While the Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt originally designed the MOST environment (Multimedia environments that Organize and Support Text) to "accelerate the development of literacy in young children, I was originally concerned that this was too narrow a target group of learners (Bransford et al.).
As I continued reading, I soon learned that the MOST model has more to do with changing the theories and practices of targeted instruction, implementing a pedagogical shift more specifically. Now this really captured my interest, because I feel there are many good teachers who would agree to change how they teach slightly in order to be great teachers and to see and feel the fast turnaround of effects from changing their practices. I also believe the age of the student is not a barrier to using this model; this is a very helpful model that can be used to increase fluency and understanding in any student who either reads below grade level OR is trying to read text that is difficult to access because of the nature of its intensity.
I agree with Bransford et al.'s defense for using multimedia to develop and increase fluency. Multimedia comes in many forms and is able to provide learners with a purpose, a context, perhaps motivation, and certainly real world connectivity for learning. These 'alternate pathways to knowledge" can facilitate "conceptual and language development" when strategically used to introduce a concept and/or provide background or prior knowledge for learners with deficiencies. This can be beneficial for any age learner, but especially for those who are skills deficient.
Imagine requiring students to read a text, a Science manual for example, containing high level and content-specific vocabulary. Then provide the students with a clear example (using multimedia) of what they will be doing while posing inquiry questions. Even if the student is unable to 'read' all the lingo in the manual, he is certainly going to be able to make more meaning, perhaps even dig deeper after making connections and being interested in finding answers on account of the multimedia that provided him with the words, ideas and concepts to read critically at a much deeper level. The need for meaningful content and context exists and is the key for facilitating 21st Century Learning!
I would use this model with high school students to scaffold learning needs, to increase rigor and improve learning, and to make reading more relevant for students. One would certainly need to modify this theory to use it with older students.
There are so many web-based multimedia options out there for teachers. One could pay for a video subscription to private companies like Discovery Learning in order to find videos that are specific to learning outcomes. One could also access the plethora of free resources available via YouTube, Vimeo, and other video sharing sites. Lastly, one could create his or her own videos to use in the classroom setting or save student projects from past years to explain and demonstrate difficult concepts.
The sky is the limit, but careful planning is key here. And really, that is the most significant change good teachers need to make in order to become great teachers and to facilitate higher levels of rigor, mastery and success.
Bransford et al., MOST environments for accelerating literacy development, Learning Technology Center, Vanderbilt University.
Photo by ocean.flynn from flickr, 3.27.2011.
Excellent post, Kristy, I must admit that you got far more from the literature than I did, but you were thinking more broadly. Thanks for mentioning the videos available at Discovery Learning...they're a topnotch group and everything they produce is superior quality.
ReplyDeleteAl
As always, you gave a very thorough post. Students will benefit from a multi-sensory approach to learning. As we know and as the research cites, not all students are able to understand vocabulary presented orally and in text. MOST provides us with the opportunity to tap into all learning styles.
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ReplyDeleteI agree, I think this model can be used with any age of learners since it focuses on them gaining comprehension, understanding, and mastering a certain concept.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I love how you made the connection to 21st century learning. I can definitely see where students will be using higher order thinking skills and communication skills to present/communicate information in this model.
I agree with your point, and the articles point, on how visual representations aid in the understanding of complex/abstraction vocabulary terms. I sometimes wonder why some are opposed to using a multimedia as an aid to a lesson. Typically when a child is taught to read, they are presented with a visual representation of the word in order to help them understand and retain the meaning of the jumble of letters. If it works for small children, shouldn't it work for a high school student as well?
ReplyDeleteKristy,
ReplyDeleteI agree… teachers are lifelong learners and most teachers are always willing to improve their instructional practices. A multimedia format will definitely help at risk, EC, and ESL learners have a more holistic view of content. I also believe that today’s students need to have a meaningful content which will in turn prepare them for the future. I like the idea for teachers to create their own videos. It is very easy to record and publish with tools such as flip video cameras!