principles that are central to

Ausubel's theory of meaningful verbal learning and are part of the model of

teaching.

The actual organizer, however, is built around the major concepts and/or

propositions of a discipline or area of study.

First, the organizer has to be constructed so that the learner can perceive it for

what it is-an idea distinct from and more inclusive than the material in the learning

task itself. The chief feature of an organizer is thus that it is at a higher level of

abstraction and generality than the learning material itself. This higher level of

abstraction is what distinguishes organizers from introductory overviews, which

are written (or spoken) at the same level of abstraction as the learning material

because they are, in fact, previews of the learning material.

Second, whether the organizer is expository or comparative, the essentia1

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features of the concept or proposition must be pointed out and carefully explained.

(Definitional statements do not always point out the essential features of the term

being defined.) Thus, the teacher and students must explore the organizer as well

as the learning task. To us, this means citing the essential features, explaining

them, and providing examples. The presentation of an organizer need not be

lengthy, but it must be perceived (the learner must be aware of it), clearly

understood, and continually related to the material it is organizing. This means the

learner must already be familiar with the language and ideas in the organizer.

Finally, to develop an integrative cognitive structure, it is especially important to

prompt awareness of the learner's prior knowledge and experiences that might be

relevant to this learning task and organizer.

Following the presentation of the advance organizer in phase one, phase two

presents the learning material (learning task) in the form of lectures, discussions,

films, experiments, or reading. Two procedures are important here. The first is to

maintain students' attention. Another task is to make the organization of the

learning material explicit to the students so that they have an overall sense of

direction. Related to this is the need to make the logical order of the material

explicit throughout the presentation so that students can see how the ideas relate

to each other. The purpose of phase three is to anchor the new learning material in

the student's existing cognitive structure-that is, to strengthen the student's

cognitive organization.

Ausubel identifies four activities:

(1) Promoting integrative reconciliation;

(2) Promoting active reception learning;

(3) Eliciting a critical approach to subject matter; and

(4) Clarification.

23

There are several ways to facilitate reconciliation of the new material with the

existing cognitive structure. The teacher can:

(1) Remind students of the ideas (the larger picture);

(2) Ask for a summary of the major attributes of the new learning material;

(3) Repeat precise definitions;

(4) Ask for differences between aspects of the material; and

(5) Ask students to describe how the learning material supports the concept or

proposition that is being used as a subsumer.

Active learning can be promoted by:

(1) Asking students to describe how the new material relates to a single aspect of

their existing knowledge;

(2) Asking students for additional examples of the concept or propositions in the

learning material;

(3) Asking students to verbalize the essence of the material, using their own

terminology and frame of reference;

(4) Asking students to examine the material from alternative points of view; and

(5) Relating the material to contradictory material, experience, or knowledge.

SOCIAL SYSTEM

In this model the teacher retains control of the intellectual structure, as it is

continually necessary to relate the learning material to the organizers and to help

students differentiate new material from previously learned material. In phase

three, however, the learning situation is ideally much more interactive, with

students initiating many questions and comments. The successful acquisition of

the material will depend on the learners' desire to integrate it with prior

knowledge, on their critical faculties, and on the teacher's presentation and

organization of the material.

PRINCIPLES OF REACTION

The teacher's solicited or unsolicited responses to the learners' reactions will be

24

guided by the purpose of clarifying the meaning of the new learning material

differentiating it from and reconciling it with existing knowledge making it

personally relevant to the students, and helping to promote a critical approach to

knowledge. Ideally, students will initiate their own questions in response to their

own drives for meaning.

SUPPORT SYSTEM

Well-organized material is the critical support requirement of this model. The

effectiveness of the advance organizer depends on an integral and appropriate

relationship between the conceptual organizer and the content. This model

provides guidelines for building (or reorganizing) instructional materials.

Summary Chart: Advance Organizer Model

SYNTAX

Phase One:Presentation of Advance OrganizerClarify aims of the lesson.Present organizer: Identify defining attributes. Give examples. Provide context. Repeat.Prompt awareness of learner's relevant knowledge and

25

experience.

Phase Two:Presentation of Learning Task or MaterialPresent material.Malntaln attention.Make organization explicit.Make logical order of learning material explicit.

Phase Three:Strengthening Cognitive OrganizationUse principles of integrative reconciliation.Promote active reception learning.Elicit critical approach to subject matter.Clarify

ROLE PLAYING MODEL

In role playing, students explore human-relations problems by enacting problem

situations and then discussing the enactments. Together, students can explore

feelings, attitudes, values, and problem-solving strategies. Several individuals have

experimented with role playing, and their treatments of the strategy are

remarkably similar. This version was formulated by Fannie and George Shaftel

(1967).

Role playing as a model of teaching has roots in both the personal and social

dimensions of education. It attempts to help individual’s find personal meaning

within their social worlds and to resolve personal dilemmas with the work together

in analyzing social situations, especially interpersonal problems, and in developing

decent and democratic ways of coping with these situations. Role playing is placed

in the social family of models because the social group plays such an indispensable

26

part in human development and because of the unique opportunity that role

playing offers for resolving interpersonal and social dilemmas.

On its simplest level, role playing is dealing with problems through action; a

problem is delineated, acted out, and discussed. Some students are role players;

others observe. A person puts himself or herself in the position of another person

and then tries to interact with others who are also playing roles. As empathy,

sympathy, anger, and affection are all generated during the interaction, role

playing, if done well, becomes a part of life. This emotional content, as well as the

words and the actions, become part of the later analysis. When the acting out is

finished, even the observers are involved enough to want to know why each

person reached his or her decision, what the sources of resistance were, and

whether there were other ways this situation could have been approached. The

essence of role playing is the involvement of participants and observers in a real

problem situation and the desire for resolution and understanding that this

involvement engenders.

The role playing process provides a live sample of human behavior that serves as a

vehicle for students to:

(1) Explore their feelings;

(2) Gain insights into their attitudes, values, and perceptions;

(3) Develop their problem-solving skills and attitudes; and

(4) Explore subject matter in varied ways.

The Shaftel’s version of role playing emphasizes the intellectual content as much

as the emotional content; analysis and discussion of the enactment are as

important as the role playing itself. We, as educators, are concerned that students

recognize and understand their feelings and see how their feelings influence their

behavior.

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THE MODEL OF TEACHING

SYNTAX

The benefits of role playing depend on the quality of the enactment and especially

on the analysis that follows. They depend also on the students' perceptions of the

role as similar to real-life situations.

The Shaftel’s suggest that the role playing activity consist of nine steps:

(1) Warm up the group;

(2) Select participants;

(3) Set the stage;

(4) Prepare observers;

(5) Enact;

(6) Discuss and evaluate;

(7) Re-enact;

(8) Discuss and evaluate; and

(9) Share experiences and generalize.

Each of these steps or phases has a specific purpose that contributes to the

richness and focus of the learning activity. Together, they ensure that a line of

thinking is pursued throughout the complex of activities, that students are

prepared in their roles that goals for the role play are identified, and that the

discussion afterwards is not simply a collection of diffuse reactions, though these

are important too.

In Phase one,

WARM UP THE GROUP, involves introducing students to a problem so that they

recognize it as an area with which everyone needs to learn to deal. The warm-up

can begin for example, by identifying a problem within the group. The second part

of the warm up is to express the problem vividly through examples. These may

28

come from student descriptions of imaginary or real situations that express the

problem, or from situations selected by the teacher and illustrated by a film,

television show, or problem story. The last part of the warm up is to ask questions

that make the children think about and predict the outcome of the story.

In Phase two,

SELECT PARTICIPANTS, the children and the teacher describe the various

characters-what they are like, how they feel, and what they might do. The children

are then asked to volunteer to role play; they may even ask to play a particular

role. The Shaftel’s caution us against assigning a role to a child who has been

suggested for it, because the person making the suggestion may be stereotyping

the child or putting him or her in an awkward situation. A person must want to play

a role.

In Phase three,

SET THE STAGE, the role players outline the scene but do not prepare any

specific dialogue. They simply sketch the setting and perhaps one person's line of

action. The teacher may help set the stage by asking the students a few simple

questions about where the enactment is taking place, what it is like, and so on.

In Phase four,

PREPARE THE OBSERVERS, it is important that the observers become actively

involved so that the entire group experiences the enactment and can later analyze

the play. The Shaftel’s suggest that the teacher involve observers in the role play

by assigning them tasks, such as evaluating the realism of the role playing,

commenting on the effectiveness and the sequences of the role players' behavior,

and defining the feelings and ways of thinking of the persons being portrayed. The

observers should determine what the role players are trying to accomplish, what

actions the role players took that were helpful or not helpful, and what alternative

experiences might have been enacted. Or they can watch one particular role to

define the feelings of that person. The observers should understand that there will

29

be more than one enactment in most cases, and if they would have acted out a

certain role in a different way, they may have a chance to do so.

At Phase five,

ENACT, the players assume the roles and "live" the situation spontaneously,

responding realistically to one another. The role playing is not expected to be a

smooth dramatization, nor is it expected that each role player will always know

how to respond. This uncertainty is part of life, as well as part of feeling the role. A

person may have a general idea of what to say or do but not be able to enact it

when the time comes. The action now depends on the children and emerges

according to what happens in the situation. This is why the preparatory steps are

so important.

In Phase six,

DISCUSS AND EVALUATE, if the problem is an important one than the

participants and the observers are intellectually and emotionally involved, then the

discussion will probably begin spontaneously. At first, the discussion may focus on

different interpretations of the portrayal and on disagreements over how the roles

should have been carried out. More important, however, are the consequences of

the action and the motivations of the actors.

In Phase seven,

RE-ENACT, the re-enactment may take place many times. The students and the

teacher can share new interpretations of roles and decide whether new individuals

should play them. The activity alternates between discussion and acting. As much

as possible, the new enactments should explore new possibilities for causes and

effects. In the discussion that follows the second enactment, phase eight, discuss

and evaluate, students are willing to accept the solution, but the teacher pushes

for a realistic solution by asking whether they think this ending could really

happen.

30

In Phase eight,

DISCUSS AND EVALUATE (as in phase six)

Phase nine,

SHARE EXPERIENCES AND GENERALIZE, should not be expected to result

immediately in generalizations about the human-relations aspects of the situation.

Such generalizations require much experience. The teacher should, however,

attempt to shape the discussion so that the children, perhaps after long experience

with the role playing strategy, begin to generalize about approaches to problem

situations and the consequences of those approaches. The more adequate the

shaping of the discussion, the more general will be the conclusions reached, and

the closer the children will come to hypothetical principles of action they can use in

their own lives.

THE SOCIAL SYSTEM

The social system in this model is moderately structured. Teachers are

responsible, at least initially, for starting the phases and guiding students through

the activities within each phase; however, the particular content of

the discussions and enactments is determined largely by the students. The

teachers' questions and comments should encourage free and honest expression

of ideas and feelings. Teachers must establish equality and trust between

themselves and their students. They can do this by accepting all suggestions as

legitimate and making no value judgments. In this way, they simply reflect the

children's feelings or attitudes. Even though teachers are chiefly reflective and

supportive, they assume direction as well. They often select the problem to be

explored, lead the discussion, choose the actors, make decisions about when the

enactments are to be done, help design the enactments, and most significant,

decide what to probe for and what suggestions to explore. In essence, the teachers

shape the exploration of behavior by the types of questions they ask and, through

questioning,

establish the focus.

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PRlNClPLES OF REACTION

We have identified five principles of reaction that are important to this model.

First, teachers should accept student responses and suggestions, especially their

opinions and feelings, in a non evaluative manner.

Second, teachers should respond in such a way that they help the students explore

various sides of the problem situation, recognizing and contrasting alternative

points of view.

Third, by reflecting, paraphrasing and summarizing responses the teacher

increases students' awareness of their own views and feelings

THE SUPPORT SYSTEM

The materials for role playing are minimal but important. The major curricular tool

is the problem situation. However, it is sometimes helpful to construct briefing

sheets for each role. These sheets describe the role or the character's feelings.

Occasionally, we also develop forms for the observers that tell them what to look

for and give them a place to write it down. Films, novels, and short stories make

excellent sources for problem situations.

Problem stories or outlines of problem situations are also useful. Problem stories,

as their name implies, are short narratives that describe the setting,

circumstances, actions, and dialogue of a situation. One or more of the characters

faces a dilemma in which a choice must be made oran action taken. The story ends

unresolved. Many resource materials now commercially available include stories or

problem stories whose endings can be omitted or changed. Books by the Shaftels

and by Chesler and Fox each contain a section of problem stories.

Summary Chart: Role Playing Model

SYNTAXPhase One: Phase Six:Warm Up the group Discuss and Evaluateidentify or Introduce problem. Review action of role play (events, positions, realism).Make problem explicit. Discuss major focus.Interpret problem story, explore Issues. Develop next enactment.Explain role playing.

Phase Seven:Phase Two: Reenact

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Select Participants Play revised roles; suggest next steps or behavioral alternatives.Analyze roles.Select role players. Phase Eight:

Discuss and EvaluatePhase Three: (As in phase six)Set the StageSet line of action. Phase Nine:Restate roles. Share Experiences end GeneralizeGet inside problem situation. Relate problem situation to real experience and current problems,

Explore general principles ol behavior.Phase FourPrepare the Observersdecide what to look for.Assign observation tasks,

Phase Five:EnactBegin role play.Maintain role playBreak role play.  

SOCIAL SYSTEMThe model is moderately structured. The teacher is responsible for initiating the phases and guiding students through the activities within each phase.The particular content of the discussions and enactments is determined largely by the students.

PRINCIPLES OF REACTIONAccept all student responses In a non-evaluative manner.Help students explore various sides of the problem situation and compare alternative views.increase students' awareness of their own views and feelings by reflecting, paraphrasing, and summarizing their responses.Use the concept of role, and emphasize that there are different ways to play a role.Emphasize that there are alternative ways to resolve a problem.

SUPPORT SYSTEMRole playing is an experience based model and requires minimal support material out-side of the initial problem situation.

LEARN THROUGH SIMULATION - CYBERNETIC’S PRINCIPLES

Simulations have been used increasingly in education over the last thirty

years, but the Simulation Model did not originate within the field of education.

Rather, it is an application of the principles of cybernetics, a branch of

psychology. Cybernetic psychologists, making an analogy between humans and

machines, conceptualize the learner as a self-regulating feedback system. As a

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discipline, cybernetic’ “has been described as the comparative study of the human

(or biological) control mechanism, and electromechanical systems such as

computers ” (Smith and Smith, 1969, p. 202). The central focus is the apparent

similarity between the feedback control mechanisms of electromechanical systems

and human systems. "A feedback control system incorporates three primary

functions: it generates movement of the system toward a target or defined path; it

compares the effects of this action with the true path and detects error; and it

utilizes this error signal to redirect the system (Smith and Smith, 1969, p. 203).

The cybernetic psychologist interprets the human being as a control system that

generates a course of action and then redirects or corrects the action by means of

feedback. This can be a very complicated process-as when the secretary of state

reevaluates foreign policy-or a very simple one-as when we notice that our sailboat

is heading into the wind too much and we ease off on our course just a little. In

using the analogy of mechanical systems as a frame of reference for analyzing

human beings, psychologists came up with the central idea "that performance and

learning must be analyzed in terms of the control relationships between a human

operator and an instrumental situation. That is, learning was understood to be

determined by the nature of the individual, as well as by the design of the learning

situation (Smith and Smith, 1969, p. vii).

All human behavior, according to cybernetic psychology, involves a perceptible

pattern of motion. This includes both covert behavior, such as thinking and

symbolic behavior, and overt behavior. In any given situation, individuals modify

their behavior according to the feedback they receive from the environment. They

organize their movements and their response patterns in relation to this feedback.

Thus, their own sensory motor capabilities form the basis of their feedback

systems. This ability to receive feedback constitutes the human system's

mechanism for receiving and sending information.

As human beings develop greater linguistic capability, they are able to use indirect

as well as direct feedback, thereby expanding their control over the physical and

34

social environment. That is, they are less dependent on the concrete realities of

the environment because they can use its symbolic representations. The essence,

then, of cybernetic psychology is the principle of sense-oriented feedback that is

intrinsic to the individual (one "feels" the effects of one's decisions) and is the

basis for self-corrective choices. Individuals can "feel" the effects of their decisions

because the environment responds in full, rather than simply "You're right" or

"Wrong! Try again." That is, the environmental consequences of their choices are

played back to them. Learning in cybernetic terms is sensorially experiencing the

environmental consequences of one's behavior and engaging in self-corrective

behavior. Instruction in cybernetic terms is designed to create an environment for

the learner in which this full feedback takes place.

SIMULATIONS IN EDUCATION

The application of cybernetic principles to educational procedures is seen

most dramatically and clearly in the development of simulators. A simulator is a

training device that represents reality very closely, but in which the complexity of

events can be controlled. For example, a simulated automobile has been

constructed in which the driver sees a road (by means of a motion picture), has a

wheel to turn, a clutch and a brake to operate, a gear-shift, and all the other

devices of a contemporary automobile. The driver can start this simulated

automobile, and when he or she turns the key he or she hears the noise of a motor

running. When the driver presses the accelerator the noise increases in volume, so

he or she has the sensation of having actually increased the flow of gas to a real

engine.

As the person drives, the film shows curves in the road and, as he or she turns the

wheel, he or she may experience the illusion that the automobile is turning. The

simulator can present the student with learning tasks to which he or she can

respond, but the responses do not have the same consequences that they would

have in a real-life situation; the simulated automobile does not crash into anything,

although it may look like it is crashing from the driver's point of view. And in the

manner of training psychology, the tasks presented can be made less complex

35

than those a driver would have to execute in the real world; this way, it is easier

for him or her to acquire the skills he or she will need later for actual driving. For

example, in a driving simulator the student can simply practice shifting from one

gear to another until he or she has mastered the task. The student can also

practice applying the brakes and turning the wheel until he or she has a feel for

how the automobile responds when he or she does those things.

The advantages of a simulator are several. The learning tasks can be made much

less complex than they are in the real world, so that the students may have the

opportunity to master tasks that would be extremely difficult when all the factors

of real-world operations impinge upon them. For example, learning how to fly a

complex airplane without the aid of a simulator leaves very little room for error:

The student pilot has to do everything adequately the first time, or the plane is in

difficulty. With the use of a simulator the training can be staged. The trainee can

be introduced to simple tasks, and then more complex ones, until he or she builds

a repertoire of skills adequate for piloting the plane. In addition, difficulties such as

storms and mechanical problems can be simulated, and the student can learn how

to cope with them. Thus, by the time the student actually begins flying he or she

has built the repertoire of necessary skills.

A second advantage of simulators is that they permit students to learn from self-

generated feedback. As the student pilot turns the wheel of the great plane to the

right, for example, he or she can feel the plane bank, he or she can feel the loss of

speed in some respects, and he or she can learn how to trim the craft during the

turn. In other words, the trainee can learn through his or her own senses, rather

than simply through verbal descriptions, the corrective behaviors that are

necessary. In the driving simulation, if the driver heads into curves too rapidly and

then has to jerk the wheel to avoid going off the road, this feedback permits him or

her to adjust his or her behavior so that when he or she is on a real road he or she

will turn more gingerly as he or she approaches sharp curves. The cybernetic

psychologist designs simulators so that the feedback about the consequences of

behavior enables the learners to modify their responses and develop a repertoire

36

of appropriate behaviors.

Some very elaborate applications of cybernetic psychology have been made in

military training. For example, in a submarine simulator several members of the

crew can communicate with one another by radio and other devices. They are able

to take their "submarine" under water, maneuver it against enemy ships, raise

their periscope, sight ships through it, and fire torpedoes. The simulator is

constructed so it can be attacked by enemy destroyers and can emerge and

engage in evasive action; the crew can hear the enemy only over sonar and other

undersea listening devices.

SOCIAL SYSTEM

Because the teacher selects the simulation activity and directs the students

through carefully delineated activities, the social system of simulation is rigorous.

Within this structured system, however, a cooperative interactive environment

can, and ideally should, flourish. The ultimate success of the simulation, in fact,

depends partly on the cooperation and willing participation of the students.

Working together, the students share ideas, which are subject to peer evaluation

but not teacher evaluation. The peer social system, then, should be non-

threatening and marked by cooperation.

PRINCIPLES OF REACTION

The reactions of the teacher are primarily those of a facilitator. Throughout the

simulation he or she must maintain a non-evaluative but supportive attitude. It is

the teacher's task to first present and then facilitates understanding and

interpretation of the rules of the simulation activity. In addition, should interest in

the activity begin to dissipate or attention begins to focus on irrelevant issues, he

or she must direct the group to "get on with the game."

SUPPORT SYSTEM

Simulation requires support materials ranging from simple teacher made games, to

marketed games to specifically designed simulators such car driving or airplane-

navigating simulators. Simulations are gaining in popularity, and the number of

37

pumsnea materials increases every year. The 1973 Social Science Education

Consortium Data Book lists more than fifty simulations available for use in social

studies alone. The teacher who is interested in using simulations is directed to

publishers' catalogs; the mentioned Data Handbook(l971,1972,1973);Ronald

Kleitsch, Directory of Educational Simulations, Learning Games, and Didatic Units

(1979); David Zuckernlan and Robert Horn, The Guide to Simulation Games for

Education and Training (1970); and Ron Stadsklev, Handbook of Simulation

Gaming in Social Education (n.d.).

SOCIAL SYSTEMThe social system is structured by the teacher through selecting materials and directingthe simulation. The interactive environment of the class, however, should be non threateningand marked by cooperation. The teacher has the role of managing thesimulation(taking care of organization and logistics), explaining the game, maintainingthe rules, coaching (offering advice, prompting), and Conducting the deorlefmg a1sct.s.sfon.PRINCIPLES OF REACTION1. DO not evaluate plavers' decisions and moves2. Facilitates student's understanding and interpretation of rules.3. Encourage participation and help the students cope with uncertainty4. Tell students to "get on with the game" when necessary.SUPPORT SYSTEMSimulation requires a carefully structured base of resource materials 

CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY

Learners are encouraged to discover facts and relationships for themselves.

Bruner, 2001

A major theme in the theoretical framework of the constructivist theory is an active

process in which learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon their own

38

knowledge. Constructivists emphasize on the importance of learners’ reliance on

cognitive structures to select and transform information, construct hypotheses and

make decisions. Cognitive structures such as schema, mental models, attitudes

and scripts, which are related to behaviour, provide meaning and organization to

experiences and allow the individual to go beyond the information given. However,

this relationship is often complex, thus, making it difficult to generalize result

across tasks and domain differences (Kearsley, 2003; Huitt, 1999). Consequently,

the constructivists suggest a behaviorally-oriented curriculum (Huitt, 1999) in

which knowledge and skills are taught inductively in a constructivistically -

oriented classroom (Huitt, 1999) that require learners to carry out tasks

implementing critical thinking.

According to the constructivists, as far as instruction is concerned, teachers should

encourage students to discover principles by themselves. The teacher and learners

should engage in an active dialogue. The task of the teacher is to translate

information to be learnt into a format appropriate to the learners’ current state of

understanding; therefore, lesson plan should be organized in a manner in which

students could continually build upon what they have already learnt.

Bruner (1966) states that a theory of instruction should address four major

aspects:

(1) Predisposition towards learning,

(2) The ways in which a body of knowledge can be structured so that it can be

most readily grasped by the learner,

(3) The most effective sequences in which to present material, and

(4) The nature and pacing of rewards and punishments. Good methods for

structuring knowledge should result in simplifying, generating new propositions,

and increasing the manipulation of information.

39

In his more recent work, Bruner (1986, 1990, 1996) has expanded his theoretical

framework to encompass the social and cultural aspects of learning as well as the

practice of law

James Bruner provides the following principles of constructivist learning:

1. Instruction must be concerned with the experiences and contexts that make

the student willing and able to learn (readiness).

2. Instruction must be structured so that it can be easily grasped by the student

(spiral organization).

3. Instruction should be designed to facilitate extrapolation and/or fill in the

gaps (going beyond the information given).

(Kearsley, 2002; Huitt, 1999)

Thus, this shows that there should be an adequacy between learners’ acquisition of

knowledge and skills, and the development of their thinking skill. The

constructivists propose three teaching models, namely the Inductive Model, the

Concept Attainment Model and the Integrative Model.

It could be argued that constructivism emphasizes the importance of the world

knowledge, beliefs, and skills an individual brings to bear on learning. Viewing the

construction of new knowledge as a combination of prior learning matched against

new information, and readiness to learn, this theory opens up new perspectives,

leading individuals to informed choices about what to accept and how to fit it into

their existing schemata, as well as what to reject. Recapitulating the main

principles of constructivism, we could say that it emphasises learning and not

40

teaching, encourages learner autonomy and personal involvement in learning,

looks to learners as incumbents of significant roles and as agents exercising will

and purpose, fosters learners’ natural curiosity, and also takes account of learners’

affect, in terms of their beliefs, attitudes, and motivation. In addition, within

constructivist theory, context is accorded significance, as it renders situations and

events meaningful and relevant, and provides learners with the opportunity to

construct new knowledge from authentic experience

Constructivism is both a philosophy and a theory of learning. The key concept of

constructivism is that learning is an active process of creating, rather than

acquiring, knowledge. The following principles provides general framework of

constructivism and its relevance for instruction

Learning Principles in Constructivism

1. Learning is an active process in which the learner uses sensory input and

constructs meaning out of it. The more traditional formulation of this idea

involves the terminology of the active learner (Dewey’s term) stressing that

the learner needs to do something; that learning is not the passive

acceptance of knowledge which exists “out there” but that learning involves

the learner s engaging with the world.

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2. People learn to learn as they learn: learning consists both of

constructing meaning and constructing systems of meaning. For example, if

we learn the chronology of dates of a series of historical events, we are

simultaneously learning the meaning of a chronology. Each meaning we

construct makes us better able to give meaning to other sensations which

can fit a similar pattern.

3. The crucial action of constructing meaning is mental: it happens in the

mind. Physical actions, hands-on experience may be necessary for learning,

especially for children, but it is not sufficient; we need to provide activities

which engage the mind as well as the hands (Dewey called this reflective

activity.)

4. Learning involves language: the language we use influences learning. On

the empirical level. Researchers have noted that people talk to themselves

as they learn. On a more general level. There is a collection of arguments,

presented most forcefully by Vigotsky, that language and learning are

inextricably intertwined. This point was clearly emphasized in Elaine Gurain’s

reference to the need to honor native language in developing North

American exhibits. The desire to have material and programs in their own

language was an important request by many members of various Native

American communities.

5. Learning is a social activity: our learning is intimately associated with our

connection with other human beings, our teachers, our peers, our family as

well as casual acquaintances, including the people before us or next to us at

the exhibit. We are more likely to be successful in our efforts to educate if we

recognize this principle rather than try to avoid it. Much of traditional

education, as Dewey pointed out, is directed towards isolating the learner

42

from all social interaction, and towards seeing education as a one-on-one

relationship between the learner and the objective material to be learned. In

contrast, progressive education (to continue to use Dewey’s formulation)

recognizes the social aspect of learning and uses conversation, interaction

with others, and the application of knowledge as an integral aspect of

learning.

6. Learning is contextual: we do not learn isolated facts and theories in some

abstract ethereal land of the mind separate from the rest of our lives: we

learn in relationship to what else we know, what we believe, our prejudices

and our fears. On reflection, it becomes clear that this point is actually a

corollary of the idea that learning is active and social. We cannot divorce our

learning from our lives.

7. One needs knowledge to learn: it is not possible to assimilate new

knowledge without having some structure developed from previous

knowledge to build on. The more we know, the more we can learn. Therefore

any effort to teach must be connected to the state of the learner must

provide a path into the subject for the learner based on that learner’s

previous knowledge.

It takes time to learn: learning is not instantaneous. For significant learning

we need to revisit ideas, ponder them try them out, play with them and use

them. If you reflect on anything you have learned, you soon realize that it is

the product of repeated exposure and thought. Even, or especially, moments

of profound insight, can be traced back to longer periods of preparation.

8. It takes time to learn: learning is not instantaneous. For significant

learning we need to revisit ideas, ponder them try them out, play with them

and use them. This cannot happen in the 5-10 minutes usually spent in a

gallery (and certainly not in the few seconds usually spent contemplating a

single museum object.) If you reflect on anything you have learned, you soon

43

realize that it is the product of repeated exposure and thought. Even, or

especially, moments of profound insight, can be traced back to longer

periods of preparation.

9. Motivation is a key component in learning. Not only is it the case that

motivation helps learning, it is essential for learning. This idea of motivation

as described here is broadly conceived to include an understanding of ways

in which the knowledge can be used. Unless we know “the reasons why”, we

may not be very involved in using the knowledge that may be instilled in us.

Even by the most severe and direct teaching.

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Learning Discovery Reception Assisted (Scaffolding)

Background Jerome Brunner (1966) David Ausubel (1968) Lev Semyonovich VygotskyDefinition Teaching methods in which students are

encouraged to discover principles for themselves.

Teaching method in which the teacher structures the learning situation to select materials that are appropriate for students and then presents them in well-organized lessons that progress from generic to specific details.

Teacher guides instruction, so that students will master and internalize the skills that permit higher cognitive functioning.

Principles Top-down: start with complex problem and work out or discover basic skills to solve

Cooperative learning Experimentation Open-ended problems Learn on own through active

involvement with concepts and principles

 

Teacher structures learning situation Expository teaching Students actively involved in learning

process Use of prior knowledge for new

learning Knowledge continually changes once

“inside” the learner’s minds

 

Individuals construct knowledge by working to solve realistic problems, usually in collaboration with others.

Learning as a change in meaning constructed from experience.

Individual interpretation of experience vs. objective representation (information processing perspective)

  Applications for Instruction

1.     Encourage independence in early school career

2.     Encourage students to solve problems on own or in groups

3.     Learning should be flexible and exploratory

4.     Arouse children’s curiosity

5.     Minimize risk of failure

6.     Relevant learning

7.     Return to important concepts

1.     Incoming information must be integrated into what students already know

2.     Teachers should use a deductive teaching approach

3.     Organize instruction beforehand: general concepts first then move to inclusive details

4.     plan brief class discussions before new material is presented so students can share important background information

1.     Pose "good" problems - realistically complex and personally meaningful.

2.     Create group learning activities.

3.     Model and guide the knowledge construction process

SUMMARY OF CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY by different Psychologist

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://imet.csus.edu/classic/fundamentals/inductive/index.html

http://imet.csus.edu/imet3/odell/portfolio/grartifacts/Lit%20review.pdf .

http://www.coe.ufl.edu/webtech/greatideas/pages/peoplepage/taba.htm

http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~best/html/learning/advorg.htm

http://hagar.up.ac.za/catts/learner/cooplrn/b3.html

http://helpingstudents.org/JSPWiki/attach/ConceptAttainment/

DanaWConcept_Attainment_Model.ppt .

http://imet.csus.edu/imet3/odell/portfolio/grartifacts/Lit%20review.pdf .

http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/resources/constructivistlearning.html

http://my-ecoach.com/idtimeline/constructivism.html

http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~mryder/itc_data/constructivism.html.

http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/strats/cattain/index.html

http://dlibed.kku.ac.th/e_lib2/exxe/42.pdf.

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