Cognitive
Learning Theory, Graphic Organizers, and Virtual Field Trips
By:
Cristina Stratton
School is not in session for two more weeks, so in order to
complete this assignment, I met with two of my former second grade students
today, Grace and Shirley, at a local ice cream shop. They are preparing to
enter third grade very soon. I explained to the girls that teachers are always
learning, too, and that I am currently in college again, working on my Master’s
degree. I brought along my laptop and asked them to help me complete one of my
assignments. They were so excited to participate and thought it was so funny
that I was in school in the summertime and that I was being graded on this!
On my laptop, we watched a really cool virtual field trip called “All About Amphibians,” presented by Siemens STEM Academy and the Smithsonian’s
National Zoological Park. (I have attached a link to the virtual trip below.) Before starting the field trip, I asked some probing
questions to see if the girls had any prior knowledge of amphibians. I was
pleased that they recalled some information about the animal group that we had
learned during the previous school year. I told the girls that as we watch the video, I
wanted them to specifically pay close attention to the four different types of
amphibians described in the video. Together, as a small group, we ate our ice
cream and watched each of the field trip’s segments to learn about a wide range
of amphibians from around the world. We watched scientists explain why
amphibians are important, why they are being studied, and the threats facing
amphibians in the wild. We took
breaks after each segment to discuss and review what we had just watched.
The objective of the lesson was for my students to understand
and describe the characteristics of different types of amphibians. After we watched
each segment of the field trip, I would minimize the video and pull up the
concept map graphic organizer that I made using “Lucidchart” software on my
computer. (The link to the completed graphic organizer is below). The students told me what to type in
each bubble on the organizer. If we had been in a classroom setting, I could
have had this graphic organizer projected onto the SmartBoard, and the
students could have written their ideas in the bubbles themselves. Or, perhaps
they could have had their own Ipad with this graphic organizer open, and they
could have been recording their ideas simultaneously while we watched the field
trip. Even though I was not able to incorporate these other technologies, the
organizer was sufficient and worked really well as a way for me to assess what
the students were learning from the virtual field trip. Since I was in charge of typing their
responses for them, the pace of the lesson was quick, and the students stayed really
engaged. They were impressed with how I was able to so easily record their
responses into the word bubbles. Once completed, we reviewed each of the 4
categories of amphibians, and it was clear that the girls were able to clearly
answer my essential question,
which asked, “what are the defining characteristics of each type of amphibian?”
Every
year, I teach about animal groups in my second grade science class. This
virtual field trip and concept map will be an excellent addition to my
instruction. In addition, I created a Venn diagram using Lucidchart, which is
comparing and contrasting the frog and the toad. (I have also attached this
link below). Grace and Shirley helped me fill in the circles on the organizer,
but in the classroom, I would again, let the students complete the work themselves
either on the Smartboard, an Ipad, or with a pencil and paper. These graphical tools will help my
students connect with the content that I am teaching by organizing and linking
their ideas. These graphic organizers, created with technology are just an
example of how I incorporate components of the Cognitive Learning Theory into
my instruction.
Important Links:
“All About Amphibians” Virtual Field Trip:
Lucidchart Concept Map:
Lucidchart Venn Diagram:
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