Double Entry Journal #6

Teaching for Meaningful Learning

1. The “dominant paradigm” that is showing signs of wear is the model where the teacher and textbook were the primary sources of knowledge.  Students would learn information through lectures, discussions, and reading the textbook.  The teacher was known to provide all of the information and answers to the students without the students actually figuring out the information on their own. 

2.Project-based learning can support student learning better than the traditional approaches by applying what they know to new concept, test scores were better, and struggling students often excel. “Shepherd (1998) studied the results of a unit in which a group of fourth and fifth graders completed a nine-week project to define and find solutions related to housing shortages in several countries.  In comparison to the control group, the students engaged in project-based learning demonstrated a significant increase in score on a critical-thinking test, as well as increased confidence in learning”(5).  The students are designing the project they want to work on, and they work in groups in order to complete the task.  “The students in the multimedia program earned higher scores than the comparison group on content mastery, sensitivity to audience, and coherent design.  They performed equally well on standardized test scores of basic skills” (5).  Students test scores are higher because they are learning the information on their own.  Therefore, the students are more likely to remember content because it was information they had to learn on their own and make connections. “Students who may struggle in traditional instructional settings have often been found to excel when they have the opportunity to work in PBL context, which better matches their learning style of preference for collaboration and activity type” (5).  Struggling students are having an opportunity to excel when working PBL because they can work at their own pace and figure out the best way from them to learn the information.   

3.Problem-based learning can support student learning better than traditional approached by working in groups, learning how to solve problems, and generate hypotheses.  Problem-based learning can be used in different subjects, but it is used a lot in science.  “In all problem-based approaches, students take an active role in building their knowledge, while the teacher’s role is to make thinking visible, guide the group process and participation, and to ask questions to solicit reflections” (5).  Students are constructing their own knowledge through listening to group members and working together to solve a problem.   Working in groups helps students to view different viewpoints of a situation and to come to a better consensus.  “The problems are realistic and have multiple solutions and methods for reaching them, rather than a single “right” approach” (5).  Letting students work on a problem that they may encounter in the “real-world” will help them to gain skills and knowledge to succeed in the future.  This also helps students to realize that there are many different ways to solve a problem and different approaches can be taken to reach the same goal, and there is no one right answer to a problem.  “Additional studies have demonstrated that students who participated in problem-based experiences are better able to generate accurate hypotheses and coherent explanations” (7).  Students are learning to make a hypothesis about the problem they are trying to solve in order to come up with a solution.   

4.Learning by design can support student learning better than traditional approaches by have students to be creative to design an artifact, students need to apply knowledge, and develop plans to design something.  “In the ThinkQuest competition, for example, teams of students design and build Web sites on topics ranging from art, astronomy, and programming to foster care and mental health” (7).  Students are apply knowledge that they already have about a topic and are applying it into a new topic to design a website of or some other type of project.  “Hmelo, Holton, and Kolodner (2000) asked sixth-grade students to design a set of artificial lungs nad build a partially working model of the respiratory system.  They found that the design project led to better learning outcomes than the traditional approach to instruction” (8).  Students can learn complex subjects such as health and different systems by designing different parts of the body.  This will give students a better understanding of how things work and what they look like by creating models and designing their own projects. 

5. The three approaches are very similar, but there are a few differences between the three.  In the project based learning, students are working together to complete a speech or presentation on a real-world concept to explain to the class; the project is usually complex and takes many days to work on.  In problem-based learning, students are given a problem to work on and they have to find solutions to the problem.  In learning by design, students are designing something complex, such as a body system, in order to understand how it works.

6.The most important benefit to learning that is common across the three types of inquiry-based learning is that the students are creating their own knowledge through different activities, while the teacher acts as a guide to facilitate student learning, to ask questions, and to circulate around the classroom to ensure that students are learning what they are supposed to be learning.  Source:  Barron, Darling-Hammond, B. ,. (2008).        Teaching for meaningful learning. (pp. 1-8).         Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/       edutopia-teaching-for-meaningful-learning.pdf

     
 

Double Entry Journal #5

Reverence and Listening in Teaching and Reading

“Reverent listening in teaching accepts the risk and vulnerability of opening oneself to the other; it accepts criticism and remains creatively responsive.  Beyond all other considerations, reverent teaching understands the need to listen and respect students, parents, custodial staff, secretaries, and principals.”  I thought this was a great quote to describe reverent listening.  Many people are afraid to be open with others and to accept criticism.  To some people, criticism is a hard thing to hear because they take it is a “bad judgment” against the task they are doing.  I think that it is important to create a relationship with others and to be open with others.  This will help you to create a close relationship with others and you will feel more comfortable to be honest with them.  Also, I think criticism is a good piece of advice for others to learn to take into consideration, especially if it is constructive criticism.  Criticism can help you to become a better teacher and to help you learn from your mistakes in order to better yourself, not to tear a person down.  This quote also shows that the teacher has to be able to listen to all of the people they are working with including staff at the school, parents, and students.  If the teacher has a professional relationship with students, parents, and staff then respect will be created mutually between the two and more communication will happen.      

Reverent listening is the act of listening to your students with a deep respect for what they are saying; it is builds good human relationships and communication.  Reverent listening can support culturally responsive teaching because, “We think reverent listening welcomes culture differences and gathers other virtues in the etymological sense of “to gather,” meaning to fit together” (Rud and Garrison,2010).  Students of all ethnic groups will feel comfortable to talk to teachers because they listen to what they have to say.  Each student will feel like they belong and respected for their individual differences and interests.  Teachers need to build a sense of community with the children in their class and listen to the students in order to succeed in reverent listening.   
 
Teachers will tell the students want they want them to do without listening to the students.  If the teacher does not listen to the student in return, then the student will lose respect for the teacher.  Some teachers humiliate students in front the entire class if they are in trouble and this will make the child not want to listen to the teacher because their feelings were hurt.  This is one example that I can think of but I don’t remember any experiences from my schooling to go along with the quote. 

When I was in the 1^st grade, I had a teacher who always listened to her students and their suggestions of what they wanted to do in the class.  She would give us a choice of what we wanted to read and activities that we wanted to do.  She was very caring and created a sense of community in the classroom.  It was a split classroom of kindergartens and 1^st graders; therefore she had to multitask and use group work for each class to be taught.  She created a classroom of respect and always listened to what you had to say.  This made me feel good because I knew that she cared about me and my interests.  I felt save and a sense of belonging with classmates and the teacher.      

Superintendent, principals, and other faculty members’ not listening to each other’s concerns and ideas on what the teacher wants to teach can create a “toxic” school culture.  Many principals and superintendents worry about high-stakes testing and want the students to do well on these test; they often forget about the important life skills students need to learn in order to succeed in the “real-world”.  Therefore, principals don’t listen to what the teacher has to say about what he/she wants to teach in order for the students to receive the best education possible

“Finally, teaching is a caring profession in which teachers seek to share their values of self-transcending care, concern, and compassion.  This sharing involves listening, as respect should be reciprocal; such mutual respect arises readily out of shared commitments”.  I choose this quote because it already fits into my philosophy of education.  I think that if the teacher creates an environment where he/she shows respect for the student by being reverent listeners and caring about the students’ interests and ideas that the students will also have a respect for the teacher.  Teachers are caring by nature and want what is best for each of their students.  The one reason I wanted to become a teacher is to make a difference in the lives of each student and to give them the skills that they need to succeed outside of school. 

Teaching Kids a Warm-up Routine to Use Before Writing

Sources:
Reifman, S. (Designer). (2012). Teaching kids a warm-
      up routine to use before writing . [Web Video].
     Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMRjqnbeRVo

 

Where I am From Video

 

Where I am From

I am from frogs hollering in the middle of the night, from Remington rifles and days spent hunting on my Pap’s farm.

I am from the gray house up on the hill, surrounded by trees and animals with the smell of chimney smoke lingering in the air.

I am from the hostas growing in the yard with flowers blooming in the summer, the garden full of corn, cucumbers, and potatoes cared for by my parents.

I am from David and Beverly Adams who taught me how to be polite, loving, and to never give up, from Street’s, Adams’ and Feathers’, my husband’s family.

I am the first born who always looks out for her younger sister and the bond we share will last forever.

From “sweet dreams” and “love you bigger”.

I am from faith in the Lord and attending church on Sundays with my husband. Attending vacation bible school in the summertime and praying to God every night.

I'm from a small town that you can miss in the blink of an eye (Newburg). Where mom makes homemade bread and blackberry jelly.

From the generations of family owned sawmills , the loss of a wonderful grandma who is missed every day, and a wedding that took place on June 2,2012, where I married the love of my life and best friend.

I am from trips to the beach, birthday parties every year, and the love of music and singing.  From family cookouts in the back yard and trips to Kennywood.   

I am from a loving mother and father who gave me everything and a husband who loves me with all his heart.

I am still dreaming and continuing the journey of my life in my home, West Virginia.

Double Entry Journal # 4

Honoring Dialect and Increasing Student Performance in Standard English

1. Students are more comfortable when speaking and writing in their own dialect.  Teachers shouldn’t change or correct students when they are talking; instead students should be able to speak in their own dialect in the classroom.  This makes them feel like they belong and are not considered “dumb” because of the way they speak.  Code-switching is a way to teach students Standard English and the right time to use it.  Showing students the differences by contrasting their dialect to Standard English is a great way to motivate students to learn Standard English.  This will help to prepare the students for college and future jobs.  Literacy is learned best when it is taught in the students dialect.  Students are more apt to learn to read because they can understand it better in their own language or dialect.  These are a few things that I had learned while reading the article about teaching and literacy development. 

2.Teachers built bridges of meaningfulness between home and school experience by letting students be themselves in the classroom by not correcting how they talked or the dialect they spoke.  Students could feel more comfortable because they could connect how they talked at home with the literacy they were learning in school.  Teachers learn about their students’ home life and interest to teach about topics that will bring interest to the students.  The teachers in this article also encouraged students to know and listen to each other.  The students would develop relationships with each other by not being prejudice and accepting everyone.  Students compared their own dialect to Standard English and studied how the Appalachian dialect has changed throughout generations.   

3.When I was first learning to read, I was taught through phonics.  We would go through the alphabet and say the letter, sound that it made, and a word that started with that letter.  I never struggled with learning how to read because I was exposed to reading at home through my mom reading bed time stories and other experiences.  Through learning phonics, I was able to learn how to read.  I do not feel that this reflects inclusive practices in the classroom though.  We would learn this as a whole group and never received one-on-one time with the teacher and a wide variety of instructional strategies were not used.  Therefore, students with different learning styles could not learn to read through phonics or the students struggled.    

Source:

Southall, M. (Designer). (2007). Retrieved from http://www.margosouthall.com/TopicsAndTraining.html