Methodical Chaos

iTunes U

2010-08-02T10:50:00.000-07:00

One application that I have only recently learned about is a feature Apple Inc. utilizes for consumer use is iTunes U. Apple's website states, "iTunes U — a powerful distribution system for everything from lectures to language lessons, films to labs, audiobooks to tours — is an innovative way to get educational content into the hands of students."

You can access iTunes U one of three ways: on your iPod Touch, on your iPhone, or through the iTunes store application on your computer. Free education content can be accessed or downloaded from such institutions as Stanford, Berkeley, Texas A&M, MIT,Duke,Emory, and much much more. Endless college courses are available from intro classes to physics, mathematics, and business. In the summer of 2008, iTunes even launched k-12 content for educators.

After witnessing a review of that magnitude there is only one thing left to say: Microsoft, where are you? What are you doing to improve the lives of people through your applications? The cold stoned answer: NOWHERE!

Evaluation for Distance Educators

2010-08-02T10:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry readers, no creative title this week. WYSIWYG.

CONTEXT:
The article was written from by the Engineering Outreach at University of Idaho. Granted it is a semi-dated article. The most recent reference used were from 1993, however, I did not know that jumping into the article; so it skewed my view of the overall effectiveness of the article.

CONTENT:
The article discusses several effective methods of evaluating distance education. The article first states that informal evaluations are at a near complete loss for distance education due to the fact there is no face-to-face contact which would breed convenient opportunities for teachers to answer student questions in a traditional classroom setting. However, informal evaluations are not completely lost from distance education.

Instructors can effectively implement informal evaluations using formative techniques coupled with qualitative questions and feedback. This might be the most effective way to receive feed back for the course due to the fact that summative evaluations come at the end of the course and wouldn't make any difference for those who just conquered the course. As well, quantitative feedback takes time to gather and most students finished with the course do not spend time evaluating the courses effectiveness or implement changes after the fact.

Some of the evaluation methods were a bit outdated calling for teachers to send out pre-post marked envelopes or for students to send in weekly postcard evaluations. I suppose that was the thing to do in 1993. E-Mail applications and other platforms like WEB CT, Moodle, or Blackboard has significantly increased teacher-student contact.

Web Accessibility

2010-07-26T19:13:00.000-07:00

Imagine trying to survive today's world... without the internet! How impossible would that be?! Well, for some it is an everyday challenge for those who are impaired in some way or another.

Those with disabilities have more opportunities in today's world to have information delivered to them almost as fast as it is posted on the internet. One web article (found at http://webaim.org/intro/) states that before there was internet those who were blind relied on someone reading the newspaper to them. Now, there are so many assistive technologies to help those who are impaired in one way or another to have that www information at their fingertips-so to speak.

One caution that the article warns web developers about is to remember those who have disabilities when creating and publishing websites; to think about how they could reach an impaired audience in order to bless their lives. The article states that some crucial questions need to be asked before implementing a website that would leave others out of the information loop such as, "What if the internet content is only accessible by using a mouse? What do people do if they can't use a mouse? And what if web developers use graphics instead of text? If screen readers can only read text, how would they read the graphics to people who are blind?"

Once those questions can be resolved, then one can start planning a layout that would include helps for the following disabilities: Visual, Hearing, Motor, and Cognitive. The article goes on to say that "Each of the major categories of disabilities requires certain types of adaptations in the design of the web content. Most of the time, these adaptations benefit nearly everyone, not just people with disabilities. Almost everyone benefits from helpful illustrations, properly-organized content and clear navigation. Similarly, while captions are a necessity for Deaf users, they can be helpful to others, including anyone who views a video without audio."

So, next time you are thinking about building a website in your spare time, consider your audience a moment longer.

Wiki Wiki, We Want It Quicki

2010-07-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

So, new terminology this week. Did you know that the word "wiki" actually means "fast" in Hawaiian? So what does the name have to do with the application?

A man by the name of Ward Cunningham (insert Leave It To Beaver and Happy Days jokes here)invented the first WikiWikiWeb software program in 1994 and had it up and running by mid 1995 with Wikipedia as the first online collaborative database in which users could openly and freely change, update or correct each other's content without strict guidelines as to how the content is organized.

Making changes to a Wikipedia article is as easy as 1-2-3: (1) have a user account that allows you privilages as a content editor, (2) find an article that you would like to add to or improve in some way, and (3) make approapriate changes. However, most people just choose to add hyperlink to other pages in an article. As a creator/editor you are never stuck with someone's editorial changes. You can choose to revert the article back to a pre-stupido copy.

Jing

2010-07-19T11:17:00.000-07:00

What is Jing?

A- A four-star Chinese restaurant in Denver Colorado,
B- One of the Three Treasures of Chinese medicine,
or
C- Screencasting software launched in 2007 by TechSmith.

Actually the correct answer is "ALL of the Above". However today's blog will focus solely on the technology aspect of Jing. Screencasting software is becoming evermore popular in the world of online education. There are several screen sharing options, several listed as freeware, which enhance the instructors ability to SHOW online students how to work a particular task. One such instructor at USU screencasts videos weekly allowing students to "see" instructions on how to FTP using Filezilla, etc.

I don't know how effective Jing would be in a seminary setting. I have several home school students who might find success in 5 minute screenshots on how to work a particular lesson or instructions on how to finish and submit and assignment, but I think Jing might only be able to partially augment a small portion of learning in a religious classroom such as mine.

Take your Moodle for a Walk

2010-07-19T11:02:00.000-07:00

That's right, I said Moodle, not poodle. Moodle is Course Management System and an Open Source software platform designed mainly for e-learning (but has other capabilities as well). It allows teachers to create online courses and share content with administrators, teachers, students and parents. By creating online course content and sharing in this manner, whether you are teaching a complete online course or using it to enhance your classroom instruction, it allows for effective communication between teachers, students AND parents. Importing RSS feeds, activity modules,assignment and quizzes, or a Google calendar is easy and in some cases you can import entire Blackboard or Web CT courses. Check it out at www.moodle.org

F2F VS. DE

2010-07-13T20:06:00.000-07:00

When I was busy working my way through k-12 trying to survive (let alone graduate) never once did "getting an education online" ever pop into my head. As a high schooler, none of us had our own personal e-mail, cell phone for texting, or Wimba chatroom to hold class sessions. I remember having to type a history paper on a word processor that ny father purchased for reasonably cheap. As I was letting out my frustrations on the computer my father slyly said, "Be careful what you wish for. Computers are the future." Man, was he ever right. Here I am typing on one of two laptops in my home trying to fulfill a distance education assignment.

So what then is the difference between face to face teaching and learning as opposed to distance education? PREFERENCE and CONVENIENCE. Distance Ed allows for much more flexibility and yet is demanding more and more quality instruction and standards that you would find in a normal face to face classroom setting. Is it hard getting a Masters degree 100% online? Sure there are some difficulties, but consider this: the next time I have to step foot on campus is for graduation. How 'bout them apples? (or pc, whichever you prefer.)

The Social Networking Lock Up

2010-07-13T19:53:00.000-07:00

This week I learned about two web 2.0 tools that I will never be able to use in the classroom: Facebook and Youtube. It is not just because I work for the L.D.S. Church that my work computer is locked out of those social networking sites. In fact, I have many colleagues in the secular world who at their respective assignments are also presently locked out of those (or at least Facebook) sites due to district policy. And for good reason.

Several weeks ago I was browsing my 500+ Facebook friends and I noticed that over 75% of them were 16 years old and younger... and mostly past or present students. That is probably not the safest way for me to hang on to a job (especially working for the Church). So, I quit. I couldn't log on at work anyway so I didn't feel too much pain.

Youtube on the other hand is a slightly different story. I know there are videos that should not ever be watched--especially on a work computer--but there are so many good things to view on youtube. As a matter of fact the L.D.S. Churhc has hopped on the bandwagon (for lack of a better expression) and started posting 3-4 minute spiritual messages. So what's the big deal? Better safe than sorry. Right, Pratt?

Make A Movie Maker

2010-07-08T16:28:00.000-07:00

Digital story telling is becoming much more popular in education. Using movie making technologies allows the students to use their knowledge and experience to create projects that enhance learning. Using a software program like Windows Movie Maker allows student growth in capturing digital video, storyboarding, editing, narration, etc even in areas such as science,social studies, and the arts.

Educators can play a more intimate role in such programs like distance education using Movie Maker vodcasting lectures or instructional videos. This tool can play a vital role in education if used accordingly and with simple stages of video production and publication.

(WOW! what a couple of really boring paragraphs about video capabilities in education. What an interesting topic though.) Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=windows+movie+maker&aq=0

Do You Have the Audacity?

2010-07-08T15:54:00.000-07:00

When I was taking an upper division course in creative writing at SUU my professor was way into using technology to further the writing process. After we had spent a month writing a first draft to a novella, he had us create an Audacity account and record ourselves reading the novella. The revisions from the first draft were to be spawned from listening to ourselves read the novella.

As a teacher, using Audacity for distance education purposes is a smart way to go. For instance, I could create a podcast for my home school students. That way they could feel like they are still participating in a classroom experience. On the flipside, students can record themselves and send it in to the teacher for evaluations (no more 1980's "mixed tape" cassettes). This would have been nice when as a high school student I took a home course through BYU and had to record myself playing the guitar on a tape and then send it in to my professor. Technology sure makes educational life better.

Google-Belly

2010-06-28T17:07:00.000-07:00

I watched a presentation on Google Docs this week. I thought I knew a lot before I watched it. Becky did a great job adding to what I already knew concerning the online application and it made me want to use it more.

My exposure to Google Docs started a year ago when my area director asked all of us teachers to fill out a document tracking our professional growth. So it did and our first meeting was great. We logged in to Google Talk for the conference call and then we both discussed how well I was or was not meeting the expectations as outlined on the document. I revised and he revised, all in real time. It was great and I was very impressed with the tool. However...

Becky showed me a convenient way to create a Google Doc form that would allow my students to take a test on scripture mastery application and how I could tabulate the scores against other classes. Another idea she shared was using Google Docs for sharing lesson plans. I thought it would be a great idea for me (in a one-man seminary) lesson plan collaboration with my inservice group that lives and teaches over 40 minutes away from my building. Thanks for some stellar idea today Becky. Keep 'em rolling!

Microsoft PowerPoint

2010-06-28T16:59:00.000-07:00

Teachers can really get carried away with PowerPoint if they are not careful. Most of us who have been in school awhile have all had that one professor that completely relies on PowerPoint for EVEY lecture. What is wrong with this, you may ask? Here is a good analogy.

I cooked tacos last night for my family. Instead of putting in a half of a packet of taco seasoning in the meat I put in 3 full packs. Now, how would that make your tacos taste? Bad? Why? Because seasoning is not the main course. PowerPoint should be used to spice up the lesson, not to be THE method used to teach (or to have PowerPoint BE the teacher).

Ustream! iStream! We All Scream for Ustream!

2010-06-23T20:27:00.000-07:00

A classmate presented an application called Ustream to us today. What an effective tool for distance education! The best part of his presentation was when I realized that it was a solution to a problem my Inservice group is having.

Bro. J. is teaching a deaf class this fall at the seminary. He has five students in class and one that will be attending via P3 technology through Dell. It will cost the Church several hundred dollars in order to install the equipment at the seminary building and at the students home. However...

Ustream has the capability to video stream live events and can be recorded and archived for later viewing. All of this is free at http://www.ustream.tv/ If Bro. J. goes for this, all he has to do is make sure his deaf student has access to a broadband speed computer and can participate in class from miles away.

Slide Rocket - Cool Concept?

2010-06-23T20:09:00.000-07:00

I was introduced to a web application today called Slide Rocket which has one HUGE benefit and one HUGE detriment.

Slide Rocket is a web-based application that allows you to import a PowerPoint presentation from your hard drive or you can create a presentation using Slide Rocket's building capabilities. Either way, you can store it online on order to preserve the presentation and save hard drive space. That however is not the benefit I was referring to.

The benefit I am referring to is the option of creating a presentation online WITHOUT the use of Microsoft PowerPoint. So there is a savings of over $100 that goes straight back into the pocket and not into Bill Gates's pocket (or his grand children's, or whoever will get the plethora of green he owns).

The detriment to the web-based "software" program is that in order to access all the features and have unlimited space for projects, it will cost you money. A per month bill is mandatory for use of the program. So, for educational purposes, it might not be the best option for a district to supply multiple usernames/passwords at 15-20 bucks a pop per month. However, business-wise, collaboration efforts would be beneficial in using a tool such as Slide Rocket for the business world.

The Skype Hype

2010-06-14T19:32:00.000-07:00

Last year, in an effort to further my teaching ability in the classroom, another seminary principal and I worked a technological plan out so that he could visit my classroom without ever leaving his. Enterprise is located approximately 45 miles east of NOWHERE, so in order for my colleagues to participate in some sort of inservice we decided to let technology solve our problem.

Bro. Leavitt and I set up Skype accounts and often communicated through that medium rather than by telephone so as to promote face-to-interface communication. We not only had face to face capabilities that way but often would broadcast Snow Canyon Seminary Faculty Meeting that way so that I could participate in the discussions as well. We decided to try our luck using Skype as a class observation tool so that Bro. Leavitt could virtually sit in my classroom and give me face to face feedback without ever having to make the lonely drive to Enterprise. What an effective way to use technology for spiritual distance education purposes.

Connected Concepts

2010-06-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I was watching a movie with my children. Crashed on the couch, popcorn in hand, good guys fighting the bad guys. We were watching Aragon, a movie about a dragon rider that needed to man up to his destiny. Toward the end of the film there was a scene where the good guys were getting ready and psyched up for the final battle. The scene kept switching between their preparations and the bad guys coming to meet their doom.

Every time it watched between the good guys and the bad guys my 3-year old would ask, "Dad, are those the good/bad guys?" My response was either yes or no (depending on who the camera panned on). Finally, after the umpteenth camera switch, she poignantly said, "Dad, sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between the good guys and the bad ones." Wow! Wisdom beyond her years.

The angle with which I want to use this analogy may seem strange at first but I hope it pulls together in the end.

Dr. Clark N. Quinn wrote and article (titled "Seven Steps to Better E-Learning" http://www.elearnmag.org/subpage.cfm?section=best_practices&article=35-1) in which one of those steps is "Connected Concepts". He stated that, " acquiring a specific skill doesn't work without reactivating the context in which that skill is used." He went on to say that placing material in its intended context is important to the success of the learner. In addition, giving our students a perfect model with which to base their problematic solutions on helps to effectuate their success as a student. Without that model, they may end up missing a step in the process or completely stuck as to how to solve the problem. As with my little girl, she did not know how to distinguish the good guys from the bad guys because she did not identify a pattern that would help her succeed at the task.

As teachers, it is so vital to the success of our students to give them a workable problem with some helps that they can connect with (i.e. previous knowledge) and use in order to understand the new knowledge or complex skill.

I Am SOOOO Sorry www.blogger.com

2010-06-09T12:34:00.000-07:00

OK, so I participated in a class presentation this week on the power of blogging. The presenter showed two different mediums that one can use. The first was blogger (or blog spot) which is what I use for my Master's program as well as a personal family site. I have always enjoyed the easy-to-use interface that makes blogger so wonderful. HOWEVER...

The second half of the presentation was about word press, another blogging site people can use. In comparing the advantages and disadvantages of each I have realized that blogger is mission some things that would make word press very effective to use (and vice versa). I hope this doesn't get me kicked off of blogger but people, check out word press. It is a great alternative to blog spot. To help you compare the two against eachother, depending on what features you are looking for. see http://pulsed.blogspot.com/2007/07/blogger-wordpress-chart.html and let me know what you think by leaving a post response. Thanks.

Web 2.0 (Blogging About Blogging)

2010-06-07T19:17:00.000-07:00

I have thought a lot about the power of blogging in the past year. I have friends that faithfully blog on a weekly basis and just as faithfully you'll find me reading their updates. Web logging has certainly become a convenient way for me to "read all about it" concerning the personal lives of friends and family. So, if it has that kind of impact on my relationships with near kin and friends, what kind of an impact could it have in education?

I read a couple of articles (Fernando 2008 and Caverly 2008) today about the powerful use of Web 2.0 tools like Youtube, Second Life, Twitter, Innertoob, podcasting, wiki's and web logging. One point that Fernando made in his article was that in terms of e-learning education has "gotten into the business of teaching new media, using new media." Caverly discovered that teachers started figuring out "what interested, confused, and concerned [their] students" using blogs. If that is the case then teachers need to expect technology to play a greater role in rescuing their students from past dated instructional methods and helping them (and us) accept the evolution of technology and the learning sciences in the classroom now and in the future.

Even in my own career field as a seminary teacher, I have noticed more and more that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is using www.Youtube.com more frequently for the sole purpose of posting inspirational messages.

Therefore, we can either choose to go along for the supercompter ride, or be left in the dust.

The Evolution of Effectual Teaching & Learning

2009-12-02T16:58:00.000-08:00

What Is Learning?:
I knew at the start of this semester that learning is an abstraction. Never did I realize that, although abstract in nature, it is something that has TRIED to be grasped by educators in a way that information, understanding, meaningful learning and the like could be cognitively processed. There is but one perfect teacher and he never had to earn a Masters degree to teach on the side of a mount, or in a synagogue, or in the busy countryside of Galilee. The thing that blessed His short-lived teaching career was the fact that He KNEW his students, better than they knew themselves.

Having an opportunity to shallow-dive into behaviorism, functional behavior, meaningful learning, schema theory, human development, motivation, case-based learning, situated cognition and constructivism showed me that I have A LOT to learn about effective classroom organization and management.

Effectuated Teaching:
The one thing I am taking away from this class in terms of effectual teaching in the classroom is that there are many approaches one could take that work just as well as any other theory. Certainly there are things that could be argued within each theory, but the combination of one or more of the theories could prove a teacher's success for past, present and future students and their ability to become productive people.

Do I have a favorite theory? No. Are they all useful to my effectiveness as a teacher? Only if they uplift and inspire the rising generation to become, to think, to act, to speak and to observe.

Social Constructivism

2009-11-24T17:42:00.000-08:00

What is learning?
Learning is the ability to take new information, retain or discard, and pigeon-hole it into useful, meaningful, or crap categories.

How can it best be effectuated by a teacher?
This theory teaches us the importance of allowing the students to work out the information as a group and apply it to everyday life situations. However, within the group there needs to be a zone of proximal development, or in other words the ability to participate in group assignments that are challenging their problem-solving skills while at the same time having a capable individual lead the group to discovery. It challenges their skill level and raises their cognitive development.

Adam Cobb, a Preservice director in Boise, Idaho once stated, "Whoever does the work gets the learning." That statement is never truer than after having successfully experienced group work that creates an atmosphere of meaningful learning. When a student can walk out of the classroom and know what s/he needs to do to become a more productive person, then previous schemata morphs into more a meaningful cognition of that particular principle/doctrine.

Bruner's Consructivism Theory

2009-11-18T17:32:00.000-08:00

What is Learning:
Bruner teaches that education must be centered on experiences and perspectives that encourage the student to learn outside of external rewards or punishments (grades, etc.). When a student is engaged in the lesson because he/she is interested in the subject matter, THEN readiness has occurred. That is why the first 3-4 questions that a teacher asks when starting a lesson makes all the difference. If it is engaging enough, and meaningful to the students, then student responses will flow naturally. For instance, I remember when I was in seminary and had the "Godly Sorrow" lesson. There is a video that goes with it showing a couple about to be married. At some point you recognize (through video dialogue) that the couple had inappropriate sexual relations before marriage. The boyfriend wasn't sorry it happened, and neither was the girl at first. When she started the repentance process she realized that in order to truly repent of this sin, she needed to feel the way God feels about it. The question my teacher started class with was, "Is sex bad?"

What an eye-opening statement to make, in seminary nonetheless! But, if you can imagine, even us teenagers went the rounds with that question for awhile. Now THAT was readiness!

How Can Learning Be Best Effectuated by the Teacher:
By allowing students to connect new instruction with previous knowledge furthering their ability to apply the new knowledge, spiral organization (or a learning helix) enlarges their understanding. Furthermore, by permitting students reflective time in their journals allows them an opportunity to go beyond the scriptural information given. Their learning is the result of group work closely coupled with mental exertion. They will have successfully and actively constructed their own understanding of the principles and doctrines being taught.

Week #11 Situated Cognition

2009-11-11T18:59:00.000-08:00

What Is Learning?
I love to read books. Mostly religious doctrine books by BYU authors and/or General Authorities. My undergraduate work was in History with an emphasis on World War II. I took any class I could that based itself around that time period. So a good WWII book held my deep interest as well. One particular class focused on military warfare and weaponry of all the major wars. I remember one professor (breaking school policies, I am sure) bringing in a civil war gun and a WWII gun used by the Japanese. He passed them around class and allowed each one of us to heft the piece in our hands. Experience-wise, that was way better than anything I had ever read on any war. Hands-on learning rocks. That being said...

How Can Teachers Best Effectuate Learning?
Any time I can plan workshops, group work, classes that have an apprenticeship training feel to it allows students to do the work and get the most out of it. The lecture method or stand and deliver method still has its place and appropriateness at certain times, but hands-on beats it hands-down.

Week #10 - Case-Based Learning

2009-11-04T18:23:00.000-08:00

What is learning and how can it best be effectuated by a teacher (according to this learning theory)? I really enjoyed this weeks readings and lesson planning particularly because it worked in the classroom. I had great success with it. So here is my example:

This week was challenging BECAUSE of the subject matter. We delved (not too deep) into the writings of Isaiah as found in the Isaiah chapters of 2nd Nephi. I asked the students several questions about Nephi choosing to use the writings of such a cryptic prophet that seems to obscure almost everyone's understanding. When they came to the conclusion that Nephi was an Israelite and the Nephites were mere descendants living on another far-removed continent having not learned Jewish customs, etc. it started to make sense to the students. No wonder Nephi said Isaiah's words were "plain to understand." He grew up in Jerusalem.

We then looked at the Isaiah chapters using a principle that teenagers were VERY familiar with: sins and consequences. We used a worksheet that allowed the students to view the Isaiah chapters using only this point of view. Once they identified as many sins and consequences as they could they answered 5 poignant questions that took Nephi and Isaiah's experience to "high school life." They were able to make past connections (problems and solutions) with present and future personal applications. One girl even commented, "Isaiah isn't hard at all when you tackle him using one principle at a time." WOW! Success with Isaiah. I think even he would be happy to hear a seventeen year-old senior girl say that.

Week #9 Motivation

2009-10-21T18:13:00.000-07:00

When I first started student teaching my preconceived notions of what a teacher does and what the student is responsible for was really skewed. I though that the teacher's job was a one-man dog and pony show where he/she creates a specific learning atmosphere to which the students respond positively (with emotion, or sensation, or Spirit, or all of the above) and walked out of class as a better EDIFIED person: a daily EFY experience of sorts.

Now that I have a few years under my belt, and I am starting to catch the vision of effective teaching, I realize that the student is just as much responsible for their own learning as the teacher is for his well planned presentation. Simply put, if the student's motivation is ego involved or performance oriented or help avoidance hindered then real meaningful lifelong learning cannot take place.

If I as a teacher can create a classroom environment where students feel safe to share personal experiences and feelings and ask appropriate questions concerning their own salvation or standing in the gospel (whether the question is directed to the teacher or to the peer group) then the application from the lesson, as Piaget would say, becomes lasting in its effects. However, regardless of the characteristics of the instructor, whether he is snore-boring or completely eccentric or the master teacher who gets it right every time, the students NEED to have a desire for content mastery, stay task-involved, and apply it to lifelong learning. Elder David A. Bednar once shared that "[a] teacher can explain, demonstrate, persuade, and testify, and do so with great spiritual power and effectiveness. Ultimately, however, the content of a message and the witness of the Holy Ghost penetrate into the heart [and not just unto the heart] only if a receiver allows them to enter" (Seek Learning By Faith, Feb 3, 2006). Thus the student controls their educational destiny starting with their attitude for learning.

Week #8 - Human Development

2009-10-14T17:59:00.000-07:00

I was really impressed by the Piaget article on "Development and Learning" this week. For JP to state that that it is a misnomer to believe that development is NOT "reduced to a series of specific learned items and development is thus the sum" really challenged my belief system (which in one article he managed to shatter nearly completely). I held to that widely assumed opinion. Therefore, what is learning and how can it best be effectuated by the teacher/learner?

Development is the end goal of a productive person (I would imagine in any society). In order to obtain development learning becomes the function. However just knowing something, the ability to regurgitate or recall information, doesn't necessarily mean that I understand it. Piaget stated that, "[t]o know an object is to act on it." That is what learning, understanding, and development is really about; to be able to process and APPLY the knowledge makes all the difference.

I can easily memorize facts about the civil war; dates, places, names, and battlegrounds and pass a history test pertaining to that particular piece of schema, but what does it all mean? What are the lessons learned from obtaining such information? According to my own development, what can I do with that knowledge that pushes toward the end goal of becoming a productive person? I love the first question Piaget always asks himself when wanting to be convinced of certain facts: "Is this learning lasting... and what are the conditions necessary for it to be lasting?" If it is lasting then development has naturally occurred.

Week #6 [Schema Theory]

2009-09-30T18:34:00.000-07:00

What is learning and how is it best effectuated by an instructor? In all fairness, I am writing this blog after having read two well thought out blogs from Amy and Mary. Their thoughts helped me to gather my own. Thanks girls.

When teaching a class of thirty students in seminary, I quickly assume their life experiences and/or schema have been VERY similar to mine, when in reality thirty students = thirty different takes on life, thirty different experiences, thirty different backgrounds, etc. The trick is to use those to the best of your ability (without exploitation) when students permit exposure of their schema. EXAMPLE: the other day we were talking about appropriate familial relationships in the scriptures (Nephi's dysfunctional family) and several students offered their experience and knowledge gained coming from divorced families and how it has helped or hindered relationships in their own family. One student even made the comment, "I knew Laman and Lemuel were stupid, but I never realized their family is a lot like mine." Connection made. The discussion then opened up to "what have we learned in our own families that will help us be better in the future?" Their belief windows aren't as rose-colored as mine was as a youth. These kids have a good head on their shoulders.

Week 5: Meaningful Learning

2009-09-23T17:59:00.000-07:00

What is learning? Meaningful learning taks place with the help of concept mapping or advance organizers. When one form of knowledge is applied to something seemingly unrelated, then application has more of a chance to blossom. Example: I know how to play Ping Pong. I do not know how to play Tennis. Some of the rules that apply to ping pong MAY apply to tennis. When I can compare one set of knowledge to another then rote learning finds its proper place in the garbage can.
How can learning be best effectuated by a teacher/trainer? When it comes to learning gospel principles, a specific principle or doctrine is never fully taught in one place. Example: Nephi talks about the importance of obedience in the early chapters of 1 Nephi. In 2 Nephi 2 he expounds on the principle of obedience by teaching about agency. Both can be looked at as seperate principles but by placing them in context to eachother, I can gain meaningful learning about obedience as I learn to exercise I agency more wisely. (By the way, Elder Packer once taught that there is no such thing as "free agency." So people of the Church... STOP USING THAT EXPRESSION!

Week 3: Functional Behavior Analysis

2009-09-09T17:49:00.000-07:00

As a teacher you find that there are some students that bring problems to the classroom and/or some that create problems while in the classroom. It is easy to get offended at a student when their desire is to not participate in the lesson block using a myriad of excuses, complaints, or body languages to show their disinterest; the "I dare you to teach me something" attitude. But if a teacher proactively decides to take that challenge then the task at hand becomes the springboard which makes you a better teacher.

Example: I have noticed in observing some teachers (and students for that matter) that for whatever reason, it becomes ok for a student to sleep through the class period. Understandably, the student might have stayed up late working on homework, or there was a family problem, etc. The student might feel it is a good excuse to sleep in class. However, no reason should ever be good enough for a teacher to allow that behavior. Learning is enhanced only when a student is engaged in the lesson. Therefore it is the teachers obligation to find a way to help the struggling student learn that particular day, regardless of the subject matter or lesson block.

Week 2: Behaviorism

2009-09-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

What is learning and how can a teacher best effectuate it in the classroom according to behaviorism?

I feel I have applied behaviorism well in the classroom setting for several years now, though it is still a huge work in progress. In a religious education setting (among others) grades matter to students. My Preservice director once taught me, "Whoever does the work gets the learning." If I could push it a bit further I would restate by saying, "Whoever does the work gets the more desirable grade."
There are certain things on the students grade sheets that help to back up Skinner's pigeon project. Like Davidson's lesson plan for this week, I have found that rewarding the students in some way as they earn their A in the class helps to further their obedience, their desire, and their work ethic. For instance, I give them 15 points per scripture mastery that they pass off to either the class president, the VP, a parent, or myself for a total of 375 points toward their A grade. Also, to help motivate them to pass off all 25 scripture masteries, I give them a $2.00 Book of Mormon key chain (which seems to be a very coveted reward for whatever reason. It is a pretty cool looking key chain though.)
For some students, the grade is motivation enough to do what I ask of them. I was never very self-motivated as a high school student, however I have learned to be self-motivated in certain aspects of my life. It's always worth it if the reward is equal to the task.

Effectual Learning and Teaching: The Ah Ha Moment

2009-08-26T20:18:00.000-07:00

Ah ha moments in the classroom can be the most rewarding for a teacher. An ah ha moment is when you are teaching a concept and a learning light blinks across their face. It is almost a tangible or audible moment when you see the student "get it." It is then that you know that whatever is being taught has been received at a cognitive level of understanding, and as with most girls, a level of emotional process follows.

Example: the other day I was trying to share the insight that my students have a very limited amount of time to spend learning about spiritual things. Most people will admit that most of their understand of the doctrines and principles of the gospel are learned between the ages of 14-18 while they are in high school seminary. Accepting that as truth, I then shared with them a mathematical equation (of which I neither profess to be great at nor understand most of the time. I'll leave that up to Blaine.)

In a 180 day school year on an A/B schedule I see my kids for 90 days. I teach 70 minute class periods. 70x90= 6300 minutes per year. 6300 minutes x 4 years = 25200 minutes. 25200 / 60 minutes in an hour = 420 hours. 420 / 24 hours in a day = 17.5 days.

When I shared that equation and finished up by saying , "In reality, you are only in seminary for 17.5 days." several students faces lit up as they realized how crucial timing is to learning all they need to know for a successful life in the Church, they were shocked and amazed. It was rewarding to see them "get it." Learning and teaching was effectuated that day, and oh what a day.

What Is Learning?

2009-08-26T19:51:00.000-07:00

In larger than life letters on the front of James E. Talmage's tombstone it states, "Knowledge Is Power." However, I believe there is a difference between someone who has knowledge and someone who has learned. Learning occurs so that someone may know something. Learning can happen in almost every aspect of life. It is a wise person, who can learn from anyone.

Example: my wife and I were attending a gospel doctrine class together quite regularly. She enjoyed the teacher and his leassons, all the while I was not accepting the way he taught the pricniples and doctrines he was focusing on for the particular lesson block. I had extensive gospel training in how to teach effectively and he had to be the most boring, surface teacher I had ever met. So, in order for me to get anything out of the lesson, I started flipping pages, reading quotes and cross references, and having a mini lesson to myself durring his class sessions.

One day my ever-so-cunning wife leaned over and whispered, "Marc, who's teaching the lesson today?" I flippantly pointed to HIM and said, "He is, of course." "Are you sure?" came the rebuttal. Then came the rebuke. "If HE is the teacher, then what have you learned from him today?" I sat and wondered the same thing. Then I learned. I took time to pay attention to his stories, to his principles, to his lesson plan in general, and before I knew it, I was raising my hand offering opinions, comments, etc. I got involved. That's when I realized you really can learn from anybody. When you apply yourself to what is being taught, then learning is taking place.