The Informationprocessing Family of Models

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The Information-processing Family of Models
MODULE NINE
Eric Bennett, Lacey DeWeert, Tad Heinen, Tina
Miller, Loree Nosack, Jason Rhode, and Traci
Schwanburger
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The Basic Inductive Model
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Inductive Module Overview

• Developed by Hilda Taba, in Contra Costa,
  California.
• Teacher is the initiator and controller of
  activities.
• Teacher matches task to students cognitive level.
• Focus is on ability to categorize and use
  categories.

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Three Thinking Processes

• Thinking can be taught.
• Thinking can be an active transaction between the
  individual and data.
• Processes of thought evolve by a sequence that is
  lawful.

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Three Teaching Strategies

• Concept Formation
• Identifying and enumerating the data relevant to
  a topic or problem.
• Grouping items into categories whose members have
  common attributes.
• Developing labels for the categories.
• Interpretation of Data
• Interpreting
• Inferring
• Generalizing
• Application of principles
• Predict consequences, explain unfamiliar data,
  hypothesize.
• Explain and/or support the predictions and
  hypothesis.
• Verify the prediction.

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Attaining Concepts
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Concept Formation

• Requires the students to decide the basis on
  which they will build categories.
• Requires a student to figure out what the concept
  is by comparing and contrasting examples that are
  given to them and analyzing the attributes.

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Benefits of Model

• The students to identify the concept through
  exemplars, but also what isnt the concept
  through nonexemplars allowing them to better
  attain the concept.
• It also allows the teacher to observe how the
  student thinks through discussion and provide
  guidance when needed.

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Attributes

• Attributes are data features.
• Essential attributes are critical to the domain
  under consideration.
• Attribute Value is the degree an attribute is
  present in any particular example.
• Multiple Attributes are several attributes that
  could be necessary.

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Conjunctive and Disconjunctive Concepts

• Conjunctive Concepts The exemplars are joined
  by 1 or more of the characteristics.
• Disconjunctive Concepts The exemplars are
  joined the presence of some attributes and the
  absence of others.

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Student Strategies

• Partistic Strategies students concentrate on
  just certain aspects of the information
• Holistic Strategies students keep all or most
  of the information in mind.

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Syntax

• In the syntax model, there are three phases.
• Phase 1 Presentation of Data and Identification
  of Concept
• Phase 2 Testing Attainment of the Concept
• Phase 3 Analysis of Thinking Strategies

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Social System

• During the teaching of this method for a concept,
  the teacher acts as a recorder, prompter, and
  presenter.

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Principles of Reaction

• Giving support, but emphasizing the hypothetical
  nature of the discussion.
• Helping students balance one hypothesis against
  another.
• Focusing attention on specific features of
  examples.
• Assisting students in discussing and evaluating
  their thinking strategies.

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Support System

• The information given to the students is
  organized and students can describe its
  attributes.

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Scientific Inquiry
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Philosophical/Theoretical Base for Model

• Originated in a belief in the development of
  independent learners its method requires active
  participation.
• Inquiry learning promotes active, autonomous
  learning as the student formulates questions and
  tests ideas.
• The essence of the model is to involve students
  by confronting them with an area of
  investigation, helping them identify the
  conceptual or methodological problem within that
  area of investigation and invite them to design
  ways to overcome the problem.

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Scientific Inquiry Model

• Confront students with a problem
• Students gather and verify data
• Students hypothesize and experiment
• Experimental data is analyzed and formulated into
  an explanation
• Analysis of process, develop more effective
  strategies for future use

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Scientific Inquiry Models Success

• Students
• Learn the scientific process
• Master major concepts of the discipline
• Acquire basic information about science
• Develop positive views of science

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Adapting the Inquiry Model

• For very young children, it is best to keep the
  content of the problem simple emphasize
  discovery rather than a principle of causation.
• For older students, teachers must adapt material
  to create a discrepant event.
• Older students are more capable of converting
  theories into experiments and are capable of
  handling problems with multiple variables.
• The core purpose is to teach the essential
  material and to teach students how to acquire,
  verify and analyze data that they collect
  creates relevancy for the student.
• The model can be adapted to fit the students, it
  is entirely up to the teacher what is inquired
  and the direction the lesson will go.

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Examples of Adaptation

• Research has even shown that deaf children can
  carry out successful inquiry learning, suggesting
  this method would be successful if used on
  children with severe sensory handicaps.
• In a math class, students can be challenged to
  find as many different ways as possible to solve
  the same problem.

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Ways Teachers Can Synthesize the Model

• How can curricula be created?
• How are at-risk students affected?
• How can teacher ensure gender equity?
• How does brain research support the model?

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How Can Curricula be Created?

• FOR THE TEACHER
• The teacher organizes a unit of study to explore
  pre-selected areas.
• Teachers must be well-versed in the area of study
  and in the model of teaching inquiry.
• FOR THE STUDENT
• The students then structure and identify the
  problems in the investigation.
• Students hypothesize ways to fix the problems and
  test hypotheses.
• Students analyze data and formulate explanations.
• Students analyze their process for ways to
  improve its design.

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How are At-risk Students Affected?

• At-risk students can benefit greatly from
  well-structured inquiry-based learning.
• This is because inquiry requires minimal prior
  knowledge and does not limit the child in terms
  of possibilities the goal is the process, not
  getting the right answer.
• At-risk students can prosper in this
  creatively-rich methodology.

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How Can Teacher Ensure Gender Equity?

• Inquiry learning virtually eliminating gender
  differences.
• This can be ensured by making sure everyone is
  participating and coming up possible ideas to
  fixing the problem.
• If the work is being done in a group, assigning
  each group member with a specific role/task will
  help keep the boys from dominating the girls.

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How Does Brain Research Support the Model?

• Inquiry learning results in increased
  understanding of science, productivity in
  creative thinking and skills for obtaining and
  analyzing data.
• The method works best when confrontations are
  strong, arousing puzzlement and when the
  materials the students use to explore the topics
  under consideration are especially instructional.

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Sample Inquiry Activity
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Memorization
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Memorization Overview
Hee that hath lost his memorie, By mee may it
renewe And hee that wyll it amplifie Shall
finde instructions trewe.
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The Syntax of the Memory Model
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Phase One - Attending to the Material

• Make choices (conscious and unconscious)
  regarding the stimuli to which you will attend.
• Use techniques of underlining, listing,
  reflecting.

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Phase Two - Developing Connections

• Encoding
• acoustic code what it sounds like
• visual code what it looks like
• semantic code what it means
• Mnemonics
• This mnemonic device can help the learner
  remember the names of the five U.S. Great Lakes.
• H Huron O - Ontario M Michigan E Erie
  S Superior
• The Roman Room technique is an ancient and
  effective way of remembering unstructured
  information where the relationship of items of
  information to other items of information is not
  important.

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The Link Word Method

• Link Word Method (click here for additional
  information)
• Associative memory vs. Rote memory

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Phase Three - Expanding Sensory Images

• Ridiculous Association
• Out of proportion
• Action
• Exaggeration
• Substitution

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Ridiculous Association

• book
• margarine
• potatoes
• clock
• door mat
• chess set
• milk
• sheet
• paper tissues
• washing-up liquid

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Substitution

• Substitution - Imagine a submarine sitting (stit
  - sit) you down (u) and to watch a huge train
  shunting (tion) a little carriage.
• Substantial - Imagine a sub that looks like an
  old lady standing up and putting on a shawl.
• Subliminal - Imagine a sub waving its arms
  (limbs) before a group of other subs, and saying
  'There is a sub in all of us.'

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Phase Four - Practicing Recall

• Rehearsal
• Emphasize results
• Allow students to gain independence with the
  method

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Various Techniques and Examples

• Rhyme Technique Thirty days hath September. . .
  . ,
• Acronym Technique PEMDAS
• Link System Technique Image or story
• Rhyming Peg Word Technique one bun, two
  shoe, etc.
• The Familiar Place (Loci) Technique Rooms in a
  home
• Key Words Technique Memorizing one or more words
  from a sentence

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How Do Learning Abilities and Age Affect Memory
and Learning?
What about learning disabilities? (click here for
additional information)
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Conclusions
No one plan fits all students. Making
ME..MOre..REliable (MEMORY)
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Synectics
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Synectics Overview

• Synectics is a model of teaching that enhances
  creativity.
• It is designed to teach students to
• make metaphoric comparisons
• think divergently creatively
• use analogies
• develop fresh ways of thinking

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Metaphoric Activities The Basis of Synectic
Exercises

• Personal analogy
• Direct analogy
• Compressed conflict

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Personal Analogy

• Students are required to empathize with ideas or
  objects to be compared.
• Example Pretend you are your favorite book.
  Describe yourself.

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Direct Analogy

• A simple comparison of two objects or concepts.
• Example How is a school like a salad?

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Compressed Conflict

• Two word description of an object in which both
  words seem opposite of each other.
• Example How is a computer shy and aggressive?

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Two Model of Teaching Based on Synectics

• Creating Something New
• Designed to help students see familiar ideas in a
  new light.
• Making the Strange Familiar
• Designed to make new ideas or concepts more
  meaningful.

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Six Phases to Creating Something New

• Describe the situation or problem.
• Students suggest and explore direct analogies.
• Students become the analogy selected.
• Use personal and direct analogies to form a
  compressed conflict.
• Students generate and select another direct
  analogy based on the compressed conflict.
• Teacher guides students into solving the original
  problem by using analogies.

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Seven Phases to Making the Strange Familiar

• Teacher provides information on a new topic.
• Teacher suggests a direct analogy and students
  describe the analogy.
• Students become the direct analogy.
• Students compare analogies.
• Students explain differences.
• Students re-explore the original topic on its own
  terms.
• Students generate analogies and explore the
  similarities and differences.

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Applying Synectics in the Curriculum

• Creative writing
• Exploring social problems
• Problem solving
• Creating a design or product
• Broadening our perspective of a concept

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Instructional and Nurturant Effects of Synectics

• Instructional Effects
• Promotes group cohesion and productivity
• Encourages creativity
• Provides tools for metaphoric thinking
• Enhances problem solving capability
• Increases perspective for viewing topics
• Nurturant Effects
• Improves self-esteem
• Provides opportunities to be adventurous
• Promotes achievement of curricular content

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Final Thoughts on Synectics

• Synectics uses analogies and metaphoric
  comparisons to make learning meaningful.

Synectics bobs and dives with the turbulent
forces churning the sea of knowledge.
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InformationProcessing Discussion Board Questions

• Please choose one or two of the following
  questions for your initial weekly
  posting(s).Then, please reply to at least one
  other posting on a different question during the
  week.
• Describe the role of the teacher in the inductive
  thinking model. How might this role vary based
  upon student ability level or age?
• Explain why having students reflect, whether
  written or discussion format, on their thinking
  process when participating in a concept
  attainment activity is valuable to both the
  student and teacher.
• What analogies and metaphors can you create to
  reflect a deeper understanding of the content
  area in which you teach?
• What are the advantages/disadvantages of teaching
  through inquiry?
• Give an example of a lesson or unit that you
  teach where mnemonics play an important role in
  the acquisition and retention of information.
  Discuss the pros and cons of using this
  particular method.
• What subject would be the most difficult to teach
  using inquiry? Why?

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Sample Inquiry Activity Measuring Content of
Salt in Water

• What will I need to do this?
• Jar, 1 qt. (1 liter), Modeling clay, Table salt,
  Measuring spoon, tablespoon (15ml), Pen cap
• How do I do this?
• Pour enough water to fill the jar three-fourths
  full.
• Place enough clay in the pen cap to force it to
  sink when put in the jar of water.
• Place 1 tablespoon of salt into the water and mix
  the solution.
• Record any movements in the position of the pen
  cap.
• Proceed to place 1 tablespoon of salt at a time
  until 5 tablespoons has been added to the jar.
• Record any movements in the position of the pen
  cap.
• What did you record?
• What caused this to happen
• The force of water pushing up on the cap is
  called the buoyancy force. The buoyancy force
  becomes greater with the weight of water. Water
  without salt is not as dense as salt water. As
  the amount of salt in the water increases, the
  water gets denser and has a greater buoyancy
  force, which lifts the cap higher in the water.
  The cap floating in the water behaves like a
  hydrometer, which is and object used to determine
  the salt content of water.

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