Session 9 - Anchored Instruction

What are your initial reactions to this theory/model?

• As I read the articles on anchored learning (AL), it sounded very similar to the problem-based learning and goal-based learning approaches. They all advise using real-world problem learning situations.  I find it really challenging to distinguish between PBL, GBL, and AL. It almost seems like researchers just tweaked the approach a little, and then they slap their name on a slightly different way of looking at things, and call it a new approach.
• I feel that the majority of the students in a class would like to receive there real world problem scenario in a video format, since this is the most familiar method to them. The video would seem to connect the problem to more of the student’s senses, which could make it seem more real to the students.

What are barriers to its use?

• I feel that creating interesting and effective AL modules can take a lot of time for the teachers to create. One big challenge I can see is the commitment needed to create different web modules. I know teachers that have been moved around by there administrations to teacher 4 different grade levels, in a five-year period. Why would a teacher want to make any web modules, when they are not certain what grade level they are teaching each year? I can see this being a real deterrent to creating web module.
• Since our students come from a very diverse background, teachers would need to create many different AL scenarios, so that students can choose what would be of interest to them.
• I have heard from many people that you get more out of reading the book, than just watching the movie made on a book. I wonder if the concept also applies to the current standardized curriculum, we currently teach in school.   Students get exposed to many different terms in a standardized curriculum movie, but do they really get the whole picture by not working with real world detailed situations that are like the story in a book?
• I noticed that AL research seems to focus mostly on science and math learning situations. I wonder how well AL works on reading and writing language arts skills, which are taught heavily in elementary school.

Since we are taking learning theories/models that were not necessarily created with the Web in mind and turning them into Web modules, what Web-based tools or resources could be leveraged to carry out this learning theory/model online?

• I believe AL can be implemented in a web-based environment. The challenge is coming up with interesting real-world situations for students to work with. I wonder how much time teachers can or are willing to spend helping their students understand the real world problem solving steps in the different approaches. When teachers have AYP goals and EOGs breathing down their necks, how do they assess if their students learned/gained all the EOG tested content knowledge, from the different real world learning approaches. I like the AL approach and I can see using it in my elementary classroom on a limited basis. With all the standardized testing taking place these days, I feel teachers may be reluctant to spend many months trying to teach their students how to critically think, and possibly miss their AYP and EOG goals, and then be out on the street, trying to find another job.