Sunday, May 31, 2009

Chapter 6 analysis

Ch. 6 Case Study Analysis

1. After participating in this activity, what do you think the students will remember? How might those memories differ from those students would have if they only read about the Civil War in their textbook?
This activity engages all of the student’s senses; the students are totally immersed into the civil war experience. The students will remember much more about the conditions of the battlefield then if they had read about it in a book. This experience may also spark a desire in the students to learn more about the civil war thus opening their mind to further teachings.

2. How does Mr. West’s use of a Civil War re-enactment engage students’ emotions? What is the relationship between emotions and learning?
The students will feel the emotions of the battlefield to some extent. They will experience the outdoor feel of the civil war. These experiences will create emotions, which in turn help to cement knowledge of events into their long-term memories.

3. Based on the principles of dual-coding theory, what activities would be effective for Mr. West to use as a follow-up to the re-enactment?
Mr. West can have the students work on a post journal entry of the individual students experience at the re-enactment. He could continue this by having each student give an oral report on their thoughts and experiences during their outing.


4. Who do you think provides better instruction for his students? Support your answer from an information processing perspective. Mr. Richards’s form of teaching is overall the best. He approaches the information from different ways thus having the students receive the information in different ways. The information then travels through different pathways to the long-term memory. Mr. Richards even assess the students in various ways to retrieve the information. On the other hand Mr. Dunkin would be successful with a small number of students who learn from that one style of teaching. The information he gives only goes through one pathway into long-term memory.

5. How would you expect the students’ learning outcomes to differ depending on which teacher they had?
In Mr. Dunkin’s class a handful of students would gain permanent knowledge from his class, whereas in Mr. Richards class the majority of the class will have gained some type of knowledge through one of the avenues provided by Mr. Richards instruction.

Chapte 3 Analysis

Ch. 3 Analysis Questions:

1. From a social development standpoint, how might we explain Laura's preoccupation with her appearance? In particular, consider this statement by Laura: "I don't want people to think I'm a geek!" Include information from Erikson's theory and social development in general in your response.
Laura is in the Identity Vs. Role confusion; this is evident by the fears over how others will see her. She has not found her sense of identity at this point in her development. At Laura’s stage of development it is important to be popular and have friends.

2. In suggesting that Laura join the debating class, Ms. Watkins is hoping to pique an interest in classroom subject matter by capitalizing on Laura's desire to be the center of attention. What two other strategies might the school faculty use to motivate students who seem to be more interested in social matters than in academic pursuits?
These students should be given opportunities to strengthen those desires. This can be done through joining sports teams or through serving on student council. Having these students excel in these spheres will help their overall confidence and ultimately give them the scholastic confidence to succeed.

3. From the perspective of Kohlberg's theory, in which stage of moral development is Laura? Justify your response. How might Mr. Marcuiescu help Laura to advance her moral reasoning?
Laura is in the Good Boy/ Good Girl stage of Kohlberg’s theory. Laura is willing to do what Ms. Watkins suggested by joining the debate team. She then volunteers to debate her teacher as a way of pleasing both of her teachers. Mr. Marcuiescu can help to advance Laura’s moral reasoning into Law and order by having her debate and defend her ideas. By having to defend a position Laura will have to understand society.

4. In what ways might a debating class contribute to students' cognitive, linguistic, social, and moral development?
A debate class is one of the best ways to develop a student’s cognitive, linguistic, social and moral development. Cognitive development occurs, as the student has to think logically through a problem and be able to reason enough to make a stand. Linguistically Laura will have to be able to find the words to argue her point, this will take the ability to think of her words quickly and in an organized fashion. Socially, Laura will have to be able to engage her opponents in a socially appropriate way. Morally, Laura will have to develop her opinion based on reasonable facts. This will help her define her beliefs and thus develop her moral development.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Chapter 2 study case questions

1. Laura is in the Formal operational stage of development as defined by Piaget and his theory. Laura’s actions fit those as described in Piaget’s fourth stage of development, Laura can reason about non-concrete subjects such as pollution. This ability is not reached until this stage. Although she is able to argue for a non-concrete subject her logic still is developing and obviously has not reached full maturity.
2. Laura’s knowledge base has not been filled in completely causing her to fill in the missing information with her own reasoning. She lacks all the information on the affects of eliminating gasoline from our society, she is also unable to take into account others situation and how the ban on gasoline would affect them. She is looking at the issue from an egocentric point of view with little knowledge on the subject.
3. Mr. Marcuiescu continually asks Laura questions to help her define her reasoning and possibly see some of the flaws in her reasoning. Mr. Marcuiescu is helping Laura grow in her ability to see logic and continue in her movement to adulthood and concrete thinking. According to Vygotsky Mr. Marcuiescu is providing the scaffolding in Laura’s zone of proximal development to help her move onto the next development stage.
4. Both Piaget and Vygotsky believe that children learn through play. They both explain that it is through play that children are able to reach different levels. Piaget believes this is more of an individual action whereas Vygotsky believes the adults surrounding the playing shape the child. Laura is in a state of playing with her ideas and her teacher is facilitating her learning while she plays with different scenarios.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Cool Brain Research Reflections

What?
Merilee Sprenger has just released a book titled, “How to Teach so Students Remember.” Sprenger outlines a seven-step plan teachers can use to help their students understand and learn the information. Upon learning this information students should also be able to remember this information beyond any assessment. The seven steps include ideas such as engaging the students in the learning process, connecting new information with what the students have already learned. Another important step is to speak to the students in their language, if we start using vocabulary unfamiliar to out students they will cease to listen. Sprenger also discusses the need for appropriate assessments, which will aid in the retention of information by the students.

So What?
Merilee Sprenger has been in the education field her entire life and has incorporated her knowledge of neurology and education to help us understand how a student learns. This is extremely important, Sprenger has been on the frontlines of education and has obtained the necessary knowledge to aid teacher in their quest to teach their students. I personally find it easier to listen to the advice of someone who has faced the everyday challenges of teaching the children to a scientist who has never spent a full year with a classroom to see what really works.

Now What?
After researching Merilee Sprenger I am very interested in purchasing her most recent book mentioned above. I feel she would be a great asset to my overall methods as an effective teacher. Understanding the brain functions of the students and what they are capable of are very important when determining lesson plans and strategies

Webquest step 3 reflection

What?
Descriptive study is a study, which observes how things are in their present state. Like the Descriptive study the Correlational study looks at how things are but goes one step further and compares two factors in their present condition. The Experimental study involves changing factors to create a control group and a treatment group, this type of study looks at the cause and effect of certain actions. Action Research is done by the teacher or administrators in charge of the observable students. This type of research helps teachers to develop the best learning environment for their particular students.

So What?
Learning about these different types of studies and research help us as future teachers in developing the best teaching environment for our students. In order for our students to learn in the best possible situation we should look into past studies and their conclusions. These conclusions should then be modified to work for our particular classroom.

Now What?
As a student I still have much to learn regarding research and the way in which I should interpret them for myself. Learning how to use action research in my classroom will be helpful for achieving a high level of learning for my students.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Assignment #1

List 2-3 specific goals you have for this course.
1- I want to understand the development behind the learning styles of the students I teach.
2- I want to be able to write quality assessments for the individual students in my classes.
3- I want to continue my education towards becoming a respected teacher.


Describe your weekly preparation plan. Be specific. What will you do each day of the week to prepare for this course.
In order to get the most out of this class I intend to turn in all my assignments on time and keep up on my reading of the assigned chapters.

Outline the study strategies that you will use to understand the material.
I have always used the outline method in both note taking and structuring chapter readings of my textbooks. I intend to continue these methods in this class.

Explain the process you will follow if you do not understand a topic.
First- I will try to understand the topic through the textbook. Secondly, I will turn to the Internet to help find information. IF I still am uncertain I will turn to a fellow classmate for information. After having exhausted all these resources I will turn to Dr. Cox to clarify any topics still not understood.

Complete the following statement:

I will reach my goals in this course by completing all the assignments and retain the information learned during this semester.

Hello Again Dr. Cox!