Blogpost 3 - Goal Based Scenarios, Anchored Instruction, STAR Legacy, MOST Multimedia

1. Similarities or differences between the theories/models? Do they share common foundations or principles?

In my opinion, the largest similarities between all four theories/models is that the instruction is delivered within the context of the problem or story and they all four use extensive multimedia components.  The idea of learning in context is an important component to learning that a lot of traditional and online classrooms leave out.  If the learning does not seem authentic or meaningful to a student, they are less likely to participate, engage, and retain the information/knowledge.  By focusing a student's mind on a problem, issue, goal, story, etc., a student is less concerned that they are "learning" and are more drive to solve the problem or issue, accomplish a goal, or re-create or re-tell a story.  Likewise, all four theories use extensive multimedia components to help facilitate instruction.  Instead of relying on "old school" approaches to learning, the theories incorporate multimedia activities, which are more likely to engage all types of learners but especially struggling learners.  The multimedia can be a variety of tools such as videos, websites, simulations, discussion boards -- whatever can be used to enhance the instruction within the context.

Another similarity is that the STAR, GBS, and Anchored Instruction could all be implemented in group scenarios.  Students could work together in groups to accomplish a task or solve a problem by developing one or multiple solutions.  The unit could be structured similar to the tenets of cooperative learning, or all students could be tasked with completing the assignment individually and then coming together in the final stages to brainstorm solutions based upon their findings.  The MOST Environment model is tailored to more individualized instruction or one on one scenarios.  Students could share their final products and receive feedback from peers, but the instructional portions of this model are best suited for individual learning.

The biggest difference between all four models is that STAR, GBS, and Anchored Instruction can be used for almost any subject area that a problem can be created or a goal can be set.  However, the MOST Environment model is designed to improve various literacy-based skills.  The readings or multimedia components could be saturated with content from other subject areas to enhance the instruction.

2. Initial reactions to learning theories/models? Barriers to their use? Benefits to overcoming the barriers?

My initial reaction to these theories and models are very similar to the Group-Based Collaborative Instruction and Multimedia models.  All 8 of these models share very similar concepts.  For example, GBS and Guided Design are very similar in that they share the same idea of progressing through a series of steps to solve a problem.   Likewise GBS, Guided Design, STAR, and Anchored Instruction are all models that require problem solving skills and force groups or individuals to solve a problem and generate solutions.  Long story short, the last two units go hand in hand and share many of the same tenets, underlying principles, and outcomes.

Also, I felt that these models would work very well in today's learning environments.  Each of these models could easily align with the Framework for 21st Century Learning as well as the standards and outcomes provided by the new Common Core curriculum.  STAR, GBS, and Anchored Instruction require students to think critically, problem solve, and communicate with peers and experts.  All of the models in this unit are deeply rooted in context thus simulating real world problems where students learn the content through various mediums.  Similarly, Common Core stresses that students should graduate high school ready to succeed in college or contribute successfully to a career of their choice.  The Common Core Standards "are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world" (http://www.corestandards.org/).  All four models could be created into units that incorporate the standards and outcomes associated with Common Core.  In fact, I would go as far to say that these four models will flourish under the Common Core curriculum and the Framework for 21st Century Learning because they naturally include many of the principles of each.

I foresee many time-straining barriers (turn-offs is probably a better term) with these four models because they require a lot of heavy duty set up for the instructor especially if the instructor is going to create many of the of multimedia components from scratch and incorporate context experts to help guide the problem solving processes.  However, if instructors are willing to be in the work at the front end for the STAR, GBS, and Anchored Instruction models, the students take responsibility for their own learning throughout the rest of the unit as they investigate and problem solve.  In the MOST Environment model, instructors have a heavier workload as they have a more individualized instructional unit and they are potentially guiding their students through literacy strategies even after the work they put in at the beginning to create the unit.

3. Would you attempt to use any of these theories/models with the students you are currently teaching or hope to teach in the future? Why or why not? Could elements of the theories/models be modified so that they would work with your current/future students?

I would use these models in the future if I was creating online environment for my students.  I think some aspects of each model could be implemented in the classroom, but I feel that all four all best served in either hybrid learning environments or 100% online environments.  Many projects in my traditional classroom could be set up using some of the tenets from each model.  For example, I could create an Electoral College project where students research the basics of the Electoral College and then begin to assess the effectiveness and fairness of the system.  They could work in groups or individually to determine areas of need in our current voting system.  Then they could work in groups or individually to develop an alternative solution to the our current system or develop fixes that we could implement to improve the Electoral College as a whole.

In my school right now we have an isolated program called Academy of Reading that utilizes many of the same concepts and strategies in the MOST Environment model to help improve reading literacy skills for students who are struggling or have disconnected deficits in their own reading process.  The program utilizes video, games, simulations, online reading prompts to help students improve their reading skills.  As they complete each step, the students then work with the teacher to extend their learning and demonstrate that they have mastered the concept.  While it's not exactly aligned with every tenet of the MOST Environment model, the program shares many of the same attributes.

4. Since we're taking learning theories/models that were not necessarily created with the Web in mind & turning them into Web modules, what Web-based tools/resources could be leveraged to carry out these learning theories/models online? Please spend some time identifying tools and resources for this last point, as this background research should help you complete your projects more efficiently.

Obviously,  if we are spending time creating multimedia components for many of these models we are going to need a place to store them.  There are plenty of online tools that teachers can use to host these component pieces of each model such as Google Drive, YouTube, Vimeo.  A nice compliment to those tools would be Google Hangout if you were to set up one of the first 3 models in an online environment with groups.  Students could meet in a hangout to problem solve and brainstorm.  In addition, if you are creating a unit with GBS, STAR, or Anchored Instruction, you might want to consider some sort of social bookmarking tool like Delicious or Diigo to help students save websites or tools they may use throughout the steps or problem solving process.  For the MOST Environment, I could see how comic strip creaters like ToonDoo or BitStrips to help students create a final product once they work through whatever literacy skills that need to complete and master.  Some of the more obvious storytelling tools would be VoiceThread, StoryBird, and Glogster.