Today’s topic, “What Do I Bring to the Mix” was positive and a reinforcing way to begin the class. Thinking about our individual assets in relation to teaching created an ideal environment from which we were able to go on to complete group and class discussions regarding our own perspectives on education. Everyone in the class is open-minded (a common thread taken from one of our first whole class discussions). Respect therefore seems to encompass the class dynamic. The activity I gained the most from was the content chart on “Learning” we did as a group. The collaboration proved to be beneficial as each group member took a turn to speak and we embellished upon one another’s ideas. Group work is therefore a practice that aids knowledge as every contribution casts new understanding regarding the given topic. At this time, it was also beneficial to have the teacher walk around the room as she inquired and challenged some of our conversations. This added a professional perspective that my group then took and adapted.
The last discussion of the day on our reading taken from Goodman’s text, Challenging the Dominant Discourse, was informative as hearing ideas on such controversial topics as standardized testing and inclusion always causes new ways of perceiving and/or understanding to emerge. After a long week everyone kept the momentum going, as energy was high. The if…then… hypothesis was a little difficult to complete for my group but I believe this was a result of it being an initial activity. We had to understand each other’s writing and oration processes in order to synchronize our thoughts as a group. To me, feedback is one of the most advantageous ways to learn and navigate my progress. Therefore, group reflection (when the teacher went around the room and had each group report on what they learned, etc.), worked because it allowed me to comprehend and synthesize what/how/why we learned. I think being succinct is important in teaching since you want to be as clear as possible in what you teach. Completing the if…then… hypothesis challenged us to do this and succeed in being as precise as possible. Coming into this class with a beginner’s knowledge of education can be intimidating but I feel very comfortable with my peers and feel that we will build upon each other’s knowledge to further our relationships.
If a teacher employs a wide variety of learning activities throughout the daily lesson, then various types of learning styles will be accommodated because the teacher is having students explore and develop different learning preferences they use individually to learn in the most effective way.
Kaitlyn,
ReplyDeleteWhat do you speculate the relationship to be between learning preferences, content, and successful learning?
GNA
I believe that the relationship between learning preferences, content, and successful learning is based on the teacher's emphasis of individualized learning. Of course some learning has to be done cooperatively and this is effective since it allows students to engage and interact with one another. However, by differentiating instruction, and making this a priority in the classroom, students can learn content following their own mode/style of learning.
ReplyDeleteKaitlyn,
ReplyDeleteWill you rewrite your T2P statement to incorporate your latest perspectives? Including specific learning theories that may support your speculation?
Keep pressing!
GNA
Up to this point, I only had an amateur knowledge of learning theories. I had heard of Piaget, Vygotsky, and Maslow's "Hierarchy of Needs" before and in studying for the Elementary Ed Praxis, but never had I really considered using their theories in the classroom. I do not hold one theorist above the other, but I do believe that their thoughts can (and should) be synthesized in my practice.
ReplyDeleteScaffolding lessons, Bloom's taxonomy, and positive/negative reinforcements can be combined within lessons to provide the best educational experience for students. For instance, if I were to teach a unit on reading Shakespeare I would first introduce Shakespeare to the students with some concrete examples of his plays with youtube clips from Baz Lurmann's Romeo + Juliet and Tim Blake Nelson's O (both contemporary films that might capture students' attention with movie stars they recognize. I would then go on to explain why it is important to learn about Shakespeare and answer the question, "what's the point?" Using Bloom's taxonomy is beneficial to asses student's knowledge, and also to make sure that I am teaching them the proper content so that they are retaining information.
Using Vygotsky's ZPD, I definitely plan to use group work in my instruction since it not only allows students to apply concepts to what they have already learned, but it gives them the opportunity to be actively engaged together. Rewarding students with good grades as a result of their team work then comes into play and is one of Skinner's methods. Finally, using Maslow, I plan to meet students' needs by providing a safe working environment, breaks for snack/social interaction, recognizing their accomplishments, and giving them challenging work that they understand to be meaningful.