Details and the Bigger Picture

While reading chapter 12 of Zull’s book, I was intrigued about the section, “How the Brain Remembers Stories”. What I got out of the chapter was that while reading lengthy passages, students can get bored. The excitement is found in the details. When the students are just focusing on the end result, they are missing out on so many learning opportunities within the details. Something I would like to see my students do in the future is to focus of minor details of the story and create their own story, or character study, about what is happening. For example, in the novel, The Westing Game, readers are mostly focused on what will happen in the end. Trying to find out who is the murderer. I think in order to see the big picture, and engage the students, the students need to see what is going on with the other characters in the book. An example of this could be allowing the students to complete character studies for each character in the story. I would make it a physical learning experience by allowing students an opportunity to act out their findings for each character. This gives the students an opportunity to focus on the details as they read. Details they will need in order to see the order to figure out the ending. By allowing students an opportunity to focus on the details and traits of each character, they are able to remember the story better because they got to become engaged in the “big picture”.

It Just Comes Naturally

In chapter 10 of Zull’s book, he discusses natural thinking. I love the idea that he thinks teachers need to trust their students. “Thinking is natural.” (Zull, 2002, p.189) By allowing students an opportunity to think for themselves about presented information, it allows the connections (text-to-self, text-to-world, etc.) to come naturally. The learning will not feel forced. As I reflect on my own teaching, there have been times where it was difficult to let go of some of the control. Yet, when I did (in certain situations) the outcomes were pleasantly surprising. As I read about natural thinking, I made the connection to concept attainment lessons I have done in the past. In concept attainment lessons, students are given an opportunity to think, problem solve, and connect information and ideas on their own. The teacher is just the facilitator. For example, in the past when working on 3-D shapes, I have used the strategy of concept attainment. I presented my students with a large group of 3-D shapes. From there, my students had to sort the shapes however they saw fit. I made sure to stress there was no wrong way or right way; as long as they were able to fully explain their thinking and attain properties of 3-D shapes (number of bases, sides, edges; etc.). What made this activity so much fun was that students became engaged quickly. By allowing students to tap into their natural abilities their processes, procedures, and products which are created in the classroom will be of a much higher quality. Also, since they are in charge of their own learning, the students will have a stronger connection to the concepts/information they discover.

Activating Prior Knowledge

Since I have been teaching, the importance of prior knowledge has always been stressed. It is a vital element to understand what your learners already know. In the past, I have used KWL charts or pre-assessment quizzes to see what my students know about newly introduced topics. This had really been helpful when trying to fully meet the needs of each student in my classroom. After reading chapter six of Zull’s book, my beliefs on prior knowledge are confirmed. Prior knowledge is the best way to understand how much each student knows about given topics or concepts. A teacher will be more likely to hit target areas if they fully understand what knowledge the learner already possesses about that topic. They will not be repeating information that the students already know. This will allow for a better chance to fully engage the students in the lessons being covered. At the end of chapter six, Zull discussed important aspects of prior knowledge. Some that really resonated with me where the following:

·         “If we ignore or avoid prior knowledge, it will hinder our teaching.” (2002, p.108)- This is why pre-assessments are so important. Teachers need to understand what their students know in order to achieve the goal of fully engaging the students in the classroom lessons.

·         “Prior knowledge is complex and personal.” (2002, p.109)- It is complex because, no two students have the same prior knowledge. Keeping that in mind, the teacher has to be able to manipulate his or her lessons in order to meet the needs of all students in the classroom.

·         “Writing assignments are helpful in discovering prior knowledge of students” (2002, p.109) - Love the idea of allowing student to express themselves in writing. By allowing this freedom, there is a great chance the student will open up. This will allow the teacher to get a deeper understanding of the student. I also like this idea so much that I am adding it as an intervention in my final project. When I return to school in August, I plan on incorporating much more writing in my classes.

Just a little something extra-

I came across this resource when researching about prior knowledge. It has some great examples on how to activate prior knowledge in the classroom.

http://www.classhelp.info/Biology/Strategies%20for%20Activating%20Prior%20Knowledge.pdf

Learning Not Recalling

Read first:)
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/09/when-memorization-gets-in-the-way-of-learning/279425/

When I read chapter four of Zull’s book, there was a statement about brain structures and emotion that stuck out. “Then we can be grateful when our students sputter, because that is valuable information.” (Zull, 2002, p.55) As I thought back over the discussion about the importance of memorization, I felt this statement from Zull solidifies my argument that memorization of facts is not always a benefit for the long term memory. As I thought more about this topic, I decided to research more about memorization and its effects. I came across the article by Ben Orlin that discusses memorization. I found it very interesting. During my reading I read about how memorization of facts does not allow the students to learn anything. They are just storing information in their short term memory in order to complete a task or test. The information rarely makes it to the students’ long term memory. Orlin (2013) stated, “Memorization is a frontage road: It runs parallel to the best parts of learning, never intersecting. It's a detour around all the action, a way of knowing without learning, of answering without understanding.” By just recalling information the students are not learning anything. In order for students to learn material, they need to understand why they must know things. The teacher needs to engage the students and have them question concepts and discover their own understandings about concepts. If the students cannot tell you why something is important, then they have wasted valuable learning time. “What separates memorization from learning is a sense of meaning. When you memorize a fact, it's arbitrary, interchangeable--it makes no difference to you whether sine of π/2 is one, zero, or a million. But when you learn a fact, it's bound to others by a web of logic.” (Orlin, 2013) Learning must be meaningful, and students should struggle some. This allows them an opportunity to problem solve. I believe this was what Zull was talking about when he was discussing emotions. Students need to “sputter” because it allows teachers an opportunity to see which of the aspects of critical thinking are weak, as well as where students could use some improvement in their learning abilities. If the class is made up mostly of memorization activities, this needs to be changed because the students are not gaining true knowledge. Although there is no way around memorization, the information being memorized must be meaningful and learned-not recited. Orlin discussed how this can be done in a way where the information is retained in the long term memory. The two examples he gave was that of repeated use and building on prior knowledge. When using the repeated use technique, students are interacting with the same information over and over, but what makes it different from memorization is that the repeated use is not deliberate. Students are not using this technique to cram for a test. It is a strategy, or concept, they see weekly, or even daily, and it comes naturally. Building on prior knowledge is different from memorization because students are constantly firing and wiring information through different pathways. By using this strategy, the students are able to continue to make connections which will help information to be stored in their long term memory. Memorization techniques do serve some importance, I just do not think it should be a goal or objective for practicing educators.

Passive vs. Active Learners

Passive teaching seems dull and boring. Although there are some concepts that are taught off of memorization, this should not be the highest level of achievement in school. Students need to be engaged in their learning. They need to be intrinsically motivated to think critically about concepts. Active learning allows the teacher to present information, and facilitate learning. Students need to take the information presented, and discover concepts on their own. An example that could be very enjoyable for active learners has to do with learning about the human body. An idea for active learners would be something called, “Create a Debate”. In this lesson, the teacher assigns groups of students a system of the human body, such as the circulatory system. Each group would then receive a letter from the body’s CEO (the brain) that there are going to the budget cuts. Each system needs to research, in detail, every reason why their system is the most beneficial and why it needs to remain in the human body. After a certain time frame, the class will come together and have a debate in front of a panel of other teachers. Students will then take notes on all of the arguments presented. By being in charge of their own note taking, the students are taking responsibility of their learning. This type of activity allows students an opportunity to fully engage in their learning. They must find the facts and functions of their assigned system and use critical thinking skills to create topic points that make their body system imperative to the overall well-being of the human body.  Although this assignment is fictional, the students are getting an opportunity to engage in non-traditional strategies in the classroom. By allowing students an opportunity to take control of their own learning; the information they discover will be much more valuable in the long run.

Helpful Insight

This video on passive and active learning by the Brady Bros. on YouTube was very interesting. Are our leaders so concerned with standardized test scores more important than students’ abilities to engage in active learning that will be more beneficial in their lives? Just something to think about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1XQMqcuPYo

Counting

     After reading chapter 9, The Big Picture, I came across something that does not surprise me. People use reciting techniques to “teach” information to students. Reciting information is not going to help to students successfully obtain and understand concepts they need to know. Zadina discusses how young students are taught to recite numbers to set the foundation for upcoming math skills. It is great if students can recite their numbers and even recognize them in written form, but the students are not applying any of their mathematical knowledge. They are just recalling information, not much critical thinking going on there. In order for students to truly understand numbers, young students need to apply number sense. This can be done by allowing students opportunities to count. This could take place in the classroom, on the playground, lunchroom, or even a homework activity. For example, students could be asked to create a math “story” or word problem (could take it a step further, and the students could create a song about their story) Students would then allow others to try and solve the created problems using manipulatives where they must count items. By constantly counting items, it allows students opportunities to relate math inside and outside of the classroom. By applying counting skills, students’ number sense becomes stronger. Which means they have a better chance of storing this information in their long-term memory.

Social Interactions in the Classroom

Although independent work in a classroom needs to be a main priority for educators, it is important to know students must learn social skills as well. A good way to do this in the classroom is to allow opportunities for group assignments. One assignment that I would like to incorporate into my classroom is allowing small groups of students to create a skit to measure their level of understanding in a given subject. I would begin by incorporating journaling (week 5, day 3 of Zadina’s workbook). I would have my students “log on” and tell me all of the prior knowledge they know about the current topic. I would then group them heterogeneously. This way each student has an opportunity to learn something from each of their classmates. I would not want all of the students in the same group to know the same information. The students would then work together to explore their topic for more information. For example, my students could work together to create a skit that would present their learning and understanding about different life cycles, or human body systems. By allowing students to work in groups, they will be working on socializing with others. They would be learning to negotiate, as well as how to show respect for others. This would all be done while learning about given content. The teacher would then be able to measure the understanding of the group as a whole. Once the group portion of the assignment is complete, the students would then need to complete an individual post reflection (“log off”) on the assignment. This would allow the educator an opportunity to see what each individual student understands, as well as any misconceptions or misunderstandings they may have about the material. This lesson could be extended by allowing the students to participate in an open discussion where they share their journal entries with the class (optional, of course).  By presenting the information in multiple ways, the students are constantly “firing” the material. In an ideal world, it would be “fired” enough in order for the information to make it to the long-term memory.

Explaining Their Thinking

This week we read about the Frontal Lobe Executive Function. The Frontal Lobe is very important and is responsible for Metacognition. Higher-order thinking deals directly with Metacognition. When students think about their own thinking, and breakdown their thought process, they are using Metacognition. A lesson that I would like to use in my class allows students an opportunity to share their learning with their classmates. From the Homework Menu at the end of chapter seven, there is an option- “Design a PowerPoint that illustrates the steps in carrying out a problem, project, or product.” I believe this would be a great way to engage students. It would also allow them an opportunity to explain their thought process to their classmates. This could be implemented in any subject, but my example refers to math. I have always been a strong believer in knowing there is more than one way to solve a problem. For my example lesson, I would present a math problem to my students. I would present the class with a word problem that relates to a real-life situation, such as “I have 5 pizzas sliced into eight slices. If there are 11 people, how many slices would each person get? Would there be any left? Explain your thinking in words, pictures, diagrams, etc.”

From here each student would then create a short presentation where they are allowed to present their thought process using a PowerPoint, the Smart board, chart paper, or an overhead projector. They would share their findings with the class. This assignment would also allow students an opportunity to continue using higher-order thinking. As a class, we would reflect over each presentation and discuss how it was helpful, or ways to improve it. In the end, I believe it would show students that not everyone thinks alike and it is okay to try different ways to complete assignments or tasks.

“Think-Pair-Share”- Yes Please!!!

Keagan strategies are a great way to implement cooperation into the classroom. I learned some of these strategies in my undergraduate coursework, but I was not always the best at implementing them. Now that I am an itinerant teacher, I see teachers in all of my schools successfully implement various strategies as they teach. One that I hear of often is “Think-Pair-Share”. I have always had an idea of what “Think-Pair- Share” was, but I really enjoy seeing it being implemented daily. This leads me to want to incorporate it more in my own teaching. After reading through Zadina’s workbook for chapter three, I think “Think-Pair-Share” is a great way to make students responsible for their own learning while doing group work. This type of activity opens up the line of communication among peers and allows them to discuss their educational discoveries in a positive atmosphere. By using the “Think-Pair-Share” format listed by Zadina, I would present the students with a question or problem. The students would then have to write their thoughts. Once each student has written their own thoughts, they would discuss their thoughts with their partners. Each student would then record their partner’s responses. Then comes the best part of this assignment. The partners would have to work together to decide what to share with the rest of the class. I love this because the students bounce ideas off of each other and come to a compromise as to what they would like to share with the class. Another great aspect of using this technique in my classroom is that it could be integrated into any subject. I plan on using it for lesson introductions, closings, and alternative assessments. An example of this would be using it when discussing character traits for a character in a story. After reading a passage or story, I would have my students partner up and complete the “Think-Pair-Share” form. This would also allow for possible mini-lessons, such as that of perspective. This type of activity not only allows for students to learn responsibility and tolerance of other ideas; but it also allows an opportunity for students to build up their social skills. If done enough, the students would become comfortable speaking with their peers about any area of content within the classroom.

Question or Problem:

What I Thought:                    What my partner thought:                   What we decided to share:

Selective Attention

I really enjoyed Zadina’s chapter on attention and memory. As an educator, I have always known that it is very easy for smaller students to lose focus in class. I was not fully aware of the affect it could have on their long-term memory. After reading about the difference between working and long-term memory, I am now reflecting on how I have conducted lessons in my class. In order for students to focus on important information, and move it from working memory to long-term memory, Zadina stated, “Spaced repetition has been shown to be one of the most effective ways to encode information into long-term memory” (2014, p.129). So from what I get out of this, repetition of information is important for students, but they must know what they need to focus on, and how often. So, teachers should not drill the information for the duration of the lesson, then stop reviewing the information altogether. The information has to be repeated, with space between repetitions. For example, if you are teaching students about plant life, you may review important vocabulary or cycles, extensively, over the course of the lesson. Once, the lesson is over, and the class moves on to a new concept, the repetition for that information should not stop. It should be integrated into the students’ daily routine. As the students are walking to a destination, they could look for plants along the way. The teacher could then review terms and plant life cycles with the class while the students are in line for the restroom or lunch. This would not be done every day, maybe just once a week. This way the concepts would make their way from the working memory to long-term memory. Spacing out the repetition allows students an opportunity to focus on information that is important enough to store in their long-term memory.

Fun Videos on Selective Attention:

http://pumaattack.blogspot.com/2010/11/selective-attention-video-demos.html

Getting Students Motivated about Homework

Throughout my teaching experience, homework has been dreaded by most students. After reading about how to motivate students, I feel that homework is a place where student motivation is lacking. Zadina stated in chapter four that students are more engaged when they are intrinsically motivated. Usually, students are extrinsically motivated to complete homework. Some reasons I have heard are, “I do it because I have to”, or “I don’t want my homework grade to drop.” I would like to change my students’ negative thoughts about homework. I would like them to become more intrinsically motivated because it could allow them an opportunity to willingly engage in activities that could boost how much they learn about a given concept (outside of the classroom). In order to do this, I must allow choices when it comes to homework. After looking through Zadina’s workbook, I really enjoyed the idea of using “intention” forms. “Intention” forms are a type of contract where the students are allowed to choose when and where they will complete certain assignments. These seem so flexible. They also allow the students have control and ownership for assignments that must be completed (within a reasonable time frame). The “intention” forms would not be the only choice for the students. They would also be allowed to have choices on given assignments.

 My example includes vocabulary words. In the past, my students have never enjoyed learning about vocabulary words, but I also never gave them many choices. They just had to memorize the terms. Looking back on it now, that was not great teaching on my partL I decided that I would create a vocabulary choice board for homework assignments. It would consist of four choices each week (the choices could be traded out for news ones every so often, just so it is not the same assignments every week). I wanted to choose examples that used higher-order thinking skills. This way the assignments will challenge the students, but the goals are still attainable. According to the text, in order for students to become intrinsically motivated they need to be challenged, but must also be able to achieve goals.  Some of the examples I chose are as follows:

•          Create a story (illustrations optional) using their vocabulary words
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•          Create a crossword puzzle using riddles to determine the term (not a definition).
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•          Creating a song that explains each vocabulary word
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•           Completing a four square vocabulary card, for each word. The vocabulary word goes in the center. Square one: create a picture. Square two: create a sentence, Square three: Give a synonym and antonym for the word. Square four: Definition from the text, as well as a definition in their own words
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•           Construct a concept map for each word. The concept map can include words and pictures.

Of the four choices, the students would have to complete at least two of the choices. These would be due back on the day of the test. With the use of the “intention” form, the students would choose their assignments, as well as, due dates on the day the vocabulary is presented to them. This way the students know well ahead of time with is expected of them. I will then look over the assignments and grade them. I will also make sure to give back all assignments. This way the students can keep a running interactive notebook. The students will be able to keep track of their progress and hard work. This will serve as a reference tool for the students to have for the entire school year. The students would also see that they are not completing an assignment for no given reason. All of their work will be valued and useful in the classroom. Students would have their own personal dictionary which they created. It would be very personal. They would be able to use their notebooks as a reference, instead of having to use the dictionary. I believe this will not only engage and motivate my students, but it would allow them an opportunity to see that they are a valued member of the classroom community and that their ideas and hard work really matter.

Four Square Example Template:

Picture	Sentence
Syn/Ant.	Definition from text:                                      Definition in your own words:

Example of a Concept Map:

Incorporating "Mindful" Techniques to Increase Positive Emotions

After discussing the emotional pathway, I wanted to focus more on positive emotions. Although we must understand negative emotions, I would like to have a classroom where positive emotions happen involuntarily when my students walk into the room. I love the idea of all students being enthusiastic about learning every day, all day. By having the students feel safe and comfortable in their learning environment, it will allow more opportunities to “fire and wire” vital information. Although I am not teaching at this time, I would like to incorporate breathing strategies as a morning welcome in my classroom. Hopefully this will help the students to release any stress or anxiety from the outside world. Also, after doing some further research, I would like to include the concept of “mindfulness”. There is an article I found that discusses the concept of mindful photography. The link to the article is listed below. In the article, it discusses a lesson of having the students walk around campus and take pictures of things that made them feel happy. The students would then bring their pictures into the classroom to discuss different characteristics, such as nature. I believe the article is geared more towards older students, but I thought that it could be adapted to use with younger students. In the article, I enjoyed the idea of using mindful photography in writing. Since writing can bring up negative emotions in all students, I believe allowing the students opportunities to use their own “happy” photos will increase positive emotions in the classroom. Giving choices when using written expression in the classroom may take away some of the stress, or pressure, students feel when having to complete a writing assignment. A lesson such as this one would also be a great way for the students to reflect over their own choices.

Mindful Photography 

Ashley Intro:)