Firstly, I noticed that he had not yet developed his ability to self-talk. That little voice inside our heads that tells us not to speak too loudly to our neighbor in the cinema, or, in this boy's case not to make animal noises every few seconds during circle time. Since self-talk is a crucial part of constructing knowledge, I wondered whether he was finding it hard to build connections because of this deficit.
Soon we had him talking out the steps of each and every task and, before long, not only his vocabulary improved but also his ability to perform tasks independently. In the past, he had been addressed for his anti-social behavior on numerous occasions but stimuli-response behaviorism was having more of a negative effect.
His language development was holding him back from verbally interacting with other students. And his attention deficit was potentially eliminating any contributions he might have made if he were better able to follow the flow of the conversation. Nevertheless, with support, he was made to feel part of our class team. He was listened to and his peers (who were only 6) were amazingly patient and supportive in the way they not only included him but actually made sure he was fully understanding. The power of social constructivism was almost palpable.
Our young friend has made exceptional progress but so have his peers; having truly come to an understanding of their role as the More Knowledgeable Others (MKO).
Dr. Orey tells us the MKO can sometimes be a computer. He states that conversations help students concretize their learning and that these verbal interactions occur naturally when students are working together to construct an artifact. Multimedia technology supports the tenets of social constructivism in a myriad of ways. VoiceThread slideshows, for example, allow students to verbalize their thought process through a combination of visual and audio recordings. "Technology can play a unique and vital role in cooperative learning by facilitating group collaboration, providing structure for group tasks, and allowing members of groups to communicate even if they are not working face-to-face" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007). There exists a wealth of websites and technology tools which allow the learning to go far beyond the classroom. Perhaps the most exciting, yet challenging, role of technology as an instrument of social constructivist learning is its global application. "(T)here are many examples of Websites that facilitate correspondence and project-based learning between students and other communities" (Pitler et al., 2007).
Knowledge is being shared, critiqued, revised, constructed in ways we never thought possible 20 years ago. As Siemens puts it information abundance may well be reshaping education.
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Hi Susan,
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your post. It is amazing how your student progressed. Social constructivism is very important to learners old and young. I believe that teaching cooperative learning skills helps everyone that is involved. Your student reminds me of a young man (age 5) in my class. When he came to school he would mimic every behavior he saw. Most of the behavior was inappropriate. I paired him during center time with a More knowledgeable Other (MKO). Did not know at the time this was what it was called but it has helped. I just knew he imitated what he saw. We still have a long way to go. Think about where we both would be with out social constructivism.
Sandra
Thanks Sandra.
ReplyDeleteI wish you all the best with your little lad. I had to include my personal story because I was so proud of my little guy's achievements and the way in which the other kids have rallied round him. Truly heart-warming.
Hi Susan,
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed your personal story about your socially challenged student. I teach fourth grade and have a student with a moderate case of autism though he has not been medically diagnosed as such (our ESE teacher recognized the characteristics as she has a on who has a mild case and have studied these cases extensively). I also have a student with club feet and has had unfortunate experiences that have in the past isolated him for enjoying social interaction with others. With the austic students I have those students who are willing to be that "MKO" for him and some - mostly the advanced students who are not so willing. Any ideas on how to encourage their support of this student?
Regarding the student with club feet - he is coming along well in a cooperative setting and I think largely due to the fact that he is a fairly normal student (mentally speaking). It has taken disucssions and stories that share the wonderful idea of being unique that has made a difference in both cases. It has taken focusing on learning and embracing the idea that success includes the learning of everyone in the class and not just a few.
The ideas that underlie cooperative learning and social constructivism (thought I did not it at the time) have help to shape my students thinking about learning into a pleasant enviornment for mostly all of my students.
Hi Kaladia,
ReplyDeleteThere are many reasons why some children find it hard to include children who are different to them. In my experience there are two main factors (and many, many minor ones which could also be contributing). The first is a fear of the unknown (as with your student with club feet)- this is generally overcome in the manner that you spoke of and with time. The second reason is a fear that the autistic student will somehow negatively effect their image or their grade. If this is the situation it's a question of telling the students that for today's task you are going to grade not only on the outcome but also the process (how well your group overcame its differences) and that there will be bonus points for stepping outside their comfort zone! Reward the kids who show they are risk-takers and inclusive with GRADES. I mean so often we give grades for academic work and "stickers" for social skills. In my view, social skills should be valued AT LEAST as highly as academics. And, if your kids are used to chasing grades then that is the way they see the value.
Remember your academically advanced students identity is related to their academic strength. They may well feel that the autistic boy will effect this and they, more than anyone, need to see the value in sharing their talents.