What is learning?
I feel like all of these learning theories blur together. They all have unique aspects to them, yet they all seem so similar. If I was going to be a learning theorist and do research and conduct studies to come up with my own learning theory, I wouldn't have any idea what my topic would be. It seems that everything has been covered. Yet, we have only learned about a few of the main educational theories that are out there. The synthesis of all of them is that learning cannot be "spoon-fed," "pored into your brain," etc. Knowledge has to be acquired and metamorphosed into learning by some action, discovery, or problem solution.
Teacher Effectuated?
This class has definitely opened my eyes to how students learn. Typical math classes are taught in very routine, teacher-centered ways. I scaffold a lot of what I do: explanation, guided practice, independent practice with support, homework without support. However, the way I teach is not really engaging the students in the way that any of these theories suggest. On a regular daily basis, I am not encouraging my students to discover anything or solve problems above and beyond what it is they are learning. Although I have high expectations for what they do and how well they achieve, perhaps I am not providing them with the best learning environment possible. I think I am a good teacher, but if I could incorporate more of what I have learned in this class, I think I could be a great teacher!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Week of November 16th - Bruner
What is Learning?
According to Bruner, learning is this continuous process from childhood to adulthood. Children can learn bits and pieces of any concept as long as it is presented in a manner they can understand. This feels a lot like background knowledge, situated cognition, and several other theories. But, they all come back to this idea that learning is not stagnant. It is this evolving entity shaped by experience and action.
Teacher?
What can the teacher do? Allow for opportunities for students to discover and allow for opportunities for students to spiral their learning. In my math classes, I consider spiral curriculum each day when I write the bell ringer problems. They are always reminiscent of a prior class or sometimes will relate to an old topic which will, in turn, introduce a new topic. During my last unit in Algebra B, we have reviewed at the beginning of each class, problems that were missed on the previous test. This unit will have new material and old material. The students are finally starting to catch on to the old material, but are also enriching it with the new stuff.
According to Bruner, learning is this continuous process from childhood to adulthood. Children can learn bits and pieces of any concept as long as it is presented in a manner they can understand. This feels a lot like background knowledge, situated cognition, and several other theories. But, they all come back to this idea that learning is not stagnant. It is this evolving entity shaped by experience and action.
Teacher?
What can the teacher do? Allow for opportunities for students to discover and allow for opportunities for students to spiral their learning. In my math classes, I consider spiral curriculum each day when I write the bell ringer problems. They are always reminiscent of a prior class or sometimes will relate to an old topic which will, in turn, introduce a new topic. During my last unit in Algebra B, we have reviewed at the beginning of each class, problems that were missed on the previous test. This unit will have new material and old material. The students are finally starting to catch on to the old material, but are also enriching it with the new stuff.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Week 9 - Situated Cognition
What is learning?
Learning takes background knowledge, experience, motivation, etc. It takes more than opening up a students' head and pouring in information. Students need to be active and apply knowledge to other contexts. Every theory we have learned about has some merit, as does situated cognition.
How is learning effected by the teacher?
Abbot, in the video we watched this week, said "Learning and schooling are not necessarily the same thing." This is quite profound. It contradicts our current education system, meaning that if students are in school soaking up knowledge every day by sitting in a classroom, they are not really learning it. Students need to have experiences that build meaning and put the curriculum into the right context. It would take a massive effort to get our traditional public schools to switch from a classroom setting to a more hands-on setting. I think we need to change. We are failing a lot of kids in our current school system. I'm just not sure what the solution is.
Learning takes background knowledge, experience, motivation, etc. It takes more than opening up a students' head and pouring in information. Students need to be active and apply knowledge to other contexts. Every theory we have learned about has some merit, as does situated cognition.
How is learning effected by the teacher?
Abbot, in the video we watched this week, said "Learning and schooling are not necessarily the same thing." This is quite profound. It contradicts our current education system, meaning that if students are in school soaking up knowledge every day by sitting in a classroom, they are not really learning it. Students need to have experiences that build meaning and put the curriculum into the right context. It would take a massive effort to get our traditional public schools to switch from a classroom setting to a more hands-on setting. I think we need to change. We are failing a lot of kids in our current school system. I'm just not sure what the solution is.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Week 11 - Case-based Learning
What is learning?
Learning has many faces and case-based learning is yet another to add to it. I still stand by one of my original statements that learning involves actively acquiring knowledge and being able to apply it. Learning can happen in a variety of ways. Putting knowledge is case-story situations will work well for many people.
How can learning be best effectuated by the teacher?
Again, learning has many faces and although most strategies are good, variety is best. All students learn differently and what works well for one may not be quite as successful for another. Similarly, what you think won't work for you, may work wonders for a student. We can't be afraid to try different situations. I often get stuck in the rut of my routine in my class and forget or don't have time to plan more interesting activities. My goal in the next couple of weeks is to actually use the lesson plan I've written this week and work on a few others.
Learning has many faces and case-based learning is yet another to add to it. I still stand by one of my original statements that learning involves actively acquiring knowledge and being able to apply it. Learning can happen in a variety of ways. Putting knowledge is case-story situations will work well for many people.
How can learning be best effectuated by the teacher?
Again, learning has many faces and although most strategies are good, variety is best. All students learn differently and what works well for one may not be quite as successful for another. Similarly, what you think won't work for you, may work wonders for a student. We can't be afraid to try different situations. I often get stuck in the rut of my routine in my class and forget or don't have time to plan more interesting activities. My goal in the next couple of weeks is to actually use the lesson plan I've written this week and work on a few others.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Week 9 - Motivation
What is learning?
Learning is highly motivated by motivation. A huge part of learning is determined by why people want to learn. The "why" might be motivated by wanting to do well and learn the most a student can, or it may be motivated by wanting to appear smart, cool, accepted, etc.
How can learning be best effectuated by the teacher?
I really liked the readings this week, not only because they made much more sense than last week's but because they really made me think about students asking for help. I had never really thought about students asking for help as related to motivation. In my math classes I rarely sit down. I move around my room constantly during individual work time. I do this because 1) I have always felt like it lowers the intimidation barriers, allowing more students to ask questions, and 2) gives me an opportunity to nonchalantly check on students who would otherwise not volunteer their work.
I had never put this in a motivation context, however. In relation to what we read this week, I am helping the students who are socially motivated. They are the ones who flail there arms and yell across the room, "Mrs. Binggeli you're ignoring me. I need help." I am also helping the achievement-motivated students by giving them a casual and non-intimidating way to quickly raise their hand as I walk past them. They quietly say, "Mrs. Binggeli, can you check this one," bringing very little attention to themselves, yet getting the help they need.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Week 8 - Piaget
What is learning?
Learning comes in stages and isn't automatically just pored into your head. Babies and small children are only capable of sensory-motor learning, while older children and adults should be capable of formal-operations learning. People learn from experience and their experiences and abilities improve and mature over time.
How can learning be best effectuated by the teacher?
Teachers need to build on the background knowledge and experiences students have, but teachers need to realize that their students are in different stages of development and thinking. Teachers cannot give the same logic/reasoning problem to a 2nd grader that they can to an 11th grader. Those 2nd grade students simply do not have the experience necessary to know what to do with that type of problem.
Learning comes in stages and isn't automatically just pored into your head. Babies and small children are only capable of sensory-motor learning, while older children and adults should be capable of formal-operations learning. People learn from experience and their experiences and abilities improve and mature over time.
How can learning be best effectuated by the teacher?
Teachers need to build on the background knowledge and experiences students have, but teachers need to realize that their students are in different stages of development and thinking. Teachers cannot give the same logic/reasoning problem to a 2nd grader that they can to an 11th grader. Those 2nd grade students simply do not have the experience necessary to know what to do with that type of problem.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Week 6 - Schema Theory
What is learning?
Learning begins with this hard-wired power strip in our brains called "schema." As we learn, we plug in smaller cords to the schema. The cords begin to branch out and overlap. If we try to learn something that is similar to a cord that is already plugged in, the learning sticks.
How can learning be best effectuated by the teacher?
When teachers teach new concepts, they need to continually make references to things that might already be in a students' schema. For example, BJ mentioned in his lesson plan how coterminal angles can be taught using skateboarding/snowboarding tricks. I often refer to slope as climbing a mountain or driving on a steep road. Another example I used recently, when trying to explain absolute value inequalities, was that sometimes your mom keeps you on a leash (this stemmed from a story of my husband and I going to the state fair and seeing a large number of children on "leashes") so you stay within a certain distance while other times your mom may say that you need to not bother her for a minute and must stay at least a certain distance away (like "I'm fixing dinner and I need you to stay out of the kitchen"). By bringing up these abstract, yet common ideas, students can better understand the math concepts.
Learning begins with this hard-wired power strip in our brains called "schema." As we learn, we plug in smaller cords to the schema. The cords begin to branch out and overlap. If we try to learn something that is similar to a cord that is already plugged in, the learning sticks.
How can learning be best effectuated by the teacher?
When teachers teach new concepts, they need to continually make references to things that might already be in a students' schema. For example, BJ mentioned in his lesson plan how coterminal angles can be taught using skateboarding/snowboarding tricks. I often refer to slope as climbing a mountain or driving on a steep road. Another example I used recently, when trying to explain absolute value inequalities, was that sometimes your mom keeps you on a leash (this stemmed from a story of my husband and I going to the state fair and seeing a large number of children on "leashes") so you stay within a certain distance while other times your mom may say that you need to not bother her for a minute and must stay at least a certain distance away (like "I'm fixing dinner and I need you to stay out of the kitchen"). By bringing up these abstract, yet common ideas, students can better understand the math concepts.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Week 5 - Meaningful Learning
What is learning?
During Week 1 I wrote that in order to really learn something, you must synthesize it to what background knowledge you already have. After reading about Ausubel and Meaningful learning theories, my ideas have been justified. Learning is still an active process, but if you want the new information to "stick," it has to stick to something that's already in your brain.
How can learning be best effectuated by the teacher?
Teachers need to use graphic organizers, get students brainstorming and thinking about what they know before they are taught anything new. The other day we were talking about absolute value inequalities in my Algebra 2 class. I used the analogy that "at most" is like your mother saying you can go out and play, but you can't leave the yard. You can go any direction from the door you want, but you have to stay within a certain distance. Similarly, we said the "at least" is like your mom asking you to stay out of the kitchen while she's fixing dinner. She doesn't care where you are, but you need to be a certain distance away, or further. This was sort of a funny situation and as a class, we elaborated on the stories and added details to them from our own thoughts and experiences. But, in the end it helped the students better understand the concept.
During Week 1 I wrote that in order to really learn something, you must synthesize it to what background knowledge you already have. After reading about Ausubel and Meaningful learning theories, my ideas have been justified. Learning is still an active process, but if you want the new information to "stick," it has to stick to something that's already in your brain.
How can learning be best effectuated by the teacher?
Teachers need to use graphic organizers, get students brainstorming and thinking about what they know before they are taught anything new. The other day we were talking about absolute value inequalities in my Algebra 2 class. I used the analogy that "at most" is like your mother saying you can go out and play, but you can't leave the yard. You can go any direction from the door you want, but you have to stay within a certain distance. Similarly, we said the "at least" is like your mom asking you to stay out of the kitchen while she's fixing dinner. She doesn't care where you are, but you need to be a certain distance away, or further. This was sort of a funny situation and as a class, we elaborated on the stories and added details to them from our own thoughts and experiences. But, in the end it helped the students better understand the concept.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Week 3 - Functional Behavior Analysis
What is learning?
Learning is still an active process. I don't think I'm going to change my opinion on that anytime soon. I guess the question is what can we do as teachers to better engage and activate students who are distracted with their own behavior issues?
How can learning be best effectuated by a teacher . . . for students with behavior issues?
In my short teaching career, I have always taught the lower-end math students. For whatever reason, there seems to be frequent connections between lower-end math ability and poor behavior. Through this week's readings and videos, I have realized that I do a lot of informal FBA's already. I am always looking for what might set a student off and what I can do to intervene before it happens. I am also on the look-out for things that students are doing well and I try to build a positive rapport with each student, but especially the more difficult ones. This comes from frequent and respectful communication with the students, as well as explicit directions and clear expectations. I also realized this week that I could improve by keeping better track of data, writing out formal behavior assessments and working more closely with a "team" of teachers who may share the same students and the same frustrations.
Learning is still an active process. I don't think I'm going to change my opinion on that anytime soon. I guess the question is what can we do as teachers to better engage and activate students who are distracted with their own behavior issues?
How can learning be best effectuated by a teacher . . . for students with behavior issues?
In my short teaching career, I have always taught the lower-end math students. For whatever reason, there seems to be frequent connections between lower-end math ability and poor behavior. Through this week's readings and videos, I have realized that I do a lot of informal FBA's already. I am always looking for what might set a student off and what I can do to intervene before it happens. I am also on the look-out for things that students are doing well and I try to build a positive rapport with each student, but especially the more difficult ones. This comes from frequent and respectful communication with the students, as well as explicit directions and clear expectations. I also realized this week that I could improve by keeping better track of data, writing out formal behavior assessments and working more closely with a "team" of teachers who may share the same students and the same frustrations.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Week 2 - Skinner and Behaviorism
What is learning?
I still think that learning is a very active process. To really get it, you have to think through it and apply it. I think there is a strong intrinsic value to real learning. Skinner would probably disagree. According to Skinner, learning is very extrinsically motivated. Skinner's version of learning occurs when a person performs a task and the task has a subsequent response. Based on whether that response is positive or negatively reinforced, the person will choose to do the same task again or not. After this processes is repeated, the person learns what is the expected behavior.
How can learning be best effectuated by a teacher?
As a classroom teacher, I tend to disagree with Skinner because Skinner's tactics have proven to be less effective for my own teaching style. I don't like students doing good things for the wrong reasons. For example, I don't want them to turn in their homework for a piece of candy. I want them to turn in their homework because they know it's important. I want them to feel that sense of gratification that comes from working hard and doing something well!
In addition, I often get frustrated with the idea of behaviorism because there ARE a lot of extrinsic motivators out there for students, but not all students are taking advantage of them.
For example, many high school students in Utah know that if they do well, they can pick a really cool prize from Ken Garff's Keys to Success program and even earn a chance to win a car. I think the Ken Garff program is great and it rewards good kids with cool prizes. There is nothing wrong with that.
However, my question is, "Why doesn't every high school kid do well if there is something as big as a car at stake?" The answer is that there are a lot more complexities to individuals than Skinner's ideas lead you to believe. Extrinsic motivators are clearly not enough to get all students to learn. In addition, I strongly believe that most students who do well (including those who win the cars) would do well even without the car. They are motivated by things that run much deeper that these simple reinforcements.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Week 1 - Thoughts on Learning
1) What is learning?
I would define learning is the acquisition, synthesis, and application of knowledge. To really learn a skill or a piece of information, you must acquire the information, synthesize it in your brain by relating it to what background knowledge you already have, then apply it by practicing the skill or applying the information. By doing those three things, you have actually learned it!
2) How can learning be best effectuated by a teacher/trainer?
To answer this, I first had to look up the word "effectuated" because I wasn't sure what type of derivation of "effect" that word actually meant. According to dictionary.com, it is a verb that means "to bring about; effect." So, I guess the question could be reworded to say, "How does a teacher effect learning?"
Teachers can effect learning in a variety of ways.
1) Teachers can directly impact the attitude of the learner. If a teacher is positive, the learner is more likely to be positive and have an open mind to learning the content. Conversely, a cynical teacher with a negative attitude may create an environment in which learning is a chore and becomes cumbersome.
2) Teachers can effect the learning by the instructional strategies they use. Students learn in different ways and through different means. For example, a well-intended lecture may not be the best teaching strategy for a student who is a tactile learner. Teachers can effect a wider variety of students by altering their teaching strategies to incorporate the strengths of many different types of learners.
I would define learning is the acquisition, synthesis, and application of knowledge. To really learn a skill or a piece of information, you must acquire the information, synthesize it in your brain by relating it to what background knowledge you already have, then apply it by practicing the skill or applying the information. By doing those three things, you have actually learned it!
2) How can learning be best effectuated by a teacher/trainer?
To answer this, I first had to look up the word "effectuated" because I wasn't sure what type of derivation of "effect" that word actually meant. According to dictionary.com, it is a verb that means "to bring about; effect." So, I guess the question could be reworded to say, "How does a teacher effect learning?"
Teachers can effect learning in a variety of ways.
1) Teachers can directly impact the attitude of the learner. If a teacher is positive, the learner is more likely to be positive and have an open mind to learning the content. Conversely, a cynical teacher with a negative attitude may create an environment in which learning is a chore and becomes cumbersome.
2) Teachers can effect the learning by the instructional strategies they use. Students learn in different ways and through different means. For example, a well-intended lecture may not be the best teaching strategy for a student who is a tactile learner. Teachers can effect a wider variety of students by altering their teaching strategies to incorporate the strengths of many different types of learners.
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