Creating a digital video that anchored instruction

The philosophy behind the anchored instruction is to contextualize instruction, creating an environment where learning happens through experiences, ones that connect and embed any information to a problem solving procedure. So that, students would remember the information when they encounter similar problems. The argument is that, when students learn new information to solve problems that are contextual and meaningful to them, they assimilate the information to the tools for problem solving rather than facts for problem solving. Dewey (1993) on the importance of viewing knowledge as tools, noted that when people learn about a tool, they learn what it is and when and how to use it. This analysis on cognition is new to me. The major goal of anchoring instruction is to facilitate a spontaneous recall of knowledge in a problem-solving context. Aside from remembering the information as tools to solve a problem, I wonder if  students could also effectively use these tools to solve newly identified problems. Although, two problems can be contextually similar in mathematics, the approach and information needed to solve them could be slightly different. Therefore, the problem solving techniques would be different, though the same tools could be considered when solving the problems.

Whitehead (1929) argued that there is a knowledge that can usually be recalled when people are explicitly asked to do so but is not used spontaneously in problem solving even though it is relevant. He called this inert knowledge. This has made me reflect on some mathematics I sometimes teach and that are mainly mechanical and lack contextual inputs. As teacher and learner, I recognise myself in Sherwood, Kinzer, Hasselbring, and Bransford’s (1987) illustration of inert knowledge. When asked questions related to their knowledge of logarithms and their understanding of the use of logarithms, entering college students responded that they remembered learning them in school but they thought of them only as math exercises performed to find answers to logarithm problems. Unfortunately, I still have some topics in math that I teach the mechanics only. I guess if the same question was asked of my students in college, they would probably have a similar answer.

Contemporary research on education shows that learning that is contextual and meaningful to a student can develop his or her critical thinking skills and increase his or her capacity of retention. The principles of anchored instruction will be helpful in designing an instruction that fosters students’ engagement through contextual and meaningful concepts. Recently, I experienced the positive impact that a video can have on my students’ learning experience. For the purpose of elaborating on possible features embedded in videos that would contribute in anchoring instruction, I will use the video I posted last week on ‘Design a TELE’.

This video helps to introduce the concept of exponential functions. I wanted my students to recognise the importance of rate factors such as growth and decay factors of exponential functions in real life situations. I wanted them to be able to describe something really important and contextual about exponential functions. I wanted them to be able to interpret the information given in the video for themselves without having to be told how to make the connection between exponential function features and the situation described in the video. I must admit that the outcome of my students’ learning experience from this video went beyond my expectations. I believe the reason for this is that the situation described in the video was part of my students’ everyday experience. The information in the video made sense to them and it was easily connected to a daily experience. Experiences that are lived through different perceptions have different connotation and interpretation. Because of this, the students explored the same video from multiple perspectives. I think without intending to do so, I designed an activity where the students learned to think mathematically without using a textbook’s guidelines or questions. This was an authentic activity through which the students developed knowledge and understanding over an everyday reality in their culture.

A reflection on mathematical cognition in everyday settings leads to think that an apprenticeship developing consistent critical thinking over problems that present an evolving level of challenge has the chance to significantly help students’ reflection on the types of skills and concepts necessary to deal with everyday problems. Digital videos that elaborate on authentic tasks with evolving levels of difficulty can have a positive impact on students’ knowledge and skills, and learning experience in mathematics. However, though digital videos coupled with anchored instruction facilitate retention, I don’t think it always facilitate learning transfer. Remembering tools to solve a mathematical problem do not mean that we can solve any problem involving similar mathematical concepts. It takes hours of practices and experience in a field to becoming expert. Digital videos that emphasis on analyzing similarities and differences among mathematical problems and on bridging new areas of math application will facilitate the degree to which transfer occurs. But The students do not have that much time to spend on a particular topic in order to build similar problem solving skills as experts.

Reference:

SITUATED, I. R. T. (2000). ANCHORED INSTRUCTION AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO SITUATED COGNITION. Psychology of Education: Pupils and learning, 1(5), 231.

Barron, B., & Kantor, R. J. (1993). Tools to enhance math education: the Jasper series. Communications of the ACM, 36(5), 52-54.

Bransford, J. D., Sherwood, R. D., Hasselbring, T. S., Kinzer, C. K., & Williams, S. M. (1990). Anchored instruction: Why we need it and how technology can help. Cognition, education, and multimedia: Exploring ideas in high technology, 12, 1.

Shyu, H. Y. C. (2000). Using video‐based anchored instruction to enhance learning: Taiwan’s experience. British Journal of Educational Technology, 31(1), 57-69.