Anchored instruction is under the constructivism theory, which is a learning theory that refers to the thinking “That people construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world through experiencing the world, and reflecting the on those experiences” (Harasim & Linda, 2012, p. 60). It is also closely related to the cognitive flexibility theory (Bransford). The “Cognitive flexibility theory builds upon other constructivist theories and is related to the work of the symbol systems in terms of media and learning interaction” (Spiro, Feltovitch, & Coulson).
The goal of anchored instruction is to "Create interesting, realistic contexts that encourage the active construction of knowledge by students"(Bransford). This is where the constructivism learning theory comes in to play, and why anchored instruction is under the constructivism umbrella. The students use realistic contexts, which can be like experiencing the world, to construct their knowledge and learn.
What Is It?
It is technology based learning that was developed by the Cognition and Technology group at Vanderbilt University (Bransford). It gives students real life context that creates a dilemma that they need to figure out on their own. The realistic context, or anchors, that were first used were video discs that could be viewed in the classroom (Bransford). Now, anchored instruction videos can be found rather easily on youtube.
In this video Ann Fandrey and her colleagues do an excellent job explaining Anchored instruction and the theories behind it.
When, How, and Why?
In my opinion, anchored instruction would best be used in a math class. It will give the students real life situations in which they can use the skills that they are learning. Even as a substitute teacher I have had students in math classes ask me "when are we ever going to use this". Anchored instruction shows the students how and when they will use what they are learning. This will help to motivate the students, and motivation is a key part of the education process.
In this video students are given a budget and certain parameters that they have to follow while solving their dilemma, which is, what and how much will they be able to eat for under 15 dollars and how much will it take to fill up their gas tank. This is realistic because, chances are, at some point in time they will have to budget their money. This anchored instruction lesson will help them to do that.
What Else?
Besides helping to motivate students to learn by giving them real life context of skills they are learning I believe that it helps them to sharpen their critical thinking skills. It does this by forcing them to solve dilemmas not by just throwing number problems at them, which can be solved by memorizing processes. It also allows students to work as individuals or in group settings. This will help ELL students or those with disabilities. Finally, it uses technology. For example, in this video students had to use Google Maps, they had to look up the gas prices, and they had to get on to the restaurants website.
References
Anchored Instruction. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://web.cortland.edu/frieda/id/idtheories/41.html
Anchored Instruction. (2013, March 6). North Carolina
State University. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO5q2FdV-wk
Bransford, J. (n.d.). Anchored Instruction.
Retrieved from http://tip.psychology.org/anchor.html
Fandrey, A. (2012, November 11). Anchored Iinstruction
Recorded Presentation. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfiCsPVMo4c
Harasim, & Linda. (2012). Learning Theory and
Online Technologies. New York: Routledge.
Spiro, Feltovitch, & Coulson. (n.d.). Cognitive
Flexibility Theory. Retrieved from Instructional Design :
http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/cognitive-flexibility.html
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