pedagogy
The pedagogy I will work with in terms of efficiently developing proficient knowledge of InDesign and Photoshop basics along with the knowledge required to produce desired outcomes is collaborative learning along with the constructivist theory. The constructivist theory says that “knowledge constructed in the human being when information comes into contact with existing knowledge that had been developed by experiences” (Bruner, 2013). It deals with discovery, collaboration, hands-on learning, experiential learning, and it is also project-based and task based. These are all highly important when getting kids prepared to be editors for the newspaper and to work with a new program most likely outside of their comfort zone. The pedagogical principles outlined by Bruner (2013) are:
1. Instruction must be concerned with the experiences and contexts that make the student willing and able to learn (readiness).
2. Instruction must be structured so that it can be easily grasped by the student (spiral organization).
3. Instruction should be designed to facilitate extrapolation and or fill in the gaps (going beyond the information given).
In terms of the first principle, newspaper is all about the experience. Students join newspaper ready and willing to learn. They come with a certain foundational knowledge of writing and news writing, but their intrinsic motivation stems from wanting to produce something others will see and enjoy and something they can seize ownership of. I, as the adviser, will act as the facilitator because in many respects, this class is student-run and these students want to be there. Learning in this classroom is an active and social process. They become a part of the classroom community in which they all must combine their efforts to create a product for the school and the community to see.
As I will use the technology to model for students the basics they can then practice, information given will be structured so that it is easily built upon as they become more comfortable with the programs and the execution of certain aspects of those programs. Students will be able to fully grasp the importance of the context in which the paper is being produced, and if the instruction is scaffolded correctly, there will be some direct instruction first and then the InDesign and Photoshop learning process will become increasingly more engaging and challenging as they grow within their own understanding. By having other students model and demonstrate with the technology, the role of collaboration also becomes even more important. Other students are learning by teaching and demonstrating, and others are learning by modeling, experimenting and practicing. In this way, instruction becomes much more dynamic as the task becomes extremely important, because even in practice, designs can be shared and constructively critiqued.
With the content, as the third principle mentions, it will become easier to “fill in the gaps, or go beyond the information given.” Students’ infrastructure of knowledge will be stronger with clearer modeling, demonstration and much more scaffolded practice. Students can collaborate to go beyond basic knowledge obtained into more advanced features to start developing deeper understanding of the process and their role. This allows students to be active in their learning process. They are in charge, and as Bruner (2013) states, “learning is an active process in which learners construct new ideas or knowledge” once they have constructed a basic framework of understanding. I believe this paves the way for students to be encouraged to discover more on their own. I will have varied levels of understanding of the content, or varied schema, but if the ultimate goal is made clear, and all students and the teacher can engage in “socratic learning” in which the teacher “translate[s] information to be learned into a format appropriate to the learner’s current state of understanding,” (Bruner, 2013) more students will be capable of helping other students and experimenting on their own. Having scaffolded their engagement with these programs, it will be a less dramatic transition into producing pages that will be published.
1. Instruction must be concerned with the experiences and contexts that make the student willing and able to learn (readiness).
2. Instruction must be structured so that it can be easily grasped by the student (spiral organization).
3. Instruction should be designed to facilitate extrapolation and or fill in the gaps (going beyond the information given).
In terms of the first principle, newspaper is all about the experience. Students join newspaper ready and willing to learn. They come with a certain foundational knowledge of writing and news writing, but their intrinsic motivation stems from wanting to produce something others will see and enjoy and something they can seize ownership of. I, as the adviser, will act as the facilitator because in many respects, this class is student-run and these students want to be there. Learning in this classroom is an active and social process. They become a part of the classroom community in which they all must combine their efforts to create a product for the school and the community to see.
As I will use the technology to model for students the basics they can then practice, information given will be structured so that it is easily built upon as they become more comfortable with the programs and the execution of certain aspects of those programs. Students will be able to fully grasp the importance of the context in which the paper is being produced, and if the instruction is scaffolded correctly, there will be some direct instruction first and then the InDesign and Photoshop learning process will become increasingly more engaging and challenging as they grow within their own understanding. By having other students model and demonstrate with the technology, the role of collaboration also becomes even more important. Other students are learning by teaching and demonstrating, and others are learning by modeling, experimenting and practicing. In this way, instruction becomes much more dynamic as the task becomes extremely important, because even in practice, designs can be shared and constructively critiqued.
With the content, as the third principle mentions, it will become easier to “fill in the gaps, or go beyond the information given.” Students’ infrastructure of knowledge will be stronger with clearer modeling, demonstration and much more scaffolded practice. Students can collaborate to go beyond basic knowledge obtained into more advanced features to start developing deeper understanding of the process and their role. This allows students to be active in their learning process. They are in charge, and as Bruner (2013) states, “learning is an active process in which learners construct new ideas or knowledge” once they have constructed a basic framework of understanding. I believe this paves the way for students to be encouraged to discover more on their own. I will have varied levels of understanding of the content, or varied schema, but if the ultimate goal is made clear, and all students and the teacher can engage in “socratic learning” in which the teacher “translate[s] information to be learned into a format appropriate to the learner’s current state of understanding,” (Bruner, 2013) more students will be capable of helping other students and experimenting on their own. Having scaffolded their engagement with these programs, it will be a less dramatic transition into producing pages that will be published.