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Integration of Learning Theories
Integration of Learning Theories into Elementary Social Studies Lessons
Kimberly R. Aldrich
Purdue University
Integration of Learning Theories into Elementary Social Studies Lessons
Over the past several years, due in part to standardized testing, elementary social studies curriculum in public education has largely fallen by the wayside. The focus in many schools, especially underperforming schools that have been placed into government sanctioned improvement programs, has been on reading and mathematics. Social studies curriculum has become a subject that teachers get to if they can squeeze it in at the end of the day. Many times it is the first thing to be left out when there are minimum days, or other subject matter runs longer than expected. Because most grades don’t test social studies on state tests, teachers don’t focus on teaching the content for their grade, even though it would help students understand the broader concepts and the big picture of history if it was taught systemically across grade levels.
Many teachers struggle with teaching social studies because they themselves don’t have a strong background in history and don’t feel competent teaching the content effectively.
Unfortunately, this is truly a missed opportunity for teachers and students as students are deprived of the opportunity to learn about our history, our government, and how these both affect their futures. By understanding the way our government was designed, students will understand their roles in our society and the importance of protecting our constitution. Through social studies, students can also learn to read, analyze, and understand documents and informational text, which are both critical skills for them as they further their education. When teachers do have opportunities to teach social studies, it is often through reading a textbook, possibly a discussion, followed by some sort of assessment. Students often perform very poorly on assessments because they haven’t synthesized the information in a meaningful way. They may remember names, dates, and possibly events, but do not understand them in the context of the bigger picture of history and how it all fits together. They do not understand how the past influences our present, and how our present will influence our future. These are extremely important concepts that our nation’s children need to understand.
It is critical that we develop instruction that engages students, provides relevance for them, and teaches them the concepts needed to give them a deep understanding of the world in which we live.
The purpose of this project will be to develop an instructional design template for teaching elementary social studies, using the topic of the constitution, but developing a template in a way that can be used with many different topics related to social studies, and in many grade levels. Several learning theories will be addressed and specific activities will be developed, based on the specific theories. The result will be a culmination of instructional activities that will be based on my instructional theory, as it is developed through this process.
Literature Review
After careful analysis of the learning theories I have been reading and discussing over the past seven weeks, it is clear that there is no “magic bullet” for learning instruction. My observations, as I have read through the material and reflected on my own educational experiences both as a learner and instructor, is that there are specific circumstances in which various learning theories can be applied so that learners get the most out of the learning experience. There is not one approach that can be used across the board in all learning situations and with all learners. This is why I have chosen to focus on an area of curricular study that is often regarded as boring and disengaging by students. This in an area that I believe, by integrating many learning theories and
thestrategies used within them, can provide a rich, engaging, and deep learning experience for students.
Although constructivism, and other names associated with it, tends to be the most disputed, I believe the components within it can be highly effective when all elements are incorporated into lessons or units of study. (Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark, 2006) argue that, “minimally guided instruction is likely to be ineffective.” In contrast, (Hmelo-Silver, Duncan, and Chinn, 2007), respond to this view with the argument that constructivist theories, specifically problem-based learning and inquiry learning provide scaffolding and even direct instruction, in some instances. Edelson explains, “However, in these contexts, direct instruction may be provided on a just-in-time basis and generally once students experience a need to know the information presented,” (as cited in Hmelo-Silver et al., 2007). (Hmelo-Silver et al., 2007) also argue, “Scaffolded inquiry and problem-based environments present learners with opportunities to engage in complex tasks that would otherwise be beyond their current abilities” (p.100). According to the (Stanford History Education Group, n.d.), “While students learn from experience from the constructivist view, a main function of the teacher is to shape those experiences. In many cases it is necessary for the teacher to provide scaffolds for students to construct knowledge.” As part of the constructivist approach to learning, multiple perspectives will also be addressed when designing the lessons. “Students can learn to ask, whose voices are we not hearing? What perspective is not represented? What alternative stories are told about these events? Did participants in these events agree on their meaning? What might account for these differences in perspective?,” states (Martin, n.d.). These are in addition to the other components of constructivism that will be discussed in the application section of this paper.
Another theory containing elements that will be incorporated into the lessons/unit of study is Cognitive Information Processing. The way information is processed and stored into long-term memory is extremely important. In regard to the way information is processed, (Driscoll, 2005) states, “The degree to which either type of processing dominates seems to depend on the nature of the learning task itself and the amount of prior knowledge the learner brings to it.” This summarizes the importance of taking CIP into consideration when designing learning instruction.
The final area of focus when designing the social studies lessons will be on situated cognition. The goal of implemented elements of this theory will be to get students to the boundary trajectory, which occurs “when learners sustain membership and participation in related communities of practice and, in essence, ‘broker’ interactions between them,” as stated by (Driscoll, p.169).
When developing tasks associated with this unit, the authenticity of the tasks will be a focus. Wiggins & McTighe state, “An authentic task asks students to perform tasks in a realistic, real-world context,” (as cited in (Gregory and Chapman, 2002, p. 53). Students will be asked to demonstrate mastery in ways that interest them and give them voice and choice. “Authentic tasks are important because they provide meaning and motivation for learning. They provide students with opportunities to relate to real-world situations, make connections to their own interests, and engage deeply with subject matter,” according to (Harris & Marx, 2009).
Application
The question asked to students to address the topic of the lesson in this example is, “How Did the Constitution Guard Against Tyranny?” When introducing a new topic to students, or addressing a known topic in a new way, the cognitivism approach is important in building background knowledge and vocabulary. As the information and concepts are being introduced, it is important to focus cognitive information processing and on working memory to ensure that the new knowledge makes its way into long-term memory. To do this, many activities can be used which can involve chunking of information, and various activities that provide students with opportunities to process the information. Once the background information and vocabulary have been taught, it is important to provide a scenario for students that helps them understand the relevance this has to them in their own lives. One way may be to provide examples of countries that are still run by tyrants and have them analyze the lives and situations of the people in those countries today. This helps students relate this to their own lives, but also focus on multiple perspectives, by looking at the perspective of people living in these other countries. They can then compare those people to the lives of people in the U.S. A background essay about the writing of the constitution will then be introduced and students will work in groups to read and answer questions, which focuses on the use ofsituated cognition and the move toward the boundary trajectory. The students will then learn about Federalism by reading and analyzing an excerpt from the Federalist paper # 51 and a venn diagram outlining the powers of the central government, states, and powers of both. To introduce real-world and multiple perspectives, a learning experience can be set up to show the reason powers are given to the central government. For example, the teacher can divide the room into small groups, having each small group represent a different state. Each state will be given a different form of money. The teacher will then create a need to purchase from state to state to show problems that would arise from having different forms of money. The same can be done with states’ powers to demonstrate need for individual powers among states. Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances are the next guards against tyranny that can be demonstrated through excerpts from the Federalist papers # 47 and #51 and excerpts from the U.S. Constitution. For these guards, the teacher can divide the class into the three branches of government. The teacher can represent the chief executive, then the class can be separated into the judicial and legislative branches. The class (three branches) can develop rules for the classroom and powers for each classroom branch that correlate to powers for each government branch. The teacher then asks questions and sets up a scenario that gives the branches opportunities to “check” powers. An example could be the “congress” making a law to allow students to stay outside for recess all afternoon. The president (teacher) can veto the law. For the final guard, which is Large versus Small states, students can be divided into groups that place stickers on a U.S. map in each state for each member of the House of Representatives. The same can be done for the Senate. This will provide a visual picture for students to show the advantages that large states have in the House of Representatives. Students can work in groups to list ways this could benefit large states. The same can be done for the Senate and small states. These are all examples of authentic tasks that can help students connect the content to real life. For the culminating activity, students will work in groups to create their own way of demonstrating their understanding of the way that the Constitution guards against tyranny. This can be a play, an essay, a poster, powerpoint, or anything else they would like to use to demonstrate their understanding.
This example is important for the field of instructional design because it demonstrates how several learning theories can be integrated to create a lesson that helps teachers take their student’s understanding of social studies to a mucher deeper level than they would have through the traditional teaching methods previously mentioned.
Conclusion
In order to truly change the way social studies is taught in elementary education, it is important to get into classrooms and teach the lesson explained above for this content area and develop other content area lessons using the same types of activities that are based on the learning theories mentioned above. The important piece is to continue to revise and improve the lessons, based on trial and error. There will always be a need to make changes as the lessons are implemented with students, but by doing this it will improve the lessons and make them stronger. It will also help with the designing of a template that can be adapted for different grade levels and social studies content areas.
Further research would include looking at the different ways technology can be integrated into the lessons. Looking more closely at the learning theories mentioned above and the elements within them will help develop more specific activities that integrate these elements into lessons. It will also be helpful to identify specific cooperative learning activities that will enhance the situated cognition and constructivism theories. There are always ways that instructional design lessons can be improved.
References
Harris, C. & Marx, R. (2009, December 23). Authentic Tasks. Retrieved from
http://www.education.com/reference/article/authentic-tasks/
The Stanford History Education Group (n.d.). Constructivism: Actively Building Knowledge.
Retrieved from
Gregory, G.H., Chapman, C. (2002). Differentiated Instruction Strategies: One Size Doesn’t Fit
All. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc.
Martin, D. (n.d.). Historic Stories, Fictional Accounts: Achieving Multiperspectivity. Retrieved
from
Driscoll, M. P. (2005).Psychology of Learning For Instruction (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson
Education, Inc.
Hemlo-Silver, C.E., Duncan, R.G., Chinn, C.A. (2007).Scaffolding and Achievement in
Problem-Based and Inquiry Learning: A Response to Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark
(2006). Retrieved from Educational Psychologist. 42(2)
Kirschner, P.A., Sweller, J., Clark, R.E., (2006). Why Minimal Guidance During Instruction
Does Not Work: An Analysis of the Failure of Constructivist, Discovery, Problem-Based,
Experiential, and Inquiry-Based Teaching.Retrieved from Educational Psychologist.
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