(see "week 4 T2P" blog to see my responses to your comments)
As we learned from Frank Oakley today...
If a teacher is experiencing misbehavior in their classroom, and is unfamiliar with teaching theories, and does not perform self-evaluations of their performance as a teacher on a regular basis, then the teacher's heuristic approach includes a bias perseverence, and the problem might lie in what the teacher brings to the mix.
First, I really enjoyed the homework that was due today. It was really neat to see videos that our students make, and their perspectives on what's going on in the world and how it effects them. In a way it made me a little scared. I haven't been around high school aged kids in a long time, and what I see every day in our TCPCG is obedient classrooms since we are all graduate-level students. I'm afraid of what will happen when I get to the classroom and students do misbehave. Will I know how to react? How will students react to my reaction? Will students respect me and others? How do I provide them with relational caring, while also acting as an authority figure? I'm looking forward to observing the summer classes next week so I can start to hopefully answer these questions!
The class was very productive today, definitely because of how everything was scaffolded. It was helpful for us to get in groups and develop our own heuristics, and then share them with the group and develop a group heuristic. I also like the big case that we got because we knew how to approach the problem, we all had roles in our groups which made it easier in such a large group with such a complex case, and the problem was relevant. This example seemed like a real and typical issue that a teacher might have in a classroom, so it was good to see other's views of the problem and how they would approach it. I think getting expert advice from my colleagues and from my peers in the TCPCG program is going to be a huge source of knowledge for me in the classroom.
Showing posts with label Learning Theories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Learning Theories. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Learning Theories Week 5 Homework
1. Youth, Technology & Learning
If students work in groups in the classroom and on projects, then they are more likely to learn more because they are working with students with other life experiences, with different abilities, and thus will be hearing other student's perspectives, and approaches to problems and classroom work. In the video "Youth, Technology, & Learning", Anna, Casey Morgan and Sarah talked about the advantages of working in groups. Anna said "the hardest way to work is alone. Even though we'll be talking [during group work], you really can get stuff done when you're with friends." Morgan added that "You learn a lot more with it when you're talking with people about it." Morgan further explained that when you're working with people, you learn other methods of approaching a problem. When talking about others and her experiences with it, she said "You're talking with someone, and you're like 'you're doing it that way? I never knew that.' By yourself you don't learn anything but what you know and what the teacher knows. When you're working with others it's everyone's knowledge." Vygotsky would contend that cognitive development is enhanced by social interaction through his theory of cognitive apprenticeship which holds that "two heads are better than one" (Goodman, 2008, p. 26). As a teacher, I will include group work and social interaction through class discussion in my pedagogy to enhance student learning. I believe that it is beneficial for not only my students, but for me as a teacher to hear other perspectives and approaches to problems.
2. Is Anybody Listening?...
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If a student is dealing with emotions of stress, loss of control of their destiny, and uncertainty in the future, then students will not be able to perform in school at an optimal level because they will not be able to fully concentrate. Maslow would agree with this statement, because he believes that if a student's basic needs for survival, their safety needs for comfort, and their psychological needs are not met, then the student's learning will be impacted. The video "Is Anybody Listening?..." was about a language arts AP class and how the economic crisis has impacted them. The story was very emotional and included candid interviews with students whose lives are not full of stress and uncertainty because their parents have lost jobs and are struggling to make ends meet. One student, Maritssa, said "My Mom, I see her struggling. I can't do anything about it. I wanna help her but she wantes me to focus on school. But I can't focus on school when I know that she's struggling. And it's just really hard." As a teacher, I will make the school learning environment a safe, predictable, and stable one, so that it is comfortable for them. Although I can't take them out of a difficult situation they might be in, I will be a teacher that students can turn to and vent or just talk to when the going gets tough.
3. YOUTH VOICES
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If a student has a caring teacher that believes in their students and their abilities, and displays their caring in their pedagogy, then the students will have more self-confidence and will inherently want to succeed. Eric had explained in the video that his Dad works hard every day in the sun to make ends meet. His teacher, Mr. Felix, believed in Eric and told him not to give up so that he could help his family out. "I like some of the teachers that try to hellp me, like Mr. Felix. He never gave up on me," said Eric, "Eric, don't you wanna help out your Dad? Just work hard in school." As Noddings says, a trusting and caring student-teacher relationship is essential for learning to occur. As a teacher, I will believe in my students and let them know that I believe in their abilities, because a caring relationship with your students intrinsically motivates students, and builds their own self-confidence and belief in themselves that they will be successful not only in school, but in life.
If students work in groups in the classroom and on projects, then they are more likely to learn more because they are working with students with other life experiences, with different abilities, and thus will be hearing other student's perspectives, and approaches to problems and classroom work. In the video "Youth, Technology, & Learning", Anna, Casey Morgan and Sarah talked about the advantages of working in groups. Anna said "the hardest way to work is alone. Even though we'll be talking [during group work], you really can get stuff done when you're with friends." Morgan added that "You learn a lot more with it when you're talking with people about it." Morgan further explained that when you're working with people, you learn other methods of approaching a problem. When talking about others and her experiences with it, she said "You're talking with someone, and you're like 'you're doing it that way? I never knew that.' By yourself you don't learn anything but what you know and what the teacher knows. When you're working with others it's everyone's knowledge." Vygotsky would contend that cognitive development is enhanced by social interaction through his theory of cognitive apprenticeship which holds that "two heads are better than one" (Goodman, 2008, p. 26). As a teacher, I will include group work and social interaction through class discussion in my pedagogy to enhance student learning. I believe that it is beneficial for not only my students, but for me as a teacher to hear other perspectives and approaches to problems.
2. Is Anybody Listening?...
">
If a student is dealing with emotions of stress, loss of control of their destiny, and uncertainty in the future, then students will not be able to perform in school at an optimal level because they will not be able to fully concentrate. Maslow would agree with this statement, because he believes that if a student's basic needs for survival, their safety needs for comfort, and their psychological needs are not met, then the student's learning will be impacted. The video "Is Anybody Listening?..." was about a language arts AP class and how the economic crisis has impacted them. The story was very emotional and included candid interviews with students whose lives are not full of stress and uncertainty because their parents have lost jobs and are struggling to make ends meet. One student, Maritssa, said "My Mom, I see her struggling. I can't do anything about it. I wanna help her but she wantes me to focus on school. But I can't focus on school when I know that she's struggling. And it's just really hard." As a teacher, I will make the school learning environment a safe, predictable, and stable one, so that it is comfortable for them. Although I can't take them out of a difficult situation they might be in, I will be a teacher that students can turn to and vent or just talk to when the going gets tough.
3. YOUTH VOICES
">
If a student has a caring teacher that believes in their students and their abilities, and displays their caring in their pedagogy, then the students will have more self-confidence and will inherently want to succeed. Eric had explained in the video that his Dad works hard every day in the sun to make ends meet. His teacher, Mr. Felix, believed in Eric and told him not to give up so that he could help his family out. "I like some of the teachers that try to hellp me, like Mr. Felix. He never gave up on me," said Eric, "Eric, don't you wanna help out your Dad? Just work hard in school." As Noddings says, a trusting and caring student-teacher relationship is essential for learning to occur. As a teacher, I will believe in my students and let them know that I believe in their abilities, because a caring relationship with your students intrinsically motivates students, and builds their own self-confidence and belief in themselves that they will be successful not only in school, but in life.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
T2P Week 4
If an educator is aware of their student's emotional intelligence and uses popular culture medium as a tool in their pedagogy, then students will be more engaged in the lesson since it involves their interests, and more confident in themselves because it is building on things that they already know, leading to increased intrinsic motivation, a more comfortable environment and increased learning and critical thinking because the teacher is using a relevant source as a bridge to teach students the skills necessary to learn in the curriculum. It will also engage students and influence them to think critically outside of the classroom about music, films, and other things that interest them.
I think today was a pretty good day of learning. I learned a lot more about Nodding and Duncan-Andrade, and learned a tad about other theorists that are out there. It's interesting to see the connections that my peers make between the different learning theories, and I think benefits my learning a lot.
We learned about a number of new theorists, and I must admit that I'm a little unclear about some still. We learned about Gilligan and how she feels that girls and boys learn differently and are motivated differently. I feel that I can grasp how students learn best - they react well to relational caring, and care about what their peers think. Boys are motivated by "just" and "fairness", but how do you motivate someone in this way? Do you make rules to make it fair? I guess I just have trouble grasping motivation when emotions aren't involved.
I am actually feeling a little unsettled about our presentation on Helm. We explained Helm well and the steps well, and we tried to generate conversation and get the class to relate Helm and Andrade, but I think we should have developed more discussion points than we did. I also wish we had made a list of points that we definitely wanted students to come away with after the discussion. We talked about as a group what we wanted students to say and come up with and where we wanted to go with it, but we didn't execute it completely. I can almost guarantee that in GNA's assessment of today's class, that no one uses Helm as their unknown theorist because they didn't fully grasp the concept and relate it to learning. This makes me really unsatisfied to be honest, but I guess I came away and learned something from it at least - sometimes there is some good in some structure, and I should be prepared for some lulls and to try to direct conversation better.
See ya next week!
I think today was a pretty good day of learning. I learned a lot more about Nodding and Duncan-Andrade, and learned a tad about other theorists that are out there. It's interesting to see the connections that my peers make between the different learning theories, and I think benefits my learning a lot.
We learned about a number of new theorists, and I must admit that I'm a little unclear about some still. We learned about Gilligan and how she feels that girls and boys learn differently and are motivated differently. I feel that I can grasp how students learn best - they react well to relational caring, and care about what their peers think. Boys are motivated by "just" and "fairness", but how do you motivate someone in this way? Do you make rules to make it fair? I guess I just have trouble grasping motivation when emotions aren't involved.
I am actually feeling a little unsettled about our presentation on Helm. We explained Helm well and the steps well, and we tried to generate conversation and get the class to relate Helm and Andrade, but I think we should have developed more discussion points than we did. I also wish we had made a list of points that we definitely wanted students to come away with after the discussion. We talked about as a group what we wanted students to say and come up with and where we wanted to go with it, but we didn't execute it completely. I can almost guarantee that in GNA's assessment of today's class, that no one uses Helm as their unknown theorist because they didn't fully grasp the concept and relate it to learning. This makes me really unsatisfied to be honest, but I guess I came away and learned something from it at least - sometimes there is some good in some structure, and I should be prepared for some lulls and to try to direct conversation better.
See ya next week!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Learning Theories Week 3 - Response to video Questions
1. Describe the interaction between Vicki Davis' pedagogy and her students' self-determination theory?
Ms. Davis' pedagogy were essentially interwoven with her students' self determination. She allows her students to sort of direct the pedagogy by mastering a technology task of their own volition. She also allows the teach her, which lends to their confidence in the subject and also to their self-determination. Her pedagogy involves her students at every level, and it seems that she just provides the framework by giving them assignments, but allowing them to decide what direction they want to go in.
2. Support your response with two examples of specific pedagogical practices you noted that may influence her students' feelings of autonomy, competency, and relatedness?
By allowing her students' the freedom to choose what they would like to present to the class and how they would like to present it, she is contributing to their autonomy. She is also contributing to their competency by allowing each group to be the "experts" in whatever they are presenting on, since they are the only ones that are presenting on that subject. She is also lending to their competency since she may not be an expert in the subject they are presenting on, which in turn lends to their autonomy and makes the students feel that they have the most control in the assignment since they are the experts in that field. They feel that they are in control of their destiny and the master of the subject, and they are thus empowered and motivated. It also makes them proud and gives them a sense of accomplishment in their work, lending to their motivation.
We recently read a Chapter in Ayer's book on the importance of having our student's voices heard in the classroom and how important it is that we allow them the freedom to express themselves in the classroom, and not teach at them but rather teach and really learn with them. The book explained how Freedom Schools that have been set up are really more appealling to students than the traditional classroom. The Freedom Schools allow students to sort of control what they'll be working on, and express themselves through their work. It gives them a voice in the world, which is exactly what Ms. Davis is doing in her classroom. She is giving her students a voice and an identity by allowing them the freedom to seek information on their own and become a master in their subjects. I think that's amazing and incredibly inspiring! I hope in some ways I can do the same in my physics class.
3. Offer one critique, question or evaluative comment to @coolcatteacher:
I think it's amazing what you're doing in your classroom and the sense of pride and accomplishment that you allow your students to feel through your pedagogy. I have one question - is there ever any time that you have to discipline your students to try and keep them on task? It seems like the freedom that you allow in your classroom would lend to their self-determination, and that you might not have to discipline them because they are intrinsically motivated, but I was just wondering if you ever have to discipline to keep on task given the freedom you allow in the classroom.
Also, what subject are you teaching in your class? Is it a technology class? I am going to be a physics teacher, do you have any suggestions on how I can add an element of "freedom" in my classroom like you have? Your classroom is so motivational, so I'd love to hear if you've tried to help other class content areas to transform their classroom as you have, and what advice you've provided them.
Ms. Davis' pedagogy were essentially interwoven with her students' self determination. She allows her students to sort of direct the pedagogy by mastering a technology task of their own volition. She also allows the teach her, which lends to their confidence in the subject and also to their self-determination. Her pedagogy involves her students at every level, and it seems that she just provides the framework by giving them assignments, but allowing them to decide what direction they want to go in.
2. Support your response with two examples of specific pedagogical practices you noted that may influence her students' feelings of autonomy, competency, and relatedness?
By allowing her students' the freedom to choose what they would like to present to the class and how they would like to present it, she is contributing to their autonomy. She is also contributing to their competency by allowing each group to be the "experts" in whatever they are presenting on, since they are the only ones that are presenting on that subject. She is also lending to their competency since she may not be an expert in the subject they are presenting on, which in turn lends to their autonomy and makes the students feel that they have the most control in the assignment since they are the experts in that field. They feel that they are in control of their destiny and the master of the subject, and they are thus empowered and motivated. It also makes them proud and gives them a sense of accomplishment in their work, lending to their motivation.
We recently read a Chapter in Ayer's book on the importance of having our student's voices heard in the classroom and how important it is that we allow them the freedom to express themselves in the classroom, and not teach at them but rather teach and really learn with them. The book explained how Freedom Schools that have been set up are really more appealling to students than the traditional classroom. The Freedom Schools allow students to sort of control what they'll be working on, and express themselves through their work. It gives them a voice in the world, which is exactly what Ms. Davis is doing in her classroom. She is giving her students a voice and an identity by allowing them the freedom to seek information on their own and become a master in their subjects. I think that's amazing and incredibly inspiring! I hope in some ways I can do the same in my physics class.
3. Offer one critique, question or evaluative comment to @coolcatteacher:
I think it's amazing what you're doing in your classroom and the sense of pride and accomplishment that you allow your students to feel through your pedagogy. I have one question - is there ever any time that you have to discipline your students to try and keep them on task? It seems like the freedom that you allow in your classroom would lend to their self-determination, and that you might not have to discipline them because they are intrinsically motivated, but I was just wondering if you ever have to discipline to keep on task given the freedom you allow in the classroom.
Also, what subject are you teaching in your class? Is it a technology class? I am going to be a physics teacher, do you have any suggestions on how I can add an element of "freedom" in my classroom like you have? Your classroom is so motivational, so I'd love to hear if you've tried to help other class content areas to transform their classroom as you have, and what advice you've provided them.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Learning Theories - T2P for Week 2
T2P: If students work in groups, then they will learn a lesson more thoroughly because they are hearing different point of views, thus they are learning from each other.
In today's class, we first discussed the Yere reading, which introduced that a teacher's beliefs are carried out in their lessons, even though it is unintentional. For instance, I think that group work is valuable to a student, which is something that will drive the way I teach. I also believe that relating science to real world situations (example - engineering, the way things are designed relate to physics) in a way that makes the subject more tangible makes physics more relevant to a student and thus enhances learning. Because this is my belief, it is something I will incorporate as a teacher. I had never thought of this before - how much our beliefs really will drive our teaching methods, and what we teach. If you think about it, that's kind of scary! But I suppose thats why school districts have spelled out curriculums, some with limited flexibility as a teacher, so that we all "stay on task".
We also discussed the varying views of Piaget and Vygotsky. Piaget believed that there were four distinct stages of cognitive development that each occurred within an approximate span in a child's life at specific ages. Vygotsky believed that children's development occurred in increments, and that learning is built upon what a child knows (scaffolding). He also believed that a child's community, family and culture are most influential in a child's life in their cognitive development. This differs from Piaget's view in that he did not identify outside influences as having an affect on a child's cognitive development.
I personally believe that our family, community, and culture are very influential in our cognitive development. I believe that what we learn from these variables are sort of the foundation for where our cognitive development. I agree with Vygotsky's view also that we learn through scaffolding - we build up or cognitive knowledge upon a structure, that might be shaped by our family, community and culture. Perhaps in Piaget's Swiss culture, the four distinct stages of cognitive development are true and this theory also seems to apply to the American culture as well, but I don't think that it is cross-cultural and I think it is important to recognize that.
We also worked to develop an interdisciplinary lesson plan, which was a lot more challenging than I thought it would be! Everyone in my group recognized our objective, and we all managed to keep our lessons within each discipline focus on our objective, but it made me realize how easy it would be for a student to "stray" from their objective in a lesson. In another class we are reading the book "Understanding by Design" which promotes the idea of using a backward design method, or a "big idea" that you tell the students, and then you do your lessons. Each lesson needs to somehow lend to the understanding of this "big idea", and the activity of developing the lesson plan helped me realize how useful this can be to not only the students but to the student's as well.
I also learned through our discussions how important it is to recognize who our students are. High school students are sensitive and are going through an awkward time. We as teachers need to recognize this. As Maslow said, a student must be comfortable in order for learning to occur, so this is very important to be aware of. If this means that students should work in groups that they are comfortable with, then we need to understand that that's okay.
All in all, it was a really great class and I enjoyed it today.
Thanks!
Steph
In today's class, we first discussed the Yere reading, which introduced that a teacher's beliefs are carried out in their lessons, even though it is unintentional. For instance, I think that group work is valuable to a student, which is something that will drive the way I teach. I also believe that relating science to real world situations (example - engineering, the way things are designed relate to physics) in a way that makes the subject more tangible makes physics more relevant to a student and thus enhances learning. Because this is my belief, it is something I will incorporate as a teacher. I had never thought of this before - how much our beliefs really will drive our teaching methods, and what we teach. If you think about it, that's kind of scary! But I suppose thats why school districts have spelled out curriculums, some with limited flexibility as a teacher, so that we all "stay on task".
We also discussed the varying views of Piaget and Vygotsky. Piaget believed that there were four distinct stages of cognitive development that each occurred within an approximate span in a child's life at specific ages. Vygotsky believed that children's development occurred in increments, and that learning is built upon what a child knows (scaffolding). He also believed that a child's community, family and culture are most influential in a child's life in their cognitive development. This differs from Piaget's view in that he did not identify outside influences as having an affect on a child's cognitive development.
I personally believe that our family, community, and culture are very influential in our cognitive development. I believe that what we learn from these variables are sort of the foundation for where our cognitive development. I agree with Vygotsky's view also that we learn through scaffolding - we build up or cognitive knowledge upon a structure, that might be shaped by our family, community and culture. Perhaps in Piaget's Swiss culture, the four distinct stages of cognitive development are true and this theory also seems to apply to the American culture as well, but I don't think that it is cross-cultural and I think it is important to recognize that.
We also worked to develop an interdisciplinary lesson plan, which was a lot more challenging than I thought it would be! Everyone in my group recognized our objective, and we all managed to keep our lessons within each discipline focus on our objective, but it made me realize how easy it would be for a student to "stray" from their objective in a lesson. In another class we are reading the book "Understanding by Design" which promotes the idea of using a backward design method, or a "big idea" that you tell the students, and then you do your lessons. Each lesson needs to somehow lend to the understanding of this "big idea", and the activity of developing the lesson plan helped me realize how useful this can be to not only the students but to the student's as well.
I also learned through our discussions how important it is to recognize who our students are. High school students are sensitive and are going through an awkward time. We as teachers need to recognize this. As Maslow said, a student must be comfortable in order for learning to occur, so this is very important to be aware of. If this means that students should work in groups that they are comfortable with, then we need to understand that that's okay.
All in all, it was a really great class and I enjoyed it today.
Thanks!
Steph
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Learning Theories Week 2 Assignment - Three Links to physics websites
Below are three links to websites that I will use as tools for teaching students the wonderful world of physics!
1. http://www.physics.org/news.asp
This link shows the latest news in physics. It is important to include what is going on now in physics to show how the subject is relevant to a student's life, which facilitates a student's ability to learn in a subject and their interest in a subject (very important for a good teacher to include). It also shows how the principles of physics are impacting us as a society, world, and as individuals and makes them think and will increase their competency in the subject.
2. http://iopscience.iop.org/0031-9120/
This periodical is a great way to stay current with the needs of students in physics education. It reflects the needs and interests of teachers and students in physics. This will facilitate my student's ability to learn physics and gain competency in the subject by giving me resource to find out exactly what other teachers in the profession are doing, and what they find useful. It is a tool "good" teachers would use because it recognizes that students and the subject of physics are not static and are always evolving, and we need to address these changes.
3. http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/index.cfm
This link is a database of videos that demonstrate physics principles. It enables a student's learning by allowing them to actually see what is being taught. It is a tool good teachers will use because it reinforces a lesson that was just taught by another means. It improves their competency by allowing them to relate the lesson to real-life scenarios, since a lot of the videos show real-life video clips (ex: a car collision and conservation of momentum/energy).
Thanks!
Steph
1. http://www.physics.org/news.asp
This link shows the latest news in physics. It is important to include what is going on now in physics to show how the subject is relevant to a student's life, which facilitates a student's ability to learn in a subject and their interest in a subject (very important for a good teacher to include). It also shows how the principles of physics are impacting us as a society, world, and as individuals and makes them think and will increase their competency in the subject.
2. http://iopscience.iop.org/0031-9120/
This periodical is a great way to stay current with the needs of students in physics education. It reflects the needs and interests of teachers and students in physics. This will facilitate my student's ability to learn physics and gain competency in the subject by giving me resource to find out exactly what other teachers in the profession are doing, and what they find useful. It is a tool "good" teachers would use because it recognizes that students and the subject of physics are not static and are always evolving, and we need to address these changes.
3. http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/index.cfm
This link is a database of videos that demonstrate physics principles. It enables a student's learning by allowing them to actually see what is being taught. It is a tool good teachers will use because it reinforces a lesson that was just taught by another means. It improves their competency by allowing them to relate the lesson to real-life scenarios, since a lot of the videos show real-life video clips (ex: a car collision and conservation of momentum/energy).
Thanks!
Steph
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