Task 1:
Pre-Posting – Read all of the Freeman & Freeman, Chapter 4 (How Do People
Learn and How Do They Acquire Language?)
Posting – From all of the questions
at the end of the chapter (pg 101), Key Points, identify 2 you would most want
to explore/take up/discuss. What
theories or research supports resonates and could be used to bolster your
teaching philosophy? What is your own
personal and professional rationale for choosing these questions?
The first key point that resonated with me was Fisher and Frey’s model of teaching which included the four stages: teacher modeling, guided instruction, collaborative work, and independent practice. Personally, I liked this model because it related to dance, (especially at a young age) and would be beneficial for second language learners. First, the teacher does all the work. I did this with a poetry unit. First stage, I picked the poem and fixed the movement to the poem, the next day I picked another poem and we did everything together (second stage). Third stage they did a poem and groups. Finally (fourth) stage the student created their own poem and put their movements to their poem individually. This model fit perfectly with what I did in class. Like the book said “the role of the teacher is to mediate learning for students by providing scaffolds that enable them to solve problems and carry out activities independently” (p. 85). I think I will use this method a lot in dance. It makes sense to provide all these stepping-stones in creating an independent learner.
ReplyDeleteThe second key point that resonated with me was when Vygotsky distinguishes between spontaneous concepts acquired through everyday experience and scientific concepts developed in school. This first made me think about how important school is and how people categorize and conceptualize the world. The important concept for second language learners is there is a difference between acquiring a language and learning one. “ Acquisition allows us to use language to communicate, while learning gives us abstract terms to talk about the language” (p.78). I’m questioning if scientific concepts are only learned in school and then applied in the real world? From the reading it seems so, but is it true? I’m also wondering if dance is only scientific concepts? What terms come spontaneously and what terms are scientific? Thoughts?
Kaitlin-- thanks for sharing your first point; that is a perfect example of how the four stage model of teaching should work! As you noted, it probably was especially useful to any of your students in your class who were ELL students as they could easily following along as well. This lesson is actually a great demonstration of adding literacy as well--- I love the idea of creating a dance to a poem. So cool! Did you have any ELL students in your class for this lesson? If so, do you remember if it was a greater struggle for them to grasp the concept/their assignment ?
DeleteAs for your second point, I would be hesitant to say that scientific language can ONLY be learned in school-- as one could decide to educate themselves by reading academic texts/ information. I think the book makes a good point though when they note that " an important part of learning that goes on in schools is the development of the ability to think in more abstract ways that go beyond everyday experience" (p 78). You bring up a good question with dance. By suggesting that dance is only scientific concepts-- and better understood in school-- we aren't really taking into account those that are phenomenal dancers who have had no formal education at all. The same can be said for amazing writers, who were not educated either. Are they seen as exceptions who have excelled even without the knowledge of scientific concepts? I don't know-- its a good question!
Kat, I completely agree with your thoughts about modeling and scaffolding. There is an incredible amount of potential in this method for any content that requires specific skills.
DeleteAs to your Vygotsky question, I believe it important to differentiate method from concept. It was common in the Victorian age to discover scientific concepts during one's leisure time. I believe it no different today, but we are not trying to put the emphasis of learning on the concepts, but rather the method. It is learning how to learn. Method cannot be learned without guidance, as method has been honed over the years to produce best practices. You cannot simply discover these best practices, but develop them in response to the a careful analysis of the field. So yes, I think the answer to your question is yes. But do not forget the importance of spontaneity.
Keenie,
DeleteI did have ELL students struggling with the concepts or what to write. But with some one on one time the students did grasp the concepts. Also when the groups performed the poem together if the ELL students did not understand the words, they had their group members to rely on to help them understand the concepts.
Kaitlin,
DeleteYour first example is like you said, a perfect one. Very well done with that. This type of instruction, like majority of the things we discuss, is also successful while working in physical education. Modeling skills for the younger students, setting constraints on tasks to be done so they focus on one aspect at a time, and slowly work their way to doing the skills on their own is how majority of physical education classes work. Obviously there are other approaches that can be done but this type done by Fisher and Frey is a really popular model!
The first key point that stood out to me while reading was on page 79, Cognitive Apprenticeship. According to Brown and his colleagues, the process of acquiring new concepts is through cognitive apprenticeship. What they found through their research was that we learn new things as we carry out activities in particular situations. The key is for individuals to have a real purpose to engage in the activity and the motivation to acquire new concepts and skills comes from the context. I know this is relevant to everyone but especially in physical education it is because as the students get older, their activity levels go down. Younger kids are much different in that they are active and go to learn new skills regardless of their ability because they still have fun. As they participate and put time in practicing skills, they add to their knowledge and abilities. Middle school students and older need to understand the reason to engage in various activities. They already know how to do many skills and play various games, but they have to understand the importance of WHY they should be active and the benefits that come to them from this. Teaching is all about making sure the kids understand why they are doing something, how it is relevant to them and helping them develop that intrinsic motivation.
ReplyDeleteA second piece that stood out to me is something that I just experienced the other day. Chomsky makes an important distinction between competence and performance on page 88. I was helping with an assessment of a girl for adapted physical education. She is pretty smart but has physical disabilities which limit her in this setting. Her competence or knowledge of what is supposed to be done or how to properly perform something is with her, but her performance or her ability to do the skills is obviously lacking. Another example that I see many times comes in rules of various games or activities. Students can discuss these flawlessly but when it comes to moving around full speed and trying to interpret data from their surroundings or trying to perform skills in a game situation is much different than talking about them or doing them in isolated settings. In these examples, there performance is lagging behind but they are still competent and knowledgeable about what "should" be happening.
That is an excellent example of the distinction between competence and performance, Chris. How did the assessment work in that particular situation? I am sure that is pretty frustrating for the student sometimes-- as you said, knowing what should be going on but not being able to do that would be very hard. It is so cool that you are getting your certificate in adaptive PE too-- I am sure that is very rewarding.
DeleteThis situation can work in the opposite way as well; for examples your students may have the ability to do what they are supposed to, but no competence about what is supposed to be happening. I'm sure that happens more with elementary kids who have so much energy and just want to run around, even if they have no idea of whats going on!
I think the student in your example demonstrates an interesting point we have not really discussed. Students can understand what to do and how to do it, but doing it is something very different. As we know, not everyone can be an athlete. Some people just don't have the coordination, it is a genetic trait. I think it is worthwhile to think about other subjects in this way. We assume that all students can do the level of math or read at a certain level we require. Proper instruction assumes this and we can definitely push most students to these objectives. But there will always be a student that cannot, for no fault of anyone, learn the material or successfully complete an objective. This is a dangerous road to travel, but I think we need to understand that there are things that are out of our control.
DeleteChris,
DeleteYou bring up a great point about competence and performance. Of course I can relate to you! I remember watching dance student at perpich and the different levels I was working with. Some students knew technique or dance vocabulary, while others did not and would fake it!
Anyway, my thoughts are if they understand the vocabulary or idea and try to at least show you the correct form. Then the student should pass. It may not be perfect but if the student is engaged and trying it should be acceptable.
The two key points I would address are the support of personal invention in the context of social convention and the use of teacher instruction, modeling, and scaffolding. What appeals to me about these points is that they explicitly involve the student and the teacher as partners in the education process. Both points really depend on the teacher working for the student to create meaning for the content that is being taught. This is especially important in the social studies, where the content is extremely specialized and may have little direct relevance to the student in terms of connection. Personal invention allows the student to build these connections naturally and utilize the content in a way that is socially acceptable and applicable. In the context of ELL students, this means that the english language is not the most important aspect of the lesson and that they can be successful. The method of instruction, modeling, and scaffolding is something we have already done, and I believe we must continue to get better at. I can see the implementation of this process in an economics class, indeed any class that is skill based. Each of these elements adds a dimension to student understanding and it allows them to interact more fully with the content in more meaningful ways as they build their foundations. The student needs to expend effort for these systems to work, but the teacher invests in the student. I think that these methods can build trust between the two parties that can only benefit the student.
ReplyDeleteI like how you emphasize the student and teacher as partners in their education process. I think a lot of times direct instruction especially can be misinterpreted as the teacher doing everything and the students merely nonactive listeners in the process-- though if done right, this is not how it goes. Teachers should give students the material and instruction they need to-- as you point out- makes their own connections and utilize the content in a way that makes sense for them.
DeleteJoseph/Joey/Jo,
DeleteI agree with the importance of making the teacher and student partners... like Keenie said! I feel teachers really disconnect from their students and just teach the material. I also agree with you about using teacher instruction, modeling and scaffolding. Like you said.... through these elements, students can interact more fully with the content in more meaningful ways as they build their foundations!
Going off of what Keenie and Kailtin have said based on your point of teachers and students being partners in education, I am reminded of things that we have learned already in our classes. It is obviously extremely important for the teachers to not only teach the material but to also make an attempt at a connection with the students. I do agree with you about the field of Social Studies, this can be very important because the teacher has to make a connection with the students to maybe help make the material somewhat relevant or get the students engaged. If the students feel that the teacher doesn't care about them or class is uninteresting to them, the teacher will really struggle teaching the material to the students.
DeleteThe first point that stood out to me was the first under "Key Points" and perhaps also the most general-- that it is crucial that teachers understand different learning theories. This chapter tied in very well to our KSP course we took on developmental theories-- where we saw how many theories can all be taken into context to understand the true place our students are at/are coming from. Things might affect students in different ways-- just as we have learned that students all learn in different ways. Vygotsky's Social View of Learning discusses the Zone of Proximal Development and the distinction between spontaneous and scientific concepts. It is key that teachers understand a student's ZPD, so that they strive to teach in that area, and students are pushed to their fullest potential. My question is what happens when all of the students are at different levels? What does the ZPD become then?
ReplyDeleteLike Joey, I also found the point that teachers can mediate learning through direct instruction, modeling, and scaffolding to be of importance as well. Teachers need to have a balance of these three elements to be an effective teacher and students to get the most out of the classroom. I see direct instruction happening most when a new topic is being introduced. Although this is designed as a time for the teacher to be lecturing, the students can still be taking notes, following along with a presentation, and filling out a graphic organizer on the topic. Modeling is an extremely important next step. I thought it was interesting how this chapter talked about how ELL students especially find it helpful to hear teachers model their thought process for the correct way to complete the problem. Scaffolding should take place in all lessons as well-- teachers should provide information to their students that will help build up their knowledge on the topic. In the English/Language Arts world this often means presenting articles on the time period a book was written in or situations which come up in the book but also something the students may have to deal with. In my mind, scaffolding is what makes the lesson/unit whole and complete.
Keenie,
DeleteI had experience with teaching into students ZPD and having different levels of ZPD. One example is cooperating teacher during ballet class actually teaches three levels of ballet dance in order to teach to the different levels. To me that is a lot of work but it works for the students. They all have different backgrounds and abilities. I was lucky enough to teach a lesson that allowed them to work in their range. Instead of adapting my lesson for each level.
One model I use for direct instruction, modeling and scaffolding in dance is see, say, do. First the students see the concept or introduced to it. Then they say it.. the student creates meaning personally... what does this term mean to you? Then they perform in different ways... This method is used mostly at the elementary level but could be applied middle school or high school as well.
Keenie,
DeleteIt is very important to teach into the students ZPD and making sure that each student is challenged. One example of this that I saw last year came when a 7th and 8th grade PE class had to share a gym for a period. To help make sure everyone was challenged, the two teachers collaborated and decided that each lesson they would teach the same topic to the students but they would give the students the option of going to the "advanced" side or the "intermediate" side. The students were able to chose where they felt comfortable going and then each teacher would teach both 7th and 8th graders that came to their side of the gym either more or less advanced skills depending on which group they have. That is probably an extreme example of making sure kids are challenged but it is one example of its importance none the less.
Keenie, we definitely have to be aware of the achievement level of our students. Some classes may be more able to reach higher levels of thinking or progress further in the curriculum than others. We need to know what this class needs, as well as what the other classes need, to make sure each gets the most out of their experience.
ReplyDeleteI am thinking about the possibilities of switching instruction, modeling, and scaffolding around. So they need to be done in that order? What about experimenting and analyzing, followed by the theory? Food for thought, or perhaps I need a snack...