Final Blog: conclusion
Willingham's book was all about reaching all students and understanding how they learn and retain information. Willingham expresses that learners are diverse and we need to accept them and cater to them as a teacher. I really valued his ideas and have utilized his tips often in my classroom. I can't say my ideas of diversity have changed much from reading his helpful book but my practice and outlook on teaching has improved. I feel so much more confident as a teacher after reading this literature. I understand that teaching takes a lot of time and practice and that practice is never over! I learned a lot about how the mind works and how we use our memories. I think this knowledge that I now have will benefit me as a teacher and my students.
Alex Pergolizzi
Thursday, March 31, 2011
The end has come...
Blog 8_the wrap up_Stacey LaFountain
Throughout reading this book I have had a few moments were I think "Oh that's why my teacher did that in school". As teachers we are throwing information out there that we think is important for students to learn. The more information we throw out there the harder school gets for our students. As teachers, we want students to learn everything we are teaching, however the reality is that they are not going to learn everything. I know from my experience that practicing the same thing over and over and over again when I was in school seemed boring to when I felt I had learned the topic but that is what you need as a student. You need to have your students practice the material so that they will truly understand it. This book had so many good ideas for a teacher and how to implement them into the classroom. It will help me in my teaching and in learning how to help my students learn to the best of my ability.
Throughout reading this book I have had a few moments were I think "Oh that's why my teacher did that in school". As teachers we are throwing information out there that we think is important for students to learn. The more information we throw out there the harder school gets for our students. As teachers, we want students to learn everything we are teaching, however the reality is that they are not going to learn everything. I know from my experience that practicing the same thing over and over and over again when I was in school seemed boring to when I felt I had learned the topic but that is what you need as a student. You need to have your students practice the material so that they will truly understand it. This book had so many good ideas for a teacher and how to implement them into the classroom. It will help me in my teaching and in learning how to help my students learn to the best of my ability.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
The Final Look Back
Blog 8_The Final Look Back_Melissa Lochner
While reading our book, I felt like there were so many ah-ha moments that I will take away. This will definitely be a book that I will pick up in the future for ideas on how to better my classroom. Something I'm sure I knew before but never really thought of was the fact that students can only remember so much. As teachers we have to think about all the information we are feeding the students and what we are requiring them to use right away or in the future. Something that I was surprised by was the fact that when we are trying to have students remember something and we use a hook for them to relate to, we may be pulling their attention in the wrong direction and loose them for the rest of the lesson. I will be able to incorporate this book into my knowledge of teaching by getting to know how my students thinking process in the beginning of the year and vary my lessons accordingly. I feel like the biggest thing I personally took away from this book was to always try to improve on my teaching techniques and skills. I should never feel fully comfortable with what I'm doing because there is always so much more then can be improved.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tha tha thats all folks!
Blog 8
The wrap up
Natalie Gregorski
When reflecting about the main themes and take home messages of this book I really don't see it as being wholely focus on diversity. It talked about how everyone learns different and what peoples tendencies are but I really think it was largely based on scientific information. If I got anything out of this book it is that you can impact your own learning and so can my students. Not only do I need to focus my attention on students but also on myself as an educator. I always need to remember to sharpen my skills and add to my teaching tool box.
The wrap up
Natalie Gregorski
When reflecting about the main themes and take home messages of this book I really don't see it as being wholely focus on diversity. It talked about how everyone learns different and what peoples tendencies are but I really think it was largely based on scientific information. If I got anything out of this book it is that you can impact your own learning and so can my students. Not only do I need to focus my attention on students but also on myself as an educator. I always need to remember to sharpen my skills and add to my teaching tool box.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Teachers are students too!!
Blog 7
Chapter 9
Vocabulary Vitalizer & Essence Extractor
Natalie Gregorski
Vocab.
1) Practice -Repetition of an activity to improve skill; The ongoing pursuit of a craft or profession (http://en.wiktionary.org/)
2) Constructive Critisism -
Constructive criticism aims to show that the intent or purpose of something is better served by an alternative approach. In this case, the target of criticism is not necessarily deemed wrong, and its purpose is respected; rather, it is claimed that the same goal could be better achieved via a different route. (Wikipedia)
3) Procedures- series of actions or operations which have to be executed in the same manner in order to always obtain the same result under the same circumstances (for example, emergency procedures) Wikipedia
4) Cognitive Skill -Cognition is the scientific term for "the process of thought" to knowing. Usage of the term varies in different disciplines; for example in psychology and cognitive science, it usually refers to an information processing view of an individual's psychological functions
5) pedagoical content knowledge - not just background knowledge but methods of teaching the content to the students in a variety of ways.
Essence Extractor
"Teaching like any complex skill. must be practiced to be improved" (pg. 189)
Chapter 9
Vocabulary Vitalizer & Essence Extractor
Natalie Gregorski
Vocab.
1) Practice -Repetition of an activity to improve skill; The ongoing pursuit of a craft or profession (http://en.wiktionary.org/)
2) Constructive Critisism -
Constructive criticism aims to show that the intent or purpose of something is better served by an alternative approach. In this case, the target of criticism is not necessarily deemed wrong, and its purpose is respected; rather, it is claimed that the same goal could be better achieved via a different route. (Wikipedia)
3) Procedures- series of actions or operations which have to be executed in the same manner in order to always obtain the same result under the same circumstances (for example, emergency procedures) Wikipedia
4) Cognitive Skill -Cognition is the scientific term for "the process of thought" to knowing. Usage of the term varies in different disciplines; for example in psychology and cognitive science, it usually refers to an information processing view of an individual's psychological functions
5) pedagoical content knowledge - not just background knowledge but methods of teaching the content to the students in a variety of ways.
Essence Extractor
"Teaching like any complex skill. must be practiced to be improved" (pg. 189)
Baby Steps to improving teaching...
Blog 7 chapter 9- Alex Pergolizzi
Literary luminator
1. "Your best bet for improving your teaching is to practice teaching...Experience means you are simply engaged in the activity. Practice means you are trying to improve your performance." (p. 192) We gain experience just by being in the classroom and producing lesson plans and executing them. But is that it? Of course not, as teachers we try to improve our methods and to do this we must practice. I like that Willingham shows the reader that just the experience of teaching is not enough. A teacher simply can't get comfortable with having 20 years experience and that's it, one must always strive for improvement.
2. "It is usually quite informative to see your class through someone else's eyes...You should recognize that working on your teaching will be a threat to your ego." (p. 194-195) I thought these quotes went really well together because when another teacher or supervisor observes my classroom I know that I get nervous and somewhat dread the "post-conference." However, I do enjoy getting constructive criticism and discussing ways to improve my classroom. I can see how it would be a little threat to your ego when you thought your lesson was amazing and then the observer really lets you know what went on while you were busy teaching.
3. "...They refer to it as a mental place where we juggle several things at once and where, if we try to juggle too many things, one or more things will be dropped." (p. 191) This is important for all educators to remember. Teachers don't just balance teaching they are dealing with school issues, student issues, family issues and probably tons of other things too! It is important to simplify things because if not, something important may slip through the cracks without intention.
Essence Extractor
Experience does not make the teacher, practice & improvement does.
Literary luminator
1. "Your best bet for improving your teaching is to practice teaching...Experience means you are simply engaged in the activity. Practice means you are trying to improve your performance." (p. 192) We gain experience just by being in the classroom and producing lesson plans and executing them. But is that it? Of course not, as teachers we try to improve our methods and to do this we must practice. I like that Willingham shows the reader that just the experience of teaching is not enough. A teacher simply can't get comfortable with having 20 years experience and that's it, one must always strive for improvement.
2. "It is usually quite informative to see your class through someone else's eyes...You should recognize that working on your teaching will be a threat to your ego." (p. 194-195) I thought these quotes went really well together because when another teacher or supervisor observes my classroom I know that I get nervous and somewhat dread the "post-conference." However, I do enjoy getting constructive criticism and discussing ways to improve my classroom. I can see how it would be a little threat to your ego when you thought your lesson was amazing and then the observer really lets you know what went on while you were busy teaching.
3. "...They refer to it as a mental place where we juggle several things at once and where, if we try to juggle too many things, one or more things will be dropped." (p. 191) This is important for all educators to remember. Teachers don't just balance teaching they are dealing with school issues, student issues, family issues and probably tons of other things too! It is important to simplify things because if not, something important may slip through the cracks without intention.
Essence Extractor
Experience does not make the teacher, practice & improvement does.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Busy busy busy
Blog 7, Chapter 9, Creative Connector and Idea Illustrator - Stacey LaFountain
"Your best bet for improving your teaching is to practice teaching" (p. 191)
This is something that our teachers tried to drill into our heads while in undergrad. In order to really improve your self you have to practice. This is also something that the book talked about. If you do not continue to practice then you are not going to become better at what you do.
"A great deal of data show that teachers improve during their first five years in the field, as measured by student learning. After five years, however, the curve gets flat, and a teacher with twenty years of experience is (on average) no better or worse than a teacher with ten". (p. 192)
To me this quote goes along with the top quote. I recently was subbing in my old elementary school. Some of my teachers are still working so I went to say hello to them. They teach in the same manor as they did when I was 10 and in their class. Not to say that their way of teaching is wrong or bad. I feel that if a teacher is willing to try things in new ways they will continue to improve.
"Make notes that include what you intended to do and how you thought it went". (p. 202)
During my student teaching the teachers that I worked with loved reflecting on how the lessons went. This section about keeping a diary reminded me of that. I did find that it was very helpful to reflect on how the lesson when and what went well and what didn't. This was a good stepping stone as to how to plan future lessons with the same class.
This picture is almost identical to the one in our book. It shows up in this last chapter as well as in previous chapters. Again, it shows how all three of these different things (environment, working memory and long-term memory) work together.
Another part of this chapter talked about how you need to have teachers who know what they are teaching and truly understand the material. This math problem reminded me about how important not only understand previous units are but also that teachers really understand and know their material before the present it to students.
This picture represents the fact that teachers have to work hard and also that they need to practice. If there is continuous practice they teachers will go beyond just teaching the basics and help students to experience teaching in a different way.
"Your best bet for improving your teaching is to practice teaching" (p. 191)
This is something that our teachers tried to drill into our heads while in undergrad. In order to really improve your self you have to practice. This is also something that the book talked about. If you do not continue to practice then you are not going to become better at what you do.
"A great deal of data show that teachers improve during their first five years in the field, as measured by student learning. After five years, however, the curve gets flat, and a teacher with twenty years of experience is (on average) no better or worse than a teacher with ten". (p. 192)
To me this quote goes along with the top quote. I recently was subbing in my old elementary school. Some of my teachers are still working so I went to say hello to them. They teach in the same manor as they did when I was 10 and in their class. Not to say that their way of teaching is wrong or bad. I feel that if a teacher is willing to try things in new ways they will continue to improve.
"Make notes that include what you intended to do and how you thought it went". (p. 202)
During my student teaching the teachers that I worked with loved reflecting on how the lessons went. This section about keeping a diary reminded me of that. I did find that it was very helpful to reflect on how the lesson when and what went well and what didn't. This was a good stepping stone as to how to plan future lessons with the same class.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
We try to do EVERYTHING.
Blog 7_ Ch 9_Idea Illustrator & Rigorous Researcher_Melissa Lochner
Idea Illustrator:
"working memory: they refer to it as a mental place where we juggle several things at once and where, if we try to juggle to many things, one or more things will be dropped (p. 190-191)."
__________________________________________________________________
"Without feedback, you don't know what changes will make you better... (p.193)"
__________________________________________________________________
Videotape your teaching to better your classroom
__________________________________________________________________
Rigorous Researcher:
I felt like I did not know enough about Pedagogical Content Knowledge so I decided to focus my research on that. The idea is that a teacher can't just know the subject, they have to know how to properly teach the subject to the students. Lee Shulman explained it as going "beyond knowledge of the subject matter per se to the dimension of subject matter for teaching (Shulman)."
Another website that did a good job explaining it (if your willing to read a lot) was : https://www.msu.edu/~dugganha/PCK.htm
Shulman, Lee. "Domains : Pedagogical Content Knowledge." The Work of Dr. Lee Shulman. Lee Shulman, 2008. Web. 12 Mar 2011. <http://www.leeshulman.net/domains-pedagogical-content-knowledge.html>.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Baby, I was born this way!
Blog #6: chapter 8
Alex Pergolizzi
Creative connector:
1. "The destructive cycle is obvious: students want to get good grades so that they look smart, but they can't study to do so because that marks them as dumb." (p. 167) This reminds me when I was in high school and fed into this horrible cycle. I would complete ALL of my classwork and I REALLY wanted to participate by raising my hand because I KNEW that I had the right answer or a really good point to make. However, instead of raising my hand which would have been perfectly acceptable, I would sit in my chair and hope the teacher called on me randomly. How weird is that? The reason for my silly action is I didn't want my classmates thinking I was a "goody-goody" for completing my classwork on time and being more than willing to participate.
2. "Intelligence is malleable. It can be improved." (p. 179) I always used the fact that my mother wasn't "good" at math as my excuse as to why I wasn't "good" at math. I put "good" in quotation marks because after reading this chapter it wasn't that I wasn't good at math is was because I had no desire to study math or practice it. Therefore I wasn't very good at it. I think a lot of students use the statement "I'm not good at it" because they're just not trying hard enough or not asking for help when they don't understand a concept.
3. "Try to create a classroom atmosphere in which failure, while not desirable, is neither embarrassing nor wholly negative. Failure means you're about to learn something." (p. 184) This is a concept that I teach my students on the first day of school. Learning a foreign language means mistakes are going to be made frequently...and that's okay, I hope they make mistakes! When a mistake is made the teacher corrects it and the student learns (and if it happens a couple of times, that's okay too). I always follow this with the story about the time I walked into a bakery in Italy and meant to order a "calzone" (the Italian hot pocket) but I pronounced the word wrong and ended up offending the cashier because I said a dirty word instead. This shows my students that everyone makes mistakes (even me) and we just have to learn from them.
Idea Illustrator:
1. Praise- Willingham stresses that teachers shouldn't praise ability, they should praise process. This includes ALL levels of students. However, he warns not to give "false praise" praise that is really not deserved.
2. DNA - I chose a DNA strand because DNA is not the only place where a person develops their intelligence. The environment where a person grows up in also has an affect on their level of learning.
3.Keanu In the text Willingham quotes Keanu Reeves, "I'm a meathead. I can't help it, man. You've got smart people and you've got dumb people. I just happen to be dumb" (p. 173). Well Mr. Reeves, after reading this chapter I can successfully say that you're just feeding into the cycle and to break free you must know that your intelligence begins with how you view yourself.
Alex Pergolizzi
Creative connector:
1. "The destructive cycle is obvious: students want to get good grades so that they look smart, but they can't study to do so because that marks them as dumb." (p. 167) This reminds me when I was in high school and fed into this horrible cycle. I would complete ALL of my classwork and I REALLY wanted to participate by raising my hand because I KNEW that I had the right answer or a really good point to make. However, instead of raising my hand which would have been perfectly acceptable, I would sit in my chair and hope the teacher called on me randomly. How weird is that? The reason for my silly action is I didn't want my classmates thinking I was a "goody-goody" for completing my classwork on time and being more than willing to participate.
2. "Intelligence is malleable. It can be improved." (p. 179) I always used the fact that my mother wasn't "good" at math as my excuse as to why I wasn't "good" at math. I put "good" in quotation marks because after reading this chapter it wasn't that I wasn't good at math is was because I had no desire to study math or practice it. Therefore I wasn't very good at it. I think a lot of students use the statement "I'm not good at it" because they're just not trying hard enough or not asking for help when they don't understand a concept.
3. "Try to create a classroom atmosphere in which failure, while not desirable, is neither embarrassing nor wholly negative. Failure means you're about to learn something." (p. 184) This is a concept that I teach my students on the first day of school. Learning a foreign language means mistakes are going to be made frequently...and that's okay, I hope they make mistakes! When a mistake is made the teacher corrects it and the student learns (and if it happens a couple of times, that's okay too). I always follow this with the story about the time I walked into a bakery in Italy and meant to order a "calzone" (the Italian hot pocket) but I pronounced the word wrong and ended up offending the cashier because I said a dirty word instead. This shows my students that everyone makes mistakes (even me) and we just have to learn from them.
Idea Illustrator:
1. Praise- Willingham stresses that teachers shouldn't praise ability, they should praise process. This includes ALL levels of students. However, he warns not to give "false praise" praise that is really not deserved.
2. DNA - I chose a DNA strand because DNA is not the only place where a person develops their intelligence. The environment where a person grows up in also has an affect on their level of learning.
3.Keanu In the text Willingham quotes Keanu Reeves, "I'm a meathead. I can't help it, man. You've got smart people and you've got dumb people. I just happen to be dumb" (p. 173). Well Mr. Reeves, after reading this chapter I can successfully say that you're just feeding into the cycle and to break free you must know that your intelligence begins with how you view yourself.
Mama Says Stupid is What a Stupid Does
Blog 6
Chapter 8
Rigorous Researcher & Vocabulary Vitalizer
Natalie Gregorski
Rigorous Researcher:
When reading this chapter I really found the relationship between genetics and intelligence to be interesting. I particularly found the text on twins and intelligence to be interesting so here is some more info. on IQ and genetics.
Intelligence and Genetics http://iq-test.learninginfo.org/iq03.htm
Debate genetics or Environment http://allpsych.com/journal/iq.html
Vocabulary Vitalizer:
IQ =intelligence quotient: a measure of a person's intelligence as indicated by an intelligence test; the ratio of a person's mental age to their chronological age (multiplied by 100)
Intelligence =is a term describing one or more capacities of the mind. In different contexts this can be defined in different ways, including the capacities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving
Malleable = ductile: easily influenced; ductile: capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out; "ductile copper"; "malleable metals such as gold"; "they soaked the leather to made it pliable"; "pliant molten glass"; "made of highly tensile steel alloy"
Abilities = possession of the qualities (especially mental qualities) required to do something or get something done; "danger heightened his powers of discrimination"
Envionmental Effect = The effect that external (nongenetic) factors have on animal performance.
Chapter 8
Rigorous Researcher & Vocabulary Vitalizer
Natalie Gregorski
Rigorous Researcher:
When reading this chapter I really found the relationship between genetics and intelligence to be interesting. I particularly found the text on twins and intelligence to be interesting so here is some more info. on IQ and genetics.
Intelligence and Genetics http://iq-test.learninginfo.org/iq03.htm
Debate genetics or Environment http://allpsych.com/journal/iq.html
Vocabulary Vitalizer:
IQ =intelligence quotient: a measure of a person's intelligence as indicated by an intelligence test; the ratio of a person's mental age to their chronological age (multiplied by 100)
Intelligence =is a term describing one or more capacities of the mind. In different contexts this can be defined in different ways, including the capacities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving
Malleable = ductile: easily influenced; ductile: capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out; "ductile copper"; "malleable metals such as gold"; "they soaked the leather to made it pliable"; "pliant molten glass"; "made of highly tensile steel alloy"
Abilities = possession of the qualities (especially mental qualities) required to do something or get something done; "danger heightened his powers of discrimination"
Envionmental Effect = The effect that external (nongenetic) factors have on animal performance.
Monday, March 7, 2011
The environment plays a key in our intelligence?!?!?!?!
Blog 6_Chapter 8_ Vocabulary & Essence Extractor_Stacey LaFountain
Essence Extractor -
Intelligence isn't determined by genetics, but also environmental factors.
Vocabulary -
Intelligence - the ability to comprehend; to understand and profit from experience
malleable intelligence - The theory of malleable intelligence states that if you work hard, you can "get smart". In other words, if you believe you can achieve you will. A person is not born either smart or dumb, they are capable of shaping or changing their intelligence if they put work into doing so.
Essence Extractor -
Intelligence isn't determined by genetics, but also environmental factors.
Vocabulary -
Intelligence - the ability to comprehend; to understand and profit from experience
malleable intelligence - The theory of malleable intelligence states that if you work hard, you can "get smart". In other words, if you believe you can achieve you will. A person is not born either smart or dumb, they are capable of shaping or changing their intelligence if they put work into doing so.
Immutable - not mutable; unchangeable; changeless.
Identical twins - one of a pair of twins who develop from a single fertilized ovum and therefore have the same genotype, are of the same sex, and usually resemble each other closely.
Fraternal twins - one of a pair of twins, not necessarily resembling each other, or of the same sex, that develop from two separately fertilized ova.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Genetics vs. Environment
Blog 6_Ch 8_Vocabulary Vitalizer & Literary Luminator_Melissa Lochner
Vocab:
Vocab:
- Malleable- Capable of being shaped of formed; able to be influenced
- Intelligence- (definition from book) The ability to understand complex ideas and use different forms of reasoning. Able to overcome obstacles by engaging thought, and learn from experiences.
- Praise- The act of expressing approval or admiration.
- Ability- Power or capacity to do or to act physically or mentally; talent that enables someone to achieve a great deal; or a level of mental power
- Analogous- Similar or corresponding in some respect
Literary Luminator:
"Children do differ in intelligence, but intelligence can be changed through sustained hard work."
- The students are in control of their intelligence through their drive to work hard. But students intelligence is also in the hands on the teacher in how they teach them to work hard and praise students receive during the process.
"The other view is that intelligence is a matter not of work and practice but rather of carefully selecting one's parents. In other words, intelligence is mostly genetic. Some people are born apart and although they might further develop this ability through practice, they will be pretty smart even if they do little or nothing to develop their intelligence.
- I do not agree with this statement. I believe that if your are lucky enough to be born with a high intelligence in their genetics, you still have to work hard to keep your intelligence.
"Try to create a classroom atmosphere in which failure, while not desirable, is neither embarrassing nor wholly negative. Failure means you're about to learn something."
- I feel like the teachers I had never really allowed failure in their classroom. If teachers did, then maybe students would be more open to try new things because they would not have a fear of failure.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Are you a visual, auditory, kinesthetic or comdination learner?
Blog #5, Rigorous Researcher and Idea Illustrator, Stacey LaFountain, Chapters 6 and 7
The thing that I chose to research was visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners. Though all of our school we have been taught that everyone learns in a different way. In undergraduate school, at least for me, we were not really taught about these three different types of learning. We just grazed over them. This section of the book brought a little better understanding of these learners and made me realize that I really needed to delve into them. By doing the research it let me really understand how I will need to understand all of the different types of learners to be an effective teacher. These site will help you gain a better understanding and dig deeper into how these learners obtain material.
Visual Learners:
http://www2.yk.psu.edu/learncenter/acskills/visual.html
This site gives you the characteristics of a visual learner
Auditory Leanres:
http://www2.yk.psu.edu/learncenter/acskills/auditory.html
This site is the same as the visual learners. It gives you the characteristics of the auditory learner.
Kinesthetic Learners:
http://www.emporia.edu/csi/studentsuccess/documents/KinestheticLearner.pdf
This site give you a brief overview of what this learner is and the characteristics of that learner.
This picture is of background knowledge. This whole book talks about the importance of background knowledge. That can be linked to our other classes. We have talked about how important it is for students to have some knowledge to further expand their progress.
This illustration, I felt, really gave you a good visual about Gardner's Intelligences. I think that a visual of these intelligences really helps one to remember them. Chapter 7 spends a lot of time talking about different intelligences and how it relates to the cognitive scientist.
The thing that I chose to research was visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners. Though all of our school we have been taught that everyone learns in a different way. In undergraduate school, at least for me, we were not really taught about these three different types of learning. We just grazed over them. This section of the book brought a little better understanding of these learners and made me realize that I really needed to delve into them. By doing the research it let me really understand how I will need to understand all of the different types of learners to be an effective teacher. These site will help you gain a better understanding and dig deeper into how these learners obtain material.
Visual Learners:
http://www2.yk.psu.edu/learncenter/acskills/visual.html
This site gives you the characteristics of a visual learner
Auditory Leanres:
http://www2.yk.psu.edu/learncenter/acskills/auditory.html
This site is the same as the visual learners. It gives you the characteristics of the auditory learner.
Kinesthetic Learners:
http://www.emporia.edu/csi/studentsuccess/documents/KinestheticLearner.pdf
This site give you a brief overview of what this learner is and the characteristics of that learner.
This picture is of background knowledge. This whole book talks about the importance of background knowledge. That can be linked to our other classes. We have talked about how important it is for students to have some knowledge to further expand their progress.
This illustration, I felt, really gave you a good visual about Gardner's Intelligences. I think that a visual of these intelligences really helps one to remember them. Chapter 7 spends a lot of time talking about different intelligences and how it relates to the cognitive scientist.  | ||||||||
| The mental toolbox reminded me about a different class. In this class we talked about using a stratagie toolbox to help student's with their learning. This mental took box was along the same lines but for your memory. |
How the heck do you meet everyone's needs.......easy!!
Blog # 5
Ch. 6&7
Natalie Gregorski
Idea Illustrator & Vocabulary Vitalizer
"This conclusion doesn't mean that students should never try to write a poem or conduct a scientific experiment; but teachers and administrators should have a clearn idea of what such assignments will do for the student." (pg.128)
Not only is this important for me to keep in mind as an educator but so should every teacher. Many times I feel teachers pick a do an activity because it would be cool without actually thinking about what its true purpose is and what students will really get out of it.
"Compared to novices, experts are better able to single out important details, produce sensible solutions, and transfer their knowledge to similar domains." (pg. 132)
Just like house I am much more able to transfer my knowledge of sports strategy than someone who never played a sport in their life. When teaching it is important to consider background knowledge when designing activities and lessons.
"Cognition early in training is fundamentally different from cognition late in training" (pg. 127)
Students don't think the same way as a expert their learning and understanding differs based on their experience with the subject matter. The more comfortable they are with the material the most connections and applications to other things can take place.
Vocabulary Vitializer:
1) Deep Structure- fuctionality of the material being taught; how it can be used or applied to everyday practices
2) Self-talk -Intrapersonal communication is language use or thought internal to the communicator. Intrapersonal communication is the active internal involvement of the individual in symbolic processing of messages.
3) ten-year rule - researchers don't believe you can become an expect in less than ten years of experience or study.
Ch. 6&7
Natalie Gregorski
Idea Illustrator & Vocabulary Vitalizer
"This conclusion doesn't mean that students should never try to write a poem or conduct a scientific experiment; but teachers and administrators should have a clearn idea of what such assignments will do for the student." (pg.128)
Not only is this important for me to keep in mind as an educator but so should every teacher. Many times I feel teachers pick a do an activity because it would be cool without actually thinking about what its true purpose is and what students will really get out of it.
"Compared to novices, experts are better able to single out important details, produce sensible solutions, and transfer their knowledge to similar domains." (pg. 132)
Just like house I am much more able to transfer my knowledge of sports strategy than someone who never played a sport in their life. When teaching it is important to consider background knowledge when designing activities and lessons.
"Cognition early in training is fundamentally different from cognition late in training" (pg. 127)
Students don't think the same way as a expert their learning and understanding differs based on their experience with the subject matter. The more comfortable they are with the material the most connections and applications to other things can take place.
Vocabulary Vitializer:
1) Deep Structure- fuctionality of the material being taught; how it can be used or applied to everyday practices
2) Self-talk -Intrapersonal communication is language use or thought internal to the communicator. Intrapersonal communication is the active internal involvement of the individual in symbolic processing of messages.
3) ten-year rule - researchers don't believe you can become an expect in less than ten years of experience or study.
Trust the Experts!
Blog #5- Chapters 6 & 7
Alex Pergolizzi
Vocabulary Vitalizer:
1. Expert: Willingham describes an expert as someone who has "a lot of background knowledge about their fields" (p. 131). Generally one becomes an expert after years of hard work an dedication to a field. It is not an over-night sensation and no one is born an expert.
2. Novice: A ranking below the "expert". A novice does not have the years of practice that an expert does. A novice is a person who is really just starting to develop their skills or "tools of the trade."
3. Ten-Year Rule: Not an actual rule but the theory that, "One can't become an expert in any field in less than ten years" (p. 139). The "rule" has been applied to many diverse fields. I remember meeting with an "expert" teacher last year and she told me "sometimes things just come with practice over a period of time."
4. Cognitive ability: "Capacity for or success in certain types of thought" (p. 149). Our abilities are how we understand content and from that show the level of what we know and what we can do.
5. Cognitive styles: "Biases or tendencies to think in a particular way" (p. 149). We are all comfortable learning a certain way, I learn through music and movements. Our style is how we prefer to learn and think. Willingham states that not one style is better than another, they are all equal.
Essence Extractor:
To be an expert takes time and practice, practice, practice!
Alex Pergolizzi
Vocabulary Vitalizer:
1. Expert: Willingham describes an expert as someone who has "a lot of background knowledge about their fields" (p. 131). Generally one becomes an expert after years of hard work an dedication to a field. It is not an over-night sensation and no one is born an expert.
2. Novice: A ranking below the "expert". A novice does not have the years of practice that an expert does. A novice is a person who is really just starting to develop their skills or "tools of the trade."
3. Ten-Year Rule: Not an actual rule but the theory that, "One can't become an expert in any field in less than ten years" (p. 139). The "rule" has been applied to many diverse fields. I remember meeting with an "expert" teacher last year and she told me "sometimes things just come with practice over a period of time."
4. Cognitive ability: "Capacity for or success in certain types of thought" (p. 149). Our abilities are how we understand content and from that show the level of what we know and what we can do.
5. Cognitive styles: "Biases or tendencies to think in a particular way" (p. 149). We are all comfortable learning a certain way, I learn through music and movements. Our style is how we prefer to learn and think. Willingham states that not one style is better than another, they are all equal.
Essence Extractor:
To be an expert takes time and practice, practice, practice!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Excuse me Sir... How do I get to the path of expertise?
Blog 5_Melissa Lochner_ Idea Illustrator & Creative Connector_Ch 6&7
Ideal Illustrator:
I'm sorry for my poor drawings.
Ideal Illustrator:
I'm sorry for my poor drawings.
The only path to expertise... is practice. (pg 137)
"Compared to novices, experts are better able to single out important details, produce sensible solutions, and transfer their knowledge to similar domains (pg. 132).
The debatable Gardner's Multiple Intelligence.
Creative Connector:
"...novice teachers often fail to notice misbehavior's where as experts rarely miss them (pg. 132)."
I found this sentence very amusing because I have witnessed multiple times where "expert" teachers have seen students misbehaving but pretend that they do not, so they don't have to deal with it. Where as I the "novice" teacher would notice the misbehaving student and say something.
"...expert teachers can access information rapidly. Compared to the novice, they can think of more ways to explain a concept, and the can think of these alternatives more quickly (pg. 132)" & "...just think of your reaction when you use Google and get five million results (pg. 132)."
"Beginning students do not yet have the cognitive equipment in place to compose, but that doesn't mean they won't have a great time doing so... (pg. 142)."
In this context Willingham is talking about music, but I was thinking in the mindset of art. In an elementary classroom, the students are not experts. However, they may enjoy exploring experts work and creating work just like it. In the end, they are working towards grabbing the same concept that the artist has achieved.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Just "CRAM" it in!
Blog #4- Chapter 5
Rigorous Researcher
"Cramming": The procrastinator's best friend! I can't even tell you how many times I have crammed for an exam while in High School and at Naz. In Chapter 5 of, Why don't students like school? the author states that " If you pack lots of studying into a short period, you'll do okay on an immediate test, but you will forget the material quickly" (pp. 119). I decided to research the topic of "cramming" to see how other professionals in the field felt about the subject.
While researching the topic, I can't even begin to tell you how many sites I found with the same material: How to cram for your exam effectively. They gave the reader tips on how to cram for an exam, teaching the procrastinator that "cramming" is great and useful! I then found and article exploring the cram session.
The article poses many questions to the theme of cramming. I focused mainly on the idea: How Effective Is Cramming in the Long Run? John Goldrich, a mental health practitioner of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, states, "cramming is the result of procrastination which in turn stems from poor time management skills and often leads to stress." Stress can cause our body and mind to react in negative ways that are poor for our health and wellbeing. Just as Willingham says in Chapter 5, the article proves that cramming only assists the short term memory for a very brief period of time.
Exploring Cramming
-Alex
Drop and Give me 50!!
blog 4
Chapter 5
Natalie Gregorski
Creative Connector:
"Were never gonna use this stuff" So if what we teach students is simply going to vanish, what in the heck are we teachers doing? (pg.116)
This comment is about geometry and how what we had to learn so well in high school we barely remember now. For me this is completely true have the stuff we learned in school I learned for the test and just discharged after, however I do remember a little bit about it, which is more then the nothing I knew about it before taking the class.
"If you pack lots of studying into a short period of time, you'll do okay on an immediate test, but you'll forget the material quickly."
I am an avid crammer when it comes to tests, it is completely true that you forget the information almost immediately after the test is taken. It is almost like you mind knew as soon as you walk out that door after the test there is no reason to hang on to it anymore.
"drilling boosts students' motivation and sense of fun"
I chose this passage because it really shocked me. I never at first glace would have thought that drilling was a good idea however, according to the book students benefit from the constant practice. I guess the whole stigma associated with drilling always have me a negative feel for the word.
Idea Illustrator:
all of the images below link to some of the passages I wrote about above for some reason the blog is not letting me put the actual images in and is acting really weird so hopefully you can see them.
This girl is dropping and giving fifty at least. Drilling and practicing have obviously made her push ups perfect!
This is me the night before every test and paper cramming....by all means I will know the material and get it done only to forget it two seconds after I leave the classroom.
And of course geometry, I actually remember loving geometry, it was one of my favorite math subjects and I still don't remember a darn thing!
Chapter 5
Natalie Gregorski
Creative Connector:
"Were never gonna use this stuff" So if what we teach students is simply going to vanish, what in the heck are we teachers doing? (pg.116)
This comment is about geometry and how what we had to learn so well in high school we barely remember now. For me this is completely true have the stuff we learned in school I learned for the test and just discharged after, however I do remember a little bit about it, which is more then the nothing I knew about it before taking the class.
"If you pack lots of studying into a short period of time, you'll do okay on an immediate test, but you'll forget the material quickly."
I am an avid crammer when it comes to tests, it is completely true that you forget the information almost immediately after the test is taken. It is almost like you mind knew as soon as you walk out that door after the test there is no reason to hang on to it anymore.
"drilling boosts students' motivation and sense of fun"
I chose this passage because it really shocked me. I never at first glace would have thought that drilling was a good idea however, according to the book students benefit from the constant practice. I guess the whole stigma associated with drilling always have me a negative feel for the word.
Idea Illustrator:
all of the images below link to some of the passages I wrote about above for some reason the blog is not letting me put the actual images in and is acting really weird so hopefully you can see them.
This girl is dropping and giving fifty at least. Drilling and practicing have obviously made her push ups perfect!
This is me the night before every test and paper cramming....by all means I will know the material and get it done only to forget it two seconds after I leave the classroom.
And of course geometry, I actually remember loving geometry, it was one of my favorite math subjects and I still don't remember a darn thing!
Active thinking takes a lot of time....
Literary Luminary...Stacey LaFountain...Blog 4
“Less obvious are the reasons to practice skills when it appears you have mastered something and it’s not obvious that practice is making you any better. Odd as is may seem, that sort of practice is essential to schooling. It yields three important benefits: it reinforces the basic skills that are required for the learning of more advanced skills, it protects against forgetting, and it improves transfer”. (P. 108)
I feel that this passage is important because you can relate it to math. During work everyday I push into a math classroom. Here we practice everyday material that we have learned through the year so far. These skills that we are practicing are something that we build upon during everyday class when we learn new material. A perfect example is now we are learning about proportions and proofs. We have already covered proofs in class and are not applying that knowledge that we have with the knowledge we have just learned.
“Mental processes can become automatized. Automatic processes require little or no working-memory capacity”. (P. 111)
Reflexes come to mind when I read this passage. Little children are not born with the knowledge to put their hand in front of their face if a ball is thrown in that direction. Most of the time a child gets hit in the face and learns that they need to put their hand up. Their reflexes are something that they learn over time by doing.
“The difficulty is that there is only so much room in working memory, and if we try to put too much stuff in there, we get mixed up and lose the thread of the problem we were tying to solve, or the story we were trying to follow, or the factors we were trying to weigh in making a complex decision”. (P. 114)
I had this problem just today. Driving the child that I nanny home we were talking about his day and the different things that went on. He started on one topic of conversation and then switched half way through. I was paying attention to what he was talking about and completely forgot the other subject. When he went back to the subject a minute later I could not remember what he had told me. Even though I was listening attentively to him I could not recall anything that he had said.
“Less obvious are the reasons to practice skills when it appears you have mastered something and it’s not obvious that practice is making you any better. Odd as is may seem, that sort of practice is essential to schooling. It yields three important benefits: it reinforces the basic skills that are required for the learning of more advanced skills, it protects against forgetting, and it improves transfer”. (P. 108)
I feel that this passage is important because you can relate it to math. During work everyday I push into a math classroom. Here we practice everyday material that we have learned through the year so far. These skills that we are practicing are something that we build upon during everyday class when we learn new material. A perfect example is now we are learning about proportions and proofs. We have already covered proofs in class and are not applying that knowledge that we have with the knowledge we have just learned.
“Mental processes can become automatized. Automatic processes require little or no working-memory capacity”. (P. 111)
Reflexes come to mind when I read this passage. Little children are not born with the knowledge to put their hand in front of their face if a ball is thrown in that direction. Most of the time a child gets hit in the face and learns that they need to put their hand up. Their reflexes are something that they learn over time by doing.
“The difficulty is that there is only so much room in working memory, and if we try to put too much stuff in there, we get mixed up and lose the thread of the problem we were tying to solve, or the story we were trying to follow, or the factors we were trying to weigh in making a complex decision”. (P. 114)
I had this problem just today. Driving the child that I nanny home we were talking about his day and the different things that went on. He started on one topic of conversation and then switched half way through. I was paying attention to what he was talking about and completely forgot the other subject. When he went back to the subject a minute later I could not remember what he had told me. Even though I was listening attentively to him I could not recall anything that he had said.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Practice Makes Proficiency
Blog 4_Ch5_ Essence Extractor and Vocabulary Vitalizer_Melissa Lochner
Essence Extractor:
Don’t overload your working memory, practice to make automatized information.
Vocabulary Vitalizer:
Practice- continuing to work at something that you’ve already mastered.
Knowledge Transfer- seeks to organize, create, capture or distribute knowledge and ensure its availability for future users. The transfer of knowledge between organizational development and organizational learning.
Drilling- to impart (knowledge) by strict training, discipline, or repetition.
Automatic Process- performed a continuous action, operation, or series of changes taking place in a definite manner from force of habit or without conscious thought
Basic Skill- writing words.
Advanced Skill- writing a sentence or story
Monday, February 7, 2011
Why can't I remember that? You told me just last week!
Chapter 3& 4 - Creative Connector and Idea Illustrator ~ Stacey LaFountain...Blog 3
"A reasonable guess is that we remember things that bring about some emotional reaction. Aren't you likley to remember really happy moments, such as a wedding, or really sad ones, such as hearing the news of the attacks on 9/11?" (P. 57)
This made me think of my great grandma's 95th birthday. I remember this day very well because we were celebrating her life. It was a very emotional day for my family because my grandma was very close to death. To be able to have a happy memory for one last memory lasted longer then any sad memory from her death.
"Repetition is another obvious candidate for what makes learning work" (P. 58)
This is something that can help depending on what you want to remember. In music repetition of a song you are going to sing will help you to memorize the words. This will help you in the end because the likely hood of forgetting the words is very minimal.
"The answer is that they understand new ideas (things they don't know) by relating them to old ideas (things they do know)" (P. 88)
I encountered this a few weeks ago with my niece. She asked a question and wanted an answer. The straight forward answer was not enough for her so I had to use an idea that she has previously learned in order to teacher a new concept.
"You ask a student a question (in class or perhaps on a test), and the student responds using the exact words you used when you explained the idea or with the exact words from the textbook" (P. 93)
This first image is of a penny. The penny was talked about in the reading to coiside with repetition. I thought that it was interesting how in some aspects of memory repetition works for individuals however, seeing something everyday does not meant that you know what it looks like.
The second image is of long - term memory. These chapters still focuses on how memory can affect the student. Long-term and really any kind of memory is important to the students.
The third image is of a television. I chose this picture because of the title of chapter 3. This chapter talks a lot about memory and why students remember specific things and not others.
"A reasonable guess is that we remember things that bring about some emotional reaction. Aren't you likley to remember really happy moments, such as a wedding, or really sad ones, such as hearing the news of the attacks on 9/11?" (P. 57)
This made me think of my great grandma's 95th birthday. I remember this day very well because we were celebrating her life. It was a very emotional day for my family because my grandma was very close to death. To be able to have a happy memory for one last memory lasted longer then any sad memory from her death.
"Repetition is another obvious candidate for what makes learning work" (P. 58)
This is something that can help depending on what you want to remember. In music repetition of a song you are going to sing will help you to memorize the words. This will help you in the end because the likely hood of forgetting the words is very minimal.
"The answer is that they understand new ideas (things they don't know) by relating them to old ideas (things they do know)" (P. 88)
I encountered this a few weeks ago with my niece. She asked a question and wanted an answer. The straight forward answer was not enough for her so I had to use an idea that she has previously learned in order to teacher a new concept.
"You ask a student a question (in class or perhaps on a test), and the student responds using the exact words you used when you explained the idea or with the exact words from the textbook" (P. 93)
I am sure that everyone has had this experience while teaching and as a student. These are the responses you more then likely get when you just have to remember the material for a test and then you forget it right after.
This first image is of a penny. The penny was talked about in the reading to coiside with repetition. I thought that it was interesting how in some aspects of memory repetition works for individuals however, seeing something everyday does not meant that you know what it looks like.
The second image is of long - term memory. These chapters still focuses on how memory can affect the student. Long-term and really any kind of memory is important to the students.
The third image is of a television. I chose this picture because of the title of chapter 3. This chapter talks a lot about memory and why students remember specific things and not others.
Huh? does that even mean anything?
Natalie Gregorski
Blog 3
Chapters 3 &4
Essence Extractor:
Memory is the residue of thought that builds on previous understanding.
Vocabulary Vitalizer:
1) The "four C's" = Four components of a story
Causality- the events in the story are linked to each other with a district purpose of cause
Conflict- the goal or situation that needs to be overcome where there are usually obstacles in the way
Complications- the sub problems that arise when trying to meet the goal, the obstacles.
Character- strong characters, who don't need to be described in detail because the story and their actions tell us about them.
2) Mnemonics= a method or devise used to aid recall or memory examples are acronyms or rhymes.
3) Story Structure = the way in which the author organizes material that students are suppose to think about.
4) Surface Structure = what the text looks like what our immediate or initial thought is not really getting to the niddy gritty.
5) Deep Structure = the underlying meaning, process or procedure to solving a problem. (often in math two questions my look different or be asked different but the same procedure is used to solve it, meaning the deep structure is the same)
Blog 3
Chapters 3 &4
Essence Extractor:
Memory is the residue of thought that builds on previous understanding.
Vocabulary Vitalizer:
1) The "four C's" = Four components of a story
Causality- the events in the story are linked to each other with a district purpose of cause
Conflict- the goal or situation that needs to be overcome where there are usually obstacles in the way
Complications- the sub problems that arise when trying to meet the goal, the obstacles.
Character- strong characters, who don't need to be described in detail because the story and their actions tell us about them.
2) Mnemonics= a method or devise used to aid recall or memory examples are acronyms or rhymes.
3) Story Structure = the way in which the author organizes material that students are suppose to think about.
4) Surface Structure = what the text looks like what our immediate or initial thought is not really getting to the niddy gritty.
5) Deep Structure = the underlying meaning, process or procedure to solving a problem. (often in math two questions my look different or be asked different but the same procedure is used to solve it, meaning the deep structure is the same)
I'm going to remember this moment for the rest of my life!
Blog #3: chapter 3-4
Literary Luminator
1. "Students often refer to good teachers as those who "make the stuff interesting." It's not that the teacher relates the material to students' interests- rather, the teacher has a way of interacting with students that they find engaging." (pp. 64) I enjoyed this passage because I found it to be very true. Teaching our students the necessary content is fabulous, however, many times we lose students due to disinterest in the material. If we know our students well, we can hook them and get them interested not by changing our content but just by being the amazing professionals we are! It is very much easier said than done because not all students learn the same and they all have very diverse personalities. So while your engaging some students you might be turning other students off to the content.
2. "The emotional bond between student and teacher- for better or worse- accounts for whether students learn. ....They are able to connect with students and they organize the material in a way that makes in interesting and easy to learn." (pp. 65) Okay, so a little redundant from the first passage but I think one of the most important things a teacher can do is connect with the students. Kids spend most of their day in school and around us teachers, shouldn't we make them feel safe and get to know them? Teachers have so much influence over their students and most don't even realize it. If a student doesn't feel like the teacher knows them as an individual why would they want to learn? I feel that connecting to the student and giving the individual what they need is just as important as teaching content.
3. "If someone understands an abstract principle, we expect they will show transfer. When knowledge transfers, that means they have successfully applied old knowledge to a new problem." (pp. 97) I chose this passage because in our faculty meetings at school I am in the "transfer" group and am collecting research to show how transfer is applied in the classroom. There are a couple different types of transfer. For instance, students can transfer skills like writing a rough draft...editing that draft..and then producing a final draft from ELA to Foreign Language. Students can also transfer content: In my Italian class we are watching a video about being Jewish in Italy and Italy's involvement during WWII. My student's can transfer previous knowledge from when they did a WWII unit in Social Studies. By transferring this knowledge or these skills, they are applying previous knowledge to a new content or new task which shows understanding.
-Alex
Literary Luminator
1. "Students often refer to good teachers as those who "make the stuff interesting." It's not that the teacher relates the material to students' interests- rather, the teacher has a way of interacting with students that they find engaging." (pp. 64) I enjoyed this passage because I found it to be very true. Teaching our students the necessary content is fabulous, however, many times we lose students due to disinterest in the material. If we know our students well, we can hook them and get them interested not by changing our content but just by being the amazing professionals we are! It is very much easier said than done because not all students learn the same and they all have very diverse personalities. So while your engaging some students you might be turning other students off to the content.
2. "The emotional bond between student and teacher- for better or worse- accounts for whether students learn. ....They are able to connect with students and they organize the material in a way that makes in interesting and easy to learn." (pp. 65) Okay, so a little redundant from the first passage but I think one of the most important things a teacher can do is connect with the students. Kids spend most of their day in school and around us teachers, shouldn't we make them feel safe and get to know them? Teachers have so much influence over their students and most don't even realize it. If a student doesn't feel like the teacher knows them as an individual why would they want to learn? I feel that connecting to the student and giving the individual what they need is just as important as teaching content.
3. "If someone understands an abstract principle, we expect they will show transfer. When knowledge transfers, that means they have successfully applied old knowledge to a new problem." (pp. 97) I chose this passage because in our faculty meetings at school I am in the "transfer" group and am collecting research to show how transfer is applied in the classroom. There are a couple different types of transfer. For instance, students can transfer skills like writing a rough draft...editing that draft..and then producing a final draft from ELA to Foreign Language. Students can also transfer content: In my Italian class we are watching a video about being Jewish in Italy and Italy's involvement during WWII. My student's can transfer previous knowledge from when they did a WWII unit in Social Studies. By transferring this knowledge or these skills, they are applying previous knowledge to a new content or new task which shows understanding.
-Alex
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Ready to Recall
Blog 3_Chapter 3&4_ Rigorous Researcher_ Melissa Lochner
I decided to research mnemonics. Although I have seen them before in classrooms, when Willingham first mentioned the word I forgot what they were. I wanted to see if the internet had any other ideas besides the one Willingham showed in the chart. There were lots of websites about using mnemonics to improve your memory but not as many about mnemonics in education. One website I found talked about how a girl classified as mildly mentally handicapped was helped immensely with a mnemonic device. Willingham talked about how it could help students but he never said how it may help students with disabilities even more. Although all methods of mnemonics are successful, the ones that have worked best for students with learning disabilities and other special needs is the keyword method, the pegword method, and letter strategies. The article talks about having the students creating their own mnemonic device as well, allowing them to connect with the information even more and help the learning process. However, “instruction may proceed at a much slower rate and students' performances may be lower than when teachers supply the strategies (Mastropieri, &Scruggs, 1998)” when the last suggestion is applied.
Go to http://www.ldonline.org/article/5912 to read the entire article.
Mastropieri, M.A., & Scruggs, T.E. (1998, March).Enhancing school success with mnemonic strategies. Retrieved from http://www.ldonline.org/article/5912
-Melissa
Monday, January 31, 2011
Remember: P. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way Sydney
Blog 2: Chapters 1 & 2
Role:Rigorous Research
Natalie Gregorski
One of the major topics of discussion in the first two chapters of this book was memory, and how it is used in learning and retrieving information. There are three types, short term, long term, and working memory, all of which are important to thinking and education. The topic that I found the most interesting was working memory and how there is very limited space, yet we can pull from long term memory to help sort through out tasks and information given to us. After researching more information I found the following to be useful in exploring working memory more.
Working memory is a system for temporarily storing and managing the information required to carry out complex cognitive tasks such as learning, reasoning, and comprehension. Working memory is involved in the selection, initiation, and termination of information-processing functions such as encoding, storing, and retrieving data. ( MedicineNet.com )
The following passage was taken from the American Psychological foundation on how working memory would be the cause of some behavior symptoms of ADHD and how those might be remedied through training
"It could be that working-memory problems give rise to observable behavioral symptoms of ADHD: distractibility and also poor academic achievement," she says. Working-memory deficits might also underpin some reading disabilities, as it controls the ability to recall words read earlier in a sentence, says Tannock.
But how--or even if--working memory can be expanded through training remains a topic of hot contention among psychologists. Some argue that working memory has a set limit of about four items, and that individual differences in working memory arise from the ability to group small bits of information into larger chunks. However, new research suggests that working-memory capacity could expand with practice--a finding that could shed new light on this central part of the mind's architecture, as well as potentially lead to treatments for ADHD or other learning disabilities.
To learn more visit the Association Website
http://www.apa.org/monitor/sep05/workout.aspx
Natalie Gregorski
Role:Rigorous Research
Natalie Gregorski
One of the major topics of discussion in the first two chapters of this book was memory, and how it is used in learning and retrieving information. There are three types, short term, long term, and working memory, all of which are important to thinking and education. The topic that I found the most interesting was working memory and how there is very limited space, yet we can pull from long term memory to help sort through out tasks and information given to us. After researching more information I found the following to be useful in exploring working memory more.
Working memory is a system for temporarily storing and managing the information required to carry out complex cognitive tasks such as learning, reasoning, and comprehension. Working memory is involved in the selection, initiation, and termination of information-processing functions such as encoding, storing, and retrieving data. ( MedicineNet.com )
The following passage was taken from the American Psychological foundation on how working memory would be the cause of some behavior symptoms of ADHD and how those might be remedied through training
"It could be that working-memory problems give rise to observable behavioral symptoms of ADHD: distractibility and also poor academic achievement," she says. Working-memory deficits might also underpin some reading disabilities, as it controls the ability to recall words read earlier in a sentence, says Tannock.
But how--or even if--working memory can be expanded through training remains a topic of hot contention among psychologists. Some argue that working memory has a set limit of about four items, and that individual differences in working memory arise from the ability to group small bits of information into larger chunks. However, new research suggests that working-memory capacity could expand with practice--a finding that could shed new light on this central part of the mind's architecture, as well as potentially lead to treatments for ADHD or other learning disabilities.
To learn more visit the Association Website
http://www.apa.org/monitor/sep05/workout.aspx
Natalie Gregorski
Why do we think when the brain is not made for it?
Blog 2: Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. Stacey LaFountain, Vocabulary/Concept Vitalizer and Essence Extractor.
Vocabulary/Concept Vitalizer:
1) Working memory - is the current contents of a person's consciousness.
2) Long-term memory - is the memory that involves the storage and recall of information over a long period of time (as days, weeks, or years)
3) Procedural knowledge - is the type of knowledge someone has and then demonstrates through the procedure of doing something.
4) Chunking -is the grouping together of a number of items by the mind, after which they can be remembered as a single item, such as a word or a musical phrase.
5) Knowledge - acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation; general education.
Essence Extractor:
Brain's aren't for thinking and act as a filing cabinet.
Vocabulary/Concept Vitalizer:
1) Working memory - is the current contents of a person's consciousness.
2) Long-term memory - is the memory that involves the storage and recall of information over a long period of time (as days, weeks, or years)
3) Procedural knowledge - is the type of knowledge someone has and then demonstrates through the procedure of doing something.
4) Chunking -is the grouping together of a number of items by the mind, after which they can be remembered as a single item, such as a word or a musical phrase.
5) Knowledge - acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation; general education.
Essence Extractor:
Brain's aren't for thinking and act as a filing cabinet.
Blog 2: I think I can, I think I can....but it takes too long to think.
Chapters 1-2: Creative Connector:
1. "Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is the probable reason why so few people engage in it." (pp.4) I had good chuckle after the author wrote this because it is very true! Thinking takes time and effort and people would rather bypass the thinking stage and just be given the answer. In the text the author poses sample problems and asks the reader to solve them. One example is the question with the candle, tacks and matches. The problem is how does one light the candle and have it 5 ft off the ground without holding it. I read the question and comprehended it, I even thought for a whopping 15 seconds before giving up and reading the answer. The truth was I didn't want to think of the solution because it was "too hard." Most would chalk it up as laziness (which it might be a little too) but Willingham states that thinking takes much more time for the brain to do, so we try to do less of it.
2. "Using memory doesn't require much of your attention, so you are free to daydream, even as you're stopping at red lights, passing cars, watching for pedestrians, and so on." (pp. 7) The Author is explaining the brain and how memory (long term & short term) are quick and easy for it to do, while the act of thinking is slow and time consuming. This passage reminded me of the many times I had to drive to work at 7:00 am on Saturdays. It would still be dark out and I'd climb into my car and the next minute (or so it seemed) I had arrived at work. I actually asked myself one day, "Alex, how did you get here?" I had been daydreaming the whole time I was driving! My mind/ memory worked as an autopilot, so I was free to daydream. Believe it or not, this happens to me quite frequently...
3. "You may have experienced something similar when traveling, especially if you've traveled where you don't speak the local language. Everything is unfamiliar and even trivial actions demand lots of thought.....That's one reason why traveling is so tiring: all of the trivial actions that at home could be made on autopilot require your full attention." (pp. 8) I lived in Italy for a year and during that time I took the proximity to other European countries to my full advantage. On long weekends, I'd venture out of Italy and into France or Germany. However, I don't speak French or German! While I visited France I was forced to play an ugly game of charades in order for the French to understand what I wanted and needed. For instance, I walked into a bar (which also serves food) and wanted to express that I was hungry and wanted to eat. Something so trivial but I did not know the verb "to eat" in French. So I first tried Italian "mangiare? mangio?" but they didn't understand. Then, I resorted to the next best thing, closing my hands around an imaginary hamburger and biting into it while saying "eat" and then rubbing my tummy "hungry". To this the man understood and then brought me a menu. My brain really had to think of how to get the things I needed because this country was new to me and I couldn't run on memory or autopilot.
Idea Illustrator:
1.
Curiosity - Willingham writes about the necessity of "hooking" our students. We have to make our students curious so they want to learn and think. I chose this picture of the cat peeking up and over the frame not just because it's cute but because we want our students to be like that cat. As educators we should be able to give them a challenging yet solvable problem and they should be curious enough to want to solve it.
2. Einstein - Willingham describes a poster in his dorm depicting Einstein's quote, "Imagination is more important than knowledge." The author disproves this quote in chapter 2 by saying that without having previous knowledge of something, one couldn't possibly be able to imagine anything. Background knowledge, even shallow knowledge, is necessary.
3. crossword - The last image I chose is the New York Times crossword. Willingham specifically mentions this crossword in the text when he states that, " If the student routinely gets work that is a bit too difficult, it's little wonder that he doesn't care much for school. I wouldn't want to work on the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle for several hours each day." (pp. 13) Teachers need to challenge their students but within the student's level of comprehension.
Alex Pergolizzi
1. "Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is the probable reason why so few people engage in it." (pp.4) I had good chuckle after the author wrote this because it is very true! Thinking takes time and effort and people would rather bypass the thinking stage and just be given the answer. In the text the author poses sample problems and asks the reader to solve them. One example is the question with the candle, tacks and matches. The problem is how does one light the candle and have it 5 ft off the ground without holding it. I read the question and comprehended it, I even thought for a whopping 15 seconds before giving up and reading the answer. The truth was I didn't want to think of the solution because it was "too hard." Most would chalk it up as laziness (which it might be a little too) but Willingham states that thinking takes much more time for the brain to do, so we try to do less of it.
2. "Using memory doesn't require much of your attention, so you are free to daydream, even as you're stopping at red lights, passing cars, watching for pedestrians, and so on." (pp. 7) The Author is explaining the brain and how memory (long term & short term) are quick and easy for it to do, while the act of thinking is slow and time consuming. This passage reminded me of the many times I had to drive to work at 7:00 am on Saturdays. It would still be dark out and I'd climb into my car and the next minute (or so it seemed) I had arrived at work. I actually asked myself one day, "Alex, how did you get here?" I had been daydreaming the whole time I was driving! My mind/ memory worked as an autopilot, so I was free to daydream. Believe it or not, this happens to me quite frequently...
3. "You may have experienced something similar when traveling, especially if you've traveled where you don't speak the local language. Everything is unfamiliar and even trivial actions demand lots of thought.....That's one reason why traveling is so tiring: all of the trivial actions that at home could be made on autopilot require your full attention." (pp. 8) I lived in Italy for a year and during that time I took the proximity to other European countries to my full advantage. On long weekends, I'd venture out of Italy and into France or Germany. However, I don't speak French or German! While I visited France I was forced to play an ugly game of charades in order for the French to understand what I wanted and needed. For instance, I walked into a bar (which also serves food) and wanted to express that I was hungry and wanted to eat. Something so trivial but I did not know the verb "to eat" in French. So I first tried Italian "mangiare? mangio?" but they didn't understand. Then, I resorted to the next best thing, closing my hands around an imaginary hamburger and biting into it while saying "eat" and then rubbing my tummy "hungry". To this the man understood and then brought me a menu. My brain really had to think of how to get the things I needed because this country was new to me and I couldn't run on memory or autopilot.
Idea Illustrator:
1.
Curiosity - Willingham writes about the necessity of "hooking" our students. We have to make our students curious so they want to learn and think. I chose this picture of the cat peeking up and over the frame not just because it's cute but because we want our students to be like that cat. As educators we should be able to give them a challenging yet solvable problem and they should be curious enough to want to solve it.
2. Einstein - Willingham describes a poster in his dorm depicting Einstein's quote, "Imagination is more important than knowledge." The author disproves this quote in chapter 2 by saying that without having previous knowledge of something, one couldn't possibly be able to imagine anything. Background knowledge, even shallow knowledge, is necessary.
3. crossword - The last image I chose is the New York Times crossword. Willingham specifically mentions this crossword in the text when he states that, " If the student routinely gets work that is a bit too difficult, it's little wonder that he doesn't care much for school. I wouldn't want to work on the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle for several hours each day." (pp. 13) Teachers need to challenge their students but within the student's level of comprehension.
Alex Pergolizzi
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Who Knew- The Mind is Not Designed for Thinking
Blog 2_Ch 1 Why Don’t Students Like School? & Ch 2 How Can I Teach Students the Skills They Need When Standardized Tests Require Only Facts?_Melissa Lochner: Literary Luminator
A passage from the first chapter that caught my attention was on page ten, half way into the first paragraph. It said, “When you solve a problem, your brain may reward itself with a small dose of dopamine, a naturally occurring chemical that is important to the brain’s pleasure system.” Later in the next paragraph it talks about how “working on a problem with no sense that your making progress is not pleasurable.” This idea fits right into the classroom. When students do not feel a sense of accomplishment they feel like the problem is to hard and they will shut down. By making, not easier, but more achievable problems that fit their learning style, the students will feel this reward of pleasure.
Another Passage in the first chapter that I marked was on page 20, fourth line down from the top. “Overloads of working memory are caused by such things as multistep instructions, lists of unconnected facts, chains of logic more than two or three steps long, and the application of a just-learned concept to new material.” When I read this my thought was that ‘this is what is happening in every classroom right now.’ If this is what is holding students back from grabbing the concept or ideas that they are supposed to be learning, then teachers need to readjust their lesson activities to prevent working memory overload.
There were many passages that caught my attention in “ah-ha” moments but the last one I chose to write about is on page 27 in chapter 2, third line up from the bottom. Willingham mentions something that we have all heard before, “You don’t need to have this information memorized--you can always just look it up.” This may be true for high schoolers or adults but for younger students they should learn to memorize some information. They need a base to their education, and mentioned later in the chapter they need background knowledge which they would not have in their later years of school if they were able to look everything up, and not memorize information, when they were younger.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Alex, this is your life.....
What did I do today? I assessed my life and the experiences I've had with other cultures, my exposure to individuals with disabilities and whether or not I'd survive in poverty. The results are in...
Slightly multicultural. Really? At first I was surprised I scored this. I assumed I would have scored higher since I have lived in another country for a year and while in that country traveled around to other countries. However, I was brought up in a predominantly white neighborhood in the suburbs, only recently have two African American families moved onto the block. I went to school and while I had some friends, most were white. I realized I took a multicultural dive when I attended Naz for undergrad. Naz, while predominantly white females, also is a pretty diverse culture. During my undergrad I met individuals with disabilities and individuals from very diverse cultural backgrounds. So, I suppose my results are valid.
The next test was the personal contact exposure with individuals with disabilities. I found myself never even writing "O" for often. Numbers 1-17 are scattered assortments of "Sometimes" and "Never". The inexcusable truth is, I can count the number of times I've been able to interact with an individual with disabilities on one hand. This doesn't mean I don't want to or that I've been living under a rock for 23 years, it's just the way it has happened.
Could I survive in poverty? No. I didn't circle even one statement. At one point I did circle one, then I asked myself if I was really telling the truth or just circling because I didn't want to look spoiled. I had to erase my mark. I've never had to do or know how to do any of those statements. How to defend myself physically? I'd probably run and fall! My life and the lives of individuals, worse, my students living in poverty are two totally different perspectives. While I'm sitting on my warm couch, cuddling with my dog (who has a full belly), wondering what I need to buy from Wegmans for lunch tomorrow, there are people wondering how they're going to survive the month.
I believe taking these surveys really opened my eyes and gave me a chance to reflect on my life and the lives of others. With this information I feel more aware and feel like I have a better understanding of individuals in my community and classroom.
-Alex
Slightly multicultural. Really? At first I was surprised I scored this. I assumed I would have scored higher since I have lived in another country for a year and while in that country traveled around to other countries. However, I was brought up in a predominantly white neighborhood in the suburbs, only recently have two African American families moved onto the block. I went to school and while I had some friends, most were white. I realized I took a multicultural dive when I attended Naz for undergrad. Naz, while predominantly white females, also is a pretty diverse culture. During my undergrad I met individuals with disabilities and individuals from very diverse cultural backgrounds. So, I suppose my results are valid.
The next test was the personal contact exposure with individuals with disabilities. I found myself never even writing "O" for often. Numbers 1-17 are scattered assortments of "Sometimes" and "Never". The inexcusable truth is, I can count the number of times I've been able to interact with an individual with disabilities on one hand. This doesn't mean I don't want to or that I've been living under a rock for 23 years, it's just the way it has happened.
Could I survive in poverty? No. I didn't circle even one statement. At one point I did circle one, then I asked myself if I was really telling the truth or just circling because I didn't want to look spoiled. I had to erase my mark. I've never had to do or know how to do any of those statements. How to defend myself physically? I'd probably run and fall! My life and the lives of individuals, worse, my students living in poverty are two totally different perspectives. While I'm sitting on my warm couch, cuddling with my dog (who has a full belly), wondering what I need to buy from Wegmans for lunch tomorrow, there are people wondering how they're going to survive the month.
I believe taking these surveys really opened my eyes and gave me a chance to reflect on my life and the lives of others. With this information I feel more aware and feel like I have a better understanding of individuals in my community and classroom.
-Alex
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