Claymations

I’m planning to do some claymations with a year 3/4 class. I went looking for some examples on Youtube to show them. Here is what I found.

My children and their friends, actively creating an artifact.

Constructivism:

 Constructivist theory holds that learners actively construct knowledge in response to experiences (Roblyer & Doering, 2010; Jonassen, 2008), that ‘instruction should stress collaborative activities and real-world connections’ (Roblyer & Doering, 2010 p. 42) and that ‘instruction must allow for different ways of learning’ (Roblyer & Doering, 2010 p. 42). In other words, knowledge can not be simply transfered from one person to another; the learner constructs knowledge based on their experiences and shaped by their own attitudes, beliefs and values.

Constructionism:

‘Constructionism suggests that new ideas are most likely to be created when learners are actively engaged in building some type of external artifact that they can reflect upon and share with others.’ (Han & Bhattacharya 2007). Papert, who coined the name constructionism, argues against the popularly held belief that abstract thinking and ‘higher-order thinking’ are superior to concrete thinking. Papert revalues ’the concrete, the local, and the personal’ (Ackermann, 2001). He argues that being a bricoleur is a superior way of learning (Papert, 1993). A bricoleur method of solving problems involves trying, testing and playing around with the problem, and is distinct from the traditional ‘analytical’ method of problem-solving. ( See blogs by Matthew Kearney and Belinda Ferguson for further explanation and discussion on the term bricoleur). Finally, Turvey claims that ‘learning is constructed through active participation as children engage in the learning process to act out solutions to problems faced’ (2006, p. 311).

References:

Ackermann, E. (2001), Piaget’s Constructivism, Papert’s Constructionism: What’s the difference? Retrieved 3rd Nov, 2009 from: http://learning.media.mit.edu/content/publications/EA.Piaget%20_%20Papert.pdf

Turvey, K. (2006). Towards deeper learning through creativity within online communities in primary education. Computers and Education. 46(3), 309-321.

Han, S. & Bhattacharya, K. (2007). Constructionism, Learning by Design and Project-based Learning. In M. Orey (Ed) Emerging Perspectives on Learning, Teaching, and Technology. Retrieved 3^rd Nov 2009 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Constructionism%2C_Learning_by_Design%2C_and_Project_Based_Learning

Jonassen, D. (2008). Meaningful learning with technology, (3^rd edn.) New Jersey: Pearson Education.

Papert, S. (1993). The children’s machine; Rethinking school in the age of the computer. New York: BasicBooks.

Roblyer, M. & Doering, A. (2010). Integrating educational technology into teaching. (5^th edn.) Boston: Allyn and Bacon 

Endless Ocean is another game Tom Barrett has used with his class. He used it as the focal point for a Sealife Unit. Following are some posts he made concerning this game:

• Fish Friday and Dancing Turtles – My Sealife Topic Ideas
• Using Endless Ocean (Wii) in the Classroom, Weeks 1 and 2: Dive and Discover
• Finding the Blue Whale

Tom describes Endless Ocean as an open-ended game where the user simply ‘explores the reefs, lagoons and open waters on offer’. It has that element of discovery which Kathy Shields describes in her blog New Discovery – The Joy of Learning as like an ‘exploratorium’. The game also includes a marine guide which logs all the species the children discover and some facts about them. Below is some game-play from when Tom’s class discovered the blue whale.

Finding the Blue Whale in Endless Ocean from Tom Barrett on Vimeo.

As you can see the game is highly interactive, contains spectacular graphics and immerses children in an underwater environment, creating in them a desire to learn more about the sea-creatures which inhabit it. Tom commented on this episode that -

“I could never offer that experience for real – the simulated moment we shared using Endless Ocean was a lot of fun and hopefully a memorable one.” Tom Barrett (2009), in Finding the Blue Whale

Someone else who has written about using Endless Ocean in the classroom is Derek Robertson. In his post post titled Endless Ocean and endless learning in Stirling he describes a visit to a local classroom which was using the game to support their learning. He reports being overjoyed at the wealth of diverse activities the class had engaged in,  inspired by the game. Some examples from Derek Robertson’s post are:

• The children were divided into ‘dive teams’ and their ‘dive leader’ had to manage certain aspects of how the children worked together.
• A shipwreck (created by the janitor) was sitting in the class. This helped drive much of the creative writing work.
• The children created treasure maps and were using these to look at grid references.

 There are many more examples, but these showcase the diverse learning areas which were being enriched by the use of this game.

Tom Barrett claims that ‘a rich, games based simulation adds an ingredient that is hard to replicate in any other way’ (Tom Barrett, 2009 in Using Endless Ocean (Wii) in the Classroom, Weeks 1 and 2: Dive and Discover). From his and Derek Robinson’s descriptions of their use of this game and the children’s responses to it, I would have to agree. From my own experience of teaching I can see that that level of excitement, engagement, personal ownership of learning, and the element of genuine discovery are rare and of immense value. It creates the sort of classroom experiences which remain with students for the rest of their lives, shaping their attitudes and understandings. To me, being able to do this is the ‘Holy Grail’ of teaching, and I hope to be able to accomplish this myself when I become a teacher.

In a previous blog entitled Simulation Games are Educational I discussed using Myst to stimulate children’s writing. Myst is an interractive fantasy game with stunning graphics. Tim Rylands has show-cased its use in the classroom and many teachers, particularly in Scotland, have have followed his example. Following are three posts by Tom Barrett on his use of Myst to stimulate his class’s writing.

• Emerging from the Myst: Being inspired and making a start
• Emerging from the Myst: Ambassadors in the land of the little ones - Describes what happened when his year five class took on the ‘mantle of the expert’ to guide year two children through the game.
• Using Myst 3 for Descriptive Writing - With this year’s class he took a slightly different approach.

I have previously expressed a desire to explore games-based-learning in my teaching, but I didn’t know how to set it up in a class and how to approach it with the children. For these reasons I found Tom Barrett’s blogs both informative and empowering.

Tom also included a link to a website by Learning and Teaching Scotland which further discusses the use of games-based learning, including Myst, in classrooms. The following DVD is from their site.

The teacher featured in this DVD outlines many benefits to his students of using MYST in the classroom. I can see great potential for this type of teaching to enhance student’s motivation to write and to improve the standard of their writing. I can’t wait to try it!

Why let our students blog? This is the title of the following video by Rachel Boyd.

This video encapsulates the benefits to children of blogging. There are many ways teachers can use blogs such as assigning homework, informing parents and collaborating with collegues (Edublogs lists some others), but the benefits to children of using blogs have caught my interest.

 Blogging is a means of enhancing student motivation to write, which is something they are often reluctant to engage in because they see it as hard work. When students publish their work online in a blog it is a very rewarding experience because they have a wide audience for their work. They are motivated by the fact that their friends, family and others from around the world can see their work. Furthermore they love receiving comments on their blogs and commenting on other’s work.

In addition, blogs provide a medium for discussion and collaboration. They love to physically show their blog to others and discuss it with them, and they can also have online discussions. Through these means, children are exposed to other perspectives and opinion, and receive valuable feedback on their work.

Blogs give students an opportunity to express themselves creatively to a wider audience than is found within their classroom. They can also articulate their ideas and reflect on their learning. Blogs give students a voice and connect them to the world outside the  classroom.

For an example of how blogging and web 2.0 technology can be used in the classroom see my previous blog ‘Using Web 2.0 tools in a grade one classroom’. Here are a list of rules developed by Rachel Boyd and her class, to guide their use of blogs.

Google Squared

Tom Barrett has made a slideshow on using this new tool which can be accessed here. Google squared seems to be a very child friendly, quick and convenient way to search the internet, which I will use both for my own research and to aid my children in their internet searches.

Learning Lama discusses an article by Herrington and Kervin (2007) which outlines nine principles for Authentic Learning and gives practical classroom examples of how these principles can be applied using technology. Learning Lama suggests that teachers should use these principles to guide how and why they use technology in the classroom. The principles are:

I would like to compare this with Jonassen’s claims that ’meaningful learning requires active engagement in authentic learning tasks, articulation and reflection on personally and socially constructed meaning, collaboration on tasks whenever possible, and most importantly, an intention to learn’ (Jonassen, 2008, p. v). 

Both stress the need for authentic learning tasks, for collaboration, and for articulation and reflection on knowledge. However Herrington and Kervin add the teacher roles of: providing access to expert performances, coaching and scaffolding, and providing integrated assessment. Whereas Jonassen adds the need for the student to have an intention to learn. Put together, they provide a comprehensive list of pre-requisites for meaningful learning.

References: Herrington, J. & Kervin, L. (2007). Authentic learning supported by technology: 10 suggestions and cases of integration in classrooms. Retrieved October 25th 2009 from http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1027&context=edupapers

 Jonassen, D. (2008). Meaningful learning with technology, (3^rd edn.) New Jersey: Pearson Education.

What does learning look like? What should it look like? William Butler Yeats (as cited in Fried, 2001) observed that ‘Education is not about filling a pail, it’s about lighting a fire.’

To take the analogy further, when we fill a bucket with holes we control what goes into it but we can’t stop it leaking out. So, when we control the curriculum, we find that a lot of what we teach is not retained. In contrast to this, a fire is indiscriminate in what it burns. It consumes everything in sight, and each new thing it devours increases its appetite for more. So, when learning is student-centred and student-led the student will often learn a lot but that learning will rarely encompass all the syllabus outcomes.

How can we make learning more like lighting a fire and less like filling a bucket with holes? To what extent can students follow their interests and still meet syllabus requirements?

Reference: Fried, R. (2001). Passionate learners and the challenge of schooling. Phi Delta Kappan, 83 (2), 124-136

Image 1 retrieved from here under creative commons attribution 2.0 generic

Image 2 retrieved from here under creative commons attribution 2.0 generic

The following video is on the side-bar of Learning Lama’s blog.

This video is propoganda by the government on their initiative of providing laptops to all year 9 students. It is aimed primarily at the students and it expounds the potential benefits, as well as the rules and limitations of their use.

My husband is a high-school maths teacher, and he is trying to work out the practicalities of using the lap-tops in his lessons. During the holidays, he had his classroom rewired and reorganised so that his desk and the connection for his laptop are at the back of the room. He did this so he will be able to see the screens of the students’ laptops from his desk. He has found that, so far, he has received little or no help or support on how to use the laptops in his teaching, and is concerned that a lot of teachers just won’t use them.

A blog entry by Ron Canuel, the Director General of Eastern Townships School Board, Quebec, Canada, entitled ‘Technology in Education Integration: People not laptops’ discusses the need for support and professional development, both for teachers and students, when laptops are distributed to each child. In his region each child from year 3 to year 12 has received a laptop since 2003. He describes characteristics of the four phases of deployment based on his experience:

• The Euphoria Phase (first 12 months) Few complaints but technical issues start to arise as usage increases
• The “Dip” Phase (13-24 months) Integration slows down and technical issues increase. Teachers must confront issues like loss-of-control and students knowing more than them. Professional Development becomes more complex to implement as teachers now have a huge range of different needs.
• The Re-focus Phase (20 -36 months) Professional Development is more coordinated and takes many forms. First signs of educational gains by students. Community/collegial applications start to appear
• The Building Capacity Phase (36+ months) Professional Development and technical infrastructure expands and develops. More pedagogical approaches are developed.

I wonder if the Australian experience will follow this pattern. I hope so because those last two phases, in particular, sound exciting. It sounds like they provide many benefits which our students can’t afford to miss.

In this post Kathy expresses a desire to find ways of making learning less contrived and of giving students the opportunity to make their own discoveries and satisfy their own curiosity. She makes an analogy between traditional classroom learning and a guided tour. In a guided tour people move as a group and are presented with a large amount of up-to-date information. Effort is made to make the information interesting and engaging, but there is little opportunity for individuals to follow their own interests.

I contrast this with a recent visit I made with my own family to a science museum in Brisbane. We had a high ratio of adults to children (four children (aged from 5-13, and three adults) so the children were able to explore freely. The children were very excited and would sometimes run off to satisfy their own curiosity, and sometimes call each other or an adult over to show what they had discovered or to play with the exhibit together. Sometimes they would only stay at an exhibit long enough to see what it did, and sometimes their curiosity was sparked and they stayed for longer figuring out why it did what it did. Sometimes they asked questions and sometimes they wanted to work it out for themselves.

Kathy asserts that the ‘joy of discovery’ is what brings learning to life and makes it memorable. She cautions that discovery is messy, chaotic, unpredictable and time-consuming. I also feel that it would be difficult to manage in a class of 30 children. Conversely, I think that technology and, in particular internet applications, would make it more possible for students to follow their own interests and, like Kathy, I am motivated to find ways of making it happen in my future classroom.