1.The similarities of the models are based more on communities or learning in groups in relevant, practical or real world learning. The instructor is key to the success but especially in the problem based model presenting the challenges or problems to . The cogntive apprenticeship is geared more to the individual learner while the Cooperative learning environments, Guided design and Problem based learning aim is more on communities peer or group learning . The CLE reminds me of today's community of practice, a structured enviroment with activities but in an environment that gives the opportunity ti learn from peers and reflect the 70-20-10 learning.
2. My initial reaction was that this is great becasue learning in corporations are heading toward the 70-20-10 model and are looking towards communities of practice, coaching, mentoring and peer to peer learning. New technologies are trying to replicate this with such a global workforce. The improvement in collaboration and communication tools are helping these models work well. People however seem to prefer face to face but in the corporate world and even on the web it allows for just in time information, best practices etc to occur. I think Montessori classrooms are excellent examples of all the models when examined closely. Montessorri learning brings many different ideas of learning or models years ago and these models all describe some aspect of learning. Montessori provide practical, relevant learning, peer to peer, guided in a collaborative coorporative classroom. It even combines a little of the higher order thinking of the PBL , depth compared to breadth. The teacher works as a mentor as in situated learning to again guide the student.
I am not a school teacher but but have more experience with adult learning but even in the adult world of training, it is the buzz word for learning: communities of practice.
3.These models most definitely can be modified to teach in today's global environment in the classroom or on the web using technology and collaborative tools for students in the schools or and adult learners. The web however is still a challenge to replicate the face to face collaborative learning but it is becoming very close or adapting to use the web tools resourcefully. Collaborative learning from a young age will help a student be ready for the real world, havin to work in team and solve problem or work on projects with team members from different countries in different timezones. The ability to speak and communicate is becoming more and more important in the corporate world.
4. I think the Web had many tools for collaborating to use these models. At work, Share point can be designed to create a community of practice similar to Moodle to have threaded discussions etc. I like the use of WebEx and other communicating tools to meet and chat with one another and be able to work live and see eachother. The use of cameras and teleconference is another innovative way Cisco is trying to the experience more real.
Hi Gena! I really think real world learning is the way to go. Making education relevant to real world situations is critical in today’s world and frankly, if we start exposing more young people to higher order thinking skills, then educators can just improve and expand as further education is obtained. Then students won’t be so resistant to these different learning models because they won’t know any different. We see in the newspaper all the time that our students are not being prepared for the real world and frankly I think educators are entirely too comfortable with the whole lecture thing (myself included by the way) and don’t want to spend the efforts and energy necessary to try to do better by our students. Sharepoint is a great tool and it’s one the military uses frequently depending on the base where they are located. Haven’t ever used WebEx and I guess I’ll have to check it out. Thanks! ~Melissa
ReplyDeleteThanks Melissa. With such a global environment, communities of practice, social learning and data being available, learners know where to go to get information. I think group or community learning allow learners to be thinkers and not just repeat what information they are given. They can share ideas, access subject matter experts and best practices in a timely manner. WebEx is a great tool. There is WebEx trainer which which has a class room environment to do breakout sessions etc.
DeleteI think the idea of global learning is interesting. I wonder though about the difficulty of real-world examples across cultures. Relevancy often depends on the closeness of how we relate to items. So I would imagine a student in rural India that relies of farming would find a problem about which subway to take non-relevant. Or a US student might find a problem based on a foreign currency or one referencing products not available in the US, as less relevant.
DeleteGena, very interesting post! I don't know if I would have compared these models to the Montessori approach, but I haven't had much direct experience with it, either! Do you think that, given the Montessori method's focus on child development, its proponents would agree that these models fit? Or does one, maybe the cognitive development model, fit a little better than the others?
ReplyDeleteDefinitely something to think about! I like the connection to a much older learning style!
Amanda C.
I think like you said it is geared to a an older learning style, but from what I understand Montessori teaches the child to be an independent thinker, to solve problems, to focus more on higher thinking. I do not think it is exactly these concepts but I can see underlying concepts that share similarities with these models.
DeleteThanks
Gena Gutierrez