What?
Today’s lecture covered constructivism. This involves learning as an active process in which the learners construct their own meaning based on prior knowledge and experiences. Piaget would favor the idea that individuals construct their own meaning, while Vygotsy would say that society helps individuals to construct meanings. Today in class during the bell quiz, we had an object lesson of social constructivism. As we found out, it was much better to be able to have other class members to work with on our answers then answering them solely on our own. As a class, we were able to construct the meaning of what we had read in chapter 7 and make some sense of it.
Schema plays a big role in our learning as demonstrated by the paragraph that we read. At first, I thought the paragraph was about a girl doing homework and then friends came over to play games. Then upon further examination I thought that it was a group of musicians getting together to play instruments. I never thought that it was about a baseball game as some in class did. This exercise demonstrated that prior knowledge makes a difference in what we learn.
For an activity on developing a schema, our group was given the word “family” to define. We had a very difficult time trying to come up with something that we all felt comfortable with. In the end, we consulted Google and got a satisfactory definition of “A social unit living together.”
I liked the discovery learning example. I felt that the students were given enough direction to lead them to the conclusions the teacher wanted. I also felt that the students were going to remember the rectangles they built and retain the knowledge longer than if the teacher would have just told them the factors of 12. The students used more than just the ears to hear, they used their hands, worked in groups, and I hope made a better connection to the content.
So What?
As an educator, I need to understand and used different theories of learning to help meet the needs of all my students. What might work well with some students, might not work so well with others. I need to remember these theories and integrate them into my teaching style in order to reach as many students as possible. I need to remember the power of schema! Students will come from diverse backgrounds and I do not want to make any assumptions that everyone knows the same things. I need to evaluate, question, and find out what ideas and schema my student have and begin my teaching from there. Many times, I may need to correct misconceptions that students have in their schema. When I was a child, it would have been easy to describe the word “family” as what would have been considered a traditional family. However, today there are so many more ideas that make up this word. I need to carefully consider each student and their family situation making sure all students aware of the many aspects that make a family.
Now What?
As I prepare to become a teacher, I need to really understand and apply the appropriate theories to my lessons. I need to constantly ponder and evaluate if the methods I employ in my teaching are effective and meeting the needs of my students. As I begin teaching, I believe I will find where my students might have misconceptions in their schemas and I can learn to anticipate where I may need to focus my attentions. It will be important for me to watch for differing schemas through questions, testing, and surveying. I will need to use the existing schema for a basis of my lessons. As I prepare my lessons, I need to be sensitive to the diversity of students I will teach and find the appropriate theories and strategies that will help them learn. I would like to incorporate some discovery learning into my classroom as I believe that hands on experiences help reinforce concept attainment.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Chapter 6 Learning Log
What?
I enjoyed learning about what cognitive psychologist believe about the way we learn and commit information to memory. During the lecture, we had the opportunity to work together to diagram how it is believed we remember things. From the five senses, the information is taken into the brain to the Reticular Activating System. From the RAS, the information goes to the thalamus. Next, the thalamus sends the information to the regions of the cortex which are responsible for the senses. For example, sight goes to the occipital lobe, spatial goes to the parietal lobe, touch goes to the frontal lobe, hearing goes to the temporal lobe, and smell goes to the temporal lobe. The information then goes to the hippocampus for cataloging and filing. If there is emotion involved, the information goes to the amygdala instead of the hippocampus. Next, the information returns to the cortex to the region that is responsible for the sense for long term storage. The RAS is the gatekeeper, deciding if we are going to pay attention to information and let it in to our brains or not.
The model of human memory includes a sensory register, working (short-term) memory, and long-term memory. First the input goes to the sensory reception center where it can be attended to or lost. Next, it goes to the short term or working memory center. Some information can be lost here as well. Next, if great detail is paid to it then it goes back and forth and eventually ends up in long term memory. There are not just three areas involved in memory storage as this model may suggest.
In comparing the two ideas, the RAS is similar to the sensory register and it decides whether to pay attention to the input or not. The process of information going from the thalamus to the cortex is similar to the working memory. The process of information going from cortex to the hippocampus and amygdala is similar to in depth processing, and sending the information back to the regions in the cortex is like long term storage.
Apparently, our long term memory is capable of infinite storage; however, are we capable of retrieving all of this information? The more you use information, the easier it is to retrieve. The hippocampus brings all the information back together when we need to remember information. Decay and interference are reasons we might not be able to remember some things. Several things we can do to help learning are rehearsal, meaningful learning, organization, elaboration, visual imagery, enactment, and use of mnemonics.
So What?
Understanding the process the brain undergoes in order to learn and remember information enables me to make choices that will enhance my own skills as a student as well as my teaching skills to better help my student learn and understand. I understand that if I want to remember information, I need to use skills to help encode the information well in the first place. It will be useful to review information I would like to remember so that I can strengthen pathways to the information.
Now What?
As a student I realize that if I want to learn a subject well, I must think of ways to make the information make sense for myself. In particular I need to try to use my prior knowledge to connect the new information to in order to make it useful. It would be wise to get as many senses involved in the learning process as possible if I want to understand and use what I am learning. As a future educator, I need to give my students as many learning opportunities as possible that allow for use of many of the senses. I need to help my students connect their prior knowledge to new information to allow them to apply the new knowledge. I will need to make sure I create lessons of useful information and provide students many methods of connecting to the information. I will need to teach the students useful techniques that will help them encode information properly for future use.
I enjoyed learning about what cognitive psychologist believe about the way we learn and commit information to memory. During the lecture, we had the opportunity to work together to diagram how it is believed we remember things. From the five senses, the information is taken into the brain to the Reticular Activating System. From the RAS, the information goes to the thalamus. Next, the thalamus sends the information to the regions of the cortex which are responsible for the senses. For example, sight goes to the occipital lobe, spatial goes to the parietal lobe, touch goes to the frontal lobe, hearing goes to the temporal lobe, and smell goes to the temporal lobe. The information then goes to the hippocampus for cataloging and filing. If there is emotion involved, the information goes to the amygdala instead of the hippocampus. Next, the information returns to the cortex to the region that is responsible for the sense for long term storage. The RAS is the gatekeeper, deciding if we are going to pay attention to information and let it in to our brains or not.
The model of human memory includes a sensory register, working (short-term) memory, and long-term memory. First the input goes to the sensory reception center where it can be attended to or lost. Next, it goes to the short term or working memory center. Some information can be lost here as well. Next, if great detail is paid to it then it goes back and forth and eventually ends up in long term memory. There are not just three areas involved in memory storage as this model may suggest.
In comparing the two ideas, the RAS is similar to the sensory register and it decides whether to pay attention to the input or not. The process of information going from the thalamus to the cortex is similar to the working memory. The process of information going from cortex to the hippocampus and amygdala is similar to in depth processing, and sending the information back to the regions in the cortex is like long term storage.
Apparently, our long term memory is capable of infinite storage; however, are we capable of retrieving all of this information? The more you use information, the easier it is to retrieve. The hippocampus brings all the information back together when we need to remember information. Decay and interference are reasons we might not be able to remember some things. Several things we can do to help learning are rehearsal, meaningful learning, organization, elaboration, visual imagery, enactment, and use of mnemonics.
So What?
Understanding the process the brain undergoes in order to learn and remember information enables me to make choices that will enhance my own skills as a student as well as my teaching skills to better help my student learn and understand. I understand that if I want to remember information, I need to use skills to help encode the information well in the first place. It will be useful to review information I would like to remember so that I can strengthen pathways to the information.
Now What?
As a student I realize that if I want to learn a subject well, I must think of ways to make the information make sense for myself. In particular I need to try to use my prior knowledge to connect the new information to in order to make it useful. It would be wise to get as many senses involved in the learning process as possible if I want to understand and use what I am learning. As a future educator, I need to give my students as many learning opportunities as possible that allow for use of many of the senses. I need to help my students connect their prior knowledge to new information to allow them to apply the new knowledge. I will need to make sure I create lessons of useful information and provide students many methods of connecting to the information. I will need to teach the students useful techniques that will help them encode information properly for future use.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Dr. Grandin Reflection
Today I had the opportunity to attend a lecture given by Dr. Grandin. She presented some very interesting information regarding autism. Diagnosing autism is not an exact science at this time. Diagnosis is done by checking if the patient has a list of behaviors and if the patient exhibits 75% of the behaviors, they have autism. Dr. Grandin hopes that one day a more accurate diagnosis can be reached through brain scans. Autism is a neurological disorder which can range from mild to severe and is an early onset disorder. Dr. Grandin strongly believes in early intervention. As a child, she was put into speech therapy at age two and later had a nanny that spent time helping with her. Dr. Grandin said that the worst thing you could do for autism was NOTHING.
I was very interested in hearing her describe the different types of sensory problems that are very real for people with autism. She posed the question that how can a person be social when you can’t stand the environment. She gave a personal example that some clothing causes her skin to itch. Dr. Grandin gave reasons why a child would rock or flutter their fingers in front of their face. It was in order to shut out the other stimulus that hurts. Dr. Grandin mentioned that when you take an autistic child in for an eye exam for vision problems, the exam will be normal. The eyes are functioning properly; it is a visual processing problem that is taking place in the brain. Some suggestions to help a child with this type of problem is to place the child’s desk near the window for natural light, get rid of fluorescent lights, put the child’s homework on colored paper, or have the child wear colored sun glasses. The same thing could happen if you took the child for an ear exam, it would be normal. Some children have a difficult time with auditory detail. Dr. Grandin suggested speaking slowly to enunciate the words better for the child to understand. She suggested that we use a combined method of phonics and whole word to teach children with autism to read.
Dr Grandin informed us that there are three types of specialized thinking which include visual thinkers, pattern thinkers, and word thinkers. Visual thinkers see everything in pictures like using Google images. They need a lot of descriptions to create these mental images. This type of thinker might struggle in math. Pattern thinkers are more abstract and enjoy music and math. They might be weak in reading and writing composition. Finally, word thinkers know every fact concerning their favorite subject. With any of these types of thinking, Dr. Grandin suggested that we should build up the areas of strengths and focus on what the child can do when he grows up. We need to use the obsession to teach the child. For example, if the child is obsessed about trains have him read books about trains. Help the child to do things that people will want.
In regards to medication, Dr. Grandin gave an interesting example about how anti-depressants had helped her overcome her fear of dangerous predators. Imagine that she locked the doors, turned off the lights, and let loose a bunch of poisonous snakes. Without her medication, she always felt terrified even though she was in no danger. She suggested that medication has a place along with behavioral therapy and supplements.
Dr Grandin offered some other bits of information. In order to desensitize a child to a bothersome noise, record the noise on a tape recorder and then have the child initiate the sound to help overcome it. Autistic children need structure; but, they need to learn to accept some change. You can help overcome this fear of change by giving plenty of advance warning of change. Also, social skills must be taught. It is never too late to learn, the more experiences a person has to compare to the better off they are. Get children with autism to try and do things. Make a system to make organizing things easier for them. For a non-verbal child, let them use a keyboard for communication.
Who better to help us understand autism than a person who has autism? I now have a glimpse of some of the issues that might affect the children whom I will teach. I would be interested in reading her books because Dr. Grandin’s insights seemed so on target. I will continue to research this so that I might make a difference in many people’s lives.
I was very interested in hearing her describe the different types of sensory problems that are very real for people with autism. She posed the question that how can a person be social when you can’t stand the environment. She gave a personal example that some clothing causes her skin to itch. Dr. Grandin gave reasons why a child would rock or flutter their fingers in front of their face. It was in order to shut out the other stimulus that hurts. Dr. Grandin mentioned that when you take an autistic child in for an eye exam for vision problems, the exam will be normal. The eyes are functioning properly; it is a visual processing problem that is taking place in the brain. Some suggestions to help a child with this type of problem is to place the child’s desk near the window for natural light, get rid of fluorescent lights, put the child’s homework on colored paper, or have the child wear colored sun glasses. The same thing could happen if you took the child for an ear exam, it would be normal. Some children have a difficult time with auditory detail. Dr. Grandin suggested speaking slowly to enunciate the words better for the child to understand. She suggested that we use a combined method of phonics and whole word to teach children with autism to read.
Dr Grandin informed us that there are three types of specialized thinking which include visual thinkers, pattern thinkers, and word thinkers. Visual thinkers see everything in pictures like using Google images. They need a lot of descriptions to create these mental images. This type of thinker might struggle in math. Pattern thinkers are more abstract and enjoy music and math. They might be weak in reading and writing composition. Finally, word thinkers know every fact concerning their favorite subject. With any of these types of thinking, Dr. Grandin suggested that we should build up the areas of strengths and focus on what the child can do when he grows up. We need to use the obsession to teach the child. For example, if the child is obsessed about trains have him read books about trains. Help the child to do things that people will want.
In regards to medication, Dr. Grandin gave an interesting example about how anti-depressants had helped her overcome her fear of dangerous predators. Imagine that she locked the doors, turned off the lights, and let loose a bunch of poisonous snakes. Without her medication, she always felt terrified even though she was in no danger. She suggested that medication has a place along with behavioral therapy and supplements.
Dr Grandin offered some other bits of information. In order to desensitize a child to a bothersome noise, record the noise on a tape recorder and then have the child initiate the sound to help overcome it. Autistic children need structure; but, they need to learn to accept some change. You can help overcome this fear of change by giving plenty of advance warning of change. Also, social skills must be taught. It is never too late to learn, the more experiences a person has to compare to the better off they are. Get children with autism to try and do things. Make a system to make organizing things easier for them. For a non-verbal child, let them use a keyboard for communication.
Who better to help us understand autism than a person who has autism? I now have a glimpse of some of the issues that might affect the children whom I will teach. I would be interested in reading her books because Dr. Grandin’s insights seemed so on target. I will continue to research this so that I might make a difference in many people’s lives.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Chapter 3 Learning Log
What?
Personal and social development are ideas covered in chapter 3. There are many factors which contribute to a person’s sense of self including previous performances, behaviors of others, and group membership. There are developmental changes that occur in our sense of self as we mature. During childhood, a child’s perception of self is concrete and optimistic. In early adolescence, self concepts and self esteem drop as students make the transition from elementary school to middle school. During this period, children have the belief that everyone is watching them, and that no one has ever experienced what their life is like. They are able to think of themselves in concrete terms as well as in some abstract terms such as awesome and cool. During late adolescence, children are able to come up with a general sense of identity of who they are, what things they like, and what they want to accomplish in life. The text discusses peer relationships such as cliques, gangs, and friendships. It touches on parenting styles, popularity and isolation and aggression and offers many suggestions for fostering and building pro-social and moral development.
Erikson presented an eight stage process in which he believed people developed their sense of self. Dr Cox presented a mnemonic method to memorize these stages. The first stage of trust vs. mistrust is represented by 1=bun. The idea is to imagine a delicious cinnamon bun in one hand and a baby in the other reaching for the bun. When you feed the baby, you are establishing trust, when you feed only yourself, you establish mistrust. The second stage of autonomy vs. shame and doubt is represented by 2=shoe. The idea is to imagine a toddler trying to put on his own shoes and tie them. This represents autonomy. However, the mom is in a hurry and ties the shoes herself. This establishes shame and doubt. The third stage of initiative vs. guilt is represented by 3=tree. The idea is to imagine a little girl in a pretty party dress is at a party. She sees an awesome climbing tree across the way and run over and begins climbing it. The little girl has initiative. She gets sticks in her hair and rips her dress. He mom sees her, gets mad, and yells at her. This establishes guilt. The fourth stage of industry vs. inferiority is represented by 4=door. We are to imagine our classroom with two doors in the back. On the first day you teach your students to go out and save the world through the first door. This establishes industry. On the next day, you tell them how stupid they are and send them out the second door which is a pit they fall into. This established inferiority.
The fifth stage of identity vs. role confusion is represented by 5=hive. Imagine a bunch of worker bees who are just buzzing about because they are not really sure what to do. This represents role confusion. Think next of the queen bee inside the hive busily going about doing what queen bee’s do. This represents identity. The sixth stage of intimacy vs. isolation is represented by 6=sticks. Holding out your hands with the sticks in them you bring hands together and rub saying “intimacy, kissy, kissy, kissy” to represent intimacy. Then pull the stick apart and say “isolation.” For the seventh stage of generativity vs. stagnation you think of 7=heaven. If you are generating good things in life, your life is in heaven. If you are stagnating and rotting you are going to hell. Finally for the eighth stage of identity vs. despair you thing of 8=gate. You are so old that you have come to the pearly gates. If you are pleased with your life’s accomplishments you have integrity and are looking in to go ahead. If you despair over what you have done, you are looking out thinking I wish I could have done better.
Moral transgressions are those which all cultures discourage. This is different from conventional transgressions which are things that are specific to a particular culture. It is important to look from the perspective of theories not from religious or personal experiences when determining moral development. Kohlberg presented a three level, six staged process which demonstrated the development of moral reasoning. The first level is preconventional morality and includes the punishment avoidance/obedience stage and the individualism/exchange of favors stage. Preschoolers, elementary school students, junior high students and some high school students are in this level. The second level is conventional and includes the good boy/good girl stage and the law and order stage. This level includes some older elementary students, some junior high students, and many high school students. The third level is the post conventional level and includes the social contract stage and the universal ethical principle stage. This level is not usually seen until students reach college.
Dr. Cox presented a developmental chart on emotional intelligence. We begin with knowing one’s emotions. Next, when a person moves on to managing their emotions followed by motivation oneself. Next, a person is able to recognize emotions in others. Finally, a person is able to handle relationships. Dr. Cox also told us an interesting study called the Marshmallow test which involved delayed gratification. Through the study, the correlation was made that if a child is able to wait for 15 minutes to get two marshmallows as opposed to gobble up the first marshmallow immediately, the child ended up having higher SAT scores, higher life satisfaction and was more successful and happier in life. This type of emotional tests is a better indicator of life success and happiness than IQ tests.
So What?
From the discussion of our individual concept maps we created with factors that contributed to our sense of self, it was determined that every person is unique with a diverse set of factors which make up our sense of self. Based upon our sense of self, each person in the classroom is different; and therefore, will behave differently based upon their unique sense of self. This can easily translate over into a classroom full of students. Each student in the class is different, has experienced different things, been exposed to different things; and therefore, will indeed react or act differently. As a teacher, it is important to keep this in mind and try to accommodate all the students as much as possible similarly to including Gardner’s multiple intelligences. Although a teacher cannot change the circumstances from which a student comes from, the teacher can teach the student to make better social and moral decisions. It is important that I as a teacher am aware of the Erickson and Kohlberg’s stages so that I can determine how best to help each student. It would be unproductive to push the student to achieve something that is several levels above their present developmental capacities.
Now What?
As I prepare to become an elementary school teacher it is important for me to understand that each student comes to class with a unique sense of self. Each one of these unique children will be dependent upon me to provide appropriate instruction to teach them. Some students might not come from ideal home situations and as a teacher I will be able to make a positive impact on their lives. I believe it is extremely important for me to establish a classroom environment which welcomes and celebrates diversity. I feel strongly that I am responsible to help each student develop a good working relationship with all the other students creating a positive environment in which no students feel neglected or rejected. There are many things which I can do to help develop students’ moral and social and personal sense. I can create small group projects, assign and change seating arrangements, and encourage and facilitate extra curricular activities. I can help students evaluate differing perspectives when reading stories. I can teach and model effective social skills. I can provide many opportunities for interaction and cooperation in the classroom. I can explain and establish appropriate classroom rules. I can encourage students to have empathy for others. I will keep the students’ zone of proximal development in mind as I consistently try to build students’ personal, moral, and social abilities. I will need to continue to learn about this topic so that I can be prepared to help my students’ development.
Personal and social development are ideas covered in chapter 3. There are many factors which contribute to a person’s sense of self including previous performances, behaviors of others, and group membership. There are developmental changes that occur in our sense of self as we mature. During childhood, a child’s perception of self is concrete and optimistic. In early adolescence, self concepts and self esteem drop as students make the transition from elementary school to middle school. During this period, children have the belief that everyone is watching them, and that no one has ever experienced what their life is like. They are able to think of themselves in concrete terms as well as in some abstract terms such as awesome and cool. During late adolescence, children are able to come up with a general sense of identity of who they are, what things they like, and what they want to accomplish in life. The text discusses peer relationships such as cliques, gangs, and friendships. It touches on parenting styles, popularity and isolation and aggression and offers many suggestions for fostering and building pro-social and moral development.
Erikson presented an eight stage process in which he believed people developed their sense of self. Dr Cox presented a mnemonic method to memorize these stages. The first stage of trust vs. mistrust is represented by 1=bun. The idea is to imagine a delicious cinnamon bun in one hand and a baby in the other reaching for the bun. When you feed the baby, you are establishing trust, when you feed only yourself, you establish mistrust. The second stage of autonomy vs. shame and doubt is represented by 2=shoe. The idea is to imagine a toddler trying to put on his own shoes and tie them. This represents autonomy. However, the mom is in a hurry and ties the shoes herself. This establishes shame and doubt. The third stage of initiative vs. guilt is represented by 3=tree. The idea is to imagine a little girl in a pretty party dress is at a party. She sees an awesome climbing tree across the way and run over and begins climbing it. The little girl has initiative. She gets sticks in her hair and rips her dress. He mom sees her, gets mad, and yells at her. This establishes guilt. The fourth stage of industry vs. inferiority is represented by 4=door. We are to imagine our classroom with two doors in the back. On the first day you teach your students to go out and save the world through the first door. This establishes industry. On the next day, you tell them how stupid they are and send them out the second door which is a pit they fall into. This established inferiority.
The fifth stage of identity vs. role confusion is represented by 5=hive. Imagine a bunch of worker bees who are just buzzing about because they are not really sure what to do. This represents role confusion. Think next of the queen bee inside the hive busily going about doing what queen bee’s do. This represents identity. The sixth stage of intimacy vs. isolation is represented by 6=sticks. Holding out your hands with the sticks in them you bring hands together and rub saying “intimacy, kissy, kissy, kissy” to represent intimacy. Then pull the stick apart and say “isolation.” For the seventh stage of generativity vs. stagnation you think of 7=heaven. If you are generating good things in life, your life is in heaven. If you are stagnating and rotting you are going to hell. Finally for the eighth stage of identity vs. despair you thing of 8=gate. You are so old that you have come to the pearly gates. If you are pleased with your life’s accomplishments you have integrity and are looking in to go ahead. If you despair over what you have done, you are looking out thinking I wish I could have done better.
Moral transgressions are those which all cultures discourage. This is different from conventional transgressions which are things that are specific to a particular culture. It is important to look from the perspective of theories not from religious or personal experiences when determining moral development. Kohlberg presented a three level, six staged process which demonstrated the development of moral reasoning. The first level is preconventional morality and includes the punishment avoidance/obedience stage and the individualism/exchange of favors stage. Preschoolers, elementary school students, junior high students and some high school students are in this level. The second level is conventional and includes the good boy/good girl stage and the law and order stage. This level includes some older elementary students, some junior high students, and many high school students. The third level is the post conventional level and includes the social contract stage and the universal ethical principle stage. This level is not usually seen until students reach college.
Dr. Cox presented a developmental chart on emotional intelligence. We begin with knowing one’s emotions. Next, when a person moves on to managing their emotions followed by motivation oneself. Next, a person is able to recognize emotions in others. Finally, a person is able to handle relationships. Dr. Cox also told us an interesting study called the Marshmallow test which involved delayed gratification. Through the study, the correlation was made that if a child is able to wait for 15 minutes to get two marshmallows as opposed to gobble up the first marshmallow immediately, the child ended up having higher SAT scores, higher life satisfaction and was more successful and happier in life. This type of emotional tests is a better indicator of life success and happiness than IQ tests.
So What?
From the discussion of our individual concept maps we created with factors that contributed to our sense of self, it was determined that every person is unique with a diverse set of factors which make up our sense of self. Based upon our sense of self, each person in the classroom is different; and therefore, will behave differently based upon their unique sense of self. This can easily translate over into a classroom full of students. Each student in the class is different, has experienced different things, been exposed to different things; and therefore, will indeed react or act differently. As a teacher, it is important to keep this in mind and try to accommodate all the students as much as possible similarly to including Gardner’s multiple intelligences. Although a teacher cannot change the circumstances from which a student comes from, the teacher can teach the student to make better social and moral decisions. It is important that I as a teacher am aware of the Erickson and Kohlberg’s stages so that I can determine how best to help each student. It would be unproductive to push the student to achieve something that is several levels above their present developmental capacities.
Now What?
As I prepare to become an elementary school teacher it is important for me to understand that each student comes to class with a unique sense of self. Each one of these unique children will be dependent upon me to provide appropriate instruction to teach them. Some students might not come from ideal home situations and as a teacher I will be able to make a positive impact on their lives. I believe it is extremely important for me to establish a classroom environment which welcomes and celebrates diversity. I feel strongly that I am responsible to help each student develop a good working relationship with all the other students creating a positive environment in which no students feel neglected or rejected. There are many things which I can do to help develop students’ moral and social and personal sense. I can create small group projects, assign and change seating arrangements, and encourage and facilitate extra curricular activities. I can help students evaluate differing perspectives when reading stories. I can teach and model effective social skills. I can provide many opportunities for interaction and cooperation in the classroom. I can explain and establish appropriate classroom rules. I can encourage students to have empathy for others. I will keep the students’ zone of proximal development in mind as I consistently try to build students’ personal, moral, and social abilities. I will need to continue to learn about this topic so that I can be prepared to help my students’ development.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Chapter 2 Learning Log
What?
Learning is the development of neuronetworks. These networks are strengthened through use. The more you use a certain pathway the more it anticipates future use. It is like driving a car on the same roads each day, it becomes habit to follow the same pathway. The brain is not a predetermined thing. It is very changeable and adaptable. The things we do in our lives can stretch our brain and make it learn.
Piaget and Vygotsky proposed two different cognitive development theories. Piaget suggested factors that affect cognitive development include biological maturation (nature), active exploration of the physical environment (nurture), social experiences (nurture) and equilibration (self-regulation). Piaget proposed that we learn through assimilation and accommodation of events into our schema. Piaget’s theory includes three stages of development which include sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operations, and formal operations. Vygotsky’s theory on cognitive development is a sociocultural learning perspective. It includes guided participation, apprenticeships, peer interaction and the importance of play. He believed that children have a zone of proximal development (ZPD) in which learning takes place. The ZPD is where a child is challenged at a level that they can only accomplish a task through scaffolding.
A very important factor in cognitive development is acquiring language. A portion of chapter two is devoted to linguistic development. One very important factor in linguistic development is that children’s ability to learn language is greatly affected by the amount of language in their environment. Children who come from rich language environments will develop a larger vocabulary more quickly than those who do not. Language development includes vocabulary, syntax, listening comprehension, oral communication skills, and metalinguistic awareness.
So What?
As a mother of a 6th grader, I have come to realize that some of the abstract math concepts being introducing in her class are in what Piaget calls the formal operations stage. I have occasionally though while helping her with her homework that she’s not grasping the concept at all. Now that I have read the chapter and listened to the class lectures, I realize it is likely that her cognitive development is being stretched in this instruction as she is likely only now moving into the formal operations stage. As I help her, I try to draw pictures, provide examples, and explain the concepts in several different ways to help her make a connection that she will remember. Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories help me to understand where my own child might be in her cognitive development. As a future educator I need to be aware of the theories of cognitive development as they apply to my students and provide meaningful experiences, instruction, and scaffolding to help my students develop cognitively.
Now What?
As a future kindergarten teacher, it is important for me to understand the different cognitive theories to help my kindergarten students develop cognitively. I will need to continue to learn and apply cognitive development theories so that I am best able to help my students learn effectively. Several things that I can do in my classroom include providing hands on experiences, providing opportunities for sorting objects, allowing for play time, encouraging students to talk through tasks, and providing learning situations which are in the student’s zone of proximal development. In order to assist in the students’ linguistic development I can make sure that my classroom is rich in literature. I will incorporate reading, writing, and listening into as many activities as possible in the classroom. I will encourage parents to talk with their students as well as to read to them. Above all, I need to continue to learn about the cognitive and linguistic development of the students I would like to teach in order to understand their abilities and how I can help meet them as a teacher.
Learning is the development of neuronetworks. These networks are strengthened through use. The more you use a certain pathway the more it anticipates future use. It is like driving a car on the same roads each day, it becomes habit to follow the same pathway. The brain is not a predetermined thing. It is very changeable and adaptable. The things we do in our lives can stretch our brain and make it learn.
Piaget and Vygotsky proposed two different cognitive development theories. Piaget suggested factors that affect cognitive development include biological maturation (nature), active exploration of the physical environment (nurture), social experiences (nurture) and equilibration (self-regulation). Piaget proposed that we learn through assimilation and accommodation of events into our schema. Piaget’s theory includes three stages of development which include sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operations, and formal operations. Vygotsky’s theory on cognitive development is a sociocultural learning perspective. It includes guided participation, apprenticeships, peer interaction and the importance of play. He believed that children have a zone of proximal development (ZPD) in which learning takes place. The ZPD is where a child is challenged at a level that they can only accomplish a task through scaffolding.
A very important factor in cognitive development is acquiring language. A portion of chapter two is devoted to linguistic development. One very important factor in linguistic development is that children’s ability to learn language is greatly affected by the amount of language in their environment. Children who come from rich language environments will develop a larger vocabulary more quickly than those who do not. Language development includes vocabulary, syntax, listening comprehension, oral communication skills, and metalinguistic awareness.
So What?
As a mother of a 6th grader, I have come to realize that some of the abstract math concepts being introducing in her class are in what Piaget calls the formal operations stage. I have occasionally though while helping her with her homework that she’s not grasping the concept at all. Now that I have read the chapter and listened to the class lectures, I realize it is likely that her cognitive development is being stretched in this instruction as she is likely only now moving into the formal operations stage. As I help her, I try to draw pictures, provide examples, and explain the concepts in several different ways to help her make a connection that she will remember. Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories help me to understand where my own child might be in her cognitive development. As a future educator I need to be aware of the theories of cognitive development as they apply to my students and provide meaningful experiences, instruction, and scaffolding to help my students develop cognitively.
Now What?
As a future kindergarten teacher, it is important for me to understand the different cognitive theories to help my kindergarten students develop cognitively. I will need to continue to learn and apply cognitive development theories so that I am best able to help my students learn effectively. Several things that I can do in my classroom include providing hands on experiences, providing opportunities for sorting objects, allowing for play time, encouraging students to talk through tasks, and providing learning situations which are in the student’s zone of proximal development. In order to assist in the students’ linguistic development I can make sure that my classroom is rich in literature. I will incorporate reading, writing, and listening into as many activities as possible in the classroom. I will encourage parents to talk with their students as well as to read to them. Above all, I need to continue to learn about the cognitive and linguistic development of the students I would like to teach in order to understand their abilities and how I can help meet them as a teacher.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Kim Peek at UVU
Today, I had the fantastic opportunity to go to the UVU Ballroom and hear a presentation given by Fran and Kim Peek. Fran is Kim’s father and companion. Kim is known as a mega savant. He has incredible abilities including reading books and accurately remembering 98.7% of what he reads. This is indeed incredible because Kim was born with severe mental retardation. At the age of 9 months it was recommended to his parents that Kim should be institutionalized at a mental hospital in American Fork. The Peeks refused and cared for Kim at home. Very early on, Kim began reading and memorizing books. At the age of 6, the Peeks enrolled Kim in school but due to behavior problems they had to bring him home again. At their insistence, the school provided a retired school teacher to tutor Kim 45 minutes a day twice a week. Kim completed the high school curriculum at the age of 14. Although Kim has incredible mental abilities, he requires help on basic functions such as showering, shaving, and dressing. When Kim was 32 years old it was discovered that the two hemispheres of his brain were completely fused together. There was no corpus collosum.
The movie “Rain Man” was written after the writer met Kim. Dustin Hoffman spent time with Kim and his father before he did portrayed Kim in the movie. Dustin made his father promise that he would share Kim with the world. Fran did not know if that were possible because Kim was severely mentally retarded. Fran began working with the Jordan School District on commercials about caring and respecting differences. After the students had prepared questions for Kim he attended an assembly to answer them. With a few minutes left, they asked other students for questions. One boy asked, “What is it like to be a spastic?” Kim answered with a positive response and found out the boy had been dared to ask the question by two friends. Then Kim replied, “Now that you have been education, we can now be friends.”
Apparently Kim has improved significantly in his social skills since receiving notoriety as the real “Rain Man.” Kim was given the “Best Performance for 1988” Oscar, and takes it with him to his presentations and allows everyone to hold it. During the presentation, Kim seemed warm, friendly, personable, and funny. He would randomly start talking about unusual items and his father could eventually get around to figuring out what he was saying. He has presented to 5.3 million people and he has a mission which is: “Recognize and respect differences in others and treat them as much as they want them to treat you so we can have a better world to live in. You don’t have to be handicapped to be different. Everybody is different.”
The human brain is capable of amazing things. Kim Peek is a remarkable person with unbelievable mental abilities. Fran Peek is a dedicated and loving father. Their presentation made me wonder about the brain’s capacity and made me want to reach higher in all I do.
The movie “Rain Man” was written after the writer met Kim. Dustin Hoffman spent time with Kim and his father before he did portrayed Kim in the movie. Dustin made his father promise that he would share Kim with the world. Fran did not know if that were possible because Kim was severely mentally retarded. Fran began working with the Jordan School District on commercials about caring and respecting differences. After the students had prepared questions for Kim he attended an assembly to answer them. With a few minutes left, they asked other students for questions. One boy asked, “What is it like to be a spastic?” Kim answered with a positive response and found out the boy had been dared to ask the question by two friends. Then Kim replied, “Now that you have been education, we can now be friends.”
Apparently Kim has improved significantly in his social skills since receiving notoriety as the real “Rain Man.” Kim was given the “Best Performance for 1988” Oscar, and takes it with him to his presentations and allows everyone to hold it. During the presentation, Kim seemed warm, friendly, personable, and funny. He would randomly start talking about unusual items and his father could eventually get around to figuring out what he was saying. He has presented to 5.3 million people and he has a mission which is: “Recognize and respect differences in others and treat them as much as they want them to treat you so we can have a better world to live in. You don’t have to be handicapped to be different. Everybody is different.”
The human brain is capable of amazing things. Kim Peek is a remarkable person with unbelievable mental abilities. Fran Peek is a dedicated and loving father. Their presentation made me wonder about the brain’s capacity and made me want to reach higher in all I do.
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