Blog: Final Reflection
To reflect, I had earlier stated that I was in the habit of using the behaviorist theory in my daily classroom teachings. I stated: "In my practice, I am working my way through the students by applying the behaviorism theory. Behaviorism is a worldview that assumes a learner is essentially passive, responding to environmental stimuli. The learner starts off as a clean slate and behavior is shaped through positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement. This is true as they have no knowledge of the English language and act as sponges when investigating and picking up on the language." During this course, we ran through the different types of learning theories and assessed how they would be suited to an instructional strategy defined with technology. Cognitive, emotional, and environmental influences, as well as prior experience, all play a part in how understanding, or a world view, is acquired or changed, and knowledge and skills retained. Each theory had a unique, different technology, which could be integrated into a lesson. From Excel, and local application based programs on the computer, to Internet web 2.0 tools, and finally apps each technology has a curious role that can be used in various teaching situations.
In the following two paragraphs, I will address the adjustments I will attempt to make while I continue teaching English in a foreign country. To note, I have already expressed numerous times my use of Google Forms to supplement my lessons once per month. During teaching lessons there is a great emphasis on English vocabulary, and the students need to master it along with definitions and pronunciations. Google forms allow me to create on the fly tests and quizzes and have immediate analytics results. This lets me see what words students have issues with and where to adjust my definitions or instruction over the course of the month. Here is an interesting video that links the relationship of teachers to students. It demonstrates how teachers can connect to students.
The second technological tool I really liked during this course was the use of concept maps. Concept maps appear to go hand in hand with virtual field trips in my eyes. The use of concept maps will enhance learning by focusing in on a particular topic and enable students to branch off and discover on their own. Using concept maps in planning a curriculum or instruction on a specific topic helps to make the instruction “conceptually transparent” to students. A good way to define the context for a concept map is to construct a Focus Question. That is, a question that clearly specifies the problem or issue the concept map should help to resolve. Every concept map responds to a focus question, and a good focus question can lead to a much richer concept map. When learning to construct concept maps, learners tend to deviate from the focus question and build a concept map that may be related to the domain, but which does not answer the question. It is often stated that the first step to learning about something is to ask the right questions (Novak, 2009).
List two long-term goal changes and strategies
1. Continue to structure assessments such as testing and informal quizzes by the use of Google Forms.
Strategy: Embrace change by integrating the use of Google forms on a monthly or biweekly basis. Instruct students that they could be potential prize winners by the use of shaping and reinforcing behaviors. Give out specialized certificates that show their expertise in grades in assignments. There is so much that can be created and done to enhance correct learning.
2. Just try to use more concept mapping tools in class. This could potentially be a periodic exercise or bi-monthly.
Strategy: introduce the idea to administrators and present how concept maps enhance learning. Demonstrate a class, and give an opportunity for students to show how to resolve a particular English related question.
To conclude, this was quite an eye opener and informative class. However, I felt it was somewhat overly informative, and filled to the brim with blogging, worksheets, planning, instruction, tools, and application assignments that I see were trying to beat a level of understanding into eager teachers. Dr. Orey and Dr. Pickering has helped me to understand that learning theory and understanding the way we learn is important to the proper implementation of technology in the classroom.
References
Novak, J., & Cañas, A. (2009, September 28). What is a Concept Map?. What is a Concept Map?. Retrieved June 14, 2014, from http://cmap.ihmc.us/docs/conceptmap.html
Blog: Final Reflection
To reflect, I had earlier stated that I was in the habit of using the behaviorist theory in my daily classroom teachings. I stated: "In my practice, I am working my way through the students by applying the behaviorism theory. Behaviorism is a worldview that assumes a learner is essentially passive, responding to environmental stimuli. The learner starts off as a clean slate and behavior is shaped through positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement. This is true as they have no knowledge of the English language and act as sponges when investigating and picking up on the language." During this course, we ran through the different types of learning theories and assessed how they would be suited to an instructional strategy defined with technology. Cognitive, emotional, and environmental influences, as well as prior experience, all play a part in how understanding, or a world view, is acquired or changed, and knowledge and skills retained. Each theory had a unique, different technology, which could be integrated into a lesson. From Excel, and local application based programs on the computer, to Internet web 2.0 tools, and finally apps each technology has a curious role that can be used in various teaching situations.
In the following two paragraphs, I will address the adjustments I will attempt to make while I continue teaching English in a foreign country. To note, I have already expressed numerous times my use of Google Forms to supplement my lessons once per month. During teaching lessons there is a great emphasis on English vocabulary, and the students need to master it along with definitions and pronunciations. Google forms allow me to create on the fly tests and quizzes and have immediate analytics results. This lets me see what words students have issues with and where to adjust my definitions or instruction over the course of the month. Here is an interesting video that links the relationship of teachers to students. It demonstrates how teachers can connect to students.
The second technological tool I really liked during this course was the use of concept maps. Concept maps appear to go hand in hand with virtual field trips in my eyes. The use of concept maps will enhance learning by focusing in on a particular topic and enable students to branch off and discover on their own. Using concept maps in planning a curriculum or instruction on a specific topic helps to make the instruction “conceptually transparent” to students. A good way to define the context for a concept map is to construct a Focus Question. That is, a question that clearly specifies the problem or issue the concept map should help to resolve. Every concept map responds to a focus question, and a good focus question can lead to a much richer concept map. When learning to construct concept maps, learners tend to deviate from the focus question and build a concept map that may be related to the domain, but which does not answer the question. It is often stated that the first step to learning about something is to ask the right questions (Novak, 2009).
List two long-term goal changes and strategies
1. Continue to structure assessments such as testing and informal quizzes by the use of Google Forms.
Strategy: Embrace change by integrating the use of Google forms on a monthly or biweekly basis. Instruct students that they could be potential prize winners by the use of shaping and reinforcing behaviors. Give out specialized certificates that show their expertise in grades in assignments. There is so much that can be created and done to enhance correct learning.
2. Just try to use more concept mapping tools in class. This could potentially be a periodic exercise or bi-monthly.
Strategy: introduce the idea to administrators and present how concept maps enhance learning. Demonstrate a class, and give an opportunity for students to show how to resolve a particular English related question.
To conclude, this was quite an eye opener and informative class. However, I felt it was somewhat overly informative, and filled to the brim with blogging, worksheets, planning, instruction, tools, and application assignments that I see were trying to beat a level of understanding into eager teachers. Dr. Orey and Dr. Pickering has helped me to understand that learning theory and understanding the way we learn is important to the proper implementation of technology in the classroom.
References
Novak, J., & Cañas, A. (2009, September 28). What is a Concept Map?. What is a Concept Map?. Retrieved June 14, 2014, from http://cmap.ihmc.us/docs/conceptmap.html
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