Here’s an article and some links on how decision-making works in the brain. It was a very interesting read.
Unsurprisingly, and many of us as educators understand some of this from our teacher prep program days, decision-making is often firmly rooted in the prior knowledge we bring with us to a situation. We want to relate something unfamiliar to something familiar, not entirely dissimilar from the math tests I talked about on Monday. By bringing part of the problem into part of our definition of “familiar”, the problem becomes less frightening, more approachable. An approachable problem is far more likely to be resolved than one we want to avoid because it’s unfamiliar.
Posted by Rebecca as Problem Solving at 7:49 AM EST
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I was trying to read a paper linked recently by elearningpost, but something appears to be not working. The teaser, though, providedthis in the summary: “Templates” refer to the processes that are copied wholesale, while “principles” refers to the processes that are understood from the fundamentals.
This is something we try to impress on our math students, especially our algebra students, at work. We teach them a skill, give them plenty of opportunity to practice. Once they’ve mastered the skills for a particular criteria, we give them a test that presents questions in a manner that requires the student to think about what they are doing and correctly apply what they’ve learned. The questions aren’t quite as straight-forward as the practices were.
Anyone can regurgitate what’s been drilled in to them, but it really takes a sharp mind to see an unfamiliar problem and realize it can be approached through familiar means.
Posted by Rebecca as Learning methods at 10:49 AM EST
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If anything, they seem to be a big problem.
In Texas, we have IPC- Integrated Physics and Chemistry. I haven’t heard much on that situation, but i have yet to meet a student who felt they got anything from the experience.
In Washington, the problem is the Integrated Math Program. This one…this one just makes me cry. The idea is that algebra, geometry, and trigonometry are taught through real world problems as one big integrated happy family. I’ll have to guess that the idea looked really pretty and shiny on paper, because the reality is a nightmare.
I’m honestly meeting students who are struggling with homework because they don’t know how to create equivalent ratios or solve for x. The problem I’m discovering as I interact with both IMPs is that they don’t teach the students any relevant tools for coping with the problems. There are no examples for students to refer to if they get confused. Apparently, trying to take notes in these classes if you aren’t a super math student is a joke. The system seems to be designed to ensure Washington students will never be able to do math.
Honestly, when will people learn that the best approach really is to take your time teaching the basic skills, and saving the real world for practice and application. The students would benefit more from that system in the end, or so I think.
Posted by Rebecca as Teaching methods at 8:07 AM EST
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I have a very simple theory: the only stupid question is the unasked one. I try to impress this on my students as often as I can. If we don’t ask questions, that’s when miscommunication happens. Answers to questions inform, clarify. They can’t do that, though, if we don’t ask the questions.
I ask a lot of questions. I encourage those around me to ask a lot of questions. It should come as no surprise, then, that I was completely intrigued by this article that suggests smart people ask questions. It’s true. So many people are afraid to ask questions because somehow this idea that questions somehow make you stupid or antagonistic has pervaded our cultural identity.
We need to shake that and ask more questions. Questions lead to answers, and answers can often lead to an increased awareness that benefits those around the inquirer.
I spend much of my teaching time asking questions. I tend to teach a concept, and then start asking questions until I feel that my student is comfortable with te concept and can work on his or her own. When a student is struggling with an assignment, they know I’ll start asking them questions to help them think through what they’re working on.
I’ve actually started wondering if my teaching method borders on the Socractic Method, but honestly, questions work.
Posted by Rebecca as Components of Learning, Teaching methods at 7:58 AM EST
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I’ve been looking at a number of articles on Personal Learning Environments(PLEs). I think it’s an interesting prospect, of that variety I really ought to experiment and play with.
It started with reading a couple of articles just a couple of days apart on the emergence of this topic:
I had to think about this in relation to how I structure my own private learning ventures (and I do seem to be exploring a number of learning curves at the moment). While I was thinking over that and how the concept of personal learning environments fit within my own experiences,this learner’s charter was shared by Jeremy Hiebert.
Part of what I think makes the PLE in teresting is that it appears to look strongly to the learner to commit to the learning process by becoming heavily involved in its structure and execution. I think it’s a good start to address the invidual needs of the learner, but it will need more thought.
Posted by Rebecca as Components of Learning, e-learning, Experiential Learning, Information Architecture at 7:44 AM EST
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I drive my students crazy. In fact, when I saw this post from 43 Folders, I had to laugh. I ought to print it off and share it with my students! They’s tell me it sounds like me!
When my students are correcting their work, I often ask them to explain the problem to me step by step. By doing it this way, they catch their mistake almost immediately, usually amid my asking them why, or reflecitng their questions back at them.
They say I’m evil. I say I’m helping them learn to correct their own work, and perhaps even get it right the first time around. To see how much some of my students have grown, I’d say it’s a pretty successful method!
Posted by Rebecca as Teaching methods at 7:53 AM EST
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These articles are framed for the library setting, but I think they also apply to educational settings where we expect the learner to control their own experience.
The first article advises focusing on the patron’s (or user’s) needs instead of the person themself, the argument being that focusing on the task reduces the focus on demographics. I think it could actually benefit people in the long run as it becomes harder and harder to pinpoint these kinds of statistics. Also, by focusing on the task at hand, we in essence give the user the knowledge they need to perform that task on their own in the future.
The second is a checklist for you to run through when considering making a process more user-centric, the idea being that you shouldn’t take on something that makes your life more complicated.
Both found via Creative Librarian
Posted by Rebecca as e-learning at 7:00 AM EST
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