Never underestimate the power of a poster. I have come to be a fan of the constructivist method of instruction. I like the idea of students doing activities that allow them to discover the learning objectives on their own. With science, like many other subjects, there are times when students simply need to memorize. Parts of the cell in biology, important dates in history, and in my case features of volcanoes. In this case we decided to have the students make posters of volcanoes with a given list of vocabulary words. We gave the students free reign of any materials in the classroom from which to get their information and set them free. The students were free to design and draw the poster however they wanted as long as they had the required information. It was great to see and hear the amount of work and discussion the groups engaged in. I don’t think the students would have been that engaged and active had the material been delivered through lecture or readings. Giving the students the control of how to gather and display their information I think gave them more of a stake in their work and learning.
Power of the Poster April 19, 2010
Philosophy of Learners March 19, 2010
Educational Philosophy
Erik Sanders
25 February 2010
EDU 6132
Students as Learners
The job of a teacher is a pretty unique one. Parents and guardians send their children off to school 180 days a year for 12 or more years with the assumption their children are coming home everyday smarter and wiser. At the same time teachers are asked to take dozens of individual students and lead them all towards meeting the state or local learning goals. In order to accomplish this we need to first understand how students learn.
The book “How People Learn” gives three principles for understanding how people learn.
Principle 1. Students come to the classroom with preconceptions about how the world works. If their initial understanding is not engaged, they may fail to grasp the new concepts and information that are taught, or they may learn them for purposes of a test but revert to their preconceptions outside the classroom. Learners need to connect what they know with what they need to learn
Principle 2. To develop competence in an area of inquiry, students must (a) have a deep foundation of factual knowledge, (b) understand facts and ideas in the context of a conceptual framework, and (c) organize knowledge in ways that facilitate retrieval and application. Students need to learn facts and ideas and need to be able to relate and organize them conceptually.
Principle 3. A metacognitive approach to instruction can help students learn to take control of their own learning by defining learning goals and monitoring their progress in achieving them. Learners benefit from reflecting on their learning goals and progress. (Donovan, Bransford, & Pellegrino, 1999)
These are powerful guidelines for teachers of all age groups and subject areas to keep in mind when dealing with their students.
In addition to understanding how students learn there needs to be understanding of the students themselves. As a current middle school teacher, I am experiencing students at an interesting time in their lives. Many middle school students are just entering or are well into puberty. Puberty is a volatile time in children’s lives. Hormonal changes are causing physical maturation. These physical developments can be a great distraction in school, particularly for boys who often have much more interesting things to pay attention to than the lab or worksheet in front of them. In addition to the physical changes are the psychological changes that are often associated with puberty. Charles Nelson, director of the Center for Neural development at the university of Minnesota stated during an interview on “Frontline” (2005) explains the brain changes in the frontal cortex appear to increases dramatically during puberty. The frontal cortex is associated with emotions giving rise to the possible source of adolescents having erratic mood swings and out bursts and trouble focusing. Another source states …despite cognitive improvements, adolescents appear to be more prone to erratic and emotionally influenced behavior which can lead to periodic disregard for the risks and consequences. (Dahl, 2004) During this time of brain development and emotional roller coasters students are trying to establish and maintain social and self images. It is pretty easy to see how mixing lowered emotional self control and potentially fragile self images can lead to plenty of social and psychological stress. With this in mind it is a good time to mention safety.
Students need a safe place to learn. Bullying can be a problem in schools. A student is being bullied or victimized when he/she is exposed repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other students. (Olweus, 1993) How can we expect students come into class ready to engage and learn when they are dreading the upcoming lunch, recess, or class break? At the same time the changing of the adolescent brains can make them especially susceptible to psychological bullying which can be devastating to students with emerging or fragile self images.
Students have different cultural and socio-economical backgrounds that I need to be aware of. Different cultures have different family values and can place different values on education. At the same time not all students have access to resources. Although home internet connections are common these days, they aren’t free. Families who struggle to make ends meet are not going to be able to provide their children with luxuries such as internet or maybe even basic school supplies. I need to make sure my lessons are accessible to everyone no matter their social or economic standing.
In addition to cultural and socioeconomic differences students have learning differences. Not all students learn the same way. This is great for the school culture and life in general. What would the world be like if everyone was the same? On the flip side, it makes things more difficult for me the teacher. How much easier would teaching be if all the students were at the same level, learned the same way, and behaved to same? Alas, they don’t. Some students are more advanced than others. Some students learn well by reading others by listening, others by hand on activities. We as teachers have to try to find ways of reaching all of these students. Through differentiation I can try to use strategies that will allow my students of all levels reach the learning goals. Carolan and Guinn offer 4 strategies for differentiation in the classroom:
Offering personalized scaffolding.
Using flexible means to reach defined ends.
Mining subject-area expertise.
Creating a caring classroom in which differences are seen as assets. (Carolan & Guinn, 2004)
These are just four strategies available to me as a teacher for the differentiation of my classroom. The type of strategy used will, of course, depend on the demographics of the class.
It is my responsibility to help student meet state learning goals. Often students ask why they are learning something. “Why do I need to know about plate tectonics? When am I ever going use balancing chemical equations? How is the history of Europe going to help me in the future?” At its most basic level their argument is probably correct. What do we really need to know in life? Most people get by just fine in life simply knowing how to read, write and do simple math. The goal of the state and us as teachers is develop students capable of achieving beyond minimum skills. We seek to develop students with skills that will allow them to take any path they choose once we are finished with them.
I believe students benefit from a reflective teacher. As teachers we have quite a bit of freedom in our jobs. The state mandates what is to be taught in schools but we, as teachers, are left to ourselves on how to teach the material. As a future first year teacher I know I am going to make mistakes. The school I end up teaching in will be different from my student teaching school. The staff will be different, the resources will be different, and most importantly the student population will be different. What works this year may not work so well in the next school I am in. “Reflection serves as a foundation for continuous learning…It is a complex process that requires high levels of conscious thought and commitments to change practice based on new understandings (York-Barr, Sommers, Ghere, & Montie, 2006). By being a reflective teacher I will know when a given lesson is a success or needs improvement. Through this process I should be able to improve my lessons and teaching style as my career progresses thus improving students’ school and class experiences.
Students benefit from an organized and well managed classroom. The first days of school are very important for setting the tone for an entire school year. (Emmer, Evertson, & Anderson, 1980) The first few days should be spent setting classroom norms and procedures that will be held for the entire year. Student discipline problems were reported as the most stressful factors of the school environment by 63% of over 5000 teachers from Canada and America. (Brouwers & Tomic, 2000) I have stressed over classroom management myself. I am at a higher performing school now but I worry about my first year teaching and what kind of school I might end up at. I don’t want to be a statistic on a study like to one cited above.
In the end I have to remember that students are individuals. They each come with their own strengths, weaknesses, personalities, interests, histories, and problems. It is amazing sometimes to think about the mechanics of teaching. We are put in charge of classes of 25-30 something students and expected to look after them, control them, and teach them all at the same time. My goal is to do my best with what I know and what I have and hopefully by the end of the year the students will have learned something and I will still be sane.
References
Brouwers, A., & Tomic, W. (2000). A longitudinal study of teacher burnout and perceived self-efficacy in classroom management. Teaching and Teacher Education , 239-253.
Carolan, J., & Guinn, A. (2004, February). Differentiation: Lessons from a Master Teacher. Educational Leadership , pp. 44-47.
Dahl, R. E. (2004). Adolescent Brain Development: a Period of Vulnerabilities and Opportunities. Annals New York Academy of Science, (p. 3). New York.
Donovan, S. M., Bransford, J. D., & Pellegrino, J. W. (1999). How People Learn: Bridging Research and Practice. Washington D.C.: NAtional Academy Press.
Emmer, E. T., Evertson, C. M., & Anderson, L. M. (1980). Effective Classroom Management at the Beginning of the School Year. Elemetary School Journal , 219-231.
Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying at School What we know and what we can do. Cambridge: Blackwell Publishers.
York-Barr, J., Sommers, W. A., Ghere, G. S., & Montie, J. (2006). Reflective Practice to Improve Schools. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.
Student Motivation March 2, 2010
Wouldn’t it be nice if all students came to class and really wanted to learn the concepts you were covering that day? Students would hang on my every word as I led them through fascinating discussions and involved labs. Unfortunately this isn’t always the case. As hard as it is to believe not every student is interested in science. Figuring out how to motivate students in subjects they are not interested in is a real challenge. For me as a student, motivation was a bit difficult. I loved playing sports so I loved school for that reason. As for classes, I liked science but not really much else. I thought school was pretty easy and I found out I could get by pretty successfully with little effort. This definitely set me up with some poor study habits later.
I am definitely at a loss at times how to motivate students in class. It would be nice for students not to be motivated by grades alone but actual interest. I try to make my lessons as interesting as possible, I know it is easier to pay attention to lessons that have punch, or as John Medina puts it, lessons that have hooks that will bring students attention back. I understand that this is the first time I have taught the curriculum so I don’t have all the little additions and modifications that a teacher with a couple of years of experience with the lessons will have.
Exceptional Learners February 21, 2010
I actually have 4 students with a form of autism. They are all diagnosed with Asperger’s which is now just classified as autism to the dismay of those with Asperger’s. It is interesting how different they all are. Two of them are “high functioning” meaning they do very well in class and with school work. Issues only arise with these two in some social interactions and some organizational problems. Another student has some severe social interaction problems. It is strange to see this student interact with her friends out in the hall but as soon as she gets into the classroom she shuts down completely. The student, Ms. Anex, and the IA came to the agreement that she (the student) could be called upon for answers and if she didn’t want to respond she simply needed to shake her head no. We haven’t had a lot of luck with that but she has done it a few times. It is also difficult to get her to do any work and we will often get responses on classwork or quizzes of “I don’t know, I’m too stupid”. The last student is more than just autism, his IEP lists ADD and bi-polar also. He has an IA with him during class which makes things better. His main goal is to make it through classes with out having “blow-outs” (storming out of class) and to participate as much as possible. He does pretty well all things considered. He has hard times in groups because he doesn’t always understand the concepts of sharing and playing of roles. He often accuses others of being mean if they don’t let him do everything. It has been interesting having these students in my classes. I think I have a good relationship with 2 of them. I am going to talk to the female students language arts teacher after break. This teacher says she can get the student to participate in class. I am curious how she does it. I know the student likes to read so that is probably part of it.
For the most part our goals are to try to treat them as normal as possible. They have 4 more years of school after I am through with them and then they are spit out into the real world which isn’t full of IEPs, IAs, and caring teachers and probably won’t be nearly as accommodating. I worry about them.
Cognitive Development 2 February 7, 2010
Much of this weeks reading dealt with the information processing part of cognitive development. Long and short term memory is an important part of information processing. It is important to ask ourselves as teachers, what is the best way to get our students to learn and remember the information we expose them to. One way that was brought up by several people in the blackboard discussion for our class was repetition. Presenting or reminding students of topics over the course of a unit make it more likely that students will transfer that info from short-term memory to long-term memory. I gavve the example of names of people I have met for the first time. I often find myself forgetting their name when I hear it just once. If I make myself repeat it or put it into some kind of context then I am much more likely to remember it. That brings us to the other important strategy for helping students remember that isn’t always under our control. Student interest. We can’t always control students interest in lessons we present. We can however work to vary our presentation and try our best to generate interest. I know I remember things I am interested in much better than those I am not. Interest seems to make it more likely for us to transfer information from short-term memory to long-term memory.
EDU 6132 Cognitive Development 1 February 2, 2010
This week we looked at cognitive development with respect to Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories. In short, Piaget states that humans develop in a series of stages with each stage being distinctly different than the other stages. Piaget’s stages of development are related to specific age ranges with all individuals progressing through each stage without exception. Vygotsky proposed that knowledge is not individually developed but is a product of social interaction.
It would seem to me, and I am sure most people, that human cognitive development is a combination of both theories. If people didn’t develop in some sort of stages than could we expect well socialized and supported youth to be as cognitively developed as an adult? On the other hand, can we expect youth to develop to their fullest on their own without support and socialization?
Medina’s chapter on exploration was fun to read. We are powerful explorers. Our ability for reasoning is what allowed us to survive or early forays out of the trees and our natural curiosity is part of what has allowed us to understand the world as well as we do.
Meta-Reflection Standard T January 1, 2010
Knowledge of teaching
Teacher candidates positively impact student learning that is:
1. Informed by standards-based assessment. All students benefit from learning that is systematically analyzed using multiple formative, summative, and self-assessment strategies.
I’ve heard a heard a lot of debate about assessment. Some feel testing is biased towards certain students. It is true some students are better at testing than others. I was a good tester when I was in school. For this reason we as teachers can use many different forms of assessment. Our students are not just filling out answers to tests. We have class discussions, we have various small assignments throughout the year, and we are constantly observing our students for signs of understanding or confusion. I argue that there should be constant assessment happening in our classrooms. This is a formative assessment I made up for the students that they did the day after we had an important lecture on the layers of the Earth. This assessment let me see how well I did with the lesson and how well a lecture without teacher written notes would work with middle school students. I was pretty sure that they had never had to take notes from a lecture simply by listening. I think it went well for most of them but also I know that note taking is a skill that they need to work on and that expecting middle schoolers to take notes straight from lecture is probably too much at this point.
2. Intentionally planned. All students benefit from standards-based planning that is personalized.
While the idea of personalized lessons for each student is a great idea the reality is that there just isn’t enough time for us to assign, monitor, or grade so many lessons. The compromise is the development of lessons that are flexible enough to challenge students that need it but are also able to be understood by students who are slower to understand. My multi-cultural journal includes pieces on differentiation and diversity in the classroom.
3. Influenced by multiple instructional strategies. All students benefit from personalized instruction that addresses their ability levels and cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
Not all students learn the same way. I myself am an example of this. Some students learn best by reading, some by listening and watching, and others by doing. I want to strive to include as many different instructional strategies as possible over the course of the year. As a science teacher I am lucky in that my students often get to see results of lessons by doing labs. I also mix in lectures and visual tools to create lessons that cover a broad base of learning styles. These are three different lessons (Lesson 1, Lesson 2, Lesson 3) I created and entered into this blog for our content methods class using the various Marzano strategies for creating a better classroom.
4. Informed by technology. All students benefit from instruction that utilizes effective technologies and is designed to create technologically proficient learners.
Technology is evolving at an amazing rate. Some of this innovation has found its uses in education. As the world becomes a more technology dependent students will only benefit from lessons that include and make use of technology. I took a technology elective this past quarter. In this class we learned about new technologies and how they might be used in the classroom. Throughout the class we wrote weekly blog posts and created an educational technology webpage and a digital narrative.
