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.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
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.
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