What?
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), is a legislative act to help schools address individual needs of students. It covers children from early childhood education, all the way through the age of 21. An Individualized Education Plan, (IEP) is overseen by IDEA and is a list of accommodations, goals, and plans for accomplishing goals. It is complied by a committee of professionals, parents, and teachers. In high school, this IEP plan also conatains a transition plan to hlep students transition into a real-world environment. The goal of special education today is to ehlp the students remain in the least-restrictive environment as possible.
IQ tests used to be implemented liberally as a way to evaluate students on t heir intelligence. The most commonly used was Spearman's g, but others included Catell's Fluid and Crystallized, Sternberg's Triacrchic Theory, and Distributed Intelligence. The most accepted form of IQ test today is Gardner's Multiple Intelligences.
So What?
As a teacher, abiding by all of the components of IDEA is essential. It is a legally binding contractual educational plan that must be implemented in order to provide students with special needs with their rights to equal education. We must support our students with special needs in order to help them gain the best education possible.
Understanding Gardner's Multiple Intelligences can help us as teachers better reach or students who learn in different ways. The different components of Gardner's intelligences are: Linguistic, Logical, Spatial, Musical, Kinesthetic, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalist, and Existential. By understanding the best way our students learn, we can better fulfill their educational needs.
Now What?
For the 'Now What' section of my learning log, I am going to share the multiple intelligences "lesson plan" we were asked to think about in class.
My lesson plan incorporating multiple intelligences is a Biology lesson about the different kinds of plants and trees that are indigenous to our climate. The lesson would require the students to go and collect (Kinesthetic) leaf samples of different kinds of plants surrounding the school. They then would be required to identify the plants using a field guide (Naturalist) of the indigenous plants of the region. Then, they would be required to draw (Spatial) the leaves they found. They then would write a paragraph (Linguistic) describing each type of leaf they found.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Learning Log: 4-14-09
What?
IDEA stands for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This is a legislative law that requires assistance to be provided for students who qualify for special education. This is not your good ol' resource class, but a newer, updated special education program that allows all types of special needs students to have the resources and learning opportunities that they need.
IDEA is for Inclusion. This is where special needs students are placed in general education schools, and where possible, general education classrooms (with accommodations made.) This creates an environment that allows for assimilation and fights prejudice. It fosters social intelligence, and allows students to remain with their peers. The principle behind inclusion is the Least Restrictive Environment. This means that a student is placed in the most free environment where they can possibly succeed.
There are many theories on intelligence and it's measure. Today we learned in class about Spearmans' g, Catell's Fluid & Crystallized, Sternberg's Triarchic Theory, Distributed Intelligence, and Gardner's Multiple Intelligences.
So What?
The way special needs students are educated is changing. Through IDEA and the use of IEP's teachers are expected to know how to best assist their students based on the IEP for that student. We as teachers must work closely with special education specialists in order to best accommodate each student in their own specific way.
The intelligences theories that we learned about today are important to know about in our classrooms. To me, Gardner's Multiple Intelligences is the most applicable to our classroom settings. Teaching students about these different types of intelligences helps them to better understand how they learn. It also helps us as educators to vary our different types of instruction so that we can reach the maximum amount of students, based on their intelligences and learning styles.
Now What?
As I am preparing to enter my own classroom, I feel I may need to learn to embrace the concept of inclusion a bit more. I truly do believe that it is right and good and what is best for special needs students. However, it seems really intimidating to me as a teacher. I feel the pressure to help those students quite immense, and I know that at first it will be struggle to be able to accommodate them (if it is a severe disability), and also help my class. However, I know that there is a support system there for me (the special education team) that I can go to if needed.
After taking the multiple intelligences test, I felt very happy that I am quite well rounded. Just as predicted, I did rank highest in the visual/spatial (picture smart) side of the spectrum. However, I was surprised that Naturalistic was one of the area's tied for second highest. I do love nature and am going to teach biology and all, but I can say that the high score was a pleasant surprise.
A lesson that I contemplated in a Health class that addressed multiple intelligences was a lesson about emotional health. Emotional health is a considered one of the components of health, and so teaching about it is definitely within the state curriculum. The lesson allows students to choose how to best explain how they feel they are doing..emotional health wise by choosing how they think they could best represent their current feelings and well-being. Students could choose to draw a representational picture, make a logical comparison graph, write a short skit, write a short reflection or story, invent a body-movement, or writing a short song etc. This allows students to express something that most of them are passionate about (their own emotions as teenagers) in a way that feels comfortable to them (in their own intelligence). Through this excercise, they could learn how to express their emotions in a healthy and unique way... a way that perhaps they had not thought of before.
IDEA stands for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This is a legislative law that requires assistance to be provided for students who qualify for special education. This is not your good ol' resource class, but a newer, updated special education program that allows all types of special needs students to have the resources and learning opportunities that they need.
IDEA is for Inclusion. This is where special needs students are placed in general education schools, and where possible, general education classrooms (with accommodations made.) This creates an environment that allows for assimilation and fights prejudice. It fosters social intelligence, and allows students to remain with their peers. The principle behind inclusion is the Least Restrictive Environment. This means that a student is placed in the most free environment where they can possibly succeed.
There are many theories on intelligence and it's measure. Today we learned in class about Spearmans' g, Catell's Fluid & Crystallized, Sternberg's Triarchic Theory, Distributed Intelligence, and Gardner's Multiple Intelligences.
So What?
The way special needs students are educated is changing. Through IDEA and the use of IEP's teachers are expected to know how to best assist their students based on the IEP for that student. We as teachers must work closely with special education specialists in order to best accommodate each student in their own specific way.
The intelligences theories that we learned about today are important to know about in our classrooms. To me, Gardner's Multiple Intelligences is the most applicable to our classroom settings. Teaching students about these different types of intelligences helps them to better understand how they learn. It also helps us as educators to vary our different types of instruction so that we can reach the maximum amount of students, based on their intelligences and learning styles.
Now What?
As I am preparing to enter my own classroom, I feel I may need to learn to embrace the concept of inclusion a bit more. I truly do believe that it is right and good and what is best for special needs students. However, it seems really intimidating to me as a teacher. I feel the pressure to help those students quite immense, and I know that at first it will be struggle to be able to accommodate them (if it is a severe disability), and also help my class. However, I know that there is a support system there for me (the special education team) that I can go to if needed.
After taking the multiple intelligences test, I felt very happy that I am quite well rounded. Just as predicted, I did rank highest in the visual/spatial (picture smart) side of the spectrum. However, I was surprised that Naturalistic was one of the area's tied for second highest. I do love nature and am going to teach biology and all, but I can say that the high score was a pleasant surprise.
A lesson that I contemplated in a Health class that addressed multiple intelligences was a lesson about emotional health. Emotional health is a considered one of the components of health, and so teaching about it is definitely within the state curriculum. The lesson allows students to choose how to best explain how they feel they are doing..emotional health wise by choosing how they think they could best represent their current feelings and well-being. Students could choose to draw a representational picture, make a logical comparison graph, write a short skit, write a short reflection or story, invent a body-movement, or writing a short song etc. This allows students to express something that most of them are passionate about (their own emotions as teenagers) in a way that feels comfortable to them (in their own intelligence). Through this excercise, they could learn how to express their emotions in a healthy and unique way... a way that perhaps they had not thought of before.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Chapter 10 Learning Log
What?
Social Cognitivists believe that learning is an internal process tha tmay or may not lead to a behavior change. This is expands upon Behaviorism, in that Behaviorists believe that an outward observable behavior must be exhibited in order to ensure that learning has taken plac.e In social cognitivism, this is not the case.
People learn by observing others and in the process begin to assume control over their own behaviors.
The visual metaphor presented in class was a video camera that records and plays back, just like the mind of a student. As they observe something, they play it back in their own behavior.
Reciprocal causation is an important component of Social Cognitivism. It is a model suggesting that motivating beliefs and values are interconnected with environmental factors and behavior. These three things relate to one another in a multi-directional cycle.
So What?
Social cognitivism is important to understand because if you are interracting with your class and you present them with new behavior, even if they do not show outward response, they may be recording information internally. If your students appear attentive, you have good reason to believe that perhaps they really are recording something up their in those heads.
Reciprocal causation is essential to be aware of as a teacher. Because of the interconnectedness of these three factors: 1. Environment, 2. Behavior, and 3.Motivating beliefs, values, emotions, and meanings, we must be constantly observing the tri-interaction within our students. It is of utmost importance that we model good behaviors for our students, as well as create an environment conducive to the behaviors we desire out of our students. We also must be familiar with the individual beliefs, values, and emotions of our students so that we may know the best possible way to adjust one of the 3 factors for the best possible outcome.
Now What?
As a future educator, I am feeling the importance of modeling good behavior and self-efficacy to my students. I am beginning to realize how essential it is that I display complete self-efficacy in my subject areas; health, anatomy, and biology. If I do not display my own confidence in my ability to complete and understand these subjects, my students will not trust the information I am presenting them.
Also, it is important for me as a teacher to build self-regulatory behaviors into my curriculum and assignments. It is very important for students to learn how to self-regulate, self-instruct, self-evaluate, and self-reinforce. If they do not learn how to do these things, it will reduce their productivity later in life. It will make their higher-education experiences much more difficult, not to mention real-world job experiences. I know as an educator I have the opportunity to help my students learn these skills by creating assignments that require them to slow down in their process and self-regulate.
Social Cognitivists believe that learning is an internal process tha tmay or may not lead to a behavior change. This is expands upon Behaviorism, in that Behaviorists believe that an outward observable behavior must be exhibited in order to ensure that learning has taken plac.e In social cognitivism, this is not the case.
People learn by observing others and in the process begin to assume control over their own behaviors.
The visual metaphor presented in class was a video camera that records and plays back, just like the mind of a student. As they observe something, they play it back in their own behavior.
Reciprocal causation is an important component of Social Cognitivism. It is a model suggesting that motivating beliefs and values are interconnected with environmental factors and behavior. These three things relate to one another in a multi-directional cycle.
So What?
Social cognitivism is important to understand because if you are interracting with your class and you present them with new behavior, even if they do not show outward response, they may be recording information internally. If your students appear attentive, you have good reason to believe that perhaps they really are recording something up their in those heads.
Reciprocal causation is essential to be aware of as a teacher. Because of the interconnectedness of these three factors: 1. Environment, 2. Behavior, and 3.Motivating beliefs, values, emotions, and meanings, we must be constantly observing the tri-interaction within our students. It is of utmost importance that we model good behaviors for our students, as well as create an environment conducive to the behaviors we desire out of our students. We also must be familiar with the individual beliefs, values, and emotions of our students so that we may know the best possible way to adjust one of the 3 factors for the best possible outcome.
Now What?
As a future educator, I am feeling the importance of modeling good behavior and self-efficacy to my students. I am beginning to realize how essential it is that I display complete self-efficacy in my subject areas; health, anatomy, and biology. If I do not display my own confidence in my ability to complete and understand these subjects, my students will not trust the information I am presenting them.
Also, it is important for me as a teacher to build self-regulatory behaviors into my curriculum and assignments. It is very important for students to learn how to self-regulate, self-instruct, self-evaluate, and self-reinforce. If they do not learn how to do these things, it will reduce their productivity later in life. It will make their higher-education experiences much more difficult, not to mention real-world job experiences. I know as an educator I have the opportunity to help my students learn these skills by creating assignments that require them to slow down in their process and self-regulate.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Chapter 7 Learning Log
What?
Constructivism is an offshoot of the cognitive theory. Constructivists’ definition of Learning is an active process where learners construct their own meaning based on prior knowledge and experience. They believe that prior knowledge creates a shooting-off point that allows new knowledge to branch out (like a root system).
Schema is a filter through which each student learns and sees the world. Individual students each have very different schemas based on their own their own personal experiences and ideas.
Concepts are the most basic unit of constructivism. A concept is a defined category that we fit new information and experiences into. Teaching concepts to different schemas can require some guidelines to get the best reception. We must teach correlating features, examples, non-examples, defining features, exemptions, and definitions of concepts.
Misconceptions are beliefs that are inconsistent with commonly held beliefs or validations. Correcting misconceptions can be a sensitive process. Doing so sensitively will create more openness for absorption and understanding for your students. You can do so by:
-presenting evidence students cannot explain with their current ideas and schema.
-Motivate students to learn correct explanations.
-maintain self esteem.
-monitor what students say and write for persistent misconceptions.
Discovery learning is student centered learning that takes the teacher out of the primary role and makes them into a guide to help students learn and discover by themselves. Learning this way helps students build their own problem solving skills. Students make their own meaning by making their own experience-based knowledge.
The Five E’s of discovery learning are:
1. Engage
2. Explore
3. Explain
4. Elaborate
5. Evaluate (self-evaluation)
So What?
Based on the constructivist theory, knowing where your students are coming from is very important. Knowing how students are approaching a situation with prior experiences can help you tailor your lessons and concepts in order help your students get the most out of your lessons. There are exercises that can be used in your classroom in order for you to better understand your students. Taking advantage of these exercises can help you understand a little better how your students are comprehending the information and concepts presented.
Now What?
This is an example lesson plan idea using the Five E’s of Discovery Learning.
Using the Five E’s, students will be discovering how water temperature affects the respiration of fish. Students will be provided with cold, lukewarm, and warm water in which to put the fish. They are also provided with fish which to observe.
The only instructions given will be a demonstration of how to observe the respiration rate of the fish visually.
They then will be provided with the materials needed in order to explore in groups of 4 to experiment in ways to measure the respiration rate in connection to the temperature of the water.
Constructivism is an offshoot of the cognitive theory. Constructivists’ definition of Learning is an active process where learners construct their own meaning based on prior knowledge and experience. They believe that prior knowledge creates a shooting-off point that allows new knowledge to branch out (like a root system).
Schema is a filter through which each student learns and sees the world. Individual students each have very different schemas based on their own their own personal experiences and ideas.
Concepts are the most basic unit of constructivism. A concept is a defined category that we fit new information and experiences into. Teaching concepts to different schemas can require some guidelines to get the best reception. We must teach correlating features, examples, non-examples, defining features, exemptions, and definitions of concepts.
Misconceptions are beliefs that are inconsistent with commonly held beliefs or validations. Correcting misconceptions can be a sensitive process. Doing so sensitively will create more openness for absorption and understanding for your students. You can do so by:
-presenting evidence students cannot explain with their current ideas and schema.
-Motivate students to learn correct explanations.
-maintain self esteem.
-monitor what students say and write for persistent misconceptions.
Discovery learning is student centered learning that takes the teacher out of the primary role and makes them into a guide to help students learn and discover by themselves. Learning this way helps students build their own problem solving skills. Students make their own meaning by making their own experience-based knowledge.
The Five E’s of discovery learning are:
1. Engage
2. Explore
3. Explain
4. Elaborate
5. Evaluate (self-evaluation)
So What?
Based on the constructivist theory, knowing where your students are coming from is very important. Knowing how students are approaching a situation with prior experiences can help you tailor your lessons and concepts in order help your students get the most out of your lessons. There are exercises that can be used in your classroom in order for you to better understand your students. Taking advantage of these exercises can help you understand a little better how your students are comprehending the information and concepts presented.
Now What?
This is an example lesson plan idea using the Five E’s of Discovery Learning.
Using the Five E’s, students will be discovering how water temperature affects the respiration of fish. Students will be provided with cold, lukewarm, and warm water in which to put the fish. They are also provided with fish which to observe.
The only instructions given will be a demonstration of how to observe the respiration rate of the fish visually.
They then will be provided with the materials needed in order to explore in groups of 4 to experiment in ways to measure the respiration rate in connection to the temperature of the water.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Learning Log Chapter 6
What?
Today we discussed Cognitivism, and the different components of memory and the brain.
The cognitive definition of learning consists of a (supposedly) semi-permanent change in mental processes. Those who believe in Cognitivism believe that learning is due to experience, but that the learner does not simply absorb information from their environment. The learner is required to construct what knowledge they gain through experience and prior beliefs and knowledge.
The pathway of memory processing in the brain is complex. The following is a list in order of process and a brief explanation of what each part of the brain does in memory processing.
1. Reticular Activating System
-determines what we are paying attention to, or what is worth paying attention to. Sends
information to the Thalamus.
2. Thalamus
-sorts information into types, then sends it out to the corresponding lobes of the cerebral
cortex.
3. Lobes of the Cerebral Cortex
-lobes decide if information is important or relevant for memory. Info sent back to
hippocampus.
4. Hippocampus
-encoding takes place, the information is prepared to be stored, and then is sent back out to
the cerebral cortex for storage.
4 (a) Amygdala
-information may alternatively be sent to this part of the brain for an emotional response
before storage takes place.
5. Lobes of the Cerebral Cortex
-lobes then decide where to store information that has been re-processed by the
hippocampus.
So What?
The students we encounter in our teaching experiences will all come from extremely different backgrounds, and will all have different previous knowledge and experiences. Because of this, our students will be interpreting everything we teach them differently. Each student will grasp onto different areas of the content, and will interpret this information based on their previous knowledge.
Also, if we do not teach our students well enough how to study or correctly remember the content we are teaching, they will lose the ability to recall the information. They may also lose (or never gain) the understanding of how our content area is important to them in their everyday lives.
Now What?
As an educator, I have a responsibility to help my students grasp the material in a correct way, as well as to create understanding for real-life application.
I will be much more successful accomplishing this if I avoid teaching them encoding techniques of simply rehearsal encoding. The following encoding techniques are much more successful in helping students remember and understand the content we are teaching:
1. Meaningful Learning - we can help students connect what they are learning with proper prior knowledge.
2. Organization - in addition to helping our students organize the information, I can also better organize the content down using chunking, into more processable pieces.
3. Elaboration - I can encourage the students through projects and discussion to take the concepts one step further into what they surmise the concepts mean to them.
4. Visual Imagery - providing students with a visual image that they are able to recall back to in connection with the content being taught.
5. Enactment - actually acting out content in order to better help them remember.
6. Mnemonics - where applicable, using a mnemonic to help them remember facts that otherwise seem random or too long to remember, in-list.
Using the previous techniques will make me a more effective teacher, who will have a greater impact on the lives of students. Teaching students is about so much more than their test score (no matter what the government says), and I believe helping students not only remember, but to understand the content is what is really important.
Today we discussed Cognitivism, and the different components of memory and the brain.
The cognitive definition of learning consists of a (supposedly) semi-permanent change in mental processes. Those who believe in Cognitivism believe that learning is due to experience, but that the learner does not simply absorb information from their environment. The learner is required to construct what knowledge they gain through experience and prior beliefs and knowledge.
The pathway of memory processing in the brain is complex. The following is a list in order of process and a brief explanation of what each part of the brain does in memory processing.
1. Reticular Activating System
-determines what we are paying attention to, or what is worth paying attention to. Sends
information to the Thalamus.
2. Thalamus
-sorts information into types, then sends it out to the corresponding lobes of the cerebral
cortex.
3. Lobes of the Cerebral Cortex
-lobes decide if information is important or relevant for memory. Info sent back to
hippocampus.
4. Hippocampus
-encoding takes place, the information is prepared to be stored, and then is sent back out to
the cerebral cortex for storage.
4 (a) Amygdala
-information may alternatively be sent to this part of the brain for an emotional response
before storage takes place.
5. Lobes of the Cerebral Cortex
-lobes then decide where to store information that has been re-processed by the
hippocampus.
So What?
The students we encounter in our teaching experiences will all come from extremely different backgrounds, and will all have different previous knowledge and experiences. Because of this, our students will be interpreting everything we teach them differently. Each student will grasp onto different areas of the content, and will interpret this information based on their previous knowledge.
Also, if we do not teach our students well enough how to study or correctly remember the content we are teaching, they will lose the ability to recall the information. They may also lose (or never gain) the understanding of how our content area is important to them in their everyday lives.
Now What?
As an educator, I have a responsibility to help my students grasp the material in a correct way, as well as to create understanding for real-life application.
I will be much more successful accomplishing this if I avoid teaching them encoding techniques of simply rehearsal encoding. The following encoding techniques are much more successful in helping students remember and understand the content we are teaching:
1. Meaningful Learning - we can help students connect what they are learning with proper prior knowledge.
2. Organization - in addition to helping our students organize the information, I can also better organize the content down using chunking, into more processable pieces.
3. Elaboration - I can encourage the students through projects and discussion to take the concepts one step further into what they surmise the concepts mean to them.
4. Visual Imagery - providing students with a visual image that they are able to recall back to in connection with the content being taught.
5. Enactment - actually acting out content in order to better help them remember.
6. Mnemonics - where applicable, using a mnemonic to help them remember facts that otherwise seem random or too long to remember, in-list.
Using the previous techniques will make me a more effective teacher, who will have a greater impact on the lives of students. Teaching students is about so much more than their test score (no matter what the government says), and I believe helping students not only remember, but to understand the content is what is really important.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Learning Log: Social & Moral Development
What?
Factors that affect social and moral development include: Previous performance, self-efficacy, behavior of others, comparison, expectations, or group membership.
Children develop from concrete thought to abstract thought. In childhood, perceptions of self are concrete and optimistic.
In early adolescence, students see themselves as in front of the 'imaginary audience'. They believe that everyone is constantly watching their every mistake and blunder. They also view themselves as invincible. They truly believe that every experience and emotion they have is completely unique to only them in the whole history of the entire world.
In late adolescence, their general sense of identity is integrated by a multifaceted sense of self.
Erik Erikson was a famous researcher who developed a widely accepted theory on the Stages of Psychosocial Development. His stages include:
1. Trust vs. Mistrust
2.Autonomy vs. Shame & doubt
3. Initiative vs. Guilt
4. Industry vs. Inferiority
5. Identity vs. Role Confusion
6. Intimacy vs. Isolation
7. Generativity vs. Stagnation
8. Integrity vs. Despair
(I will add that I did those from memory using the peg mnemonic ;)
Moral development is also integral to the education system. There are differences between moral transgressions and conventional transgressions. We as educators can most definitely teach moral transgressions, as they are accepted by all people (generally), such as 'do not kill' etc.
Kohlberg's theory of Moral Reasoning is:
Preconventional Reasoning:
1. Punishment avoidance/obedience
2.Individualism/exchange of favors
Conventional Reasoning
3. Good boy/good girl
4. Law & order
PostConventional Reasoning:
5. Social contract
6.Universal ethical principle.
So What?
As educators, we are going to see students in all sorts of stages of psychosocial development and moral reasoning. We need to be able to adjust our teaching and approach in order to be able to better serve thos students. We cannot just simply ignore where each student is, what situation they have come from, or what effects may be left over from a difficult past. We should be able to work with them in hopes of advancing them toward higher psychosocial and moral development. We as educators must be aware of what stages are present in our classroom.
Now What?
As I prepare to become an educator in a high school setting someday, it is important for me to understand where my students are coming from. If I can learn to observe and learn more about their learning through what stage they are in, I can better serve them as their teacher.
In my classroom, I plan on having a one-on-one discussion with each student at least once a term. This setting will allow me to personally interact with my students, see how they are progressing, assess what stage of development they may be in, and talk to them about their personal performance and grades. I believe implementing a caring atmosphere in these settings will allow me to further understand where each student is coming from.
The things I can do in my own classroom to better foster development include: A safe environment where students can speak their mind. An environment where each student feels empowered and able to act. A classroom where the students have choices about their education. A class where praise is givin liberally for achievements, no matter how small. A classroom that allows them to interact with peers that they normally would not talk to, and explore their own role in society, and a classroom that encourages them to set goals for their futures.
Factors that affect social and moral development include: Previous performance, self-efficacy, behavior of others, comparison, expectations, or group membership.
Children develop from concrete thought to abstract thought. In childhood, perceptions of self are concrete and optimistic.
In early adolescence, students see themselves as in front of the 'imaginary audience'. They believe that everyone is constantly watching their every mistake and blunder. They also view themselves as invincible. They truly believe that every experience and emotion they have is completely unique to only them in the whole history of the entire world.
In late adolescence, their general sense of identity is integrated by a multifaceted sense of self.
Erik Erikson was a famous researcher who developed a widely accepted theory on the Stages of Psychosocial Development. His stages include:
1. Trust vs. Mistrust
2.Autonomy vs. Shame & doubt
3. Initiative vs. Guilt
4. Industry vs. Inferiority
5. Identity vs. Role Confusion
6. Intimacy vs. Isolation
7. Generativity vs. Stagnation
8. Integrity vs. Despair
(I will add that I did those from memory using the peg mnemonic ;)
Moral development is also integral to the education system. There are differences between moral transgressions and conventional transgressions. We as educators can most definitely teach moral transgressions, as they are accepted by all people (generally), such as 'do not kill' etc.
Kohlberg's theory of Moral Reasoning is:
Preconventional Reasoning:
1. Punishment avoidance/obedience
2.Individualism/exchange of favors
Conventional Reasoning
3. Good boy/good girl
4. Law & order
PostConventional Reasoning:
5. Social contract
6.Universal ethical principle.
So What?
As educators, we are going to see students in all sorts of stages of psychosocial development and moral reasoning. We need to be able to adjust our teaching and approach in order to be able to better serve thos students. We cannot just simply ignore where each student is, what situation they have come from, or what effects may be left over from a difficult past. We should be able to work with them in hopes of advancing them toward higher psychosocial and moral development. We as educators must be aware of what stages are present in our classroom.
Now What?
As I prepare to become an educator in a high school setting someday, it is important for me to understand where my students are coming from. If I can learn to observe and learn more about their learning through what stage they are in, I can better serve them as their teacher.
In my classroom, I plan on having a one-on-one discussion with each student at least once a term. This setting will allow me to personally interact with my students, see how they are progressing, assess what stage of development they may be in, and talk to them about their personal performance and grades. I believe implementing a caring atmosphere in these settings will allow me to further understand where each student is coming from.
The things I can do in my own classroom to better foster development include: A safe environment where students can speak their mind. An environment where each student feels empowered and able to act. A classroom where the students have choices about their education. A class where praise is givin liberally for achievements, no matter how small. A classroom that allows them to interact with peers that they normally would not talk to, and explore their own role in society, and a classroom that encourages them to set goals for their futures.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Learning Log: Cognitive Development
What?
Physical development is primary to cognitive development. Children's brain increase in gray matter mass as they learn, and then decreases as they begin to prune neurons. Children of exceptional intelligence develop the mass of their gray matter more slowly, and then prune more extensively.
The environment and how a child interacts with their environment is key in brain development and learning. Jean Piaget was very interested in child/environment interaction.
Piaget's stages of development are:
1.Sensorimotor State (ages 0-2)
2. Preoperational (2-7)
3. Concrete Operational (7-11)
4. Formal Operational (12+)
Although Piaget was pretty accurate about the order of development, he was not correct on the ages. Children of many different ages may vary in which stage they are currently in, and of course what they are developmentally capable of.
Piaget's schema is a way of thinking, ideas, thoughts, concepts, or categories that we store information in our brains. This is personalized by how each of us think differently.
Vygotsky's theories on cognitive development vary from piaget's. He characterizes the adult-child relationship to be integral to cognitive development. He places great value on cognitive apprenticeship, where an adult is assisting an child to think like an adult.
Vygotsky also believes that no knowledge is original or produced soley in our minds, but is generated through our environment and experiences we have outside of ourselves.
So What?
Understanding how children's brains develop allows us to tailor how we teach them. If we understand what stages they are in and how capable they are of certain thought processes, we will be able to understand why some things frustrate them or make them lose interest. These kind of behaviors may occur simply because they are not developmentally even capable of correctly processing certain types of information or thought processes.
It also shows us how important it is to allow many different levels of experiences for students, knowing that they will not all be in the same level of cognitive development. Providing a variety of different levels increases your realm of effectiveness.
Now What?
Now that I better understand how much of this affects my future teaching, it makes me realize how important it is to not just lecture all of the time. I have always connected well with predictability, and have done well in classes that consistantly lecture where I can take notes. However, I understand that the majority of my students will not be that way. They will need a variety of activities using different thought processes in order to absorb the information effectively. I do believe that as as high school teacher, I do need to help prepare my students for the college environment, and so I do plan in integrating a college-like structure to my classroom. However, I do see through the lens of Piaget and Vygotsky, it is important to also stretch their minds and make more connections through disequilibrium.
Physical development is primary to cognitive development. Children's brain increase in gray matter mass as they learn, and then decreases as they begin to prune neurons. Children of exceptional intelligence develop the mass of their gray matter more slowly, and then prune more extensively.
The environment and how a child interacts with their environment is key in brain development and learning. Jean Piaget was very interested in child/environment interaction.
Piaget's stages of development are:
1.Sensorimotor State (ages 0-2)
2. Preoperational (2-7)
3. Concrete Operational (7-11)
4. Formal Operational (12+)
Although Piaget was pretty accurate about the order of development, he was not correct on the ages. Children of many different ages may vary in which stage they are currently in, and of course what they are developmentally capable of.
Piaget's schema is a way of thinking, ideas, thoughts, concepts, or categories that we store information in our brains. This is personalized by how each of us think differently.
Vygotsky's theories on cognitive development vary from piaget's. He characterizes the adult-child relationship to be integral to cognitive development. He places great value on cognitive apprenticeship, where an adult is assisting an child to think like an adult.
Vygotsky also believes that no knowledge is original or produced soley in our minds, but is generated through our environment and experiences we have outside of ourselves.
So What?
Understanding how children's brains develop allows us to tailor how we teach them. If we understand what stages they are in and how capable they are of certain thought processes, we will be able to understand why some things frustrate them or make them lose interest. These kind of behaviors may occur simply because they are not developmentally even capable of correctly processing certain types of information or thought processes.
It also shows us how important it is to allow many different levels of experiences for students, knowing that they will not all be in the same level of cognitive development. Providing a variety of different levels increases your realm of effectiveness.
Now What?
Now that I better understand how much of this affects my future teaching, it makes me realize how important it is to not just lecture all of the time. I have always connected well with predictability, and have done well in classes that consistantly lecture where I can take notes. However, I understand that the majority of my students will not be that way. They will need a variety of activities using different thought processes in order to absorb the information effectively. I do believe that as as high school teacher, I do need to help prepare my students for the college environment, and so I do plan in integrating a college-like structure to my classroom. However, I do see through the lens of Piaget and Vygotsky, it is important to also stretch their minds and make more connections through disequilibrium.
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