T2P Week 3 & 4

June 13, 2011 T2P

     If students can engage in a teacher-monitored discourse about curricular content, then learning will occur because students will be able to consider their peers' opinions and either solidify or adapt their own opinions to their peers'. [Jean Piaget theorized that students reach a stage where critical thinking is possible after age 11, and teacher-monitored, healthy dispute can exercise the critical thinking muscles of the students [evidence].

One exercise that I thought was interesting today in class was the Triad group exercise. We broke into the pre-determined groups to discuss the theorist that we all researched (Piaget, in this case). This was a bit uncomfortable to me because there were some heated discussions about what everyone took from the research. It seemed to me that everyone was getting a bit upset, and stepping on one another's toes. At this point, I noticed that GNA intervened and directed us into an environment where we could successfully hear everyone's points-of-view. After everyone put their ideas onto the table, another group member (who was not a participant in the argument) suggested a new metaphor. It was a great metaphor, and we all agreed that it was "perfect" for the situation. So, through a sticky disagreement, we came to one metaphor (or understanding of the theory) that we all agreed on. It almost seemed as if the rough patch was completely necessary in order to get to the end product.

I know that head-butting will occur in my future classrooms, as it's impossible for everybody to have the same opinion all the time. In some ways, I believe this is a good thing! Each participant had a reason for being so passionate about their stance. By ensuring that everyone's opinion was heard, GNA made fairness possible. I was not an active participant in the discussion about the metaphor, but listening to it enlightened me to my own perspective.

In the future, I would like to have students discuss their opinions in a safe environment. I don't think it will be easy to inspire them to discuss their opinions, since many people are more reserved (like me). However, I believe that everyone has an opinion somewhere deep down. I would like to engage students in activities that bring these opinions to light. For my specific case, these opinions will involve literary works. Literature is an excellent source from which one can derive opinions. I believe that this is because literature can be interpreted in an infinite number of ways. If each student can have their own opinion about the literature, then it can open up a Pandora's box of differing perspectives.

June 20, 2011 T2P

       If teachers and students nurture a peer-like relationship, rather than a hierarchical leader-over-controlled-learner relationship, then students can have an autonomous learning experience because they can be aware of the breadth of the learning experience when they can be an active participant in it. [Evidence] Vicki Davis does not believe that a teacher should always know everything, and therefore she and her students partake in a mutually-enhancing learning process. While a teacher must play the role of a facilitator, Davis attempts to almost eliminate the dichotomy between student-and-teacher when it comes to gaining knowledge. Student adopts the role of teacher and simultaneous learner, which gives them a sense of being autonomous, but still part of a collective relatedness to his or her peers. 

June 20, 2011 T2P, part II

      If students and the teacher participate in a reflective round-robin discussion based on material the teacher and students observed together, then both the teacher and the students will be able to have an engaging, opinion-driven conversation to reflect upon the material.  The conversation should begin with a question that engages the student's critical thinking skills, and then the teacher should bounce the reactions back to other students.  Since all of the students are expected to participate, it will be necessary for them to come up with ways to voice their opinions about the material.  It is especially engaging for the students towards the end of the round-robin circle, because the answers they had prepared will most likely be articulated by earlier students. However, it will also keep the teacher on his or her toes to quickly pose opinion-generating questions of students. According to Freire and Vicki Davis, teachers and students can almost share a position in the role of learning.  The learning process should be ongoing for not only students, but also teachers, and the two parties should stimulate understanding by posing questions that cause critical thinking.




Related Links for Today's Class 

• Emily's Learning Theories Spreadsheet

Week 3 Learning Theorists - 1

Explain why "consistency is key" within Skinner's work and Behavioral Learning.
This was labeled as a Q2, but I think it's more of an Analysis question. It asks me to "explain" why "consistency is key," so therefore I have to analyze the statement and apply it to Skinner's work.
I think that consistency is key because if the teacher does not maintain consistency, the learner will become confused and not understand the lesson. The schedules of reinforcement must remain consistent. The repetition is the reason the person learned the lesson in the first place, if we are in keeping with Skinner's theory.

How many ways can you use scaffolding to help students learn?
This is listed as a Q5, and I agree that this is correct. It asks me to think logically about what scaffolding is and apply it to a situation that may occur in real life.
I don't really understand this question. I interpreted scaffolding as being only one method to help students learn. Scaffolding provides the building blocks that help students "step up" into intelligence. I see them as steps on a staircase, with ultimate understanding being the top step. I suppose one could incorporate different kinds of activities for students who are at varying levels of development.

What are some considerations you need to make when planning a lesson for your students?
This is listed as a Q6. It definitely is a synthesis question, since it asks about a situation that may be used in real life. It is the synthesis of all of the information I learned about theories and ways of learning, and then applying it to a hypothetical situation.
One must consider the student's stage of development, when dealing with the Piagetian theories. Also the time it takes for a student to learn something, if applying the Skinner theories. Some students take longer to learn a lesson than others. Vygotsky is similar to Piaget. He would argue that students should incorporate hands-on learning.

T2P Week Two

If teachers promote critical thinking in students, as opposed to passively accepting everything they have learned or will learn, then learning will occur because students will uncover their personal opinions and why they have them.

Today in class, I liked how GNA used examples of teachers that use different methods to teach their lessons. I did not like the teacher who was using "Whole Brain Learning," because it reminded me of automatons rather than children. I instantly wondered why there was no portion of video footage that shows the kids actually using and applying the lessons they supposedly learned. However, I did enjoy the example from The Dead Poet's Society because it goes along with my T2P statement concerning critical thinking. Personally, I find it extremely difficult to read pieces of writing critically. I am so used to reading passively and accepting, so I would like to improve upon this before I become a teacher. I would also like to teach my future students how to do this. I think that we are learning how to do this in class as we develop our T2P statements. They cause us to think about particular issues, form an opinion about them, and then back them up with reasoning.
We also drew updated versions of our concept maps and compared and contrasted with the ones we drew on Friday. This gives a visual diagram of what we are learning about learning. It was very difficult for me to participate in this activity on Friday because I simply didn't understand the organization of the map. Today was much better because my group organized the sub-categories of learning a bit better. I think this was a good activity because it shows how our knowledge is ever-changing, and therefore we must change our output to parallel this.
The BB video explained all of the spheres of life that impact a student and a teacher. I liked that we watched this video and learned about the many facets that humans develop over a lifetime. As a (hopefully) future teacher of young adults, I learned a bit about the struggles that students will be enduring while I know them. I am sure that I too will be coming to a better understanding of my "master status" at the same time, and this will naturally affect my view of life. I will try to create an environment that fosters growth for teenagers as they are trying to understand more about themselves. I will do this by not favoring certain passions over others (as was exemplified by schools promoting band over skateboarders). However, I must bear in mind that some facets are off-limits, and I must not overstep my boundaries.
The discussions we had about the articles that we read for our homework mostly helped me understand the pedestal on which teachers stand when it comes to lessons of morality. Our actions and the way we "run" our class greatly impact the students, whether the students, or I, am aware of it or not. However, Hansen (1995) argues that one must not become too preoccupied with being "morally correct" teachers, as this will only lead to failure to uphold every "rule."

holidays.slides.kaboose.com

T2P Week One

I stayed engaged and mentally "with it" for the entire day, which I admire in a teacher's orchestration of class. I think the reason was that we flowed from activity to activity. GNA also used the variable-interval schedule of reinforcement (something I learned in the Goodman work), which caused me to be vigilant about my thinking. I knew I could be called on, so my mind was forced to think critically about my response. Also, though, I had to pay attention to my classmate's responses.
The assessment system is awesome because it takes away pressure. I find that I learn better when there is less pressure. For example, reading for pleasure and reading for a school project are entirely different experiences for me, even if the book is the same.The lack of constraints causes me to lose the stigmatized though of what a "good student" would do, and just relax! When I'm relaxed, my mind is open and more likely to be critical. So I think this will translate well to my learning experience in this class.
I felt myself learning about teamwork and collaboration, which is new for me because I am very solitary. My group was told to work together to solve a problem and we did it. This opens up a world of different opinions and thoughts. It is like looking at something through someone else's perspective.
I noticed how GNA made sure that every person had "clarity" about each task. Many times in school, I would be assigned a task but fail to understand it. As a shy person, I failed to go out and gain clarity. As a result, I completed tasks incorrectly or poorly. I would like to implement this habit in my future classroom.
After learning the variables of learning, we were asked to apply them to our own lives and past experiences. This helped me put it in my own context and solidify the theory.
I gained a better sense of community with my peers today. GNA made an attempt to know everyone by asking what we had for breakfast. It was a fun way to highlight our similarities and break the ice.


If the in-class schedule allows for constant change in presentation modes, then both the teacher and learners will experience a high-level of energy and motivation throughout the day because both participants are learning in different ways, rather than a droning presentation which allows for mental drifting.

Instructional Models Comparisons

The four instructional models present a vast array of ways that students can utilize the internet to enhance their learning experience. As for similarities, I noticed that the Internet Workshop and Internet Inquiry promote student research. Both would allow students to use search engines to find more information. It would teach students how to gather information from the internet, how to scope out good sources, and hopefully to cite properly. Internet Inquiry is a bit more open-ended than Internet Workshop, since teachers decide for the students what they will be searching for in Workshop.
I saw the Webquest as being markedly different than any of the other Models. I perceived it as basically an online rubric for students, from which they take the instructions to do a research project. The Internet Project was different than the other three Models because it limits the information type. However, it is a bit more hands-on for students, and uses the "real world" for information-gathering rather than being online the entire time.

I don't have a cooperating teacher at this time. However, in the future I would be interested to use the internet workshop in my class. I think it would help students become comfortable with using the Internet to gather information. With my particular discipline (English), students might gather a wealth of information mostly regarding the context of particular pieces of literature. There are also a lot of articles online that provide different perspectives about pieces of literature, so that will open up a new way of perceiving works of literature. I had a good time exploring different WebQuests that were set up for various pieces of literature, such as The Great Gatsby. Some of the projects were really fun (such as writing a magazine from the perspective of a 20's journalist), and I would certainly like to use them someday in my classroom. I would employ the Internet Workshop in my classroom. As Leu (2002) stated, "Is your class reading the works of an important author (or illustrator) in the world of children’s literature? You can easily have an Internet Workshop session on that person. Locate the author’s home page on the Internet and invite students to search for two or three important ideas about the person’s life to share at the workshop session." The Internet Workshop opens up students to a wealth of information to supplement the in-class lessons.

Citation: Leu, D.J., Jr. (2002, February). Internet Workshop: Making time for literacy [Exploring Literacy on the Internet department]. The Reading Teacher, 55(5). Available: http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/elec_index.asp?HREF=/electronic/RT/2-02_Column/index.html

Three Resources I Plan to Utilize

Hamlet, Facebook Style
I found this web site and immediately knew I would like to use it later for my teaching. I would use it after my class covered Hamlet, since it's relatively small. It is just a series of Facebook statuses, activities, and photos that tell the story of Hamlet. Students can relate to Facebook, as it is a highly popular form of social networking. It takes an important play like Hamlet and "translates" it into terms that kids can relate to. Not only that, but it is also humorous. People sometimes learn by relating lessons to their own lives, and this achieves this wonderfully. Students can develop competency in the English spectrum by solidifying their understand of Hamlet - an oftentimes daunting and overwhelming play. "Good teachers" use strategies to impart knowledge by breaking it down into terms that students can easily understand.

Grammar Cheat Sheet
I know it seems backwards to promote "cheating," per se, but I think it is important for students to know that if they are iffy about certain grammatical rules, it's okay to look them up! I would print out this sheet and pass it out to students at the beginning of the year, in conjunction with a basic grammar lesson. Then I would make a point to remind students to constantly look back at it while writing papers. While most students should have learned these rules, I have noticed time and again that students (even college-aged!) forgo these basic guidelines. Perhaps they never knew how to properly apply them. So, I would encourage students to use the guidelines and track their progress with them (after pinpointing their individual weaknesses). This takes into account that people learn by trial-and-error. This demonstrates that "good teachers" leave some wiggle room for students to learn, especially when they are applying it to their work. By trial-and-error, students will become competent in basic grammar rules that oftentimes go overlooked.

Wuthering Heights PBS movie
One of my favorite things to do is watch a movie version of a book after reading it. I like to compare my internal perception of the book with the way that movie-makers see it. It also helps to get a better sense of the time period in which the book takes place: the clothing, the hairstyles, the settings, the mannerisms, etc. I always enjoyed watching videos in class because it was a break from the "norm." My cousin recently read Wuthering Heights in her senior English class, and completely denounced it (much to my chagrin). I told her to watch the movie version, certain she would love it. I'm not sure if she watched it (most likely not), but I do believe she would gain a better appreciation for Bronte's masterpiece if she did. I won't be able to show my students movies for every single piece of literature we read in a year, but I will choose one that I think they will most likely struggle with. A "good teacher" employs different ways to understand a lesson. When viewing a movie, students can better understand what they read. Perhaps they didn't understand a section of the book; seeing it on screen will help them think, "Ohh, so that's what happened at that part!" It's also important to ask the students if they agree with the way the movie was made: should the filmmaker have left out parts that the students believed were integral? Why? Watching a movie sparks the interest of students, especially the ones who learn well by seeing things. Movies provoke emotions better in some people. Students will feel anger for characters, sadness, empathy, love. If the students don't do so well acquiring these emotions through reading, it will help them while viewing. It also gives students a more solid understanding of a particular piece of literature, so that will contribute to their competency.

Emily's Life

Here's an Animoto video I created in class today, June 1, 2011.