What?
And so all good things must come to an end! C'est la vie! How to do this class justice in a blog...I won't. I have learned a lot from our discussions our activities and projects. It has been a great class to have at the beginning of the program...I think it gets us off to a good start thinking about students and the science of their minds while giving our first try at creating lessons for them. There was a lot of theories to learn and then a lot of ways that they contradict each other and a lot of generalities to sort through to get to a lot of specifics that could change into whole studies titled individually for each student we ever come in contact with. Vygotsky's ideas center around the idea that children learn through observation of adults while Piaget's theories are based on a progression through stages. Constructivists believe that students will create knowledge for themselves as they filter information through their own experience. And then other chapters focused on the fact that children are whole people not just knowledge receivers and discssed how their behaviors and morals would come into play in our classrooms.
So what?
A great way to think about this all in a way that was realy concrete for me was to think of Gardner's multiple inteligences and to recongize that lesson material needs to be presented in many different ways in order to reach each student and also because being presented multiple times is the way of getting information into long term memory. My perspective coming from this class is based on my understanding of the whole student. I understand that in order for school to translate to anything outside of school students must engage in authentic activities. They need to be taught to understand how a particular lesson applies to their lives and see math used outside of "math time" and literature used outside of "reading time." Compartmentalizing subjects or students is so artificial!
Now what?
Onward and upward. Now what? Now I go through the rest of my education with a great spring board for understanding how to design my classroom setting, my lessons, my management techniques in a way that works. I really think this class is perfect to have at the beginning and maybe even as a pre-requisite. Now I conquer the world of teaching and thank Dr. Cox in my autobiography entitled, Kathryn Rappleye: Teacher of the Year 2011. I am a kinesthetic personality type with talents in people and I'm pretty much going to love every student that comes into my classroom and trying to understand them through the theories I've learned teach them ways to use their talents to figure out how they are going to contribute to the world. I will then be sited in thier autobiographies as Kathryn Rappleye M.Ed. in books entitled something like, Little Timmy: Pluto is a Planet and I have Proof. That's all I can think to say that I haven't already said, though silly and idealistic it may be. I guess idealist may be one of the requirements for teachers as well. Thank you for a great semester!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Chapter 4
What?
This chapter prompted reflection and discussion on the differences in students we will see as teachers from cultural backgrounds, to socioeconomic status, through something as "simple"
as gender differences. It pointed out that as teachers we need to be aware that students from varying cultures will respond differently to the Western classroom setting. It also gave signs to watch for so students are not misjudged. A students odd behavior in class should not automatically be seen as an academic issue but should be taken in as the child is, on a wholistic approach. A student who is struggling at home, know as "at risk" will be quiet in class for much different reasons than a student from a culture in which children are being polite if they are quiet.
So what?
Our classroom discussions over the past two weeks have hopefully been a little eye opening for all of us future teachers. While we addressed the fact that making premature judgements on our students would be unjust and boiled down to the point that students are still individuals, we also need to give some credence to the generalities of this chapter. The students we meet will not always fit into the mold that our book seems to lay out for them, it is important to be aware of some of the characteristics of the culture in general. I think a study of my friends, and sometimes myself, who do not fit the mold their color, religion, or gender would outline for them gives even more weight to the chapter and the ideas it presents. If a person does not fit their stereotype, they are usually all too painfully aware of the fact and are tied to that stereotype, if not by following, even more so by not following. When an identity is challenged it becomes an even bigger deal. As an example, there was a student in my classes in high school who had an issue with her stereotype. She was African-American. But hers was a different case. She was just a second generation African-American with no history in United States slavery but with heritage in the royalty of a tribe in Nigeria (I may be wrong on the country). One of my favorite things about her was that she actually had royal jewels! Wow! She was wealthier than any of the other (white or Asian) country clubbers in our honors class and always did some of the best work. She was also active in the school and was a basketball player. That is where her stereotype made the biggest difference. All of the other girls on the basketball team, most of the African-Americans from generations on end, were not in the honors classes and did not have the same background she did. I watched as her vocab changed depending on which crowd she was needing to fit in to at the time. She used a different lingo with her team than with her friends in the honors class, a lingo often associated with ignorance (based on the grammatical errors). Hers was a hard spot to be in.
Now what?
As not only a teacher, but a fellow citizen/growing person/charitable human being, I think it is important to always be aware of your own shortcomings and try to keep an open mind. I read the book Blink by Malcolm Caldwell and some of the studies he discussed were fascinating. Some of the studies he did on people's perceptions of race and what qualities are associated with different races were pretty scary. People tested on tests requiring speed in decision, and which were designed to test a person's subconscious, showed in people, most of whom seemed to be open minded and professed racial understanding, an ingrained reaction to associate bad with black. The test and study seemed to conclude that consciously placed there or not, we all have prejudices that are there due to history, media, family, etc. The book went on to talk about training oneself into making better snap decisions and did not leave me feeling hopeless. It appears that these things we automatically think are natural and it will be our job, especially as those in charge to a large degree of what children take into their learning purposely and into their subconscious for 7 hours a day, to be careful with our own pre-judgements and the examples we set because of them. We must also be sensitive to the needs of students due to their different backgrounds and be able to work with them, while not offending by assuming we know what is going on based on our pre-concieved ideas.
This chapter prompted reflection and discussion on the differences in students we will see as teachers from cultural backgrounds, to socioeconomic status, through something as "simple"
as gender differences. It pointed out that as teachers we need to be aware that students from varying cultures will respond differently to the Western classroom setting. It also gave signs to watch for so students are not misjudged. A students odd behavior in class should not automatically be seen as an academic issue but should be taken in as the child is, on a wholistic approach. A student who is struggling at home, know as "at risk" will be quiet in class for much different reasons than a student from a culture in which children are being polite if they are quiet.
So what?
Our classroom discussions over the past two weeks have hopefully been a little eye opening for all of us future teachers. While we addressed the fact that making premature judgements on our students would be unjust and boiled down to the point that students are still individuals, we also need to give some credence to the generalities of this chapter. The students we meet will not always fit into the mold that our book seems to lay out for them, it is important to be aware of some of the characteristics of the culture in general. I think a study of my friends, and sometimes myself, who do not fit the mold their color, religion, or gender would outline for them gives even more weight to the chapter and the ideas it presents. If a person does not fit their stereotype, they are usually all too painfully aware of the fact and are tied to that stereotype, if not by following, even more so by not following. When an identity is challenged it becomes an even bigger deal. As an example, there was a student in my classes in high school who had an issue with her stereotype. She was African-American. But hers was a different case. She was just a second generation African-American with no history in United States slavery but with heritage in the royalty of a tribe in Nigeria (I may be wrong on the country). One of my favorite things about her was that she actually had royal jewels! Wow! She was wealthier than any of the other (white or Asian) country clubbers in our honors class and always did some of the best work. She was also active in the school and was a basketball player. That is where her stereotype made the biggest difference. All of the other girls on the basketball team, most of the African-Americans from generations on end, were not in the honors classes and did not have the same background she did. I watched as her vocab changed depending on which crowd she was needing to fit in to at the time. She used a different lingo with her team than with her friends in the honors class, a lingo often associated with ignorance (based on the grammatical errors). Hers was a hard spot to be in.
Now what?
As not only a teacher, but a fellow citizen/growing person/charitable human being, I think it is important to always be aware of your own shortcomings and try to keep an open mind. I read the book Blink by Malcolm Caldwell and some of the studies he discussed were fascinating. Some of the studies he did on people's perceptions of race and what qualities are associated with different races were pretty scary. People tested on tests requiring speed in decision, and which were designed to test a person's subconscious, showed in people, most of whom seemed to be open minded and professed racial understanding, an ingrained reaction to associate bad with black. The test and study seemed to conclude that consciously placed there or not, we all have prejudices that are there due to history, media, family, etc. The book went on to talk about training oneself into making better snap decisions and did not leave me feeling hopeless. It appears that these things we automatically think are natural and it will be our job, especially as those in charge to a large degree of what children take into their learning purposely and into their subconscious for 7 hours a day, to be careful with our own pre-judgements and the examples we set because of them. We must also be sensitive to the needs of students due to their different backgrounds and be able to work with them, while not offending by assuming we know what is going on based on our pre-concieved ideas.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Chapter 5 Reflection
What? This was a good chapter to have at the end of our studies in educational psychology. It seemed to boil everything down to, "Every student is different in the way they learn best and it is your job to figure out how teach them all...you can do it!" One of the best points was to recognize that labels don't work and that students have a disability or whatever the case may be...it is not that the students are. Making that distinction is to use people-first language. Intelligence, in this chapter, is defined as: "The ability to apply prior knowledge and experiences flexibly to accomplish challenging new tasks." It then outlines many ways that ability can differ from student to student.
So what? Part of our conversation on Chapter 4 seemed to address the fact that, though students may be very different, as teachers we will not be able to cater to every need or know everything going on. The same applies to Chapter 5...though all of these things may seem overwhelming to take in, it comes down to being aware of what you are dealing with and what ways there are out there for dealing with those differences.
Now what? I think that in my future teaching, I will be more aware of varieties in student learning and will, hopefully, be able to move more quickly from something not working right, to trying to find a way of reaching a specific student, than a teacher who may have a narrow understanding of students might have. When I was growing up there was the "regular kids"...the ones that did fine sitting in their desks and listening and then regurgitating what they learned...and the special education kids. There ws no spectrum...you were one way or the other. I think these thingsd that are being emphasized now will make education more pleasant than it may have been in the past, because it addresses the different needs and strengths of children. Wonderful!
So what? Part of our conversation on Chapter 4 seemed to address the fact that, though students may be very different, as teachers we will not be able to cater to every need or know everything going on. The same applies to Chapter 5...though all of these things may seem overwhelming to take in, it comes down to being aware of what you are dealing with and what ways there are out there for dealing with those differences.
Now what? I think that in my future teaching, I will be more aware of varieties in student learning and will, hopefully, be able to move more quickly from something not working right, to trying to find a way of reaching a specific student, than a teacher who may have a narrow understanding of students might have. When I was growing up there was the "regular kids"...the ones that did fine sitting in their desks and listening and then regurgitating what they learned...and the special education kids. There ws no spectrum...you were one way or the other. I think these thingsd that are being emphasized now will make education more pleasant than it may have been in the past, because it addresses the different needs and strengths of children. Wonderful!
Monday, March 9, 2009
Learning Log Chapter 10
What?
Chapter 10 was on the subject of Social Cognitive Views of Learning. This seems to be a very holistic view of learning as that which comes from both a students interactions with their environment, and the people in it, combined with what is already in them individually...called reciprocal causation. Some ways of learning without experiencing are by watching another person (modeling) or learning from other's mistakes (vicarious reinforcement or punishment). An important point made in this chapter was the introduction of the term self-regulation as the ability of the individual to make decisions on how they will go about achieving goals and learning.
So what?
I saw some similarities between the social-cognitive theory and Vygotsky's theory: learning happens through one's interaction with and observation of their environment. What I did like was the student or individual centered aspect of this kind of learning. Sometimes it is hard to understand one's self from a third party view point but we can cultivate self-regulated behavior by taking honest evaluation of our strengths and weaknesses (self-efficacy) and acting on what we know of ourselves.
Now what?
A lot of what was discussed in this chapter made me feel a little helpless as a teacher because students are just drinking in information from their peers and environment all willy-nilly and I have no control over that. Because I cannot always monitor what a child takes in, what seems to be the most important impact a positive adult can have on a child is the encouraging of self-efficacy. I won't always be with the child when they learn or have to act on what they've learned but, by instilling in them the understanding that they can be and do what they want to be and do, I can offer support from a distance. Modeling was one of the points that seems scary because, as an adult, teacher or parent, children see what I am doing and will learn from it. The reinforcement of behaviors was also an important point for teachers.
Chapter 10 was on the subject of Social Cognitive Views of Learning. This seems to be a very holistic view of learning as that which comes from both a students interactions with their environment, and the people in it, combined with what is already in them individually...called reciprocal causation. Some ways of learning without experiencing are by watching another person (modeling) or learning from other's mistakes (vicarious reinforcement or punishment). An important point made in this chapter was the introduction of the term self-regulation as the ability of the individual to make decisions on how they will go about achieving goals and learning.
So what?
I saw some similarities between the social-cognitive theory and Vygotsky's theory: learning happens through one's interaction with and observation of their environment. What I did like was the student or individual centered aspect of this kind of learning. Sometimes it is hard to understand one's self from a third party view point but we can cultivate self-regulated behavior by taking honest evaluation of our strengths and weaknesses (self-efficacy) and acting on what we know of ourselves.
Now what?
A lot of what was discussed in this chapter made me feel a little helpless as a teacher because students are just drinking in information from their peers and environment all willy-nilly and I have no control over that. Because I cannot always monitor what a child takes in, what seems to be the most important impact a positive adult can have on a child is the encouraging of self-efficacy. I won't always be with the child when they learn or have to act on what they've learned but, by instilling in them the understanding that they can be and do what they want to be and do, I can offer support from a distance. Modeling was one of the points that seems scary because, as an adult, teacher or parent, children see what I am doing and will learn from it. The reinforcement of behaviors was also an important point for teachers.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Learning Log Chapter 9
What?
This chapter was on the much loved by Dr. Cox behaviorist theories. It included terms that should have been termed differently because they are confusing (i.e. negative reinforcement). Basically the chapter discussed the the idea that the study of behavior would produce evidence of learning. It also showed studies and theories on how to change that behavior through conditioning. The two types of conditioning are classical and operant. Classical conditioning is accomplished when two stimuli are presented at the same time thus increasing the desired behavior. Operant conditioning occurs when behavior is increased because of reinforcement.
So what?
Ah...so what? The problem/opportunity (as Doc Waters terms problems) is that we as teachers can inadvertently promote behavior that we do not approve of depending on how, how quickly, and how often we respond to student behavior.
Now what?
Well now I'm going to be over-analytical of everything I do...happy? Well, to a degree anyway. I will learn to recognize the types of stimuli to present so my students respond in a desired way. I will also be cautious of what kind of reinforcement illicits what kind of behavior and recognize that it will be different from student to student.
This chapter was on the much loved by Dr. Cox behaviorist theories. It included terms that should have been termed differently because they are confusing (i.e. negative reinforcement). Basically the chapter discussed the the idea that the study of behavior would produce evidence of learning. It also showed studies and theories on how to change that behavior through conditioning. The two types of conditioning are classical and operant. Classical conditioning is accomplished when two stimuli are presented at the same time thus increasing the desired behavior. Operant conditioning occurs when behavior is increased because of reinforcement.
So what?
Ah...so what? The problem/opportunity (as Doc Waters terms problems) is that we as teachers can inadvertently promote behavior that we do not approve of depending on how, how quickly, and how often we respond to student behavior.
Now what?
Well now I'm going to be over-analytical of everything I do...happy? Well, to a degree anyway. I will learn to recognize the types of stimuli to present so my students respond in a desired way. I will also be cautious of what kind of reinforcement illicits what kind of behavior and recognize that it will be different from student to student.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Learning Log Chapter 7
What?
This chapter discussed the way information presented is combined with the perspective and experiences a person has had in life to create knowledge. As construction occurs, and students try to find a place for new information reconstruction errors occur. A way for people to get outside of their own understanding, or individual constructionsim, they learn and collaborate with others who may see things differently... social constructivism. Much like a type of assimilation, there are ways in which we organize information in order to make sense of it: concepts, schemas or scripts, theories, and worldviews.
So what?
Because students construct knowledge based on their own understandings paired with what I present, there are going to be variables I cannot control. So, what I can control must be...dealt with wisely and organized so the varied learners will be able to construct something wonderful with it!
Now what?
As a teacher, it will be important to establish a community of learners in order for students to learn from the varying experience bases their classmates, and teacher, come from so they can recognize the different ways of interpreting knowledge. Even though we all construct information differently, there are some ways that are illogical and so, in order to avoid misconceptions, it will be important to help students have access to valid forms of information so they can construct knowledge well. Some examples are: presenting expert's perspectives, promoting classroom dialogue, and assigning authentic activities.
This chapter discussed the way information presented is combined with the perspective and experiences a person has had in life to create knowledge. As construction occurs, and students try to find a place for new information reconstruction errors occur. A way for people to get outside of their own understanding, or individual constructionsim, they learn and collaborate with others who may see things differently... social constructivism. Much like a type of assimilation, there are ways in which we organize information in order to make sense of it: concepts, schemas or scripts, theories, and worldviews.
So what?
Because students construct knowledge based on their own understandings paired with what I present, there are going to be variables I cannot control. So, what I can control must be...dealt with wisely and organized so the varied learners will be able to construct something wonderful with it!
Now what?
As a teacher, it will be important to establish a community of learners in order for students to learn from the varying experience bases their classmates, and teacher, come from so they can recognize the different ways of interpreting knowledge. Even though we all construct information differently, there are some ways that are illogical and so, in order to avoid misconceptions, it will be important to help students have access to valid forms of information so they can construct knowledge well. Some examples are: presenting expert's perspectives, promoting classroom dialogue, and assigning authentic activities.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Learning Log Chapter 6
What?
This chapter gave discussed the different ways in which people obtain knowledge and store it. A person turns information into memory by receiving it through a sensory register and then giving it proper attention. If attention is given, the information goes to the working memory until it is processed enough to be put into long term memory. That transference into long term memory is only possible if best teaching and learning processes are followed.
So what?
It is important to provide the right, and varying, activities to students so they are able to turn the info we as teachers present to them into actual memory and knowledge. A student must be able to engage with the topic in order to really process it enough to really get it. Examples of this given are: rehearsal, meaningful learning, elaboration, and visual imagery. Some ways of connecting to the subject will make it easier for students retrieve the knowledge with mnemonics and memorization being fairly low on the scale compared with accessing prior knowledge.
Now what?
My job is first of all, to learn to use the different types of memory storage in my own learning, in order to understand the benefits of my options and to be able to know how to best help my different students in the future. It will be important to understand, and accept, what topics lend themselves to what kind of learning and be able to work within those limits (e.g. Mnemonics are important for some things that require real memorization and a connection to a topic might not be as possible to form in a spelling lesson as in a social studies lesson).
This chapter gave discussed the different ways in which people obtain knowledge and store it. A person turns information into memory by receiving it through a sensory register and then giving it proper attention. If attention is given, the information goes to the working memory until it is processed enough to be put into long term memory. That transference into long term memory is only possible if best teaching and learning processes are followed.
So what?
It is important to provide the right, and varying, activities to students so they are able to turn the info we as teachers present to them into actual memory and knowledge. A student must be able to engage with the topic in order to really process it enough to really get it. Examples of this given are: rehearsal, meaningful learning, elaboration, and visual imagery. Some ways of connecting to the subject will make it easier for students retrieve the knowledge with mnemonics and memorization being fairly low on the scale compared with accessing prior knowledge.
Now what?
My job is first of all, to learn to use the different types of memory storage in my own learning, in order to understand the benefits of my options and to be able to know how to best help my different students in the future. It will be important to understand, and accept, what topics lend themselves to what kind of learning and be able to work within those limits (e.g. Mnemonics are important for some things that require real memorization and a connection to a topic might not be as possible to form in a spelling lesson as in a social studies lesson).
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