Teaching Reflection

I felt like our teaching presentation on cognitive development went very well overall. It seemed very difficult at first to come up with creative activities to do, but after a lot of thinking and sharing ideas, Nancy and I came up with some really meaningful activities to enhance the class' understanding of the concepts. We demonstrated individual and social constructivism by having some people work in groups or work individually to solve a math problem. We were then able to discuss the the positives and negatives of social and individual constructivism and examples of each in the real world. We showed two video clips and another real-world example to illustrate the two types of constructivism.
Another activity we did was sorting animals into different categories to illustrate assimilation, adaptation, and avoidance. This activity surprised me a little bit because I expected people to do different things with the animals that didn't fit in the categories. Instead, every group assimilated the outliers into the set categories. If I did this activity again, I would not have pre-set categories and let the groups sort the animals as they saw fit. Then maybe they would have made some adaptations or avoided some of the animals.
While I felt our presentation went well, it definitely could have gone better. The main thing I would have changed would be to practice going through the slide show with the different activities and videos. Although I understood the content of each slide and the goal of the activities, we did not take the time to run through our entire presentation, and so I felt a little unprepared in that aspect. It just did not seem to flow as well as it could have.
I also realized that we talked much more about constructivism rather than cognitive development. While they are very closely related, they are different things. I didn't really realize that the whole presentation, we were referring to constructivism rather than cognitive development until after the fact.
I did feel like I learned a great deal in doing this presentation. I chose this topic because I thought I understood it really well. But in preparing the presentation, I realized how much I didn't fully comprehend. In planning ways to help others understand the concepts more fully, I felt like I made many more connections to the concepts and I now understand it on a much deeper level.

Voicethreads I have watched...

Amy's Stellarium
Nina's Virtual Pond
Celecta's Balanced Meal

Mostly what I learned from this activity is that even though science really needs to be interactive and hands-on, you do not need the actual materials to make it that way! Using these wonderful technology programs, you can bring the outside world right into the classroom so that students can observe it, manipulate it, experiment with it, and make predictions and conclusions about it. Through technology, hidden doors to science are suddenly opened wide!

Sink or Float?

IP&T 301 Week 7

I strongly support the constructivist theory because it emphasizes learning from concrete interactions with the physical world. I learn most from hands-on, personal experience. When I read or listen to a lecture, I can memorize it and remember it for the test, and then forget it completely. For example, I took two years of Spanish in high school. Most of the classes were memorizing vocabulary and completing worksheets, and by mid-June, I had forgotten all but maybe four phrases in Spanish. When I took two semesters of Spanish at BYU, we spent the majority of our class time listening to and speaking Spanish. I probably learned more in two months at BYU then I did in two years during high school. By the end of those two semesters I could actually have a basic conversation with a native Spanish speakers.
Another reason I support the constructivist theory is because I believe we are born with the ability to actively construct knowledge about the world. I have observed young children, even babies, exploring their environment through touching, observing, and playing. In the Bohlin book, it describes the role of play as a natural, instinctive way of learning. Children play without anyone teaching them how. They play, they explore, they observe because they want to make meaning—they want to learn.
I also definitely support the idea of equilibrium and disequilibrium. I am highly motivated to learn when something doesn't make sense to me. For example, in my math class, our teacher often begins class with a challenging problem, one that stretches our thinking and beliefs about mathematics. While there are times that I get frustrated, for the most part I am excited and determined to figure out the solution. I want it to make sense to me, and I can't just let it rest until I do. There are many times when I'll come across something in my reading and it challenges what I've always believed to be true. Then I have to go look it up on the internet or have someone explain it to me before I can think about anything else. At least for me, I need to have everything clear in my mind in order to be happy and content. If there is something that doesn't make sense, I will learn more about it until it does, or if it still doesn't make sense, I will just avoid it and assume that it is untrue or that I will understand it later after my knowledge has developed further.
One question I wondered about is that our book does not address retention of learning knowledge. I feel that although I do learn things more thoroughly when I construct the knowledge for myself and I remember it better, I still forget it unless I continue constructing and building on that knowledge. With my previous example, while learned a great deal of Spanish in those two semesters, I stopped taking classes and had very little opportunity to practice what I had learned. I now feel like I lost most of the skills I gained. I am sure that the constructivist theory stresses the importance of continually building on and reviewing knowledge in order for it to be remembered. I do wonder, though, if knowledge is easier to re-learn if it was first learned through actively constructing rather than simply absorbing something from a textbook or lecture.

Science Challenge Activity

UEN Core: 1st grade science, Standard 3, Objective 1b- Compare objects that float and sink in water.

Plan:
My activity revolves around making predictions about whether 10 classroom objects will float or sink in water. The students will then test their predictions by filling a beaker or graduated cylinder with a 100 mL of water, putting each object one at a time in the water, and observing whether or not the objects float or sink in the water. They will record both their predictions and observations using Kidspiration. (While there is a "sink or float" activity already created in Kidspiration, I plan to create my own outline so that students can record their predictions as well as their observations.) The students will record their predictions by moving the pictures of the objects into "float" or "sink" categories. After conducting the experiment, students will then re-classify the objects into "float" or "sink" by dragging another copy of the pictures into the observation boxes.
To further explore, students will then complete a VenDiagram, comparing and contrasting the objects that float and sink. Students will then further explore and analyze their data by forming a hypothesis about what makes an object buoyant or not. Students will have access to rulers, scales, magnifying glasses, and other tools to further measure and explore their objects to discover new similarities and differences. After forming and futher testing their hypothesis, the class will come together and share what they've learned.

GoogleEarth link

Here is the link to my webpage where you can download my GoogleEarth tour. My Webpage

IP&T 301 Week 7

1.) I remember in elementary school working in a cooperative group to create a little debate about year-round school vs. having summers off. I also remember creating things in science working with groups, such as building a bridge out of toothpicks and rubber cement to see which would hold the most weight. At the college level, I have worked in cooperative groups in almost every elementary education class I have been in! Right now in my TELL 440 class, we are working in groups to create center activities. Our teacher gave us guidelines about what needs to be in our activities and is available to answer questions, but we are working together to come up with the ideas and create the final product.
2.) I definitely feel that cooperative learning promotes learning because it allows students to share ideas and knowledge with each other. I know that I always learn more when I listen to the ways that other students thought about something. I also understand concepts better when I am given the opportunity to teach them to others.
3.) Reciprocal questioning and instructional conversation both involve the students asking questions and teaching each other. They are both face to face and promote participation of each student. Reciprocal teaching is different because the teacher is not involved in the conversation, it is just student to student. In instructional conversation, the teacher prompts students to ask and answer questions by posing good questions and letting the students discuss.
4.) I think I would use ability grouping for reading groups, so the students could all be reading books at their reading level and having discussions at their level of understanding. I would use mixed-grouping in a lot of social studies activities where students with different backgrounds and thinking strategies can bring a wide range of ideas and perspectives to the discussion. Really, I think I would use a mix of both types of grouping for every subject area. In mixed groups, lower-ability students will feel more challenged and be able to learn more from a student who has a good understanding of the concept. Mixed groups also promote classroom unity and understanding between students of all abilities. In ability groups, higher-ability students can feel more cognitively stimulated by working with students who are at their same ability level, while the lower-ability students may feel more comfortable and willing to participate.

Just a quick note...

If anyone noticed, I changed my tour idea from the plan I posted last week. That is because I had to make an activity on plate tectonics and volcanoes for another class, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone. :)

GoogleEarth reflection

The GoogleEarth tours I looked at were Amy's Lit Tour through Pride and Prejudice, Nina's Tour of Dances of the World, and Megan's Lewis and Clark Tour.

After doing this assignment, I am a huge fan of GoogleEarth. This is way more fun than listening to a lecture or watching a Powerpoint. With GoogleEarth tours, you can incorporate pictures, videos, internet links, math with the measuring tool, and of course geography. I think students will love "traveling" to different places around the world...it makes it more real to them. If you wanted to make this an even more authentic experience, you could display the tour on an overhead projector so the whole class can do the tour together...then you could even bring food, music, and decorations of the culture that you are visiting. I can see students really having a blast with this. Also, because it is so interactive, I think students will remember the material better because they are doing it, seeing it, and often hearing it.

The biggest drawback I see to GoogleEarth is the time it takes to create a good tour. However, I feel like it's worth it for the creativity and variety you get out of it...I feel like the longer I did it, the more fun and meaningful activities I came up with. Plus, I got a lot better using GoogleEarth the longer I played around with it, so I think I would quickly become efficient using it. Plus, it's fun to do! I wouldn't use it ALL the time, because, like anything, it just wouldn't as cool after using it a ton of times. But using it several times a year would be very beneficial for learning.

Major Volcanoes! My GoogleEarth Tour

IP&T 301 Week 6

1. When I was in first grade, I was spinning in the swing and the recess teacher made me sit on the bench for the rest of recess. My response was that I never spun in the swing again. :( At home, I learned that if I fought with my siblings, I got sent to my room.
   
2. I remember getting to go out to lunch with my teacher for getting a high score on a certain number of spelling tests. I also remember getting little awards for good citizenship when I did something nice for another student in elementary school.
   
3. I could see myself using interval schedules to teach wanted behavior. When a student is working on an assignment or working especially well with his classmates for a certain amount of time, I would definitely want to acknowledge that behavior with praise. I would definitely want to stick with a variable schedule so my students would not know when the praise is coming. That way, the praise will be more genuine and students will respond to it more.
   
4. I believe that behaviorism contradicts the ultimate goal and purpose of our Father in Heaven. He wants us to use our agency and choose joy and charity and righteousness because of our love for Him and our desire to serve Him and our fellow man. He wants us to be motivated intrinsically—by what is truly in our hearts. However, this state of choosing righteousness for righteousness' sake is something that we all are working towards, and I also feel that our Heavenly Father uses His own type of "reinforcements" and "punishments" to point us toward that ultimate goal. For example, He will withdraw His Spirit when we sin (negative punishment) to teach us to repent and keep His commandments. That being said, I see a big difference between the Lord's use of reinforcement and punishment to the behaviorists. Heavenly Father more often than not uses feelings rather than concrete things to teach us. Also, He is using them to help us eventually choose righteousness because that is what we truly desire, not because we want to avoid punishment or receive blessings.
   

UEN standard: 5th grade social studies, Standard 1, Objective 1

I'm not really sure why I chose to do the colonization of America. It's something I've always been interested in, probably since I was Squanto in my fourth grade wax museum project. I think I was also inspired by the tour I watched on the Revolutionary War and wanted to go a little further back and more in depth about the 13 colonies and how they originated. Once I started reading more about it and thinking of the activities I could do, I realized how fun GoogleEarth would make this unit. The most interesting parts of history for me were always reading actual stories about the people and looking at pictures and really getting to imagine what it was like back then. GoogleEarth is a great way for students to really step into another place and literally see what the early settlers saw as they sailed into America for the first time.

Exploring the Founding of America!

Location	Activity Description	Google Earth Content
1.Jamestown	Imagine you are going to start a new colony. Think of 10 items and 5 people you would want to bring with you. Then read about the colony of Jamestown and the hardships they faced. Were they prepared? Would you have been prepared?	Link to http://www.historyisfun.org/History-Jamestown.htm
2.Plymouth	Squanto learned English from traders in Maine. Use the GoogleEarth ruler to find out how far he traveled to get to Plymouth, Massachusetts.	GoogleEarth ruler Link to http://teacher.scholastic.com/researchtools/researchstarters/plymouth/
3.New York	Students will explore and read about the geographical features of New York city and brainstorm why it grew to such a prosperous city.	Link to http://pbskids.org/bigapplehistory/early/topic11.html
4.Rhode Island	The settlers of Rhode Island had to leave Massachusetts for religious persecution. Use GoogleEarth ruler to determine how far they had to travel from Salem, MA to Providence, RI. Then write a journal entry on how you would feel having to leave your home for your beliefs.	GoogleEarth ruler Link to http://www.timepage.org/spl/13colony.html

IP&T 301 Week 5

1.) I am definitely planning to use a variety of teaching methods including role plays, demonstrations, writing activities, media use, etc to keep my students' attention engaged. I also plan to connect new information to what my students already know by assessing their background knowledge and experience. I feel that if I am not presenting information that is meaningful to my students in a way that keeps their attention, then I am not doing my job as a teacher.

2.) Low-road transfer: spontaneous, automatic transfer of highly-practiced skills. If I am baking for the first time and apply my knowledge of measuring a half cup of laundry detergent to measuring out a half cup of flour.
High-road transfer: Purposeful and conscious transfer of knowledge or skills from one situation to another. If I apply the lesson plan format I learned in my education class to preparing my Sunday school lesson in church.

3.) I think high-road transfer is uses most often to connect between subjects. For example, a common transfer occurs between math and science, such as using fractions when measuring chemicals in chemistry or incorporating physics principles like calculating velocity into a math lesson.

4.) I've used an algorithm to figure out the amount of ingredients I should use when I want to make 1 1/2 of a recipe. I've used a heuristic when I want to plan out how many credits I should take each semester to graduate on time.