Module1Hunt

=Module 1 Scavenger Hunt=

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Behaviorism Example #1: ABC Word Tracer App Behaviorism Example #2: Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support Program (PBIS) Humanism Example #1: Odyssey of the Mind (OM) Humanism Example #2: Chapin High School's Success Acquired in Learning (SAIL) Program Cognitivism Example #1: Pre-AP Vertical Teaming Guide and Mrs. Cassel's Website (AP Organizers) Cognitivism Example #2: Octotuts.com - Free HD Graphic Designing Tutorials Constructivism Example #1: The Aurora School of Oakland, California Constructivism Example #2: National Model United Nations (Model UN)

= Behaviorism  =

Behaviorism Example #1: ABC Word Tracer App - Alphabet flashcard tracing phonics and drawing app

 * Description:** This app for iPhone or iTouch is one that my daughter loves! It's the first thing I thought of as an example of behaviorist theory. Basically, this app teaches kids how to write letters, words, and numbers by tracing them on the screen with their finger. It also teaches recognition of the alphabet in two ways. 1) The ABC song feature is a bookshelf with each letter sitting on the shelf. A user can touch each letter to hear the letter name or the phonetic sound, or a user can choose to listen to the alphabet song where each letter "waves" from its place on the shelf as the song plays. 2) The "Pop and Learn" is a game where each letter of the alphabet appears on a balloon and is in a scrambled order in the sky. The goal is to "pop" the balloons in order of the alphabet. This app has several behaviorist characteristics:
 * ** Focus is observable behavior and the idea of "connectionism" (stimulus/response): ** Letter and word outlines appear as gray dots (stimulus). Children trace letters and words accurately, starting at the right place and performing the strokes of handwriting correctly. As the picture above demonstrates, if the stroke is accurate, the line appears green and a pleasant tune plays; if the stroke is inaccurate or off the line of the letter, the line appears red and the accompanying sound is honking - much less pleasant (response). Similarly, in the "Pop and Learn" game, if the balloon pops, the user knows he/she is progressing in the right order; if the user hears a buzz sound, he/she knows that the letter chosen was the wrong one (response).
 * **Reinforcement**: After anything done correctly, the app plays applause and a smiley face appears on the screen. Once the whole alphabet is completed (traced correctly), there is a little "celebration" video/animation as a reward. Additionally, the ABC Song feature serves to reinforce recognition of letters and sounds by sounding the letter name or phonetic sound when each letter is touched. It also teaches recognition by playing the ABC song and having each letter "wave" as its name is called.

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[[image:PBIS.png align="left" link="@http://www.pbis.org/"]]

 * Description:** As a major component of High Schools That Work (HSTW), Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a very popular program in high schools across the nation right now. This program sets expectations for positive behavior and then encourages schools to use interventions and support to teach students to maintain that behavior. The major characteristic of behaviorist theory at work here is ** operant conditioning **. In an effort to make the program effective and simple, observable positive behavior is rewarded in three categories: being "ready" to learn, being "responsible" for yourself in the learning environment, and being "respectful" to yourself and others in the learning environment. At Chapin High School, when teachers see students demonstrating these behaviors, those positive behaviors are rewarded with "Claw Cash" (my high school's mascot is an eagle, and our symbol is its claw). That "cash" can be used to purchase ice cream, sweet tea, and various other cafeteria items. Additionally, each person who receives the "cash" is entered into a weekly drawing for a bigger prize. The best prize so far has been an iTouch! At our feeder elementary school, the "Claw Cash" is awarded as "Eddie Checks" (Eddie is the name of the school's mascot). Students can "spend" their "Eddie Checks" at the "Eddie Store" where small prize items are sold. The major characteristic here of **operant conditioning** is that we " reinforce what you want the individual to do again; ignore what you want the individual to stop doing " (Grippin & Peters, 1984, p. 65). Though bad behavior is still dealt with, instead of the school being a place where negative behaviors and resulting punishment are the //focus//, schools are taking this positive reinforcement approach more and more.

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= Humanism  =

Humanism Example #1: Odyssey of the Mind

 * Description:** This is an international extracurricular program offered in most schools for students ranging in ages from K-post-secondary students. A competitive program in nature, the point of it is to encourage a team of kids to solve a problem in new and creative ways and then compete with their solutions. Obviously, the program hones skills of working with a team, as well as using creativity and imagination to solve real-world problems or interpret art and literature. Because the program nurtures and encourages creativity and imagination, the indirect result is that students become more interested and motivated in school. ** There are several characteristics of the humanist theory **:
 * There is freedom and responsibility for students to solve problems and become what they are capable of through their own means.
 * Students are **in control** of the solutions to problems.
 * The stress of learning is on students' self-directed learning and, therefore, a resulting value in the learning process.
 * According to Mezirow's " transformational learning theory " students are encouraged to broaden their perspectives to "deal with a broader range of experience, to be more discriminating, to be more open to other perspectives [the team aspect], and to better integrate superior perspectives" (1990).
 * Students who participate are generally instrinsically motivated to learn and solve problems in creative ways.
 * The learning emanates from the learner.
 * Learners assume primary responsibility of their own learning while the coaches are merely there for support and may not help with or interfere with the journey to a solution.
 * The value of the experience is based on the process of problem solving, which is ultimately more important than the content **.**
 * The program is intellectually challenging, which means that it meets the knowledge and understanding needs of students based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

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Humanism Example #2: Chapin High School's SAIL Program



 * Description:** Success Acquired in Learning (SAIL) is a program for at-risk students at Chapin High School. The focus is to help them reach their potential. According to the Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA), the goal of SAIL is to "use research-based strategies from the High Schools That Work At-Risk Intervention Plan to motivate and mentor the at-risk student and ensure that these students are given the opportunity to complete the requirements for the state high school diploma and to build skills that prepare them to enter the job market successfully." Student who qualify for the program are those who exhibit at least two "at risk" behaviors or indicators including previous disciplinary problems, excessive absences, lack of interest or motivation in school work, low grades, bad home situations, etc. ** This program has several characteristics of humanist theory **:
 * Classes are small, allowing for more one-on-one instruction and support for students with the extra need for said support.
 * Lessons are infused with technology to make them interesting and engaging ; technological experiences train students to be more technologically literate, as well as engaging them in the learning.
 * Learning is structured to meet the need for structure, but rigorous, providing challenging and motivating curriculum.
 * Learning is centered around a real-world investigation and essential question of using nuclear energy. Learning is valued in order to answer the essential question.
 * Students are actively engaged in the curriculum, working to solve or pose solutions to the essential question of using nuclear energy.
 * The school takes two field trips to encourage and motivate these students to carry on their learning into the future: one to the college campus of Duke University and the other to the BMW plant. Most of the time, these students will never have traveled beyond the bounds of their home town.
 * Instruction utilizes the team approach in order to build relationships - the program is a "school within a school" where the students share the same classes and teachers.

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= Cognitivism  =

===﻿Cognitivism Example #1: Pre-Ap Vertical Teaming Guide - Use of graphic organizers for close analysis of literature - Take a look at Mrs. Cassel's website to see example handouts of these organizers.===

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 * Description:** This guide is a staple for teachers who are charged with preparing their students to enter the AP English program in high school. According to The College Board's description of its purpose, this book is to foster a continuum of learning from 9th-12th grade and prepare students for that AP level class with a set of comprehensive skills for literary analysis. For teachers, this guide offers several useful models for teaching students how to read critically and then systematically analyze literature. ** There are several important characteristics of cognitivism at work here: **
 * As stated, the philosophy is to develop a continuum of learning - students build on prior learning and learn more sophisticated methods of analysis as they progress through high school.
 * The guide provides strategies for teachers to use to help students categorize their learning into effective methods for literary analysis and written expression.
 * The guide offers students several mnemonic methods of analysis, including SIFT for fictional analysis (symbol, imagery, figurative language, tone and theme), SOAPStone for nonfiction/rhetorical analysis (speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, subject, and tone), TPCASTT for poetry analysis, DIDLS for tone analysis (diction, images, details, language, sentence structure), TP-CASTT for poetry analysis (title, paraphrase, connotation, attitude, shifts, title (second examination), and theme), and TWIST for developing a thesis and essay in response to an analysis prompt (tone, word choice, imagery, style, and theme).
 * Each of these methods allow ways for students to use prior knowledge of literary devices, but apply them in new ways - reorganize the way they think about the relationships between/among these devices.
 * These mnemonic methods provide learners with new ways to store (encode), consider, and comprehend information.
 * These devices offer a way for students to make sense of their previous learning - simple vocabulary (literary terms and their definitions) becomes structured in systems in which students can draw meaning from reading and writing.
 * The role of the teacher becomes that of an organizer - "let me show you a method you can use as you think about this piece."

Cognitivism Example #2: Octotuts.com - Free HD Graphic Designing Tutorials

 * Description:** Get ready to be wowed! This "eight-part" web service ("oct") is designed, coded, set up, and run by a 17 year-old designer named Hilart Abrahamian. Read more about him here. He puts most of us twice and three times his age to shame! This particular part of his web service is designed to help people already familiar with the Creative Suite from Adobe (mainly Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and Illustrator) learn new ways of applying their knowledge (and it has been a great tutorial for me in the Design and Development classes of this degree program). Every few days there is a new featured "how-to" video posted in which he shows you a new technique or explains a component of design. ** This site exhibits several characteristics of cognitivism **:
 * Because it is a very specific tutorial for Adobe CS programs, learners are expected to possess and apply prior knowledge of the Adobe products.
 * The tutorial is used to show more advanced designing techniques and is therefore intended for an audience possessing the intrinsic motivation to "figure something out." Thus, the locus of learning resides with the learner and his/her desire to seek out new knowledge.
 * Content is presented in multiple ways for learners to make sense of ideas and fit them into their existing knowledge structures: for example, the video both shows you how to proceed through the steps via screencast as Abrahamian explains it verbally.
 * The thumbnails for the video clips serve as a kind of advanced organizer - they show the end result of a technique and encourage learners to persevere through the steps to achieve it.
 * In addition to a tutorial service aspect, the website's featured videos serve as a gallery of techniques that can encourage learners to explore more learning . The thumbnail images are very eye-catching and encourage curiosity - "How'd he do that?" - learning through discovery (acquisition, transformation, and evaluation of new learning).
 * The methods/tips he teaches are immediately applicable to real-world design uses . A person can post the design to his/her publications/website and immediately participate in and receive feedback from others about how it looks and works for the overall design.

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= ﻿Constructivism  =

Constructivism Example #1: The Aurora School of Oakland, California
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 * Description:** The Aurora School is part of The Progressive School Movement, which "is anchored to a belief that the goal of education is to prepare citizens for active participation in a democratic society." This is a school that serves children in grades K-5 and i** s founded on many principals of constructivist learning **:
 * These students are given the "freedom to explore" and are encouraged to seek out new learning, ask questions, and wonder why based on previous learning.
 * Students are given choice in their learning. They are able to make decisions about the classroom, as well as about the topics of study.
 * Students are encouraged to be active participants in learning through demonstrations, class projects, field trips, observations, etc.
 * Learning is meaningful and relevant - The students write for real audiences and solve math problems based on real-world math concepts.
 * Play is an important component of learning. Children learn through play - the website claims that children's "first language is play." So, this play is part of an exploration "on their own terms" and learning.
 * Instruction involves and values cultural diversity - learning occurs through dialogue and collaboration as students learn to value their own heritage, as well as the cultural heritage of others.
 * Students are taught that reading, writing, speaking, and listening are the primary tools for making meaning and apply effective communication to other areas of the curriculum.
 * Students are taught the "beauty of mathematics" and are encouraged to see the relevance and role that science plays in their everyday lives through observations, explorations, and experiments involving the scientific method.
 * Teachers regularly ask students, "What do you think?" to encourage students to construct their own knowledge from their interactions and experience.

Constructivism Example #2: National Model United Nations ("Model UN")

 * Description:** Model UN is an extracurricular organization offered in many schools and colleges around the world for students interested in "addressing global issues in a real-world context." The program is a role-playing competition in which teams of students play the roles of various diplomats from countries involved in the actual United Nations. The competition presents real-world and current issues for students to "solve." In order to solve these issues, students sit on a simulated Security Council or General Assembly and discuss, debate, negotiate, and develop solutions to current issues. The whole process occurs over a few days. ** This organization has several characteristics of constructivism **:
 * Learners are active participants in the learning - they must organize, plan, and develop their assigned country's positions, write a position paper that explains the positions, and then simulate UN negotiations with that knowledge.
 * Learning occurs through dialogue and collaborative learning - students must make meaning and define positions in teams and then carry that meaning and position into competition in which they negotiate with the opposition.
 * The entire process is evocative of Wenger's learning communities - students learn by doing within a learning community . Learning (or " doing") occurs "within a social context that gives structure and meaning" to their prior knowledge of government and history.
 * Learner's construct knowledge from the interaction with other teams and the experience of negotiating world issues in a simulated context.
 * The organization provides "cognitive conflict" in which students must develop new knowledge schemes in order to adapt to the needs of their assigned countries.
 * Learning is self-directed . Students are responsible for preparation and participation in the simulation.

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