Connections and Reflection
Each student is a separate individual with likes, dislikes, different experiences, and different perspectives. Through EDU 510 I have learned the many factors that impact a students’ learning and how educators can reach each and every one of those students. In reading David Perkins’ Making Learning Whole: How Seven Principles of Teaching can Transform Education I have made connections to his analogies of “the game” and gained a better understanding of how to encourage students to want to learn. Understanding what intrinsically motivates a student, understanding the impact of their environment, and including physiological aspects can build students learning.
Motivation
When a student likes the topic, enjoys the activity, is engaged in “game” he/she will build deeper understanding. In chapter 2 of Making Learning Whole: How Seven Principles of Teaching can Transform Education Perkins explains how important it is for students to have intrinsic motivation for learning and how teachers can help by providing choice. Perkins states, “When learners feel that they have a choice about just where they focus their attention and just how they proceed, they are more likely to show intrinsic motivation and, along with this broader and deeper learning” (2009, p. 71). In order for teachers to “make the game worth playing” (Perkins, 2009, p. 53) they need to get to know their students. Teachers need to build relationships or rapport with students to understand what motivates them.
Social Context
Urie Bronfenbrenner developed a Theory of Human Development that explains the factors influencing a child’s development. “Some of the factors influencing children’s developmental health include income, education, health, culture, parenting, neighborhood, and social status” (Best Start, n.d.). Bronfenbrenner’s model is outlined in four different levels: microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem (Best Start, n.d.). The influences of a child’s social context impacts learning because it shapes their experiences, point of view, and perspective on every aspect of learning. This is important for teachers to remember as every child will have a different way of thinking about a given topic. This relates to Perkins “Learn from the team” (2009, p.169) in that students can learn from one another by sharing their perspective.
Dynamic Systems Theory
The dynamic systems theory explains how our physical reactions and our environment can shape our thinking. “The dynamical approach to cognition is also closely related to ideas about the embodiment of mind and the environmental situatedness of human cognition, since it emphasizes commonalities between behavior in neural and cognitive processes on one hand with physiological and environmental events on the other” (Port, 2002, p. 1). This theory connects to both motivation and Bronfenbrenner’s theory in that students’ physical reactions will impact their learning. Teachers need to understand the dynamic systems theory when teaching children to create a comfortable environment for students to learn.
While reading the resources of this course and connecting them to my own personal experiences I feel as if I can relate more to my students. I always strive to get to know my students on a personal level so that they have a comfortable learning environment. Many of the students I have encountered have had a traumatic childhood and/or experienced things I could never imagine. These experiences are things that teachers, me included, need to keep at the forefront of our minds when in the classroom. If we want to “make learning whole” (Perkins, 2009) we need to think about the whole student. Every child is different with a variety of experiences. We need to make learning meaningful for every one of our students.
References
Best Start. (n.d.). The on Track Guide. Retrieved from https://www.beststart.org/OnTrack_English/2-promotehealth.html
Edutopia. (2019, Aug. 9). 6 Ways to Build a Rapport with Students. https://twitter.com/edutopia/status/1159903949564129280?s=20
mrkrndvs. (Creator).
(n.d.). “Creating the Conditions
for Learning-
David Price. Creative Commons. https://search.creativecommons.org/search?q=learning%20environment&provider&li<&searchBy
Perkins, D. N., & ebruary, I. (2009). Making Learning Whole: How Seven Principles of Teaching can Transform Education. (Vol. 1). San Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.postu.idm.oclc.org/eds/ebookviewer/ebook?sid=534b3e13-4ac3-4ca3-8da0-35ad3713668d%40sdc-v-sessmgr01&ppid=pp_79&vid=0&format=EB
Port. R. F. (2002). They dynamical systems hypothesis in cognitive science. Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science. Vol. 1; p. 1027-1032. Nature Publishing Group, London. Retrieved from https://cs.indiana.edu/~port/pap/Port.dynamic.hypothesis.in.cog.sci.2002.pdf
Whytock, Ken. (Creator). (n.d.). “Educational Postcard: Student success comes from a positive learning environment”. Creative Commons. https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/2c8a1773-3fce-4a3b-9a6a-e8a04b451134
Connections #2
In the past two weeks of EDU 510 we have learned many things, most importantly the way to make learning meaningful to our students. Students’ emotions, attention/focus, and metacognition all play an important role in learning. Emotions play a significant role in a learner’s motivations. In chapter 2 of Making Learning Whole David Perkins explains how important it is for students to have intrinsic motivation for learning and how teachers can help by providing choice. Perkins states, “When learners feel that they have a choice about just where they focus their attention and just how they proceed, they are more likely to show intrinsic motivation and, along with this broader and deeper learning” (2009, p.71). Teachers need to build relationships or rapport with students to understand what motivates them. “Zembylas (2002) claimed that teachers’ emotional experiences and their reflection about their emotions are inextricably linked to their pedagogy” (Demetriou & Wilson, 2008, p. 939). Demetriou & Wilson provide examples in which students are motivated based on their relationships with their teachers and how engaged those students are in building understanding. Rita Pierson gives a Ted Talk regarding building relationships with students and the importance of those connections. Follow the link for the video: https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/83f0beff-a14a-434d-b551-4b53e3dee640/ted-talks-education-build-relationships-with-your-students/
When students are organized, comprehend, remember, and engaged, their attention is focused on the information they are receiving. I know from experience if I am distracted or bored I will not remember information very well. By engaging students, making the content relevant to them, and by explaining thoroughly students will be more attentive and will be able to transfer this new knowledge to memory. Perkins states, “By setting things up in such a way that there is dialogue, contrast, and juxtaposition, teachers, mentors, coaches, and others in educative positions can generate rich, implicit feedback” (2009, p. 87). This feedback supports students’ learning.
“Metacognition is an instructional principle that shows students what it is that you’re thinking. Providing students with an example of how they should think about their thinking” (Kirby, 2009, 0:29). Getting students to really think about what they are learning will help them remember the information at a later date. There are many strategies teachers can use to help with metacognition: Think Alouds, Think/Pair/Share, Wait Time, using Vocabulary, and Providing Examples.
References
Cassidy, Kathy. (n.d.). Creative Commons. Retrieved from https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/0392a2f1-ff7e-44e4-8c14-44523f5f38fa
Demetriou, H. & Wilson, E. (2008). A return to the use of emotion and reflection. http://www.thepsychologist.org.uk. (21/11). Retrieved from https://post.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/courses/2019_20_TERM1_EDU510_30/Documents/A%20Return%20to%20the%20Use%20of%20Emotion%20and%20Reflection.pdf
Kirby, Angela Maria. (2009, Aug. 14). Teaching Matters Metacognition . Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ILjhS4i2IU
Perkins, David N. (2009). Making Learning Whole: How Seven Principles of Teaching Can Transform Education. Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.postu.idm.oclc.org/eds/ebookviewer/ebook?sid=1745b5bf-9592-470b-b452-d2fa01bc4091%40pdc-v-sessmgr02&ppid=pp_25&vid=0&format=EB
Pierson, Rita. (n.d.). Ted Talks Education: “Build Relationships with your Students” . PBS Learning Media. Retrieved from https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/83f0beff-a14a-434d-b551-4b53e3dee640/ted-talks-education-build-relationships-with-your-students/
Connections
https://search.creativecommons.org/search?q=AI%20robot&provider&li<&searchBy
Can Artificial Intelligence replicate human emotions, behaviors, and processing? That is one topic covered in unit 1 of EDU 510. The human brain is so complex that it would be hard to code or create an algorithm for a computer to respond to situations in the same manner as a human. In the future I would like to incorporate some form of AI into the classroom to give students the opportunity to interact and experience AI. Another topic presented during unit one is Pedagogy (the method and practice of teaching) vs Andragogy (adult learning theories). Are the aspects of human thinking the same for children and adults? I believe that there is one major difference in that adults have more real-world experiences to shape their thinking. In an article Marcia L. Conner states, “The sole difference is that children have fewer experiences and pre-established beliefs than adults and thus have less to relate” (1997-2004, p. 2). As adults our experiences and beliefs influence our thinking and way of learning.
Unit 2 was all about mental representations; logic (deductive and inductive reasoning), rules (follows an If-Then structure), and concepts (the process of learning through categorization). The second part of unit 2 was comparing the process of problem solving between adults and children, which somewhat relates to the learning in unit 1 as well. “According to Piaget (1958), assimilation and accommodation require an active learner, not a passive one, because problem-solving skills cannot be taught, they must be discovered (McLeod, 2018, par. 40). Play is an important aspect for children to develop their problem solving skills. Throughout this week I learned that children may in fact be better problem solvers than adults. I schedule a 20 minute block daily for students to use a makerspace creatively. During this time students will work together, sharing materials, and discussing their ideas. This activity helps develop problem solving skills as they learn to communicate effectively with one another.
Analogies/Cases & Images and Learning Styles were all topics covered during unit 3. Analogies or cases draw parallels between two things, concepts, processes, or associations. It provides a means to solving a problem through visualization. Images are mental pictures or representations of items, events held in the mind. Then I learned about the connections between learning styles and neural synapses. In the video Brain Circuits R. Clay Reid describes imaging of an animal brain in which you are watching the brain see. Reid states, “Every time a neuron gets bright, it’s firing” (2011, 0:48). This is what I imagine occurring in the human brain when something “clicks” for that learner. Although I have been a strong believer in learning styles and teaching to support a variety of learning styles, I have found that there may not be as much evidence to support this theory. Do Learning Styles Really Exist provides an example as to why the theory of learning styles is a myth. As a teacher I need to present information in a variety of formats but I also need to engage students and make learning meaningful to them.
References
Conner, M. L. “Andragogy and Pedagogy”. Ageless Learner, 1997-2004. Retrieved from http://tlr.hccs.edu/facultyportal/pdf/Andragogy_Pedagoy.pdf
Demystifying Medicine. (2014, November 18). Do Learning Styles Really Exist? [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYyVWBJn59g
Harvard Medical School. (2011, March 2). Brain Circuits: Harvard Medical School Researchers Crawl a Neural Network [Video file]. Retieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZtXgZjbshs
McLeod, Saul. (2018). Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html
Mrs. Jackson 