Course Contract Review #4
1. What are you doing well?
I kept up on all of my assignments and handed them in on time. I studied efficiently for my tests. I believed in myself and strived to reach my goals.
2. What are you not doing well?
I think I could have made an effort to study every day to help encode the information more effectively.
3. Are you making sufficient progress on your goals?
My first goal was to find specific things that I could use as a teacher to help my students. I think I have learned many things that will help me with this. So I think I made this goal. My second goal was to turn all assignments were in on time. I never was late on an assignment. My third goal was to get an A. As I stand right now I have 104% so I can safely say unless I bombed the FRJ and the Test I will get an A.
4. List specific things you need to change in order to meet your goals.
I think the idea of making goals at the beginning of the semester is a new thing for me and helped me throughout the semester. I think this is one thing I will be doing for my other classes.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Personal Learning Theory
What:
• Piaget's Cognitive Development:
What I like about Piaget’s theory is the aspect of how students learn when they interact with the world around them. I absolutely agree with this. I think this is a great way to get students to learn. I also like the idea of Schemes because I agree that we put things in groups and organize our knowledge this way. I don’t like the aspect of Disequilibrium. This to me seems students would get frustrated if they are feeling this way all the time. If there is a way we could help the students without them feeling this way I would love it!
• Vygotsky's Cognitive Development
I like Vygotsky’s theory about students in their ZPD. I think it is important to help the students learn while we help them. If not I think they may learn things incorrectly. Therefore I believe the teacher should be there helping the student. If the subject is too easy they will be bored and if it’s too hard they will shut down. (Believe me, I’ve been there). There is nothing about Vygotsky that we learned that I do not like. I think he’s theory’s are great.
• Erikson's Psychosocial Development
When I first started learning about Erikson’s psychosocial development, it was surprising at how much I related with the stages that I have already have been through. I can see where he got these stages. I feel all the stages make a lot of sense. Just as with Vygotsky’s theory there really isn’t anything that I don’t like about this theory.
• Kohlberg's Moral Development
This whole theory is a little confusing to me. It’s not that I don’t understand it I just feel that many times in our lives, we go through the different stages at different times. For example some people change their moral stance in different situations. Therefore I am not sure we can say that someone is in a certain stage. I think the people we are around influence the way we act and may change our moral development.
• Goleman's Emotional Intelligence
I really like the emotional intelligence theory. I think this is something that everyone needs to work through and strive to achieve. Knowing ourselves and others can help us a lot in our lives, from education to relationships to everything we do. I think it is important to know how to deal with relationships and then know how to read others to be able to deal in relationships. Knowing yourself also helps with this too. At first I thought that this does not sound like it applies to education and learning but now I see how it is imperative as teachers to know these things and help our students learn this.
• Information Processing
I like meaningful learning in this theory. It shows us that we should relate what we learn to things in our lives or things that we already know. I think this is very important in learning. I think as teachers we need to remember to teach using meaningful learning and always do this for our students. I understand when automaticity is needed but I also see how in my own education it hasn’t been so helpful. There have been times where I have memorized something but then it doesn’t stick. Therefore when the comprehensive final comes around, I don’t remember a thing. This is why repetition isn’t good when trying to learn things. We also need to get our students attention when teaching or else they will most likely not learn anything.
* Knowledge Construction and Higher-order thinking
Some things from these theories I like are authentic learning and activities and spiral organization. I like authentic learning because then students themselves can find meaning and purpose for what they are learning. If we just teach them things and don’t tell them how they can apply them it won’t be as effective. I also like spiral learning because I think it is important to come back to the concepts we have already taught so the students will remember them better and in different ways. I like community of learners too, but there is a point where I feel the teacher needs to be in charge or things can get out of hand especially in secondary education. This is also how I feel about discovery learning. I guess I just feel like in a classroom there should be someone in charge or else it would be chaotic. I think once you trust your students and they trust you it would work better. I just feel like if a teacher isn’t there teaching, what if they learn it wrong? It’s a great thing in an ideal world and could work for some things but not everything.
• Behaviorism
Behaviorism is a concept that is important to teaching I think. We need to learn how to control the environment of our classrooms and learning the different ways of doing that will help. Some of these things that we learned about in Behaviorism seem like we are tricking the kids into behaving in the way we want them to act. In some cases this may be the only way we can get some students to learn but I feel this way is not the best. For example, a token economy may be great for students who just don’t care but it seems they are just doing it to get the token, but if we can get them to like the subject that would be better.
• Social Cognitivism
I like the concept of self-efficacy. This is something I think teachers and students alike should be trying to improve. We all need to believe in ourselves before we will be able to learn. Therefore we need to encourage our students and help them know that they can do things and if they aren’t help them be able to or modify it for them so they can. I also like the aspect of Modeling. This helps me to learn to see someone else to things first and so I think many students will be like this. There is nothing in this theory that I don’t like.
• Group and Individual Differences
Helping students with special need is one area where I feel pretty confident. I have worked at a school for three years now working with students with special needs. I feel like I have learned how I will be able to modify their work and have patience with them and understand their differences. I love the idea of inclusion because these student need the social aspect of their peers and it helps them grow and learn better too. Now the cultural aspect is a little different for me. I went to high school in Highland, Ut so there wasn’t much diversity. It has been 10 years since them and I have lived many different places where it was very diverse and this has taught me how to interact and learn with other cultures. I think we as teachers need to learn about different cultures and do our best to incorporate them into our lessons.
• Motivation
I agree whole-heartedly with the idea that without students having their needs as in, Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, met they will not succeed as well as they could. If they are not fed, feel unsafe, not loved or feel as if they don’t belong, or no self-esteem they can’t reach their full potential and we won’t be able to teach them. We need to keep an eye out for those students who fit in any of these categories and help them meet their needs and then we can help them learn. But if we try before that it will be very hard.
My results from the Quiz were pretty even on all aspect. This is because I really feel like each theory has a lot of good stuff. I don’t think I will stick with one way of teaching and one way of having my students learn. All students are different and learn and behave in different ways and because of that we need to teach like that too.
So What?
As I was saying, I really believe people learn in many different ways. If I have learned anything this semester it is that I learn in many different ways. If I myself learn in so many different ways then so will my students. I also believe there are many different types of intelligences. Some people may be looked at as different but really may be smart. I have learned that with working with students with special needs. Some of these students may not be smart in the IQ sense but they are smart in other ways. They show compassion in ways that no other people can. I also think that students learn best when they feel comfortable and loved in a classroom. If they feel threatened or hate the teacher they will not get a lot out of the class. There needs to be a good feeling in the classroom and the student will thrive.
Now What?
Therefore, I want to make my class a haven for my students. Many times, students in Drama are looked down upon for some reason or another. However, I want to make my students feel like they are doing great things. If they feel like they can succeed in my class they will feel that self efficacy and will in turn succeed in their other classes too. I want to vary my teaching methods because as I said, everyone learns differently and if I only teach one way it won’t be fair for the students that do not learn that way.
I feel like I need to learn how to be a better teacher when it comes to discovery learning. I am afraid of letting my students go out and learn on their own without any guidance. I guess I just need to have more faith in them. I want to learn more about Behavioral techniques. I feel I don’t understand it as much as the other theories and therefore need to learn how to apply it in my classroom. I also need to work on how to work with students from other cultures than I am used to. Those students need a little more care and I have not worked with those students before so I need to learn a little more about that.
• Piaget's Cognitive Development:
What I like about Piaget’s theory is the aspect of how students learn when they interact with the world around them. I absolutely agree with this. I think this is a great way to get students to learn. I also like the idea of Schemes because I agree that we put things in groups and organize our knowledge this way. I don’t like the aspect of Disequilibrium. This to me seems students would get frustrated if they are feeling this way all the time. If there is a way we could help the students without them feeling this way I would love it!
• Vygotsky's Cognitive Development
I like Vygotsky’s theory about students in their ZPD. I think it is important to help the students learn while we help them. If not I think they may learn things incorrectly. Therefore I believe the teacher should be there helping the student. If the subject is too easy they will be bored and if it’s too hard they will shut down. (Believe me, I’ve been there). There is nothing about Vygotsky that we learned that I do not like. I think he’s theory’s are great.
• Erikson's Psychosocial Development
When I first started learning about Erikson’s psychosocial development, it was surprising at how much I related with the stages that I have already have been through. I can see where he got these stages. I feel all the stages make a lot of sense. Just as with Vygotsky’s theory there really isn’t anything that I don’t like about this theory.
• Kohlberg's Moral Development
This whole theory is a little confusing to me. It’s not that I don’t understand it I just feel that many times in our lives, we go through the different stages at different times. For example some people change their moral stance in different situations. Therefore I am not sure we can say that someone is in a certain stage. I think the people we are around influence the way we act and may change our moral development.
• Goleman's Emotional Intelligence
I really like the emotional intelligence theory. I think this is something that everyone needs to work through and strive to achieve. Knowing ourselves and others can help us a lot in our lives, from education to relationships to everything we do. I think it is important to know how to deal with relationships and then know how to read others to be able to deal in relationships. Knowing yourself also helps with this too. At first I thought that this does not sound like it applies to education and learning but now I see how it is imperative as teachers to know these things and help our students learn this.
• Information Processing
I like meaningful learning in this theory. It shows us that we should relate what we learn to things in our lives or things that we already know. I think this is very important in learning. I think as teachers we need to remember to teach using meaningful learning and always do this for our students. I understand when automaticity is needed but I also see how in my own education it hasn’t been so helpful. There have been times where I have memorized something but then it doesn’t stick. Therefore when the comprehensive final comes around, I don’t remember a thing. This is why repetition isn’t good when trying to learn things. We also need to get our students attention when teaching or else they will most likely not learn anything.
* Knowledge Construction and Higher-order thinking
Some things from these theories I like are authentic learning and activities and spiral organization. I like authentic learning because then students themselves can find meaning and purpose for what they are learning. If we just teach them things and don’t tell them how they can apply them it won’t be as effective. I also like spiral learning because I think it is important to come back to the concepts we have already taught so the students will remember them better and in different ways. I like community of learners too, but there is a point where I feel the teacher needs to be in charge or things can get out of hand especially in secondary education. This is also how I feel about discovery learning. I guess I just feel like in a classroom there should be someone in charge or else it would be chaotic. I think once you trust your students and they trust you it would work better. I just feel like if a teacher isn’t there teaching, what if they learn it wrong? It’s a great thing in an ideal world and could work for some things but not everything.
• Behaviorism
Behaviorism is a concept that is important to teaching I think. We need to learn how to control the environment of our classrooms and learning the different ways of doing that will help. Some of these things that we learned about in Behaviorism seem like we are tricking the kids into behaving in the way we want them to act. In some cases this may be the only way we can get some students to learn but I feel this way is not the best. For example, a token economy may be great for students who just don’t care but it seems they are just doing it to get the token, but if we can get them to like the subject that would be better.
• Social Cognitivism
I like the concept of self-efficacy. This is something I think teachers and students alike should be trying to improve. We all need to believe in ourselves before we will be able to learn. Therefore we need to encourage our students and help them know that they can do things and if they aren’t help them be able to or modify it for them so they can. I also like the aspect of Modeling. This helps me to learn to see someone else to things first and so I think many students will be like this. There is nothing in this theory that I don’t like.
• Group and Individual Differences
Helping students with special need is one area where I feel pretty confident. I have worked at a school for three years now working with students with special needs. I feel like I have learned how I will be able to modify their work and have patience with them and understand their differences. I love the idea of inclusion because these student need the social aspect of their peers and it helps them grow and learn better too. Now the cultural aspect is a little different for me. I went to high school in Highland, Ut so there wasn’t much diversity. It has been 10 years since them and I have lived many different places where it was very diverse and this has taught me how to interact and learn with other cultures. I think we as teachers need to learn about different cultures and do our best to incorporate them into our lessons.
• Motivation
I agree whole-heartedly with the idea that without students having their needs as in, Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, met they will not succeed as well as they could. If they are not fed, feel unsafe, not loved or feel as if they don’t belong, or no self-esteem they can’t reach their full potential and we won’t be able to teach them. We need to keep an eye out for those students who fit in any of these categories and help them meet their needs and then we can help them learn. But if we try before that it will be very hard.
My results from the Quiz were pretty even on all aspect. This is because I really feel like each theory has a lot of good stuff. I don’t think I will stick with one way of teaching and one way of having my students learn. All students are different and learn and behave in different ways and because of that we need to teach like that too.
So What?
As I was saying, I really believe people learn in many different ways. If I have learned anything this semester it is that I learn in many different ways. If I myself learn in so many different ways then so will my students. I also believe there are many different types of intelligences. Some people may be looked at as different but really may be smart. I have learned that with working with students with special needs. Some of these students may not be smart in the IQ sense but they are smart in other ways. They show compassion in ways that no other people can. I also think that students learn best when they feel comfortable and loved in a classroom. If they feel threatened or hate the teacher they will not get a lot out of the class. There needs to be a good feeling in the classroom and the student will thrive.
Now What?
Therefore, I want to make my class a haven for my students. Many times, students in Drama are looked down upon for some reason or another. However, I want to make my students feel like they are doing great things. If they feel like they can succeed in my class they will feel that self efficacy and will in turn succeed in their other classes too. I want to vary my teaching methods because as I said, everyone learns differently and if I only teach one way it won’t be fair for the students that do not learn that way.
I feel like I need to learn how to be a better teacher when it comes to discovery learning. I am afraid of letting my students go out and learn on their own without any guidance. I guess I just need to have more faith in them. I want to learn more about Behavioral techniques. I feel I don’t understand it as much as the other theories and therefore need to learn how to apply it in my classroom. I also need to work on how to work with students from other cultures than I am used to. Those students need a little more care and I have not worked with those students before so I need to learn a little more about that.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Course Contract Review #3
Course Contract Review #3
1. What are you doing well?
I have not yet missed a class. I feel like I am really understanding the topics we are discussing in class. I actually enjoy the topics too. It actually makes sense to me. I am helping my group get all of our assessment inventory assignments in on time.
2. What are you not doing well?
As much as I understand the subject I still feel like I could try and apply it to how I will use it in the future more.
3. Are you making sufficient progress on your goals?
I am keeping up on all of my assignments and turning them in on time. just like one of my goals. I believe I have an A still however it may be an A- depending on the breakdown of grades but it's really close. :) I need to still put time allotted each day to work on this class. It would help me to not stress out so much on the assignments. It is a hard goal but I think I can do it.
4. List specific things you need to change in order to meet your goals.
I think I need to really put in effort to do something for this class everyday. I was pretty good at the beginning of the year doing this but it seems like all of my other classes are getting in the way too. I think if I even do 15 minutes of this class a day that will help me retain the information we are learning and help me not be so stressed about getting all the stuff done.
1. What are you doing well?
I have not yet missed a class. I feel like I am really understanding the topics we are discussing in class. I actually enjoy the topics too. It actually makes sense to me. I am helping my group get all of our assessment inventory assignments in on time.
2. What are you not doing well?
As much as I understand the subject I still feel like I could try and apply it to how I will use it in the future more.
3. Are you making sufficient progress on your goals?
I am keeping up on all of my assignments and turning them in on time. just like one of my goals. I believe I have an A still however it may be an A- depending on the breakdown of grades but it's really close. :) I need to still put time allotted each day to work on this class. It would help me to not stress out so much on the assignments. It is a hard goal but I think I can do it.
4. List specific things you need to change in order to meet your goals.
I think I need to really put in effort to do something for this class everyday. I was pretty good at the beginning of the year doing this but it seems like all of my other classes are getting in the way too. I think if I even do 15 minutes of this class a day that will help me retain the information we are learning and help me not be so stressed about getting all the stuff done.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Chapter 9 Case Study
1. Does Mr. Kessinger's class represent a community of learners as defined in Ch. 7? Why or why not?
I would say Mr. Kessinger’s class does not represent a community of learners. One of the definitions of community of learners is “Students and teacher coordinate their efforts in helping one another learn, no one has exclusive responsibility for teaching others.” With this said, it seems Mr. Kessinger is the one who feels he has to teach everyone. Robin was trying to teach the others but Mr. Kessinger didn’t like how she was doing it and tore her apart for trying. He wanted it done his way. He also wanted people to learn right on the spot, when in community of learner say, “the process of learning is emphasized as much as and sometimes more then, the finished product.” Therefore her trying to learn her way, by writing notes is a great way to learn according to community of learners.
2. Does Mr. Kessinger utilize presentation punishment or removal punishment with Robin? Justify your response.
I would say Mr. Kessinger was using removal punishment. The definition of removal punishment says, “Punishment involving removal of an existing stimulus, presumably one a learner doesn’t want to lose. He was trying to punish her for taking notes and using them in his class because he didn’t want his students “cheating” in class and therefore tore up (removed) her notes to punish her. The notes to Robin were the existing stimulus to her that she didn’t want to lose. She felt they were helpful. By removing this he was punishing her. Thus, removal punishment is what he did.
3. Explain Robin's reaction in Ms. Yamashita's class from the perspective of classical conditioning.
Robin was conditioned by Mr. Kessingers to feel bad about taking notes. It seemed like it was a pretty traumatic experience for her. Because of that one instance she felt like, notes in his class was a bad thing and therefore fully expected Ms. Yamashita to be upset too. It seemed like she didn’t even hear what her Ms. Yamashita was saying. Instead she put the two stimuli together, (notes and teachers talking about them) making her subconsciously and involuntarily thinking Ms. Yamashita was going to tell her that her notes were a bad thing.
4. How might Ms. Yamashita encourage Robin to create concept maps in the future? Include behavioral concepts such as shaping, reinforcement, etc., in your response.
I think Ms. Yamashita was on the right track with praising her for taking the notes. It just happened to be on the wrong day. Robin wasn’t ready to hear it. She can slowly give her praise for the different steps in making maps to help her shape her back into thinking that concept maps are good. She could also positively reinforce her for making the concept maps by giving her extra credit every time she brings a map to class.
I would say Mr. Kessinger’s class does not represent a community of learners. One of the definitions of community of learners is “Students and teacher coordinate their efforts in helping one another learn, no one has exclusive responsibility for teaching others.” With this said, it seems Mr. Kessinger is the one who feels he has to teach everyone. Robin was trying to teach the others but Mr. Kessinger didn’t like how she was doing it and tore her apart for trying. He wanted it done his way. He also wanted people to learn right on the spot, when in community of learner say, “the process of learning is emphasized as much as and sometimes more then, the finished product.” Therefore her trying to learn her way, by writing notes is a great way to learn according to community of learners.
2. Does Mr. Kessinger utilize presentation punishment or removal punishment with Robin? Justify your response.
I would say Mr. Kessinger was using removal punishment. The definition of removal punishment says, “Punishment involving removal of an existing stimulus, presumably one a learner doesn’t want to lose. He was trying to punish her for taking notes and using them in his class because he didn’t want his students “cheating” in class and therefore tore up (removed) her notes to punish her. The notes to Robin were the existing stimulus to her that she didn’t want to lose. She felt they were helpful. By removing this he was punishing her. Thus, removal punishment is what he did.
3. Explain Robin's reaction in Ms. Yamashita's class from the perspective of classical conditioning.
Robin was conditioned by Mr. Kessingers to feel bad about taking notes. It seemed like it was a pretty traumatic experience for her. Because of that one instance she felt like, notes in his class was a bad thing and therefore fully expected Ms. Yamashita to be upset too. It seemed like she didn’t even hear what her Ms. Yamashita was saying. Instead she put the two stimuli together, (notes and teachers talking about them) making her subconsciously and involuntarily thinking Ms. Yamashita was going to tell her that her notes were a bad thing.
4. How might Ms. Yamashita encourage Robin to create concept maps in the future? Include behavioral concepts such as shaping, reinforcement, etc., in your response.
I think Ms. Yamashita was on the right track with praising her for taking the notes. It just happened to be on the wrong day. Robin wasn’t ready to hear it. She can slowly give her praise for the different steps in making maps to help her shape her back into thinking that concept maps are good. She could also positively reinforce her for making the concept maps by giving her extra credit every time she brings a map to class.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Chapter 6 Case Study
Case 1: Mr. West wants his students to truly understand Civil War battles. He engages the help of a local Historical Re-enactment Society and assigns each of his students to the Union or Confederate side. His students join the re-enactors from 7:00am-7:00pm for a full day of activities which include a long march (complete with rudimentary battle gear), setting up camp, cooking over campfires, scouting territory, and engaging in a historically representative battle.
1. After participating in this activity, what do you think the students will remember? How might those memories differ from those students would have if they only read about the Civil War in their textbook?
Since the students actually performed the march itself instead of just reading about it they will remember how they felt when they were re-enacting. The students are more likely to pay attention to what was going on because they were actually doing the activity and thus they would remember more than if they had just read about it in the textbook. If they had just read it maybe they wouldn’t have paid much attention thus it wouldn’t have gone into the long term memory.
2. How does Mr. West’s use of a Civil War re-enactment engage students’ emotions? What is the relationship between emotions and learning?
Because Mr. West had the students doing the march they were putting themselves into the situation and felt what the people during that time felt and had to live through the situation. They were tired and physically drained and sad probably for the people who had to march. When the students were in this state they related their life to what these people went through. Thus making it more meaningful and turned it into meaningful learning. It was also procedural learning and helped them learn by doing.
3. Based on the principles of dual-coding theory, what activities would be effective for Mr. West to use as a follow-up to the re-enactment?
Mr. West could have had the students take pictures while they were on the re-enactment. After they were done he could have them make a presentation of what they went through with their pictures and having them describe their experiences relating it to what happened during the civil war.
Case 2: Mr. Dunkin and Mr. Richards, teachers at the same school, are debating in the teacher’s lounge about who provides the best type of organization for the students’ learning. Mr. Dunkin lectures and assigns reading and chapter problems Mondays through Thursdays. On Fridays he gives a short answer exam. In Mr. Richards’ class the students never know what will take place on any given day until they arrive in class and look at a detailed outline of the hour’s activities on the chalkboard. His class engages in mix of role-plays, lecture, videos, group projects and demonstrations. Mr. Richards occasionally gives surprise quizzes and his unit tests can include true/false, multiple choice, short answer, or essay.
4. Who do you think provides better instruction for his students? Support your answer from an information processing perspective.
According to the information processing perspective it all depends on the learner thus you can’t say which has better instruction. First, people are selective about what they process and learn thus the students decide on what they will take in no matter what is going on around them. Second, learners will construct the meaning not the environment so no matter what is going on they will interpret things on their own. Next, students learn from what they already know so no matter how it is presented they will relate it to other things. Students also learn according to their maturation and thus will learn according to how mature they are not on what is going on in the class. And lastly, if the students are paying attention and actively trying to understand they will. Thus according to this perspective, it doesn’t matter which way they teach, it is up to the learners.
5. How would you expect the students’ learning outcomes to differ depending on which teacher they had?
I think if students had Mr. Dunkin they may be a little bored with the way he teaches. If he just does the same thing over and over his students may be bored thus their attention may not be there. However, if we can get the students attention then they will more likely have the information go into their working memory. Once it is there they will be able to get it into their long term memory and do well on their tests and learn more. Therefore, if they are in Mr. Richard’s class they may be more apt to pay attention because he is changing thing up and making it more exciting. Thus learning things in different ways they will learn better because they are more likely to pay attention.
1. After participating in this activity, what do you think the students will remember? How might those memories differ from those students would have if they only read about the Civil War in their textbook?
Since the students actually performed the march itself instead of just reading about it they will remember how they felt when they were re-enacting. The students are more likely to pay attention to what was going on because they were actually doing the activity and thus they would remember more than if they had just read about it in the textbook. If they had just read it maybe they wouldn’t have paid much attention thus it wouldn’t have gone into the long term memory.
2. How does Mr. West’s use of a Civil War re-enactment engage students’ emotions? What is the relationship between emotions and learning?
Because Mr. West had the students doing the march they were putting themselves into the situation and felt what the people during that time felt and had to live through the situation. They were tired and physically drained and sad probably for the people who had to march. When the students were in this state they related their life to what these people went through. Thus making it more meaningful and turned it into meaningful learning. It was also procedural learning and helped them learn by doing.
3. Based on the principles of dual-coding theory, what activities would be effective for Mr. West to use as a follow-up to the re-enactment?
Mr. West could have had the students take pictures while they were on the re-enactment. After they were done he could have them make a presentation of what they went through with their pictures and having them describe their experiences relating it to what happened during the civil war.
Case 2: Mr. Dunkin and Mr. Richards, teachers at the same school, are debating in the teacher’s lounge about who provides the best type of organization for the students’ learning. Mr. Dunkin lectures and assigns reading and chapter problems Mondays through Thursdays. On Fridays he gives a short answer exam. In Mr. Richards’ class the students never know what will take place on any given day until they arrive in class and look at a detailed outline of the hour’s activities on the chalkboard. His class engages in mix of role-plays, lecture, videos, group projects and demonstrations. Mr. Richards occasionally gives surprise quizzes and his unit tests can include true/false, multiple choice, short answer, or essay.
4. Who do you think provides better instruction for his students? Support your answer from an information processing perspective.
According to the information processing perspective it all depends on the learner thus you can’t say which has better instruction. First, people are selective about what they process and learn thus the students decide on what they will take in no matter what is going on around them. Second, learners will construct the meaning not the environment so no matter what is going on they will interpret things on their own. Next, students learn from what they already know so no matter how it is presented they will relate it to other things. Students also learn according to their maturation and thus will learn according to how mature they are not on what is going on in the class. And lastly, if the students are paying attention and actively trying to understand they will. Thus according to this perspective, it doesn’t matter which way they teach, it is up to the learners.
5. How would you expect the students’ learning outcomes to differ depending on which teacher they had?
I think if students had Mr. Dunkin they may be a little bored with the way he teaches. If he just does the same thing over and over his students may be bored thus their attention may not be there. However, if we can get the students attention then they will more likely have the information go into their working memory. Once it is there they will be able to get it into their long term memory and do well on their tests and learn more. Therefore, if they are in Mr. Richard’s class they may be more apt to pay attention because he is changing thing up and making it more exciting. Thus learning things in different ways they will learn better because they are more likely to pay attention.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Course Contract Review
Complete the following assignment on your blog AFTER completing each exam.
Review your course contract from the beginning of the semester. Answer the following questions:
1. What are you doing well?
I am keeping up on all the assignments as I planned on and made a goal of. I am also applying the things I am learning to my specific content and how I will teach it.
2. What are you not doing well?
I didn't do as well as I hoped on my last test. I didn't get an A. There are a couple of things I didn't understand and waited to ask the teacher. I could have looked that up on the internet.
3. Are you making sufficient progress on your goals?
I think I am doing well on all my goals. I am keeping up and trying to apply the things the best I can. Hopefully the test didn't change my A in the class.
4. List specific things you need to change in order to meet your goals.
I just need to continue in keeping up on the assignments as I have been. I think one thing I could do is research more on my own if I don't understand a concept instead of waiting to hear it from the teacher.
Complete the following assignment on your blog AFTER completing each exam.
Review your course contract from the beginning of the semester. Answer the following questions:
1. What are you doing well?
I am keeping up on all the assignments as I planned on and made a goal of. I am also applying the things I am learning to my specific content and how I will teach it.
2. What are you not doing well?
I didn't do as well as I hoped on my last test. I didn't get an A. There are a couple of things I didn't understand and waited to ask the teacher. I could have looked that up on the internet.
3. Are you making sufficient progress on your goals?
I think I am doing well on all my goals. I am keeping up and trying to apply the things the best I can. Hopefully the test didn't change my A in the class.
4. List specific things you need to change in order to meet your goals.
I just need to continue in keeping up on the assignments as I have been. I think one thing I could do is research more on my own if I don't understand a concept instead of waiting to hear it from the teacher.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Chapter 3 Case Study
1. From a social development standpoint, how might we explain Laura's preoccupation with her appearance? In particular, consider this statement by Laura: "I don't want people to think I'm a geek!" Include information from Erikson's theory and social development in general in your response.
Laura is 14 from what we read. According to Erikson she is in the Identity vs. Role confusion stage and therefore is trying to figure out who she is and who she will be. From her statement of not wanting others to think she is a geek, we see she doesn’t want to be that and therefore it is important to her to do things to make sure she is not perceived as one. Laura is also dealing with an imaginary audience. She believes that she is the center of attention and everyone is looking at her. This causes her to be self critical, making her preoccupied with her looks.
2. In suggesting that Laura join the debating class, Ms. Watkins is hoping to pique an interest in classroom subject matter by capitalizing on Laura's desire to be the center of attention. What two other strategies might the school faculty use to motivate students who seem to be more interested in social matters than in academic pursuits?
Having Laura join the debate class was a great way to try and help her conquer her role confusion. This could help Laura find a place in the world. A teacher could suggest to Laura to do something in school government. This way she could help others while being in the limelight. A teacher could also have Laura help students with special needs. This could be helping another student in the class with her or taking them to a school activity so they will have a friend there. This will help Laura feel better about herself while helping another person.
3. From the perspective of Kohlberg's theory, in which stage of moral development is Laura? Justify your response. How might Mr. Marcalescu help Laura to advance her moral reasoning?
From Laura’s response I would say that she is in stage 1, punishment-avoidence and obedience. In this stage they are just thinking about what is best for them without regard to others. Laura is trying to get rid of the pollution from cars and since she feels she doesn’t need a car or it doesn’t seem to affect her she thinks it’s ok. Even though Mr. Marcalescu tries to bring up how it may be hard for a mother or elderly people she doesn’t care much. She is just thinking about how if we get rid of gas then there will be no pollution and whatever has to happen for that to come to pass she is willing to inflict on others. Mr. Marcalescu could talk to Laura about how choices affect other people and give her situations to research to help her understanding of the world around her.
4. In what ways might a debating class contribute to students' cognitive, linguistic, social, and moral development?
A debate class helps a student cognitively by putting them through many situations which will cause them Disequilibrium which according to Piaget helps student develop better. Linguistically a debate class helps a student learn the pragmatics of speaking which according to the book is, “strategies for beginning, and ending conversations, changing the subject, telling stories, and arguing effectively.” Debating could help in the social development by guiding the students to find their identity. As they work with the other students on subjects they are debating they can learn how to work as a group and gain friendships. Lastly their moral development can grow by learning about the world around them. They will be debating about relevant topics that the student must decide whether it is right or wrong. This also helps the students to learn to empathize with others, while learning about things they will debate about.
Laura is 14 from what we read. According to Erikson she is in the Identity vs. Role confusion stage and therefore is trying to figure out who she is and who she will be. From her statement of not wanting others to think she is a geek, we see she doesn’t want to be that and therefore it is important to her to do things to make sure she is not perceived as one. Laura is also dealing with an imaginary audience. She believes that she is the center of attention and everyone is looking at her. This causes her to be self critical, making her preoccupied with her looks.
2. In suggesting that Laura join the debating class, Ms. Watkins is hoping to pique an interest in classroom subject matter by capitalizing on Laura's desire to be the center of attention. What two other strategies might the school faculty use to motivate students who seem to be more interested in social matters than in academic pursuits?
Having Laura join the debate class was a great way to try and help her conquer her role confusion. This could help Laura find a place in the world. A teacher could suggest to Laura to do something in school government. This way she could help others while being in the limelight. A teacher could also have Laura help students with special needs. This could be helping another student in the class with her or taking them to a school activity so they will have a friend there. This will help Laura feel better about herself while helping another person.
3. From the perspective of Kohlberg's theory, in which stage of moral development is Laura? Justify your response. How might Mr. Marcalescu help Laura to advance her moral reasoning?
From Laura’s response I would say that she is in stage 1, punishment-avoidence and obedience. In this stage they are just thinking about what is best for them without regard to others. Laura is trying to get rid of the pollution from cars and since she feels she doesn’t need a car or it doesn’t seem to affect her she thinks it’s ok. Even though Mr. Marcalescu tries to bring up how it may be hard for a mother or elderly people she doesn’t care much. She is just thinking about how if we get rid of gas then there will be no pollution and whatever has to happen for that to come to pass she is willing to inflict on others. Mr. Marcalescu could talk to Laura about how choices affect other people and give her situations to research to help her understanding of the world around her.
4. In what ways might a debating class contribute to students' cognitive, linguistic, social, and moral development?
A debate class helps a student cognitively by putting them through many situations which will cause them Disequilibrium which according to Piaget helps student develop better. Linguistically a debate class helps a student learn the pragmatics of speaking which according to the book is, “strategies for beginning, and ending conversations, changing the subject, telling stories, and arguing effectively.” Debating could help in the social development by guiding the students to find their identity. As they work with the other students on subjects they are debating they can learn how to work as a group and gain friendships. Lastly their moral development can grow by learning about the world around them. They will be debating about relevant topics that the student must decide whether it is right or wrong. This also helps the students to learn to empathize with others, while learning about things they will debate about.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Chapter 2 Case Study
1.From the perspective of Piaget's theory, in which stage of cognitive development is Laura? Justify your response.
Knowing that Laura is 14 years old, Piaget would say that she is in the Formal operations stage. I would say she is just staring out in the stage because she still has some work to do on her understanding of logic but is trying to figure things out. She is critically and trying to logical come up with how to solve the pollution problem within her schemes.
2.How is Laura's reasoning affected by her knowledge base--that is, by what she does and doesn't know about pollution?
It seems that Laura’s reaction to what pollution is only air pollution. In her argument she says that, "Well, I think the government shouldn't allow people to sell gasoline. That way, we wouldn't have any more air pollution from car exhaust or other machines." Here this shows that what she knows about pollution is that gas affects the air. When her teacher tries to bring the topic to the garbage landfills and how that is also pollution she brushes it off like it can be easily taken care of showing once again that her knowledge base is limited.
3.By posing a series of questions, Mr. Marculescu continually challenges Laura to reconsider her thinking about the pollution problem. What are potential benefits of this strategy? Use terminology from Piaget's and Vygotsky's theories in your response.
According to Piaget what Mr Marculescu is doing is causing Laura to be in a state of disequilibrium. Since she isn’t too familiar with pollution putting her up in front of her peers and asking her hard questions forces her to try very hard to make sense of what he wants her to understand about the content. According to Vygotsky he is helping her to be in the Zone of Proximal development. He is helping her by asking her questions and putting her in that Zone which is not too easy and not too hard for her.
4.How does this scenario represent Piaget's and Vygotsky's conceptions of play?
It is important to Piaget to have students think about things according to what they already know. Piaget would have liked this type of play because she had to think and associate things so while Laura was giving her debate she had to, according to Piaget, assimilate and accommodate her scheme of thinking to come up with answers to her teacher’s questions. Her teacher kept asking her questions and she had to think through her answers and assimilate how to answer the best she could.
Vygostskys would say that it was this was a great example of play because it was two people who were pretending to be at a debate with another school. Therefore she had to adhere to social rules to guide how she was acting and it gave her practice for a time she would be in a similar situation. It also was a good social interaction. The talking back and forth is a great way to help in her cognitive development. This was a challenging task for Laura and therefore it helped maximize the cognitive growth she was getting
Knowing that Laura is 14 years old, Piaget would say that she is in the Formal operations stage. I would say she is just staring out in the stage because she still has some work to do on her understanding of logic but is trying to figure things out. She is critically and trying to logical come up with how to solve the pollution problem within her schemes.
2.How is Laura's reasoning affected by her knowledge base--that is, by what she does and doesn't know about pollution?
It seems that Laura’s reaction to what pollution is only air pollution. In her argument she says that, "Well, I think the government shouldn't allow people to sell gasoline. That way, we wouldn't have any more air pollution from car exhaust or other machines." Here this shows that what she knows about pollution is that gas affects the air. When her teacher tries to bring the topic to the garbage landfills and how that is also pollution she brushes it off like it can be easily taken care of showing once again that her knowledge base is limited.
3.By posing a series of questions, Mr. Marculescu continually challenges Laura to reconsider her thinking about the pollution problem. What are potential benefits of this strategy? Use terminology from Piaget's and Vygotsky's theories in your response.
According to Piaget what Mr Marculescu is doing is causing Laura to be in a state of disequilibrium. Since she isn’t too familiar with pollution putting her up in front of her peers and asking her hard questions forces her to try very hard to make sense of what he wants her to understand about the content. According to Vygotsky he is helping her to be in the Zone of Proximal development. He is helping her by asking her questions and putting her in that Zone which is not too easy and not too hard for her.
4.How does this scenario represent Piaget's and Vygotsky's conceptions of play?
It is important to Piaget to have students think about things according to what they already know. Piaget would have liked this type of play because she had to think and associate things so while Laura was giving her debate she had to, according to Piaget, assimilate and accommodate her scheme of thinking to come up with answers to her teacher’s questions. Her teacher kept asking her questions and she had to think through her answers and assimilate how to answer the best she could.
Vygostskys would say that it was this was a great example of play because it was two people who were pretending to be at a debate with another school. Therefore she had to adhere to social rules to guide how she was acting and it gave her practice for a time she would be in a similar situation. It also was a good social interaction. The talking back and forth is a great way to help in her cognitive development. This was a challenging task for Laura and therefore it helped maximize the cognitive growth she was getting
Monday, October 5, 2009
Course Contract Review #1
1. What are you doing well?
I feel like I am keeping up on all my work so far. I am attending all the classes. If I have been confused on things I have asked my classmates to help me understand concepts.
2. What are you not doing well?
I feel I am not keeping up on my schedule of studying I made. I need to take more time each day to study for this class instead of putting it off. I get everything done but it could be a lot less stressful if I don't put it off.
3. Are you making sufficient progress on your goals?
I feel am keeping up on all of my goals. The first is to find specific things we learn in this class and become good at it and understand the psychology of it to become a better teacher. I am trying to learn all we are being taught and apply it.
My second goal is to finish all of the assignments on time. I have done this! Lastly, My third goal is to get an A and as of now I have an A.
4. List specific things you need to change in order to meet your goals.
I need to keep up on the assignments so I am not stressed in getting them all done at the last minute. I need to set aside time each day to work on the classwork.
I feel like I am keeping up on all my work so far. I am attending all the classes. If I have been confused on things I have asked my classmates to help me understand concepts.
2. What are you not doing well?
I feel I am not keeping up on my schedule of studying I made. I need to take more time each day to study for this class instead of putting it off. I get everything done but it could be a lot less stressful if I don't put it off.
3. Are you making sufficient progress on your goals?
I feel am keeping up on all of my goals. The first is to find specific things we learn in this class and become good at it and understand the psychology of it to become a better teacher. I am trying to learn all we are being taught and apply it.
My second goal is to finish all of the assignments on time. I have done this! Lastly, My third goal is to get an A and as of now I have an A.
4. List specific things you need to change in order to meet your goals.
I need to keep up on the assignments so I am not stressed in getting them all done at the last minute. I need to set aside time each day to work on the classwork.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Multiple Intelligences Project
One of the examples that was given said to find existing songs that exhibit attributes of a theory. That made me think how I could adapt that to my content. Since my content is theatre I thought I could research a play or musical that has attributes of a theory in it. I was thinking for the product of this I could do a monologue from the play or sing a song from the musical that shows that theory.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Cool Brain Research
What?
I chose to Google John J Ratey. He is a Doctor who is an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He researches drug treatments for those with behavioral disorders. He also has research that says exercise can affect our neurotransmitters and helps to change our moods and anxiety levels. His research also says that exercise helps people and students become better learners and helps those who have behavioral disorders.
So What?
As I said in the “what” paragraph Dr. Ratey has done research that says that those who exercise are better learners. He has said in an article I read, “Physically Active Play and Cognition” that we need to make sure our schools have good physical education programs. In the same article he says that, “Physical activity and physical fitness have been directly correlated with improved academic performance.” This is important to educators to understand. If our students are not exercising this could result in them doing poorly in school. We need to make sure our schools have sufficient PE classes and that our students are taking them.
Now What?
As a theatre teacher I can implement this in my classes. Now I am not going to make them do a full on marathon in my class but we can play drama games that can get their bodies working so they will be having some sort of physical activity during the class. Since Dr. Ratey says that this will help them learn I think that is something I should have my students do. Doing theatre up on a stage is physical too. Therefore just having the students up and performing will give them a chance to be physically active during my class.
I chose to Google John J Ratey. He is a Doctor who is an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He researches drug treatments for those with behavioral disorders. He also has research that says exercise can affect our neurotransmitters and helps to change our moods and anxiety levels. His research also says that exercise helps people and students become better learners and helps those who have behavioral disorders.
So What?
As I said in the “what” paragraph Dr. Ratey has done research that says that those who exercise are better learners. He has said in an article I read, “Physically Active Play and Cognition” that we need to make sure our schools have good physical education programs. In the same article he says that, “Physical activity and physical fitness have been directly correlated with improved academic performance.” This is important to educators to understand. If our students are not exercising this could result in them doing poorly in school. We need to make sure our schools have sufficient PE classes and that our students are taking them.
Now What?
As a theatre teacher I can implement this in my classes. Now I am not going to make them do a full on marathon in my class but we can play drama games that can get their bodies working so they will be having some sort of physical activity during the class. Since Dr. Ratey says that this will help them learn I think that is something I should have my students do. Doing theatre up on a stage is physical too. Therefore just having the students up and performing will give them a chance to be physically active during my class.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Step 3: Final reflection
What?
The three types of research studies we have learned about are Descriptive, Correlational, Experimental and Action. Descriptive Study involves different situations and their outcomes. It helps us understand the way things are. It does not change things in the study it shows what is going on and doesn't prove why thing happen it just tell us what is going on. Correlational Studies show us relationships or association between different things and how we can draw conclusions about them. It shows how one variable can affect another. We don't change things we just look at them. When we want to see if something is a reason why something else is happening we can do this kind of study. Experimental Studies is when we change a variable and see how it affects the other variable. Experimental Study shows cause and effects of your changes. Action Research t is the type of research that teachers can do that involves things going on in their own classroom or at the school. This helps the teachers and other people who work at the school to figure out the best way to assist their own students to better learning
So What?
This assignment has taught us about these different methods of research which show us how we can take a deeper look into what is going on in our classes and the educational system. This helps us understand the INTASC standard 9.24 that says, the teacher is committed to seeking out, developing, and continually refining practices that address the individual needs of students. We need to be aware of the different types of research and that is exactly what we have studied. We are responsible for learning about these and understand how it can help us as a teacher. This applies to the INTASC 9.13 which tells us, the teacher is aware of major areas of research on teaching and of resources available for professional learning (e.g. professional literature, colleagues, professional associations, professional development activities). Just as we have learned about action research and how it can be done in the classroom we can be more competent at the Intastc 9.31 which tells us The teacher uses classroom observation, information about students, and research as sources for evaluating the outcomes of teaching and learning and as a basis for experimenting with, reflecting on, and revising practice.
Now What?
I have never conducted an educational study before in my own classroom setting as a teacher. I need to become more familiar with how they work in a drama classroom and what sort of things I need to observe and study with my students. It’s time now to apply these methods to my education and career. I will look up research being done toward theatre students and the arts to help me as teacher. I need to talk with other Theatre teachers who are working now and ask them what they have done in the past to help their students in regards to research. With that information I can follow their examples and conduct my own research in my own classroom. I can also look up research being done on a national level and apply what they have done to my own teaching methods. I want to become the best teacher I can and help the students thrive and learn and that requires me to do my research.
The three types of research studies we have learned about are Descriptive, Correlational, Experimental and Action. Descriptive Study involves different situations and their outcomes. It helps us understand the way things are. It does not change things in the study it shows what is going on and doesn't prove why thing happen it just tell us what is going on. Correlational Studies show us relationships or association between different things and how we can draw conclusions about them. It shows how one variable can affect another. We don't change things we just look at them. When we want to see if something is a reason why something else is happening we can do this kind of study. Experimental Studies is when we change a variable and see how it affects the other variable. Experimental Study shows cause and effects of your changes. Action Research t is the type of research that teachers can do that involves things going on in their own classroom or at the school. This helps the teachers and other people who work at the school to figure out the best way to assist their own students to better learning
So What?
This assignment has taught us about these different methods of research which show us how we can take a deeper look into what is going on in our classes and the educational system. This helps us understand the INTASC standard 9.24 that says, the teacher is committed to seeking out, developing, and continually refining practices that address the individual needs of students. We need to be aware of the different types of research and that is exactly what we have studied. We are responsible for learning about these and understand how it can help us as a teacher. This applies to the INTASC 9.13 which tells us, the teacher is aware of major areas of research on teaching and of resources available for professional learning (e.g. professional literature, colleagues, professional associations, professional development activities). Just as we have learned about action research and how it can be done in the classroom we can be more competent at the Intastc 9.31 which tells us The teacher uses classroom observation, information about students, and research as sources for evaluating the outcomes of teaching and learning and as a basis for experimenting with, reflecting on, and revising practice.
Now What?
I have never conducted an educational study before in my own classroom setting as a teacher. I need to become more familiar with how they work in a drama classroom and what sort of things I need to observe and study with my students. It’s time now to apply these methods to my education and career. I will look up research being done toward theatre students and the arts to help me as teacher. I need to talk with other Theatre teachers who are working now and ask them what they have done in the past to help their students in regards to research. With that information I can follow their examples and conduct my own research in my own classroom. I can also look up research being done on a national level and apply what they have done to my own teaching methods. I want to become the best teacher I can and help the students thrive and learn and that requires me to do my research.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Hidden Assignment
Educational Psychology
Course Contract
List 2-3 specific goals you have for this course.
My first goal for this course is to find specific things we learn in this class and become good at it and understand the psychology of it to become a better teacher.
My Second goal is to finish all of the assignments on time.
My third goal is to get an A.
Describe your weekly preparation plan. Be specific. What will you do each day of the week to prepare for this course.
I am going to make sure I understand what is due my next class period. With that information I will set aside a half an hour each day during my free time 12:00-2:00 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and in the evening on Tuesday and Thursday to work on those assignments. If they are not done by Saturday I will finish the assignments. On Sunday I will check and make sure it is all done if not finish them.
Outline the study strategies that you will use to understand the material.
As I read the chapters I will take notes to help me understand the material.I will write questions in my notes if I am confused about a subject and work to make it clear to me. I will use flash cards if that is needed for certain things I need to memorize.
Explain the process you will follow if you do not understand a topic.
If I do not understand something I will research it on my own. If that does not help I will ask a friend in the class. If I am still stuck I will make and appointment to come and speak with the teacher.
Complete the following statement:
I will reach my goals in this course by working my hardest to understand the material and finishing the assignments accurately.
Course Contract
List 2-3 specific goals you have for this course.
My first goal for this course is to find specific things we learn in this class and become good at it and understand the psychology of it to become a better teacher.
My Second goal is to finish all of the assignments on time.
My third goal is to get an A.
Describe your weekly preparation plan. Be specific. What will you do each day of the week to prepare for this course.
I am going to make sure I understand what is due my next class period. With that information I will set aside a half an hour each day during my free time 12:00-2:00 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and in the evening on Tuesday and Thursday to work on those assignments. If they are not done by Saturday I will finish the assignments. On Sunday I will check and make sure it is all done if not finish them.
Outline the study strategies that you will use to understand the material.
As I read the chapters I will take notes to help me understand the material.I will write questions in my notes if I am confused about a subject and work to make it clear to me. I will use flash cards if that is needed for certain things I need to memorize.
Explain the process you will follow if you do not understand a topic.
If I do not understand something I will research it on my own. If that does not help I will ask a friend in the class. If I am still stuck I will make and appointment to come and speak with the teacher.
Complete the following statement:
I will reach my goals in this course by working my hardest to understand the material and finishing the assignments accurately.
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