Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Collaborative Projects using Technology in my (future) classroom
I've been thinking about some ways I can create AUTHENTIC collaborative projects in my classroom when I begin teaching...
I will definitely want to set up a class wiki. I will put up problems to be worked on by groups or the entire class, where students can post their comments, questions, and solutions to the problems. Individual contributions to some of these might be for extra credit!
I would also post powerpoints or videos demonstrating some of the more complicated processes I did in class, as sometimes students need to see things more than once, and may pay attention better on their own watching a video than in the distracting classroom. As noted by Schrum and Levin (2009), today’s students are “digital natives” who are used to receiving their information and communication via technology (page 10). Presenting my lessons to them electronically might even be more effective than a classroom presentation. I would ask them to post or message me with any questions or ideas they had regarding my lessons (or of course, they could ask me at school).
Later on, I would like to give the class a project to prepare a lesson themselves, using their choice of media- videos, powerpoints, whatever. When they have completed it, I would check it for accuracy then it could be posted publicly to allow other students to benefit from it. I would probably have several smaller groups create separate lessons, the whole class working on one lesson would be rather unwieldy.
I intend to try to maintain a connection to the “real world”, showing how the algebra or trig or geometry that we are learning has applications to problems and professions in the world outside the classroom. I would charge the students with the job of looking for connections (through internet searches, talking to adults in their lives, reading newspapers watching TV and more) and entering them on the wiki. The class would keep an ongoing list of connections, and could even connect the connections etc. I would also link to stories or articles that relate to the math we are doing, or have done, or even to math in general, to emphasize to the students that it IS part of everyday life. I would encourage the students to also post links to any stories and articles they find that are relevant to math in the real world. Commenting on the links would also be strongly encouraged (and a good way for me to see who is actually reading the articles). If there were especially thought provoking articles we could get a good discussion going online.
All of these activities would correspond to one or more of the NETS-S Standards, and in fact in total these activities address ALL of them; contributing to the wiki and collaborating on group projects would address standards 1 ,2, 4 , and 6; researching information regarding math and professions on the Internet would meet standard 3; adhering to ethical standards of citations and credits would meet standard 5 (ISTE, 2007). These projects and activities would also meet the NETS-T 2008 Standards for Teachers (ISTE, 2008).
References-
Schrum, L & Levin, B (2009). Leading 21st century schools. California: Corwin.
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2007). National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-student-standards-2007.aspx
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2008). National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-S). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx
Monday, June 13, 2011
Week 3 LT2
This week we focused on various Learning Theories. We learned basic information about 4 theories- Behavioral, and 3 Cognitive theories- Constructivist, Developmental and Social. The we did independent research on an assigned theorist to share with a group in the class. Then still later, in small groups we researched yet another theorist and created presentations to post on our class wiki for others to share.
In a (very small) nutshell: Behavioral Learning Theory says that people learn as a response to outside stimulus. These theorists also stress positive and negative reinforcements to promote desired behaviors and eliminate undesirable ones. Constructivist Learning Theory says people learn by either incorporating new information into their existing knowledge base (assimilating) or adding it on (accommodating) if it is different but connected to their base. Developmental Learning Theory presents stages of development that people pass through at specific ages as they progress from very concrete thinking into more complex abstract thought. Social Learning Theory says people learn through social interaction with others. With the assistance of a more knowledgeable helper, a person can learn to do more than he/she is capable of doing independently, thus developing into a new stage. Learning can drive development.
I was assigned to independently research Lev Vygotsky the "Father of Social Learning Theory". I appreciate this theory as I believe strongly in collaborative learning and it fits well with this theory. I will definitely be using group work in my teaching, providing opportunities for more advanced students to coach fellow students to progress in their understanding of concepts just beyond their independent capabilities.
In our group research in the afternoon, my group researched Howard Gardner, the proponent of Multiple Intelligences. These are not universally accepted although they do have a strong following. Mr Gardener was working with children of all ability levels as well as adults with brain damage and discovered that people did not fit into neat categories of intellectual ability (smart, average, etc) but rather that they had stronger "intelligences" in some ways than others. He identified eight types of intelligence- logical, musical, linguistic, kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic and spatial. He believed people have particular strengths in learning in some ways more than others, and it would be best to teach to people's strengths. I do think there is some validity to this idea. I doubt that I will try to label each student as having particular characteristic intelligences, but I will attempt to appeal to a number of different preferences in my lesson designs. It will make the lessons more interesting in any case, as they will have a variety of elements and not be repetitive in the same format all the time!
I did find the format of today's class to be invigorating, as well as exemplifying many of the theories we studied. With our homework in preparation, we set up a knowledge base upon which to connect more information learned in class (constructivism), and working in several small groups throughout the day (social), along with some independent research and a collaborative project (social), a number of our "intelligences" were also tapped- linguistic, spatial, kinesthetic, inter- and intra-personal for sure. A good reinforcement of what we were learning all along.
In a (very small) nutshell: Behavioral Learning Theory says that people learn as a response to outside stimulus. These theorists also stress positive and negative reinforcements to promote desired behaviors and eliminate undesirable ones. Constructivist Learning Theory says people learn by either incorporating new information into their existing knowledge base (assimilating) or adding it on (accommodating) if it is different but connected to their base. Developmental Learning Theory presents stages of development that people pass through at specific ages as they progress from very concrete thinking into more complex abstract thought. Social Learning Theory says people learn through social interaction with others. With the assistance of a more knowledgeable helper, a person can learn to do more than he/she is capable of doing independently, thus developing into a new stage. Learning can drive development.
I was assigned to independently research Lev Vygotsky the "Father of Social Learning Theory". I appreciate this theory as I believe strongly in collaborative learning and it fits well with this theory. I will definitely be using group work in my teaching, providing opportunities for more advanced students to coach fellow students to progress in their understanding of concepts just beyond their independent capabilities.
In our group research in the afternoon, my group researched Howard Gardner, the proponent of Multiple Intelligences. These are not universally accepted although they do have a strong following. Mr Gardener was working with children of all ability levels as well as adults with brain damage and discovered that people did not fit into neat categories of intellectual ability (smart, average, etc) but rather that they had stronger "intelligences" in some ways than others. He identified eight types of intelligence- logical, musical, linguistic, kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic and spatial. He believed people have particular strengths in learning in some ways more than others, and it would be best to teach to people's strengths. I do think there is some validity to this idea. I doubt that I will try to label each student as having particular characteristic intelligences, but I will attempt to appeal to a number of different preferences in my lesson designs. It will make the lessons more interesting in any case, as they will have a variety of elements and not be repetitive in the same format all the time!
I did find the format of today's class to be invigorating, as well as exemplifying many of the theories we studied. With our homework in preparation, we set up a knowledge base upon which to connect more information learned in class (constructivism), and working in several small groups throughout the day (social), along with some independent research and a collaborative project (social), a number of our "intelligences" were also tapped- linguistic, spatial, kinesthetic, inter- and intra-personal for sure. A good reinforcement of what we were learning all along.
Week 3 LT1
Q- Bloom level 2 (I agree- this relates to comprehension)- Describe the components relevant to understanding Skinner's theory.
Skinner focused on behavior. He believed in cause and effect- certain triggers and circumstances will create a response. He also promoted the use of positive and negative reinforcement to encourage desirable, or discourage undesirable, behavior.
Q- Bloom level 5 ( I agree- this is definitely a "design" type of response which is level 5-synthesize)- If you were a teacher how would you use Skinner's Behavioral Learning Theory as a way to develop a classroom management tool? Provide a specific example.
If I wanted to encourage students to work collaboratively in groups with active participation by all members, I would monitor the behavior of the groups to see which groups were working most effectively. Those that appeared to demonstrate all the expected behaviors would be rewarded by being allowed to take their group outside to work on their own Those that seemed not to be adhering to the norms needed for collaborative work would be kept in the classroom to work under the supervision of the teacher.
Q- Give an example of how you could incorporate abstract thinking into your class. (This question was not labeled- I would put this as a "design" type response, and thus another Bloom level 5- synthesize).
For beginning learners of calculus, to introduce differentiating functions, I would use a function of position. The first derivative of this would be velocity ( the change of position over time) the second derivative would be acceleration (rate of change in speed over time). I would start with a physical model of a car on a track. Demonstrate the position at start (0) then at some points along the track. I would then move the car and have students note the time to move from one point to another to calculate velocities. Similarly we could talk about acceleration. I would then ask the class to think of OTHER processes that would have applicable measurements (aging comes to mind- I would hope they came up with that or other ideas...) So we would scaffold from the instructor demonstrating a concrete example toward the students showing their comprehension of the abstract idea.
Skinner focused on behavior. He believed in cause and effect- certain triggers and circumstances will create a response. He also promoted the use of positive and negative reinforcement to encourage desirable, or discourage undesirable, behavior.
Q- Bloom level 5 ( I agree- this is definitely a "design" type of response which is level 5-synthesize)- If you were a teacher how would you use Skinner's Behavioral Learning Theory as a way to develop a classroom management tool? Provide a specific example.
If I wanted to encourage students to work collaboratively in groups with active participation by all members, I would monitor the behavior of the groups to see which groups were working most effectively. Those that appeared to demonstrate all the expected behaviors would be rewarded by being allowed to take their group outside to work on their own Those that seemed not to be adhering to the norms needed for collaborative work would be kept in the classroom to work under the supervision of the teacher.
Q- Give an example of how you could incorporate abstract thinking into your class. (This question was not labeled- I would put this as a "design" type response, and thus another Bloom level 5- synthesize).
For beginning learners of calculus, to introduce differentiating functions, I would use a function of position. The first derivative of this would be velocity ( the change of position over time) the second derivative would be acceleration (rate of change in speed over time). I would start with a physical model of a car on a track. Demonstrate the position at start (0) then at some points along the track. I would then move the car and have students note the time to move from one point to another to calculate velocities. Similarly we could talk about acceleration. I would then ask the class to think of OTHER processes that would have applicable measurements (aging comes to mind- I would hope they came up with that or other ideas...) So we would scaffold from the instructor demonstrating a concrete example toward the students showing their comprehension of the abstract idea.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Learning Theories week 2
Today's class focused on teachers' beliefs in how learning happens, and how a teacher's beliefs and attitudes carry into the classroom, with effects they may not intend or realize.
We began with a class discussion of metaphors- how each of us would describe teaching and learning as a metaphor. It was very interesting to hear all the different ways people viewed the teaching/learning process, from animal social behavior, to gardening and boating and more.
We discussed several articles we had read for homework. First Yero's article presented us with anecdotes and examples of teaching that was not effective or successful. The conclusion we drew from her article was that teachers need to be very aware of their own beliefs and preconceived ideas, and critically reflect on the effect those might have on their teaching and their students. We all felt this article had a pretty negative tone. GNA assured us that Yero's book in total was much more positive and upbeat. Hansen's article was more uplifting, he presented examples of teachers who related well to their students, modeling wonderful interpersonal skills and attitudes toward learning. From this article, we concluded that while it is important to maintain order in a classroom, a teacher must not control the students. Some structure and familiarity is helpful to students as it provides an environment in which they feel comfortable and safe. It is important to respect yourself and be confident as a teacher and also to respect and have confidence in your students. In an environment of trust and respect, they will rise to your expectations. Mutual enhancement leads to flourishment.
We watched several video clips of very different teaching styles. We saw teaching that was extremely controlling and repetitive, rote memorization. We saw teaching that encouraged students to develop their own ideas and creativity, and challenge traditional standardized beliefs. We saw teachers who encouraged individual experimentation and exploration as well as active collaboration and exchange of ideas to enhance their own understanding.
We began to learn about different types of growth and learning throughout our lifetimes- spiritual, Physiological, psycho-social, emotional, cognitive, gender, ethnic, and others.
Finally,in our Intel teams, we revisited our Learning maps from last week. Making new maps and comparing to our previous ones, we could see how we are viewing learning differently already. The different Intel groups had very different ways of designing their maps again. Our Intel group changed our focus from breaking down "Learning" into small, detailed, often disconnected pieces, into a map showing all the ways we receive information and knowledge and the actions and processes we use to give that "input" meaning, turning it into learning.
If students are given the opportunity to learn both independently AND collaboratively, and if they are given the freedom to explore alternatives to their fullest creativity, then they will learn successfully and effectively, rather than merely memorize information presented to them, because they will be fully engaged and vested in the learning process. They will feel it is THEIR learning rather than someone else's teaching. That is, to me, an important distinction.
We began with a class discussion of metaphors- how each of us would describe teaching and learning as a metaphor. It was very interesting to hear all the different ways people viewed the teaching/learning process, from animal social behavior, to gardening and boating and more.
We discussed several articles we had read for homework. First Yero's article presented us with anecdotes and examples of teaching that was not effective or successful. The conclusion we drew from her article was that teachers need to be very aware of their own beliefs and preconceived ideas, and critically reflect on the effect those might have on their teaching and their students. We all felt this article had a pretty negative tone. GNA assured us that Yero's book in total was much more positive and upbeat. Hansen's article was more uplifting, he presented examples of teachers who related well to their students, modeling wonderful interpersonal skills and attitudes toward learning. From this article, we concluded that while it is important to maintain order in a classroom, a teacher must not control the students. Some structure and familiarity is helpful to students as it provides an environment in which they feel comfortable and safe. It is important to respect yourself and be confident as a teacher and also to respect and have confidence in your students. In an environment of trust and respect, they will rise to your expectations. Mutual enhancement leads to flourishment.
We watched several video clips of very different teaching styles. We saw teaching that was extremely controlling and repetitive, rote memorization. We saw teaching that encouraged students to develop their own ideas and creativity, and challenge traditional standardized beliefs. We saw teachers who encouraged individual experimentation and exploration as well as active collaboration and exchange of ideas to enhance their own understanding.
We began to learn about different types of growth and learning throughout our lifetimes- spiritual, Physiological, psycho-social, emotional, cognitive, gender, ethnic, and others.
Finally,in our Intel teams, we revisited our Learning maps from last week. Making new maps and comparing to our previous ones, we could see how we are viewing learning differently already. The different Intel groups had very different ways of designing their maps again. Our Intel group changed our focus from breaking down "Learning" into small, detailed, often disconnected pieces, into a map showing all the ways we receive information and knowledge and the actions and processes we use to give that "input" meaning, turning it into learning.
If students are given the opportunity to learn both independently AND collaboratively, and if they are given the freedom to explore alternatives to their fullest creativity, then they will learn successfully and effectively, rather than merely memorize information presented to them, because they will be fully engaged and vested in the learning process. They will feel it is THEIR learning rather than someone else's teaching. That is, to me, an important distinction.
Learning Theory week 1
The first day of class needed to cover a lot of ground. We started with some introductory ice-breaker discussion which helped everyone get comfortable with oral participation.
We had a lot of group work, in pairs and later in larger groups. It is interesting and enlightening, or "broadening" to compare one's own answers to those of other people: it is a good method to give people a chance to see from different viewpoints. The collaborative group work is educational on several levels. First, the sum of experience and ideas is always greater than those of the individual. The collaboration process itself is useful too to strengthen our skills at partnering with others.
I found it very significant that only a small portion of our time and energy was spent on writing and listening to the instructor "lecture". Rather, most of our time was spent thinking, discussing and building on what was said and done earlier in the day.
When the class period extends for such a long time (6 hours), it is extremely helpful to have a variety of activities, involving changing partners, group discussions, even moving furniture! All that change and activity helps keep energy and interest from flagging.
I enjoyed and appreciated that the people in our class, including the instructor, were able to express, and listen to, varying and sometimes opposing viewpoints, without judgement or prejudice.
I think maintaining a classroom atmosphere where people respect and listen to each other and feel free to comment or question what's been said is a great way to reinforce the learning process.
It's helpful to me, and I'm sure to the others in class, to observe specific techniques that were used by the instructor that we can use later in our own teaching. Cold-calling is a way to make sure everyone has an opportunity to participate. More flexible group discussions are also important as the flow of ideas and contributions happens naturally then. Asking students to write some reflections or responses then turn them in, is a good way to evaluate (assess?) students' understanding of the day's lessons.
Assessing students' performance is clearly a continuous process, not one that is done at particular fixed points in the day or term. The instructor needs to be aware of each student's participation and interest level, as well as their understanding of the material and its significance and connection to other concepts. Today was a long, busy day., but an extremely productive one. Subsequent class days have a lot to build upon.
If people have a strong passion and desire to grow and excel, then, even if they come from different environments and experiences, they will be motivated to succeed in learning. Sources of motivation for our class members are varied. They include supportive families, teachers with enthusiasm and high expectations, love of children (our own or others) , desire to make a difference to people who need help and more.
If a teacher employs a wide variety of learning activities throughout the daily lesson, then students will successfully learn because they have processed the lesson through a variety of senses and experiences which will connect to students' different strengths and preferences.
We had a lot of group work, in pairs and later in larger groups. It is interesting and enlightening, or "broadening" to compare one's own answers to those of other people: it is a good method to give people a chance to see from different viewpoints. The collaborative group work is educational on several levels. First, the sum of experience and ideas is always greater than those of the individual. The collaboration process itself is useful too to strengthen our skills at partnering with others.
I found it very significant that only a small portion of our time and energy was spent on writing and listening to the instructor "lecture". Rather, most of our time was spent thinking, discussing and building on what was said and done earlier in the day.
When the class period extends for such a long time (6 hours), it is extremely helpful to have a variety of activities, involving changing partners, group discussions, even moving furniture! All that change and activity helps keep energy and interest from flagging.
I enjoyed and appreciated that the people in our class, including the instructor, were able to express, and listen to, varying and sometimes opposing viewpoints, without judgement or prejudice.
I think maintaining a classroom atmosphere where people respect and listen to each other and feel free to comment or question what's been said is a great way to reinforce the learning process.
It's helpful to me, and I'm sure to the others in class, to observe specific techniques that were used by the instructor that we can use later in our own teaching. Cold-calling is a way to make sure everyone has an opportunity to participate. More flexible group discussions are also important as the flow of ideas and contributions happens naturally then. Asking students to write some reflections or responses then turn them in, is a good way to evaluate (assess?) students' understanding of the day's lessons.
Assessing students' performance is clearly a continuous process, not one that is done at particular fixed points in the day or term. The instructor needs to be aware of each student's participation and interest level, as well as their understanding of the material and its significance and connection to other concepts. Today was a long, busy day., but an extremely productive one. Subsequent class days have a lot to build upon.
If people have a strong passion and desire to grow and excel, then, even if they come from different environments and experiences, they will be motivated to succeed in learning. Sources of motivation for our class members are varied. They include supportive families, teachers with enthusiasm and high expectations, love of children (our own or others) , desire to make a difference to people who need help and more.
If a teacher employs a wide variety of learning activities throughout the daily lesson, then students will successfully learn because they have processed the lesson through a variety of senses and experiences which will connect to students' different strengths and preferences.
How do people learn?
Viewing the "Science is Messy" video, we saw the teacher demonstrate his beliefs in how people learn. He gave his students the opportunity to explore a problem on their own, breaking into groups which were free to pursue their own choice of process, given specific materials to work with. After the groups worked on their own, he brought the group together, showing his belief in the collaborative process enhancing individual endeavors. As the class discussed their project, they learned from the other groups, leading them to additional ideas of their own. The teacher posed "leading questions" and offered suggestions, but did not GIVE the students the CORRECT answers. Rather, his prompts and encouragements allowed the students to discover ideas and conclusions themselves.
In the arena of science, students develop competency by feeling confident and curious to explore on their own. They need to be able to experiment, and to think for themselves as they collect, analyze, and evaluate their data and synthesize their findings to formulate conclusions. Collaboration with others to compare findings and question their processes and conclusions helps to strengthen and solidify their analysis. Using one's creativity is essential to view the evidence and problem from a variety of viewpoints and to "compose" the evidence to create a product or solution.
T2P: If students are given the opportunity to learn both independently AND collaboratively, and if they are given the freedom to explore alternatives to their fullest creativity, then they will learn successfully and effectively, rather than merely memorize information presented to them, because they will be fully engaged and vested in the learning process. They will feel it is THEIR learning rather than someone else's teaching. That is, to me, an important distinction.
In the arena of science, students develop competency by feeling confident and curious to explore on their own. They need to be able to experiment, and to think for themselves as they collect, analyze, and evaluate their data and synthesize their findings to formulate conclusions. Collaboration with others to compare findings and question their processes and conclusions helps to strengthen and solidify their analysis. Using one's creativity is essential to view the evidence and problem from a variety of viewpoints and to "compose" the evidence to create a product or solution.
T2P: If students are given the opportunity to learn both independently AND collaboratively, and if they are given the freedom to explore alternatives to their fullest creativity, then they will learn successfully and effectively, rather than merely memorize information presented to them, because they will be fully engaged and vested in the learning process. They will feel it is THEIR learning rather than someone else's teaching. That is, to me, an important distinction.
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