I love the strategy that was expressed by Dr. Orey on the Laureate DVD is week. He described how students should be put into groups to become experts on a topic. Then be separated and put into a different group to then teacher their peers the information learned. They then are the expert on that topic and must convey that knowledge to their peers and aid in their learning. I have found this to be an excellent method in my freshman science classes. The student’s besides attaining knowledge and socially interacting with their peers, learns how compile knowledge and present it. I use this in the beginning of the school year so the student’s get used to working with each other but also become familiar with the workings of my classroom and my expectations of a high school student.
I believe that this correlates directly with the principles of Social Learning Theories:
1. Defines how learning occurs in a social setting.
2. There is a cognitive capacity where rich networks are bridged
3. The Zone of Proximal Development is utilized and students are informed of the big picture (rigorous and relevant tasks) (Siemens, 2009.)
Reference:Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author
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