How might your knowledge of the memory processes guide your instructional decisions?
Our book say that in most circumstances, meaningful learning is more effective than rote learning.
-Rote: learning primarily through repetition and practice, little or no attempt to make sense of what's being learned
-Meaningful: making connections between new information and prior knowledge
I will apply this knowledge when instructional decisions as a teacher. This concept meshes nicely with my personal goals. I want my classroom to be engaging and interesting. I want kids to be able to explore and be participants of their learning experience. Meaningful learning requires deeper thinking and consideration about the topic, while rote learning consists of drilling facts into their tiny heads with rehearsal and repetition. Which sounds better to you?
The three most common forms of meaningful learning are elaboration, organization, and visual imagery. Each of these involve combining separate pieces of information into one "meaningful whole"
Elaboration: using prior knowledge to embellish on a new ideA. To encourage elaboration in my classroom I would ask questions that require students to think deeper to provide expanded answers. I could also give my students opportunities to connect topics we are learning with a personal experience.
Organization: making connections among various pieces of new information. I could encourage this type of thinking by having students sort words into related groups. Another example provided in the book is to teach students the relationships between parts of a whole. The example given was about learning the interrelation between velocity, mass, acceleration, and force. Instead of just teaching those as individual concepts, the book suggests to show how each of the concepts are connected and interact.
Visual imagery: mental pictures that are formed of objects or ideas. I would promote my students to use visual imagery by providing images to help clarify and illustrate more abstract ideas. I could also have my students take the imagery into their own hands and ask them to draw a picture of what we are learning about.
The book suggests that the effects of meaningful learning are best when the forms are used together. An example of this could be to have students organize information into categories, then make a visual representation showing the relationships and connections between them. This could be through a venn diagram, a flow chart, or a picture with descriptions.
This is a link to a great article about teaching for meaningful learning!
http://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/edutopia-teaching-for-meaningful-learning.pdf
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
4: cognitive learning
What are the essential skills and/or learning outcomes you want your students to know and be able to do that relate to cognitive learning?
While I think my personal theory of learning leads more to constructivism and social cognitive theory, there are still some aspects of the cognitive theory of learning that I want to implement in my classroom.
First is the thought that children construct knowledge rather than absorbing it. I want my students to be active and engaged participants in their learning. It wouldn't be very interesting for any of us to listen to me talk all day. I think that this constructive idea would add ownership for the kids, which could assist interest and motivation.
Piaget's cognitive learning theory explains that "interactions with one's physical and social environments are essential for cognitive development". For the social aspect- want my students to be interactive and work together. I believe that kids can sometimes learn better from each other than they can from a teacher. Beyond just that, I think these interactions would help students mature and develop socially. These encounters can teach children about understanding different perspectives, patience, and being socially considerate. For the physical aspect of Piaget's theory, I want my students to be able to have hands-on learning experiences to bring a deeper level of understanding to the content. I also want to provide opportunities for authentic learning so the students can transfer their knowledge into real world situations.
This is a link to an article on the livestrong website. The article quickly explains the basics of cognitive learning, its relation to memory (next blog post!), and discusses application.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/151537-cognitive-learning-in-children/
This link goes to an article about the importance of cognitive learning, what cognitive skills look like, and how to identify and adjust these skills.
http://www.learningrx.com/cognitive-learning-styles.htm
While I think my personal theory of learning leads more to constructivism and social cognitive theory, there are still some aspects of the cognitive theory of learning that I want to implement in my classroom.
First is the thought that children construct knowledge rather than absorbing it. I want my students to be active and engaged participants in their learning. It wouldn't be very interesting for any of us to listen to me talk all day. I think that this constructive idea would add ownership for the kids, which could assist interest and motivation.
Piaget's cognitive learning theory explains that "interactions with one's physical and social environments are essential for cognitive development". For the social aspect- want my students to be interactive and work together. I believe that kids can sometimes learn better from each other than they can from a teacher. Beyond just that, I think these interactions would help students mature and develop socially. These encounters can teach children about understanding different perspectives, patience, and being socially considerate. For the physical aspect of Piaget's theory, I want my students to be able to have hands-on learning experiences to bring a deeper level of understanding to the content. I also want to provide opportunities for authentic learning so the students can transfer their knowledge into real world situations.
This is a link to an article on the livestrong website. The article quickly explains the basics of cognitive learning, its relation to memory (next blog post!), and discusses application.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/151537-cognitive-learning-in-children/
This link goes to an article about the importance of cognitive learning, what cognitive skills look like, and how to identify and adjust these skills.
http://www.learningrx.com/cognitive-learning-styles.htm
Thursday, February 7, 2013
4: assessment
DUN DUN DUNNN!!
The word assessment strikes fear in the hearts of everyone! But as we've learned this week in class, that doesn't have to be the case.
My old friend merriam-webster.com defines assessment as "the action or instance of assessing." Well Merriam that is no help. Our book defines it as "a process of observing a sample of student behavior and drawing inferences about the student's knowledge and abilities." Okay yeah, that's better.
So beyond that, assessment can take lots of different forms. Two of which are:
-Informal assessment: involves spontaneous, unsystematic observations
-Formal assessment: involves pre-planned, systematic data gathering
Okay so those are all great definitions, but how do they apply? Well I'll you! Say I was teaching a lesson on the differences between the words there, their, and they're. I could use formal and informal methods of assessment before, during, and after my lesson to monitor the prior knowledge, basic skills and understanding, progress, and achievement in my students. I'll list 4 different ways I could do this.
- Before I start my lesson I would have the three words (there, their, they're) on the board. I would ask my class if they knew the words, how to say them, or what they meant. Their responses would let me know their familiarity with the words. I would also check to see if they recognized that "they're" is a contraction. Simply observing like this is a type of formative and informal assessment.
- Next I would begin my lesson and teach the meanings of the three words. I would explain that their shows possession or ownership, there shows directionality, and they're is a contraction of they are. I would have a slide show that has sentences with a blank where the correct version of the word should be. I would model a few of the sentences, breaking down my steps and showing them how to do it. Then I would pass out small whiteboards and markers and tell each student to write the correct word and show me when they are ready. This is another form of formative, informal assessment because it allows me to observe each student's understanding of the concept.
- Once I felt that my students had grasped the concept I would let them work with partners on a worksheet that has a story with the same fill in the blank set up. I would walk around the room and observe as the students worked together. This is a third way to informally assess the class because it allows me to observe who gets it, who is helping who, and who needs more help.
- Based on the results of the partner worksheets, I would either provide additional instruction, give more practice opportunities, or move on. Once I felt the students knew the material I would provide a quiz. This is a summative formal assessment of their knowledge.
Below is a link to a site that lists lots of fun ideas to use formative assessment in the classroom. It has options for oral language, questions, writing, projects, performance, and tests.
Friday, February 1, 2013
3: creating a productive learning environment
Our textbook says that a well-managed classroom is "one in which students are consistently engaged in productive learning activities and in which students' behaviors rarely interfere with the achievement of instructional goals." Alright Ormrod, that sounds good, tell me more! (And of course.. she does.)
The topics of this chapter are things I'm really excited about, the stuff I day dream about! I'm hoping for a happy classroom. I want it to be a warm, engaging, inviting, positive place where students enjoy learning together and independently. I chose three strategies that I think would be most beneficial toward my goals:
1. Classroom arrangement. The goals of this arrangement are to encourage student interaction when appropriate and discourage it when counterproductive, to minimize possible distractions, allow easy student-teacher interaction, and allow easy monitoring of student behavior. I think I would achieve these goals, as well as my personal goals of allowing students to work together, by putting desks in groups of four. I also hope to set up designated areas to enhance learning. This could be with a comfy reading corner, a math station, etc.
2. Establishing and maintaining productive teacher student relationships. I plan to achieve this by truly investing in my students- getting to know them personally, showing that I care about them and their growth, show interest in their hobbies/interests, showing respect, and in certain cases, improving relationships that need work. I think that a good way to build these relationships other than daily interactions is through the student teacher journal. This allows the student to share with the teacher more intimately and can help foster a close bond.
3. Creating an effective psychological climate. This is about the general attitude and environment of the class- or as I think of it, the classroom vibe. Like I mentioned before, I want my classroom to be a happy place that engages students and encourages sharing and respect. I also don't want my room to feel like a place where students have no input. I hope to give plenty of opportunities for students to be active participants in what we do in class.
My Big Idea!
Lately I have been thinking of a way to incorporate all of these ideas into a common theme. One idea I have is to have my classroom set up as a little community where everyone plays an equal part. For the physical environment, I think it would be fun to set up the room like a little town; the reading area could be the library, the fish bowl could be the aquarium, the handout box could be the post office, etc. I would also like to give each person in the town (aka the students) a job. The person who passes out papers could be the mailman, the line leader could be our bus driver, the lights person could be the electrician, the weather person could tell the daily forecast, la la la you get the idea. The jobs would rotate every day or two so that everyone gets a chance. The goal of this set up is to teach students that like a town, the classroom works best when we all work together. Each person has an equally important job and has to be accountable. I think this would be a fun way to designate roles and instill a sense of belonging and community within the students.
Link to "top 5 best classroom management strategies": http://www.brighthubeducation.com/classroom-management/3318-top-5-strategies-from-veteran-teacher/
Continuum of Responses
Lisa presents a difficult, but likely, problem that many teachers will face. I would address this issue by first going over specific behaviors are acceptable and unacceptable in the classroom during group work. I would lay out rules of respect and responsibility and print out a copy for each group to refer back to. I would encourage and model self-monitoring skills. I might also keep the students accountable for following these rules with some sort of behavior system, maybe marking a student's sheet when I notice them out of line, then giving them that sheet at the end of the day in a behavior folder. If these methods did not work and Lisa's behavior continued, I would speak with her privately to see why she has such an issue working in groups. I would take her response and try to modify the class activities in a way that best helps her.
The topics of this chapter are things I'm really excited about, the stuff I day dream about! I'm hoping for a happy classroom. I want it to be a warm, engaging, inviting, positive place where students enjoy learning together and independently. I chose three strategies that I think would be most beneficial toward my goals:
1. Classroom arrangement. The goals of this arrangement are to encourage student interaction when appropriate and discourage it when counterproductive, to minimize possible distractions, allow easy student-teacher interaction, and allow easy monitoring of student behavior. I think I would achieve these goals, as well as my personal goals of allowing students to work together, by putting desks in groups of four. I also hope to set up designated areas to enhance learning. This could be with a comfy reading corner, a math station, etc.
2. Establishing and maintaining productive teacher student relationships. I plan to achieve this by truly investing in my students- getting to know them personally, showing that I care about them and their growth, show interest in their hobbies/interests, showing respect, and in certain cases, improving relationships that need work. I think that a good way to build these relationships other than daily interactions is through the student teacher journal. This allows the student to share with the teacher more intimately and can help foster a close bond.
3. Creating an effective psychological climate. This is about the general attitude and environment of the class- or as I think of it, the classroom vibe. Like I mentioned before, I want my classroom to be a happy place that engages students and encourages sharing and respect. I also don't want my room to feel like a place where students have no input. I hope to give plenty of opportunities for students to be active participants in what we do in class.
My Big Idea!
Lately I have been thinking of a way to incorporate all of these ideas into a common theme. One idea I have is to have my classroom set up as a little community where everyone plays an equal part. For the physical environment, I think it would be fun to set up the room like a little town; the reading area could be the library, the fish bowl could be the aquarium, the handout box could be the post office, etc. I would also like to give each person in the town (aka the students) a job. The person who passes out papers could be the mailman, the line leader could be our bus driver, the lights person could be the electrician, the weather person could tell the daily forecast, la la la you get the idea. The jobs would rotate every day or two so that everyone gets a chance. The goal of this set up is to teach students that like a town, the classroom works best when we all work together. Each person has an equally important job and has to be accountable. I think this would be a fun way to designate roles and instill a sense of belonging and community within the students.
Link to "top 5 best classroom management strategies": http://www.brighthubeducation.com/classroom-management/3318-top-5-strategies-from-veteran-teacher/
Continuum of Responses
Lisa presents a difficult, but likely, problem that many teachers will face. I would address this issue by first going over specific behaviors are acceptable and unacceptable in the classroom during group work. I would lay out rules of respect and responsibility and print out a copy for each group to refer back to. I would encourage and model self-monitoring skills. I might also keep the students accountable for following these rules with some sort of behavior system, maybe marking a student's sheet when I notice them out of line, then giving them that sheet at the end of the day in a behavior folder. If these methods did not work and Lisa's behavior continued, I would speak with her privately to see why she has such an issue working in groups. I would take her response and try to modify the class activities in a way that best helps her.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
2: motivation
Of all the motivational theories we discussed in class, I think I identify most with the Expectancy versus Value Theory.
This theory breaks motivation down into two parts:
-Expectancy: "Can I do this?"
-Value: "Why should I do this?"
After learning about this theory I realized that I use it quite often. In my fourth year of college, I've set expectations for myself and how I'd like to perform academically. I hope to do well in all of my classes and maintain or improve my grade point average. Getting As in previous classes influences my expectancy for other classes. For example, for the last 5 semesters I've earned all As and 1 A-. (Without fail that measly A- always sneaks in there.) This has become a standard for me (and sort of a jinx), so I expect to earn the same grades this semester. I think that this expectancy to succeed will boost my motivation to perform well in classes. Even though I'm in more demanding courses this semester, I expect to succeed, so this is even more helpful.
I think that the value aspect of the theory is equally applicable to me as a student. Like I mentioned in class, junior year I decided to take a landscaping class. Identifying plants really has nothing to do with my major or career, but it is something I am genuinely interested in. I hiked to the Ag campus, never missed a class, studied for hours, and ended up spending more time on it than any of my other courses. By jiminy I knew those plants! (And I still do, Jasminum nudiflorum is blooming right now!) I was motivated by my own interest and desire to learn. That is also true for my education classes that I'm currently taking- Ed Psych, Elementary Ed, Special Ed. Unlike my 8:00 am political science course on international relations.. these topics are relevant to me and my future.
In class we learned that you are likely to do well if you have expectancy for success and also value the task. The combination of my high expectations along with my value of the material will hopefully help motivate me to succeed!
I will keep this theory in mind when I am working as a teacher. First, I will need to try and set a level of expectation for, but more importantly within, my students. This deals with enhancing their self-efficacy, self-competence, self-determination, and self-worth. For value, I will need to help students find intrinsic motivation in our classroom tasks. This can also be done by improving the self-...s I listed above, but I think it would also help to make the material relevant and interesting to the students. One way I could do this is to provide options instead of one broad topic or assignment. (For reading, allow students to select a book based on their interest and choose a way to present it- poster, paper, journal, etc.) I think that allowing students to make choices and have some control over their learning would help them invest in it and find more meaning.
When I googled "motivating young children" I found plenty of sites giving tips and advice, but this article was by far my favorite. I chose this article because it reflects many aspects I wrote about of the Expectancy versus Value theory, and it is interesting.It discusses connecting school learning to the real world, avoiding performance pressure, helping children feel competent, and giving children control over their work.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
1: reflection hopes and thoughts
The first day of class went beyond the typical name game and allowed us to share on a deeper level when we talked about why we want to be teachers. This created an open and honest environment that I hope will remain throughout the semester because I think that conversation is one of the best learning tools we have.
My main personal objective for this class (as well as my other education classes) is to learn how to be an effective teacher. I think that this course will be especially helpful because it focuses on things that apply to all kids of every age. I'm really looking forward to learning more about types of instruction, different learning styles and what works best with them, and classroom management. All of these things will help me to meet each of my student's needs once I'm a teacher.
My concern for this class is that I will not be able to absorb all of the material presented to me. These topics are so crucial to being an effective teacher, but the depth and breadth of the textbook makes me a little worried that I won't be able to take it all in. BUT, I'm genuinely excited about this class and the fact that we are finally taking classes that are really talking about what to do as a teacher.
This has nothing to do with this post.. but I love it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)