Theories in educational psychology promote the idea that language plays a critical role in cognitive development. Examine Table 2.2 (p. 51), paying particular attention to the age range that you are interested in teaching. Consider how you might incorporate or adapt the strategies presented for use with your own students.
I think that language does play a huge role in cognitive development. I've learned this in many classes including my Reading Ed class. I think that I need to give lots of opportunities for my students to see and read words. The book gives lots of great strategies and I would like to include the ones that I found the most interesting and helpful. I am also going to be focusing on K-2 since that is where I would like to teach. I love the idea of asking students to construct narratives about their recent events. When I worked in a bilingual classroom in Spain I did a lot of this when trying students to speak English. This relates what students are writing or speaking about to their lives so they will be inclined to be more interested. I am also a very big believer in asking follow up questions. I think that students need to process what they read and use metacognition.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
Self Efficacy and Self Regulation
How might self-efficacy and self-regulation contribute to the intervention plans you use in your case study?
I think that this case study deals more with self-regulation than self-efficacy, but both are very important.
One reason why Lisa may be off task in her group is because she doesn't feel confident about her abilities or her particular job in her group, which may lead her to being off task and not motivated to try. As Lisa's teacher, I would need to boost her self-efficacy by giving her positive feedback when she does do something on task and productive. I would also assure her that she has the tools and does know how to work in an on task manner and successfully complete her role in her small group.
As I previously stated, self-regulation would really come into play in this case study. As I've seen in classrooms before, I could give Lisa a sticky note where she could keep tally marks of times that she is on task. I could also speak with her at the end of the day and ask her to evaluate how well she worked in her group that day. I would say something like "I was watching you today to see how you did in group time and I'd like you to tell me how you think you worked". This way Lisa will know that I too was observing her and she can't get away with saying "I did great!" even if she didn't have a good day. We could talk about things that she did right and wrong and why they were right and wrong. After this we could think of a plan for her to stay doing positive things in group work. This gives Lisa a sense of ownership, which I think is very important in younger students.
I have included a link to an article on self-regulation with some great tips for the classroom! http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/staff-workshop-teacher-handout-self-regulation-early-childhood-classroom
I think that this case study deals more with self-regulation than self-efficacy, but both are very important.
One reason why Lisa may be off task in her group is because she doesn't feel confident about her abilities or her particular job in her group, which may lead her to being off task and not motivated to try. As Lisa's teacher, I would need to boost her self-efficacy by giving her positive feedback when she does do something on task and productive. I would also assure her that she has the tools and does know how to work in an on task manner and successfully complete her role in her small group.
As I previously stated, self-regulation would really come into play in this case study. As I've seen in classrooms before, I could give Lisa a sticky note where she could keep tally marks of times that she is on task. I could also speak with her at the end of the day and ask her to evaluate how well she worked in her group that day. I would say something like "I was watching you today to see how you did in group time and I'd like you to tell me how you think you worked". This way Lisa will know that I too was observing her and she can't get away with saying "I did great!" even if she didn't have a good day. We could talk about things that she did right and wrong and why they were right and wrong. After this we could think of a plan for her to stay doing positive things in group work. This gives Lisa a sense of ownership, which I think is very important in younger students.
I have included a link to an article on self-regulation with some great tips for the classroom! http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/staff-workshop-teacher-handout-self-regulation-early-childhood-classroom
Case Study Continued
Consider your CSEL intervention case study. Are there tools from a behaviorist view for either encouraging productive behaviors or discouraging undesirable behaviors that you could apply to the case? What are they?
Now, compare the interventions that you have identified above with what you think might work from a cognitive or constructivist viewpoint (you may need to Google for ideas but it's okay to just speculate based on your prior knowledge). How do they compare to behaviorist tools? What are the benefits of each theory, and what are the deficits? Which theory might play a larger role in how you determine classroom management?
Elementary Education Case Study
You engage your third grade students in cooperative learning activities at least twice a day, changing heterogeneous group members once every four weeks. You have agreed upon routine procedures that your classroom community uses within their small groups, including the roles and responsibilities of group members. Lately you have noticed that one small group always seems to have difficulty grasping material and completing their project in an acceptable manner. You observe this group carefully and find that Lisa seems to be the catalyst for their problems. She gets angry with others if she does not get the job she wants and refuses to do her part in contributing to the group’s learning. She constantly interrupts others in her group. She does not pay attention when her group prepares for class presentations.
There are many behaviorist theories that I would consider in this case study and I think that many are used regularly in elementary classrooms. One system that is clearly behaviorist would be implementing a behavior chart with consequences and rewards. You can use reinforcements for good behavior, such as students receive extra recess time for good behavior (positive reinforcement) and taking away recess for bad behavior (negative consequence). In the case study that I worked with previously, I stated that if a problem persists over time I would remove her from the group and have her work on her own. This would be an example of negative consequence, because I am removing her from something desirable (being a group) in hopes that the action (being distracting/not working well with others) decreases.
When using a constructivist approach, I would not use reinforcement or punishment like I would in a behaviorist setting. In a constructivist approach, I would explain to Lisa what she is doing wrong and discuss with her what we could do to help fix the problem and why it is a problem in the first place that she is being disruptive and unhelpful. Lisa and I could maybe come up with a consequence when she is being off task and a cue that I give her when she is being off task. In my previous post, I said that I could tap on Lisa's desk to get her attention and make sure she is on task, this could be a cue that we come up with together to make sure she is working well in the group.
I think that as a first year teacher, it is easier to implement a behaviorist system for classroom management in your classroom because it is very straight forward with reinforcements and punishments put into place and set in stone. I think that as I progress as a teacher I would like to move more toward a constructivist classroom, where students can notice their behaviors, explain why they are not acceptable and fix them themselves. Like I said, this constructivist classroom would come more with time, practice and knowledge of how a classroom really runs.
Now, compare the interventions that you have identified above with what you think might work from a cognitive or constructivist viewpoint (you may need to Google for ideas but it's okay to just speculate based on your prior knowledge). How do they compare to behaviorist tools? What are the benefits of each theory, and what are the deficits? Which theory might play a larger role in how you determine classroom management?
Elementary Education Case Study
You engage your third grade students in cooperative learning activities at least twice a day, changing heterogeneous group members once every four weeks. You have agreed upon routine procedures that your classroom community uses within their small groups, including the roles and responsibilities of group members. Lately you have noticed that one small group always seems to have difficulty grasping material and completing their project in an acceptable manner. You observe this group carefully and find that Lisa seems to be the catalyst for their problems. She gets angry with others if she does not get the job she wants and refuses to do her part in contributing to the group’s learning. She constantly interrupts others in her group. She does not pay attention when her group prepares for class presentations.
There are many behaviorist theories that I would consider in this case study and I think that many are used regularly in elementary classrooms. One system that is clearly behaviorist would be implementing a behavior chart with consequences and rewards. You can use reinforcements for good behavior, such as students receive extra recess time for good behavior (positive reinforcement) and taking away recess for bad behavior (negative consequence). In the case study that I worked with previously, I stated that if a problem persists over time I would remove her from the group and have her work on her own. This would be an example of negative consequence, because I am removing her from something desirable (being a group) in hopes that the action (being distracting/not working well with others) decreases.
When using a constructivist approach, I would not use reinforcement or punishment like I would in a behaviorist setting. In a constructivist approach, I would explain to Lisa what she is doing wrong and discuss with her what we could do to help fix the problem and why it is a problem in the first place that she is being disruptive and unhelpful. Lisa and I could maybe come up with a consequence when she is being off task and a cue that I give her when she is being off task. In my previous post, I said that I could tap on Lisa's desk to get her attention and make sure she is on task, this could be a cue that we come up with together to make sure she is working well in the group.
I think that as a first year teacher, it is easier to implement a behaviorist system for classroom management in your classroom because it is very straight forward with reinforcements and punishments put into place and set in stone. I think that as I progress as a teacher I would like to move more toward a constructivist classroom, where students can notice their behaviors, explain why they are not acceptable and fix them themselves. Like I said, this constructivist classroom would come more with time, practice and knowledge of how a classroom really runs.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Metacognition
Consider a lesson plan you might use. Which metacognitive skills/abilities are involved as students gain facility/knowledge in this domain?
OR
Think of an activity or lesson component that explicitly teaches one or more metacognitive and one or more problem solving skills.
Metacognitive skills are so very important for our young learners-- because it helps them learn how to learn. When I was first introduced to the word metacognition I was a little confused, but then quickly realized that this is a skill that I've used for a very long time and has served me well! For this PLE I will be answering the second question that we were given.
Before starting a new literature lesson I would like to introduce my students into this idea of metacognition. I don't think that I will use the word metacognition, because it's a little big and scary (even to my college aged self I was a little bit intimidated by it!). I want to advise my students that they will start "thinking about what they're thinking about". I will give them their literature and tell them that they should write down on a separate sheet of paper anything that they find themselves thinking about when they're reading along with the page number they were on. In a perfect world students would be able to write in their books, but due to funding and resources this probably won't happen. I'd like to see them write down things such as connections they're making, questions they have about vocabulary words, etc.
Along the same lines, once we're done with our literature piece, I'd like to present them hypothetical questions like "what if you were character X, what would you have done in their situation, and why?" to help develop their problem solving skills. I would like to make this a big group discussion, because I think that students feed well off of each others comments and discussion.
Here is a cute youtube video I found of students singing a song about metacognition. A little long to have students memorize and sing, but maybe making a recording of this or printing it out and placing it around the room would be a good idea! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNeQKk_1Bg8
OR
Think of an activity or lesson component that explicitly teaches one or more metacognitive and one or more problem solving skills.
Metacognitive skills are so very important for our young learners-- because it helps them learn how to learn. When I was first introduced to the word metacognition I was a little confused, but then quickly realized that this is a skill that I've used for a very long time and has served me well! For this PLE I will be answering the second question that we were given.
Before starting a new literature lesson I would like to introduce my students into this idea of metacognition. I don't think that I will use the word metacognition, because it's a little big and scary (even to my college aged self I was a little bit intimidated by it!). I want to advise my students that they will start "thinking about what they're thinking about". I will give them their literature and tell them that they should write down on a separate sheet of paper anything that they find themselves thinking about when they're reading along with the page number they were on. In a perfect world students would be able to write in their books, but due to funding and resources this probably won't happen. I'd like to see them write down things such as connections they're making, questions they have about vocabulary words, etc.
Along the same lines, once we're done with our literature piece, I'd like to present them hypothetical questions like "what if you were character X, what would you have done in their situation, and why?" to help develop their problem solving skills. I would like to make this a big group discussion, because I think that students feed well off of each others comments and discussion.
Here is a cute youtube video I found of students singing a song about metacognition. A little long to have students memorize and sing, but maybe making a recording of this or printing it out and placing it around the room would be a good idea! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNeQKk_1Bg8
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Constructivism
Make a list of the sequence of skills necessary for ultimate mastery of the content of your lesson through a constructivist approach.
Which of these learning activities/skills lend themselves to student’s individual or group construction? How might you structure learning activities that lead students to discover these skills/these principles?
For this blog I would like to use a hypothetical classroom talking about natural resources. This would be set for a fifth grade science classroom. I wrote a used a lesson about this in my science methods class and it went very well.
First, I would introduce natural resources. I would ask students what they knew about natural resources, this would include definitions and examples.
Next, I would have students spend a few minutes writing down why they think natural resources are important and if they think they are at risk of running out.
After having some time to individually reflect I would have the class come back together and share their ideas about natural resources.
After this discussion we would do a short activity showing students how natural resources are at risk and how we need to share them among all citizens. This activity involves using M&Ms as fish in a lake and over fishing.
Lastly, I would ask students to apply what they've learned to other topics in the real world. I would ask for other examples of natural resources other than fish or animals. I would also ask what we can do to help save our natural resources.
This activity would help students explore what they think about natural resources and how we should use them. I've included a link that lays out constructivism pretty simply. This is helpful since we're learning so many different learning theories to keep them straight! http://www.ucdoer.ie/index.php/Education_Theory/Constructivism_and_Social_Constructivism_in_the_Classroom
Which of these learning activities/skills lend themselves to student’s individual or group construction? How might you structure learning activities that lead students to discover these skills/these principles?
For this blog I would like to use a hypothetical classroom talking about natural resources. This would be set for a fifth grade science classroom. I wrote a used a lesson about this in my science methods class and it went very well.
First, I would introduce natural resources. I would ask students what they knew about natural resources, this would include definitions and examples.
Next, I would have students spend a few minutes writing down why they think natural resources are important and if they think they are at risk of running out.
After having some time to individually reflect I would have the class come back together and share their ideas about natural resources.
After this discussion we would do a short activity showing students how natural resources are at risk and how we need to share them among all citizens. This activity involves using M&Ms as fish in a lake and over fishing.
Lastly, I would ask students to apply what they've learned to other topics in the real world. I would ask for other examples of natural resources other than fish or animals. I would also ask what we can do to help save our natural resources.
This activity would help students explore what they think about natural resources and how we should use them. I've included a link that lays out constructivism pretty simply. This is helpful since we're learning so many different learning theories to keep them straight! http://www.ucdoer.ie/index.php/Education_Theory/Constructivism_and_Social_Constructivism_in_the_Classroom
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Chapter 6
What are the essential skills and/or learning outcomes you want your students to know and be able to do that relate to cognitive learning?
How might your knowledge of the memory processes guide your instructional decisions?
I want my students to be able to relate previous knowledge to the material we are learning in class and then relate that to future lessons. I think it's important for them to be active learners, so I will constantly ask my students questions to check for understanding. I will also try to give lessons in different ways and try to connect what they're learning to the real world.
I also want my students to be able to make not only academic connections, but emotional connections to material we are learning in class. As we covered in the teaching projects, students are more likely to remember material that has some sort of meaning behind it. Giving students enough time to share stories will not only help them verbalize their own connections, but may trigger memories that other students have.
I think that linking ideas helps students remember things well. For example, when I was in high school we had to make concept webs in my microbiology class. I would remember topics that went together because I literally linked them on my paper. I remembered this flow of ideas and also remembered the way that my concept web looked (I tend to be a pretty visual learner).
How might your knowledge of the memory processes guide your instructional decisions?
I want my students to be able to relate previous knowledge to the material we are learning in class and then relate that to future lessons. I think it's important for them to be active learners, so I will constantly ask my students questions to check for understanding. I will also try to give lessons in different ways and try to connect what they're learning to the real world.
I also want my students to be able to make not only academic connections, but emotional connections to material we are learning in class. As we covered in the teaching projects, students are more likely to remember material that has some sort of meaning behind it. Giving students enough time to share stories will not only help them verbalize their own connections, but may trigger memories that other students have.
I think that linking ideas helps students remember things well. For example, when I was in high school we had to make concept webs in my microbiology class. I would remember topics that went together because I literally linked them on my paper. I remembered this flow of ideas and also remembered the way that my concept web looked (I tend to be a pretty visual learner).
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Assessment
Think of a lesson plan from your licensure area. Knowing that assessment is an integral part of teaching, explain at least four informal and formal assessments that you will use in your lesson plan to provide you with feedback and involve the students in assessing their own learning.
In my teaching rotation I am able to observe a math lesson at Mooreland Heights Elementary School. I previously didn't feel very comfortable about teaching math, but by watching Ms. Hutson, my mentor, I have found some confidence. Most of her lessons follow the same format, something that I wish to do when I'm a teacher. I think it gets the kids in a good routine and makes them feel comfortable with topics and also some of the forms of assessment I am going to discuss.
For the sake of this blog I will say we're learning about adding and multiplying fractions in a fifth grade class (that is what we're doing at MHES). As most of us know, fractions can be a pretty scary topic and can be confusing so I think it's a great topic to be assessed in frequently, so no one will get left behind.
Below I have stated some of the different types of assessment I will use when teaching fifth graders about math.
-Have some sort of "bell ringer" work that reviews topics from the previous day. This was I can see if students need a little extra time to review what they learned in the previous lesson or if they feel comfortable to move on. This is informal assessment.
- Frequently throughout the lesson have students show me "thumbs up, thumbs down, or thumbs in the middle" as an indicator of how well they understand what's going on. When I first heard my mentor teacher doing this I thought it may not be accurate beacuse students would be embarrassed or shy to say that they are struggling, but I've found that even with fifth grade they're not afraid to ask for help! This is also an informal assessment.
- Students will work individually on whiteboards when I present a problem on the smartboard or main whiteboard. I will have students hold up their whiteboards when they are done so I can see how they're doing. If possible I will have a co-teacher walking around checking everyone's work and taking notes of how they're progressing. Again, this is informal assessment.
- I will present students with a real life situation involving fractions... I'm thinking along the lines of a Hershey's chocolate bar, or pizza slices, and see if they can apply what they've learned to a real life situation. Informal assessment.
- Lastly I will give my students a formal quiz or test at the end of the unit over adding and subtracting fractions. Even though this will be a formal test I will be sure to do what I can to make my students feel at ease, like giving them their white boards to work out problems or drawing a picture if they need it. This is a formal assessment.
I've included a link that has a great, extensive list of informal assessments for math lessons. Some are strategies that I have mentioned in my assessment ideas and there are a lot of new strategies as well! This would be a great link to bookmark. http://loticonnection.cachefly.net/iste_2010/Informal_Assessment_Strategies.pdf
In my teaching rotation I am able to observe a math lesson at Mooreland Heights Elementary School. I previously didn't feel very comfortable about teaching math, but by watching Ms. Hutson, my mentor, I have found some confidence. Most of her lessons follow the same format, something that I wish to do when I'm a teacher. I think it gets the kids in a good routine and makes them feel comfortable with topics and also some of the forms of assessment I am going to discuss.
For the sake of this blog I will say we're learning about adding and multiplying fractions in a fifth grade class (that is what we're doing at MHES). As most of us know, fractions can be a pretty scary topic and can be confusing so I think it's a great topic to be assessed in frequently, so no one will get left behind.
Below I have stated some of the different types of assessment I will use when teaching fifth graders about math.
-Have some sort of "bell ringer" work that reviews topics from the previous day. This was I can see if students need a little extra time to review what they learned in the previous lesson or if they feel comfortable to move on. This is informal assessment.
- Frequently throughout the lesson have students show me "thumbs up, thumbs down, or thumbs in the middle" as an indicator of how well they understand what's going on. When I first heard my mentor teacher doing this I thought it may not be accurate beacuse students would be embarrassed or shy to say that they are struggling, but I've found that even with fifth grade they're not afraid to ask for help! This is also an informal assessment.
- Students will work individually on whiteboards when I present a problem on the smartboard or main whiteboard. I will have students hold up their whiteboards when they are done so I can see how they're doing. If possible I will have a co-teacher walking around checking everyone's work and taking notes of how they're progressing. Again, this is informal assessment.
- I will present students with a real life situation involving fractions... I'm thinking along the lines of a Hershey's chocolate bar, or pizza slices, and see if they can apply what they've learned to a real life situation. Informal assessment.
- Lastly I will give my students a formal quiz or test at the end of the unit over adding and subtracting fractions. Even though this will be a formal test I will be sure to do what I can to make my students feel at ease, like giving them their white boards to work out problems or drawing a picture if they need it. This is a formal assessment.
I've included a link that has a great, extensive list of informal assessments for math lessons. Some are strategies that I have mentioned in my assessment ideas and there are a lot of new strategies as well! This would be a great link to bookmark. http://loticonnection.cachefly.net/iste_2010/Informal_Assessment_Strategies.pdf
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