Rudolph Marin’s assembly of views on the Concrete-Abstract Continuum and Learning as it relates to Instructional Technology in

Education.

Instructional Technology in Education

Concrete-Abstract Continuum

• Instructional activities exist along a continuum from concrete, real experiences to very abstract experiences.

• For example, in a unit on flying aboard airplanes, you could put the students on a plane and give them the actual experience of flying.

• Moving to the right on the continuum, you could put them in a simulator.

More on Concrete-Abstract Continuum• Standing at an airport they could observe someone else

taking off or landing as a passenger in an airplane. • They could view an exhibit of air flight, They could view an

exhibit of air flight, including a mock-up of the inside of an airplane cabin.

• Moving more to the right on the continuum, they could view a video of a flight from the passenger's perspective.

• They could examine photographs from a flight or hear an audio narration by a passenger with the associated background noises during a flight. To the extreme right, they could read someone's account of an airline trip.

Effects of Continuum on Learning Students

• As learning experiences move along the continuum from left to right, learners move from actually participating with the content to observing the content, to just hearing and reading about the content.

• The students‘ involvement becomes less active while the mental requirements increase as you move from left to right.

Trade-Offs• Decisions regarding trade-offs between the concreteness of

learning experiences and time constraints have to be made continually by the teacher.

• Edgar Dale (1969) in his Cone of Experience suggested we start with the learner as participant in the actual experience, then move to the learner as observer of the actual event, to the learner as observer of an event presented through some medium, and finally to the learner observing symbols that represent an event.

• Dale contended that learners could make profitable use of more abstract instructional activities to the extent that they had built up a stock of more concrete experiences to give meaning to the more abstract representations of reality.

Abstract Experiences

• As learners move toward more abstract experiences, more information can be compressed into a shorter period of time.

• It takes more time for students to engage in simulations and role-plays than it does to present the same information in videotape, a series of visuals, a verbal presentation, or text on a computer screen or in a book.

Examples of Abstract Experiences• A field trip can provide a learning experience

relatively high in concreteness, but it also takes up a good deal of instructional time, and limited resources in a school district often arrange.

• A video depicting the same experiences as the field trip will be more abstract, but may be presented to students in a much shorter period of time and with much less effort and money.

Information

• The greatest amount of information can be presented in the least amount of time through printed or spoken words (the right side of the concrete-abstract continuum).

• But if students do not have the prerequisite background experience and knowledge to handle these verbal symbols, the time saved in presentation may be time lost in learning.

Bruner Perspective

• Psychologist Jerome Bruner, working from a different perspective in developing his theory of instruction, proposed that the sequence in which learners encounter materials has a direct effect on their achieving mastery of the task (Bruner, 1966).

• Bruner pointed out that this applies to all learners, not just children.

• When a learning task is presented to adults who have no relevant experiences on which to draw learning is facilitated when instruction follows a sequence from actual concrete experience to a more symbolic or abstract representation.

Data

• When learning science, students can have precise data at their fingertips by collecting it themselves with the use of digital probes that measure things such as speed, temperature, and chemical composition.

• If the collected data are transferred to the computer and analyzed with spreadsheet and database software, the students are freed from plotting the points themselves.

Role of the Computer

• By having the computer serve as the "processor" of information.

• In other words, to complete the repetitious sorting and calculations-students' minds can move beyond tedious tasks to better understand the foundational concepts of mathematics and science.

Recent Trends

• Recently there has been a trend from a focus on teaching to an emphasis on learning.

• Over time there has been a shift from teachers using technology and media in classrooms to students using technology and media anytime and anywhere.

Using Technology in Learning

• You can make the most effective use of technology and media if you have a basic understanding of how your students learn.

• Instructional technology and media provide you with the tools to engage students in learning.

Choosing Technology and Media for Students Learning

• As a teacher, you must be prepared to choose the best technology and media for your students.

• Such tools offer powerful possibilities for improving learning.

• You, however, can make the difference by the way you integrate technology and media into this process.

Definition of Learning

• Learning is defined as "a persisting change in capability resulting from the learner's experience and interaction with the world" (Driscoll, 2000, p. 11).

• Most of us don't learn by being told, but by doing. John Dewey (1916) put forth this idea almost a century ago.

• Today, learning experiences can be actual or virtual and can occur with or without technology, as described under the concrete-abstract continuum.

Definition of Learning

• Learning is the development of new knowledge, skills, or attitudes as an individual interacts with information and the environment.

• The learning environment is orchestrated by the teacher and includes the physical facilities, the academic and emotional atmosphere, and instructional technology.

Teaching Versus Learning

• Teaching:• Teacher focus, Teacher as presenter, Information

from teacher• Input orientation (e.g., teacher, library,• classrooms, and resources)• Classroom-based (same time/same place)• Group or class-based• Rigid• Competitive learning

Learning

• Student focus• Teacher as synthesizer, navigator, and coordinator of learning• Information from many sources (e.g., Internet, electronic

libraries, and books)• Output orientation (e.g., student products, performance, and

procedures)• Not limited to classroom (any time, any place)• Individualized delivery and collaborative learning with group

communication• Flexible• Cooperative learning

Types (Domains) of Learning

• The teacher is responsible for orchestrating"the learning environment.

• It is important to know that you will need to facilitate four primary domains of learning; cognitive, affective, motor skill, and interpersonal.

Domains

• Cognitive Domain. Learning involves an array of intellectual capabilities that may be classified either as verbal/visual information or as intellectual skills.

• Affective Domain. The affective domain involves attitudes, feelings, and values.

• Motor Skill Domain. Learning involves athletic, manual, and other such physical skills.

• Interpersonal Domain. Learning in the interpersonal domain involves interactions among people. Interpersonal skills are people-centered skills that require the ability to relate effectively with others. Placed.

Psychological Perspectives on Learning

• The role of technology and media in the classroom depends very much on their beliefs about how people learn.

• Over the past half-century there have been several dominant theories of learning.

• Each has implications for instruction in general and for the use of technology and media in particular.

Conclusion

• Summation• Questions• Answers • Comments• Recommendations• Thank you

References

• Samaldino, S.E., Lowther, D.L., Russell, J. D. (2008). Instructional Techology and media for learning. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.