two questions

Comparison of Traditional and Inquiry-Based Instruction

Traditional, Directed Teaching, Objectivist Inquiry-Based, Constructivism

Teachers transmit information to students through teacher organized activities

Learners generate their own knowledge through experiences; teachers serve as facilitators

What is it - a theory of education which believes that the most effective way to teach is by explicit, guided instructions

What is it - a theory of education which believes learning is an active process in which learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon their current/past knowledge

Concepts – focus on basic knowledge and skills, teacher makes all the instructional decisions, keep students on-task, emphasize positive reinforcement

Concepts – Instruction must be concerned with the experiences and contexts that make the student willing and able to learn (readiness). Instruction must be structured so that it can be easily understood/discovered by the student. Instruction should be designed to facilitate going beyond the information given.

Theorists – Skinner, Atkinson, Shiffron, Gange’

Theorists – Dewey, Bandura, Vygotsky, Piaget, Bruner, Gardner

Application to technology integration – emphasizes specific performance objectives, breaks down learning into small steps, uses immediate feedback, rewards, predefined assessment techniques

Application to technology integration – use of Internet for searches and current information access; use of authoring tools; increase in communication between students

Instructional Needs: Accountability Individualized Quality assurances Convergent thinking

Instructional Needs: Higher-level thinking Cooperative groups skills Increased relevancy Divergent thinking

Methods: Individualized work Specific instructional goals & objectives; same for all students Set body of skills/knowledge Carefully structured instruction to help students understand, remember & transfer Teacher-directed

Methods: Group-based, cooperative work Global goals (not specific to student) Generate own knowledge through experiences Deal with higher & lower thinking skills Learn through problem-oriented activities Nontraditional materials driven by student discovery

Assessment: Traditional assessments with specific responses; student projects

Assessment: Nontraditional assessments (content may vary); graded with rubrics, self-report instruments

Technology Integration Strategies: For remedial work Promote skill fluency Support self-paced instruction Support self-paced review Generate motivation to learn Optimize scarce sources Remove hurdles to learning Develop information literacy

Technology Integration Strategies: Foster creative problem-solving Build mental models & knowledge transfer Foster group cooperation Use multiple intelligences Generate motivation to learn Optimize scarce sources Remove hurdles to learning Develop information literacy