Monday, October 31, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Struggling Student
Focus on struggling student.According to the learning style of interest survey how are the learning activities in the classroom meeting their needs?
The struggling student in my class is hardly ever in school. When he is in class, he gives the math teacher a hard time about doing his work. I asked if she has had this student before and she said no. She told me that he transfered from a school in Morgantown. He seems to have home troubles. I didn't have him fill out the survey, but the only way that school meets his needs is to have one-on-one study with him in another classroom. It seems to help and he seems to bond really well with teh special needs teacher.
The struggling student in my class is hardly ever in school. When he is in class, he gives the math teacher a hard time about doing his work. I asked if she has had this student before and she said no. She told me that he transfered from a school in Morgantown. He seems to have home troubles. I didn't have him fill out the survey, but the only way that school meets his needs is to have one-on-one study with him in another classroom. It seems to help and he seems to bond really well with teh special needs teacher.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Double Entry Journal #15
1. Give an example of an authentic form of assessment the students engaged in a PBL performed well on?
One form of assessment mentioned is standarized testing. The article mentions the fact that students who participated in a PBL scored higher on standarized testing. Another form of assessment is the project students design when completing a PBL. The article mentions of one PBL whose outcomes were judged and 84% of those outcomes were accurate enough to build.
2. How does project based learning promote intrinsic motivation?
Students have more choices available when it comes to the fact of a PBL. These choices allow students to "develop their own interests and pursue deeper understanding."
3. What do students who experience PBL do better than student who receive traditional direct instruction?
Students do better in solving real-world problems. They develop skills and knowledge based upon real-world experienced learned through PBLs.
4. How does PBL align with John Dewey's philosophy of education?
Project based learning allows students to retain more information from learning by doing. This is waht John Dewey proposed.
5. Why do our assessment practices need to change if we are going to prepare students for the 21st century?
Assessment needs to change because the activities change. Fill in the bubble tests may be great for reciting knowledge, but they do not test the students ability to perform the tasks. Assessment needs to be designed to challenge the students skills as well as the knowledge they have.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Double Entry Journal #14
What are some challenges to inquiry approaches to learning?
One challenge is the skills needed by the teacher in order to implement a different approach to learning. He or she needs to be well informed of the benefits, outcomes, or problems associated with the new type of learning. Not knowing the material could lead to poor structure and chaos in the classroom.
What are the benefits of group work? Give two concrete examples from the reading.
Students are benefited in social skills, improvement in self-concept, time on task, positive feelins toward peers, and social interaction.
Name one strategy to support group work and find an example of that strategy on the Internet and link me to it.
Last part of #14
Name one strategy to support group work and find an example of that strategy on the Internet and link me to it.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Questions asked by the teacher
"What is the answer to the problem of the day?"
Students answer the questions.
"What is 7-5?"...2
The questions asked are simple, but yet it is math so I don't see how she could change much.
Students answer the questions.
"What is 7-5?"...2
The questions asked are simple, but yet it is math so I don't see how she could change much.
Double Entry Journal Entry #13
1. Read the Introduction. What "dominant paradigm" is showing signs of wear?
The fact that although the world has evolved in many ways, the educational system has not. The schools "remain caught in a web of educational thinking and systems that originated a century ago."
2. According to the research, how does Project-Based Learning support student learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.
---"...students who engage in this approach benefit from gains in factual learing that are equivalent or superior to those of students who engange in traditional forms of instruction (Thomas, 2000). This approach takes learning one step further. Students are able to transfer their learning to new kinds of problems.
---"...the students who engaged in project-based learnign demonstrated a significant increase in scores on a critical-thinking test (Shepherd, 1998)."
---"...those who had participated in the project-based curriculum did better on conceptual problems presented in theNational Exam (Boaler, 1997 1998)."
---"They also experience larger gains in conceptual understanding in science (Williams, Hemstreet, Liu, & Smith, 1998)
4. According to the research, how does Learning by Design support student learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.
---"...the design project led to better learning outcomes than the traditional approach to instruction (Hmelo, Holton, & Kolodner (2000). They also found that the design helped students view the respiratory system more "systemically."
---"...design activities are particularly good for helping students develop understanding of complex systems...(Perkins 1986).
---Higher and lower-achieving students showed stronger evidence of progress in learning the targets science concepts...(Fortus 2004).
5. What are the differences between the three approaches?
Project-Based:
- this learning involves completing "complex tasks". These lead to a more "realistic product".
Problem-Based:
-lessons involve a specific type of activity focused on using reasoning and resources to solve a problem. Students work in small groups to "investigate meaningful problems." They also create solutions and strategies.
Learning by Design:
-This approach involves the idea that children learn deeply when they are ased to create an "artifact." This artifact requires understanding and application of knowledge. This approach alsi supports revisions on activites students create.
6. In your opinion, what is the most important benefit to learning that is common across the three types of inquiry-based learning approaches?
The most important benefit to learning is that the current system needs to change. All three types involve something different from what goes on today in the classroom. The "paradigm" at the beginning is accurate and these types of learning, if implemented, can help shake that paradigm and give a new meaning to school and success.
The fact that although the world has evolved in many ways, the educational system has not. The schools "remain caught in a web of educational thinking and systems that originated a century ago."
2. According to the research, how does Project-Based Learning support student learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.
---"...students who engage in this approach benefit from gains in factual learing that are equivalent or superior to those of students who engange in traditional forms of instruction (Thomas, 2000). This approach takes learning one step further. Students are able to transfer their learning to new kinds of problems.
---"...the students who engaged in project-based learnign demonstrated a significant increase in scores on a critical-thinking test (Shepherd, 1998)."
---"...those who had participated in the project-based curriculum did better on conceptual problems presented in theNational Exam (Boaler, 1997 1998)."
3. According to the research, how does Problem-Based Learning support student learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.
---"...medical students who are enrolled in problem-based curricula score higher on clinicla problem-solving measures and on actual rating of clinical performance (Vernon & Blake, 1993; Albanese & Mitchell, 1993)..."
---"...students who participated in problem-based experiences are better able to generate accurate hypothesis and coherent explanations (Hmelo, 1998b; Schmidt et al., 1996)---"They also experience larger gains in conceptual understanding in science (Williams, Hemstreet, Liu, & Smith, 1998)
4. According to the research, how does Learning by Design support student learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.
---"...the design project led to better learning outcomes than the traditional approach to instruction (Hmelo, Holton, & Kolodner (2000). They also found that the design helped students view the respiratory system more "systemically."
---"...design activities are particularly good for helping students develop understanding of complex systems...(Perkins 1986).
---Higher and lower-achieving students showed stronger evidence of progress in learning the targets science concepts...(Fortus 2004).
5. What are the differences between the three approaches?
Project-Based:
- this learning involves completing "complex tasks". These lead to a more "realistic product".
Problem-Based:
-lessons involve a specific type of activity focused on using reasoning and resources to solve a problem. Students work in small groups to "investigate meaningful problems." They also create solutions and strategies.
Learning by Design:
-This approach involves the idea that children learn deeply when they are ased to create an "artifact." This artifact requires understanding and application of knowledge. This approach alsi supports revisions on activites students create.
6. In your opinion, what is the most important benefit to learning that is common across the three types of inquiry-based learning approaches?
The most important benefit to learning is that the current system needs to change. All three types involve something different from what goes on today in the classroom. The "paradigm" at the beginning is accurate and these types of learning, if implemented, can help shake that paradigm and give a new meaning to school and success.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Double Entry Journal #12 part2
In a blog posting tell how asking essential questions can improve learning in schools.
"Essential questions provide the link between students' lives and curriculum." If we make the questions connect to the students rather than something pointless, the response could be greater and the effectiveness of teaching would be amazing. Pulling students in is hard, asking the right questions lessens the challenge a bit.
"Essential questions provide the link between students' lives and curriculum." If we make the questions connect to the students rather than something pointless, the response could be greater and the effectiveness of teaching would be amazing. Pulling students in is hard, asking the right questions lessens the challenge a bit.
Double Entry Journal #12 part1
Three things I learned.
*Language communicates control. I never thought of it as such, but language does effect control in a given environment.
*I learned that searching for the answer does not necessarily help the students engage in new ideas and concepts. This idea makes sense, it is just hard to grasp since I plan to be a math teacher.
*Another thing I learned is we need to value student knowledge more. I sort of already knew this, but this statement just opened my eyes more. If we give credit to kids for what they know rather than "complaining" about what they don't know, then the attention of the students might be easier to grasp.
Two things I found interesting.
*We take language for granted.
*"A student who can provide an acceptable answer has not necessarily mastered learning." This is an accurate, powerful statement.
One question I have.
*Since I am going to teach math, how do I get out of the "only one answer" trend, because essentially there is only one answer (so to speak).
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Double Entry Journal #11
Authenticity-Exemplary "There is external audience for the student work" The Top Ten Wiki was public on the web so people around the world could vote for what they feel were the most dangerous animals.
Applied Learning-Exemplary "Students apply new knowledge to a realistic problem." Before the lesson began, the teacher went over with the students "facts" and "opinions". They used this knowledge to determine that the Top Ten Dogs were based upon people's opinions.
Active Exploration-Satisfactory "Students conduct their own research" The students were required to find details about the animals they chose to list as the top ten most dangerous animals. They used computers and books to find these characteristics
CSOs Met:
RLA.O.4.1.3 use pre-reading strategies to comprehend text.
RLA.O.4.3.4 create an age appropriate media literacy product that reflects understanding of format, characteristics and purpose.
SC.O.4.1.6 support statements with facts found through research from various sources
Applied Learning-Exemplary "Students apply new knowledge to a realistic problem." Before the lesson began, the teacher went over with the students "facts" and "opinions". They used this knowledge to determine that the Top Ten Dogs were based upon people's opinions.
Active Exploration-Satisfactory "Students conduct their own research" The students were required to find details about the animals they chose to list as the top ten most dangerous animals. They used computers and books to find these characteristics
CSOs Met:
RLA.O.4.1.3 use pre-reading strategies to comprehend text.
RLA.O.4.3.4 create an age appropriate media literacy product that reflects understanding of format, characteristics and purpose.
SC.O.4.1.6 support statements with facts found through research from various sources
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