This week the reflection quote is “What we learn to do, we learn by doing”. I find this quote to be very interesting. I feel like this quote relates directly to the speaker that we heard on Monday night. He stressed that the best way to get kids to remember things is to put it in a context that will mean something to them. Many times actually experiencing something hands on is the best way to learn. Kids will remember a science project that taught them about osmosis better than reading about it in a text book. Having an actual experience usually sticks in people’s mind better than just reading about it in a text book. Sometimes things are impossible to learn unless a physical act is done. A child could read for days about how to ride a bike, but until they actually try to ride a bike they will never learn. It takes the actual physical sensation of trying to balance while peddling and steering for someone to learn how to ride a bike. It also may take more than a few tries. This goes for everyone. College students (and graduate students) who are learning to be teachers, they spend time in a classroom reading and hearing lectures, but they also spend time in a classroom. You can sit through a million lectures but nothing will give you the sense of what it is like to teach until you are actually standing up in front of the classroom. You learn what to do, by doing it. Sometimes things may not make sense in your head, but as soon as you actually start doing something and instinct or whatever just takes over, you learn. First hand experiences stick with you. In 8th grade we learned about the Holocaust and obviously there was no way to actually experience it, but we were then taken to the Holocaust museum in Washington D.C. and spending an hour in there hit home for the students harder than doing a month’s worth of lessons on it.
This can be related to assessment also. In the most basic form, by assessing the students they are forced to do the assessment with the material that they learned. It forces the students to actually do the problems. Math is a good example, they can see it in the text book and see examples on the board, but until they actually do the math problems on their own, they may not learn how to do it. Another way this quote can be related to assessment is that assessment can be given in different forms. Sometimes a paper and pencil test isn’t always the best method. Maybe after learning a science lesson for example, it would be best for students to show what they learned by a science experiment in front of the class or another form of alternative assessment.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Cooperative, authentic rubric
[Please note the new label for posts relating to this topic....]
Sorry to be so slow getting this on the blog...
My understanding, based on our class discussion on Monday, is that the following are suggestions for areas to be addressed in the assessment of your lesson plan presentations:
*Creativity
*Effort
*Standards/Benchmarks
*Clarity (Communication)
*Content (Not sure what was meant by this...interest? amount (substance)? relevance?...)
*Evidence of incorporation of/addressing various aspects of pedagogy (i.e., differentiated instruction/diversity, technology, assessment, strategies, learning environment, classroom management, etc.)
*Goals accomplished (Again, not sure exactly what this means...correlation of assessment(s) to objective(s)? Self-evaluation of "success" of lesson?...)
I think this is a very good start. I think I might also add--
*Student engagement, and possibly--
*Consistency with stance
I think another big area in assessing your lesson plans is evidence of reflection/self-assessment (surprise, surpise). I actually believe that the "success" of this first attempt is less important than your evaluation/response to it.
Comments?
Sorry to be so slow getting this on the blog...
My understanding, based on our class discussion on Monday, is that the following are suggestions for areas to be addressed in the assessment of your lesson plan presentations:
*Creativity
*Effort
*Standards/Benchmarks
*Clarity (Communication)
*Content (Not sure what was meant by this...interest? amount (substance)? relevance?...)
*Evidence of incorporation of/addressing various aspects of pedagogy (i.e., differentiated instruction/diversity, technology, assessment, strategies, learning environment, classroom management, etc.)
*Goals accomplished (Again, not sure exactly what this means...correlation of assessment(s) to objective(s)? Self-evaluation of "success" of lesson?...)
I think this is a very good start. I think I might also add--
*Student engagement, and possibly--
*Consistency with stance
I think another big area in assessing your lesson plans is evidence of reflection/self-assessment (surprise, surpise). I actually believe that the "success" of this first attempt is less important than your evaluation/response to it.
Comments?
Thursday, March 6, 2008
What we learn to do, we learn by blogging.
“What we learn to do, we learn by doing”
I plan to tie Aristotle’s quote in with the lecture on memory that we heard this week. My initial impression is that this quote seems to just be stating the obvious. Amusingly, it almost sounds like one of those pseudo-intellectualisms that I might have heard on an old Kung Fu television episode, “He who questions training only trains himself at asking questions Grasshopper.” At face value Aristotle’s quote is so blatantly apparent that it’s almost just as laughable. Only when we stop to think about WHY “learning by doing” (LBD) is such an effective way to learn, does the intended value of the quote become perceptible.
When we are experiencing a new activity, we are receiving information simultaneously through all of our senses, rather than just auditorially. With all the senses involved we can more adequately conceptualize the information as we are taking it in. Our brains are also linking this new experience to our existing ones, comparing and contrasting until there is enough context assigned to it that it can be properly filed into our memory retrieval system. Chances are also good that when we are engaged in LBD, because of the novelty of the situation, we are also in a heightened emotional state. This too raises the probability of the information being properly integrated. LBD usually takes place in a public setting, giving us the added motivation of peer pressure. Overall, LBD is a procedural activity that is usually practiced after the initial experience. This leads to retrieval automatization, virtually guaranteeing survival in our long term memory.
Understanding this process can guide us as educators in our quest to have our students learn in the classroom just as effectively. Now, obviously, we cannot literally provide a LBD environment for every single benchmark. But, if we are creative and industrious enough it should be possible to simulate a comparable state of mind in our students during classroom instruction. This is exactly why we are learning to COME IN (Connect, Organize, Model, Enrich, Interact, Nature and Needs.) This is why we are learning to use differentiated instruction, universal design, and applied technology. This is why we are learning about Inquiry Training, Concept Attainment, Learning Cycle, Concept Formation, Unguided Inquiry, and Cooperative Learning. These are our ‘virtual reality’ building blocks. When properly assembled we can construct a learning environment in which we’ve approximated the cerebral conditions that are present during LBD. I think if I go into every lesson plan with the goal of inducing this state of mind in my students, I should be able to become an effective instructor.
Now, what to say about assessment? It is what it is. At this point, we’re putting the horse in front of the carriage. Assessment has to be tied to skills that we are only now beginning to develop. I think the best thing to take away with us regarding assessment at this early stage is the idea that, as beginning teachers, it’s going be especially important to use ‘everyday assessments.’ We will do this not to test the students, but to test our own effectiveness while we learn by doing .
I plan to tie Aristotle’s quote in with the lecture on memory that we heard this week. My initial impression is that this quote seems to just be stating the obvious. Amusingly, it almost sounds like one of those pseudo-intellectualisms that I might have heard on an old Kung Fu television episode, “He who questions training only trains himself at asking questions Grasshopper.” At face value Aristotle’s quote is so blatantly apparent that it’s almost just as laughable. Only when we stop to think about WHY “learning by doing” (LBD) is such an effective way to learn, does the intended value of the quote become perceptible.
When we are experiencing a new activity, we are receiving information simultaneously through all of our senses, rather than just auditorially. With all the senses involved we can more adequately conceptualize the information as we are taking it in. Our brains are also linking this new experience to our existing ones, comparing and contrasting until there is enough context assigned to it that it can be properly filed into our memory retrieval system. Chances are also good that when we are engaged in LBD, because of the novelty of the situation, we are also in a heightened emotional state. This too raises the probability of the information being properly integrated. LBD usually takes place in a public setting, giving us the added motivation of peer pressure. Overall, LBD is a procedural activity that is usually practiced after the initial experience. This leads to retrieval automatization, virtually guaranteeing survival in our long term memory.
Understanding this process can guide us as educators in our quest to have our students learn in the classroom just as effectively. Now, obviously, we cannot literally provide a LBD environment for every single benchmark. But, if we are creative and industrious enough it should be possible to simulate a comparable state of mind in our students during classroom instruction. This is exactly why we are learning to COME IN (Connect, Organize, Model, Enrich, Interact, Nature and Needs.) This is why we are learning to use differentiated instruction, universal design, and applied technology. This is why we are learning about Inquiry Training, Concept Attainment, Learning Cycle, Concept Formation, Unguided Inquiry, and Cooperative Learning. These are our ‘virtual reality’ building blocks. When properly assembled we can construct a learning environment in which we’ve approximated the cerebral conditions that are present during LBD. I think if I go into every lesson plan with the goal of inducing this state of mind in my students, I should be able to become an effective instructor.
Now, what to say about assessment? It is what it is. At this point, we’re putting the horse in front of the carriage. Assessment has to be tied to skills that we are only now beginning to develop. I think the best thing to take away with us regarding assessment at this early stage is the idea that, as beginning teachers, it’s going be especially important to use ‘everyday assessments.’ We will do this not to test the students, but to test our own effectiveness while we learn by doing .
Reflection 7 - On the Job Training
“On the job training”. That is the present day translation for Aristotle’s quote, “What we learn to do, we learn by doing.” This quote can apply to almost anything a person does, but is most easily relatable to a person’s career. My life, as of this moment and for the next year and a half, is best summed up by Aristotle’s quote. I am a special education teacher, currently stuck in the body of a substitute teacher. Because I am not currently licensed to teach my own class, I substitute for other teachers who are at home for the day, or who have other responsibilities. I’m not complaining about the job, honestly I don’t think it’s that hard. However, it is difficult to demand respect when you have a tag hanging around your neck that proclaims for all to see, that you are in fact, a substitute teacher! I have had many successes in my short stint as a substitute and have felt pride on many occasions. This pride comes from helping a student or even sharing a laugh with my class. I have had great experiences when I sub for special education teachers and in special education classrooms at the junior high and high school levels. However, it is the general education classes that seem to give me the most trouble. I know that I haven’t been doing this for very long, and it is pretty tough to tell a student who is four and a half years younger than you to get to work, but I have to try don’t I? I realize now more than ever, how Aristotle’s quote is true. I am learning to do what I will for my career right now. I don’t have my own class to go to everyday for a year but I do have the classroom experience everyday, and that on the job training will only help me when I begin my actual teaching career.
As I watched the presentation that was given on Monday night I often found myself relating to what Mr. Pfrogner was saying. When he gave examples about sensory memory, short term memory, and long term memory, I often found myself saying “yes, that happens to me.” I really enjoyed Mr. Pfrogner’s presentation. Assessment is obviously necessary. Without giving our students a quiz or a test or some other form of assessment, we won’t know whether or not they have a reasonable understanding of the material that we are teaching. In our book the authors stress that teacher’s tie assessment to their stance on education. Teachers should also have their assessment driven by learning goals. Teachers should also have a systematic approach to assessment as well as tie it to their instruction. The authors of our book also want assessment to be inclusive of the learner, and integrated into a manageable system. In education today, assessment doesn’t have to be a test or a quiz, and although some students crave testing and perform well with them, it is true that others excel in forms of alternative assessment.
As I watched the presentation that was given on Monday night I often found myself relating to what Mr. Pfrogner was saying. When he gave examples about sensory memory, short term memory, and long term memory, I often found myself saying “yes, that happens to me.” I really enjoyed Mr. Pfrogner’s presentation. Assessment is obviously necessary. Without giving our students a quiz or a test or some other form of assessment, we won’t know whether or not they have a reasonable understanding of the material that we are teaching. In our book the authors stress that teacher’s tie assessment to their stance on education. Teachers should also have their assessment driven by learning goals. Teachers should also have a systematic approach to assessment as well as tie it to their instruction. The authors of our book also want assessment to be inclusive of the learner, and integrated into a manageable system. In education today, assessment doesn’t have to be a test or a quiz, and although some students crave testing and perform well with them, it is true that others excel in forms of alternative assessment.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Learn by Doing
After drawing a blank for this week's assignment , I decided I needed a broader prospective and in the spirit of technology I goggled in "Learning by Doing". The results of this search truly inspired me and I have to admit to a greater appreciation for this approach and overall attitude in the classroom as well as, a means of assessment. Here are some thoughts for inside and outside the classroom:
"Learning by doing strikes at the heart of the basic memory process upon which humans rely. We learn how to do things and then learn how what we have learned is wrong and right." (Engineers for Education)
"I have done the deed. Didst thou not hear a noise?" (Macbeth)
"The story of learning is always about doing. The story of learning is a tale of bridging the gap between theory and practice, the cadence to which educators march." (Ted Nellen & Lori Mayo)
"Learning by doing is a concept of economic theory. It refers to the capability of workers to improve their productivity by regularly repeating the same type of action." (Wikipedia)
"One must learn by doing things, for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try." (Aristotle)
"We learn by doing after we have reflected on what we have done." (Dewey)
And finally, a last word specifically on assessment: "Teaching for tests creates learnoids." (Apple Seeds for Teachers)
*I have a cartoon to share with you as soon as I can get it to post!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
In a perfect world
My lesson is on painting. It will be for an elementary art class. I found a lesson online where children will mimick the image of Monet's Waterlilies through the use of watercolors and collage. I could use technology in this lesson in so many ways. I already used the internet to find the lesson itself. I could have students research Monet and other painters on the internet for the Unit that the Monet lesson would be a part of. They could write reports/research papers on Monet's life. I could set up a field trip to a museum through the use of the internet so that my kids could see some of Monet's work in person. I could set up "Miss Lucas' Class Website" so showcase my students work. Through this website I could solicit parental feedback, and feedback from other teachers and schools. My kids would be so excited to show off the fact that they were on the internet! They could each have their own pages that they update with class and personal goals. They could write artist statements on their pages explaining their inspiration for the work that they create. I would of course not let them include any real personal information. First names only and definitly no pictures of the kids. There are a lot of weirdos out there. We could also contact another school and have kids from across the country talk to each other. I could talk to the other teacher beforehand and we could both do the same lesson and have the kids talk about it. This might all be far far beyond what could ever be possible. In my year of subbing, I have yet to see an art room with a smart board. I have been in art rooms that have their own computers with internet access, but not many. Usually those computers are reserved for teacher use. It seems like the regular classrooms get the first dibs on the technology. I know that there are efforts to get computers into the schools, but many of these school districts don't even have money for books. We could go on and on about the depressing state of our schools. I really like my website idea though. In my ideal classroom the class website would be possible. Included in that ideal is me actually knowing how to set up a website for my kids. But it doesn't hurt to dream!
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