Barb Rentenbach and facilitated Communication

I was not able to go to either of the Barb Rentenbach talks, so I watched the two videos on the internet. Some first impressions of Rentenbach. She impresses and surprises with her vocabulary and often flavorful prose. Her writing also seems like rambling. I try to follow some of her thoughts that appear to be more than skin deep, but I just get lost in it. The video has several people reading selections of her writing for her. She seems very interested in Abraham Lincoln and seems to be trying to form some kind of symbolism, but it is mostly lost on me. I certainly applaud her efforts though. Unfortunately it feels a bit like listening to that friend who has a complaint about everything, but never an answer or suggestion. I get lost in the non-sequiters. She may not be a Faulkner, but Rentenbach at the very least shows us that people who may look or sound simple can have very complex though processes.
Along this line, I got even more out of the other video, Here We Are World. This was very enlightening. I have seen devices like the one Stephen Hawking has that read text, but I did not know about the full potential in this kind of technology. It makes me wonder how many autistic people I have interacted with, thinking there was not much going on in their brain and yet they may have had the same or greater level of reasoning capabilities as I, just not the auditory processing abilities to vocalize their thoughts. I think this conference is very cool. When you think about human communication, and how much we take that for granted, a video like this really reminds you what a great gift we have. For these people to be able to communicate is aa wonderful thing, as our social abilities are part of what makes us human. I was struck by the sharp whit some of the guys had. It was truly impressive. I was also particularly interested in the guy who would write and then read his own writing. It makes my mind wander in thoughts of how our brain works, and wonder if reading his own writing was so helpful for him, what the same practice could do for other students. What I learned in this video made me happy, but it also made me sad to think about how many smart and mute people there are out there in the world that nobody knows about because they lack the technology to express themselves. I hope that the work people are doing continues and this knowledge becomes commonplace.

Group differences forum

The group differences forum was really great. I learned a lot from hearing everybody's information and opinion. While obviously if we had taken more time and all read each article we would know more, but with the time we were given it was a very effective way to explore a number of important topics. I had to restrain myself from speaking up too much because I'm the kind of person who normally has a lot to say. It was very informative to hear different perspectives and facts brought to the table. Of course, most of what we heard was not facts but conjecture, but I think it still made for some very good discussion. My goal, besides not talking too much, was to stay on topic with my contributions.   I think i was able to do this. In fact I was very impressed with the ability of the clas as a whole to stay on topic. It was much better than other discussions we have had.     

PLE 10

Theories in educational psychology promote the idea that language plays a critical role in cognitive development. Examine Table 2.2 (p.51), paying particular attention to the age tange that you are interested in teaching. Consider how you might incorporate or adapt the strategies presented for use with your own students.

I will be a high school instructor probably teaching History or Geography. I looked at the what the chart said students in this age range should know and be able to do. They should understand an average of 80,000 different terms understand transitions and be able to comprehend more figurative language. We have been learning about academic language in another class and so I found this information particularly pertinent. Language is how we interact with one another, so it is central to who we are and what we as individuals are becoming. With that said, I cannot overstate the importance of language. One way in which I hope to enrich my students' vocabulary is by using a word multiple times, defining it for them, then continuing to use it in context to reinforce the definition. I will only do this if it is not too contrived. Repetition is a great way for students to learn material, especially if they are repeatedly using it. I think a writing exercise in which I give students a word bank they have to use will help them learn the proper way to use certain words so it does not sound awkward. I plan on teaching in a low-socio economic school for at least a few years and I know from my experience tutoring these students that their exposure to diversified language is extremely limited, but that does not mean these students are incapable of mastering academic language.
http://academiclanguage.org/Underprep_Students.html is an interesting resource. It offers data on studies that show the difference in students who have a grasp on academic language and those who do not. It also has ideas for helping students learn vocabulary and language structure.

Self-efficacy and self-regulation

How might self-efficacy and self-regulation contribute to the intervention plans you use in your case study?

Here is the case study I had.

You have started to dread your fifth period history class.  It is made up entirely of seniors who are counting the days until graduation and seem to care very little about learning.  Most of the students are obviously members of one clique or another.  Whenever they think your back is turned, they start passing notes and text messaging.  Worse, three boys have started disrupting those engaged in learning.  No matter what you say, they laugh at the students who present their group projects to the class.  Yesterday, Tony, Jeff, and Morris started roughhousing; then all three of them refused to sit down and follow the class procedures that the classroom community agreed upon at the beginning of the year. Although you have been using a set approach to handling infractions of rules, you decide it is time to change these procedures.

Self-efficacy, as it is described in albert Bandura's social cognitive theory, is the belief in oneself's ability to succeed in a given circumstance or task. I think of a character named Tobias from my favorite show Arrested Development. Tobias is convinced that he can be a great actor, even though he is terrible. He has very high self-efficacy, but it does not help him. Arrested Development :Tobias auditions for a commercial   . Self-efficacy can be very helpful though, we all know that motivation is what makes the seemingly impossible, possible. Here's a video with a clip from one of my favorite movies Cool Hand Luke. Luke says he can eat 50 eggs, and the only way he is able to do it without giving up is by really believing it. But what about when there is no motivation? In this case study, it seems that the seniors lack motivation to pay attention. We do not really know about their self-efficacy level in the classroom. In fact they may share a very high level of self-efficacy. If it is too high, they may not think they should waste their time trying something, because they already think it would be too easy for them. I have seen this in a couple of the students that I tutor. "I don't need to read this. It's too easy. I got advanced in TCAP." Their pride actually prevents them from challenging themselves. This may be what is going on with the seniors. They need a a challenge. Something that may relate better to the seniors is self-regulation. If the students would self-regulate their behavior, perhaps they would not act out as a group as much. Even if just a couple of the students would have better self-regulation, they would have an effect on the others. The instructor would have to be able to create some kind of motivation for this to work, either intrensic or extrensic through some kind of punishment or reward. I find that the About.com section on self-efficacy was actually quite helpful at reminding me what I have learned on the subject. http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/self_efficacy.htm

post 8

Question: Consider your CSEL intervention case study. Are there tools from a behaviorist view for either encouraging productive behaviors or discouraging undesirable behaviors that you could apply to the case? What are they?

High School Case Study

You have started to dread your fifth period history class.  It is made up entirely of seniors who are counting the days until graduation and seem to care very little about learning.  Most of the students are obviously members of one clique or another.  Whenever they think your back is turned, they start passing notes and text messaging.  Worse, three boys have started disrupting those engaged in learning.  No matter what you say, they laugh at the students who present their group projects to the class.  Yesterday, Tony, Jeff, and Morris started roughhousing; then all three of them refused to sit down and follow the class procedures that the classroom community agreed upon at the beginning of the year. Although you have been using a set approach to handling infractions of rules, you decide it is time to change these procedures.

 

Considering this case study from a behaviorist viewpoint, I think it is worth looking into the two types of conditioning that make up behaviorism, those being classical conditioning and operant conditioning. There is no guarantee that these would work in such a case (in fact it seems like something a little less subtle is necessary), but it is worth a try. Classical conditioning would be the bigger challenge. I think the teacher could find one action that is most consistent with the students' misbehavior, say laughing in class, and attach something negative to it, like a frown and a pause followed by a stern look at the students who are misbehaving. My mom says when she has a student that is generally acting up, she walks over to him, puts her hand on his desk and takes a noticibly deep breathe. It is uncomfortable for the student and the idea is to condition him to be uncomfortable if he is thinking about acting out. I think this method could be attempted on these boys, but they may be too carefree to be embarrased or made to feel uncomfortable by a teacher's action. In that case, operant conditioning comes into play. This would involve either negative or positive reinforcement. The teacher would have to ensure that new rules are made and clearly stated, and that the outcome for breaking those rules are known. The consequence could be taking away priviledges like getting to eat or drink in class or adding something, like extra homework.

 

 

Here is a website that really helped me understand these concepts, especially how they relate to the real world, not just some slobbering dogs. http://healthyinfluence.com/wordpress/steves-primer-of-practical-persuasion-3-0/doing/ding-dong-classical-conditioning/

 

 

Now, compare the interventions that you have identified above with what you think might work from a cognitive or constructivist viewpoint. How do they compare to behaviorist tools? What are the benefits of each theory, and what are the deficits? Which theory might play a larger role in how you determine classroom management?

 

 

From a cognitive viewpoint, I think it would be difficult to illicit change in these boys. There is not necessarily a deficiency in their ability to learn. They just do not want to learn, and would rather be disruptive. cognitive learning stresses memory and processes, but does not get into behavior modification unless we are talking about cognitive behavior therapy, which requires willing participants.  

 

 Constructivism refers to learning by building on previously learned knowledge. From Wikipedia, "Constructs are the different types of filters we choose to place over our realities to change our reality from chaos to order." While this is useful for exploring new concepts, and making sense of seemingly unrelated material, it does not quite get at the behavior modification that is apparently needed for this case study. Both of these seem more complex than behaviorist tools, and probably are used for understanding more complicated concepts, while behaviorist tools often just rely on natural human response.

 

Because I want my students to learn by doing, not just memorizing facts to spit back out, I think the constructivist theory may play a big role in how my class operates. I want students to be constantly building on previous knowledge, using new information to challenge or bolster what they already know.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Metacognition

Metacognition relates to a person's awaredness of what he or she is learning and the processes they are going through.I think this kind of thinking is important not just in learning how to do something, but how to do something better. I think of it like dancing. If you try to learn a whole dance as one action, rather than a combination of multiple moves, it will be very difficult. It is natural for us to want to learn this way because there are so many complicated things we do that involve many steps, but are so ingrained into us that they are second nature. For this reason we don't often think about breaking things down and analyzing what we are learning. Let me give an example to help clarify what I am saying. Something as seemingly simple as brushing your teeth actually has many steps once you break it down. You have to pick up the toothpaste, uncrew the cap, put the cap down, pick up the toothbrush, put it up to the tube, squeeze the tube, etc. You get the picture. The point is that nothing we do is inherrently that simple, even if we think it is. So some things that we think are really complicated may be much more doable if we break it into parts. Metacognition helps us do that. I started developing a Cold War history lesson for another class so I will use that for my example. If the students are learning about Cold War propoganda and its effects on people's minds, a closer look at our own minds helps. When we look at the trailer for Rocky IV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN-SShi58cI
 arguably a piece of Cold War era propoganda, a lot happens in our brain to shape the impression we have of it. When I watch the movie, as cheesy as it is, I can't help but say in my head, "Go America!" this is because of all the past memories I have relating to the Rocky movies, America my country, and my knowledge of the US and Russia conflict. All these memories and beliefs come together to help form my experience. Obviously this is a somewhat trite example, but the same idea can be applied to anything. This can allow us to explore why we think certain things.

On a purely practical level, if I want to increase my understanding of something, like the cold war, I can use metamemory. Metamemory forces me to look at my existing memory systems, think about why I remember certain things and help me develop ways using that knowledge to learn even better.

I want to share a game now. This is a game I have on my smartphone but can be played online too. It would not seem like an educational game at all, and explicitly it is not. So why am I sharing it? Besides the fact that I think it is brilliant, it is a really great example of a problem that required analysis of memory. It is a puzzle game that builds on itself, and to proceed through the levels, you have to be aware of what you have done, what works and what does not work, just when you think you've got the hang of it, everything changes, and you have to alter your existing understanding of how it works to continue. This will make a lot more sense if you play it, and I suggest using a touchscreen device like an iphone or ipad for a better experience than the mouse will offer. I think this is an example of metacognition. If I am wrong I gladly accept critique. What do you think? The game is called Contre Jour http://www.contrejour.ie/

Chapter 7: Constructivism

Make a list of the sequence of skills necessary for ultimate mastery of the content of your lesson through a constructivist approach.

Which of these learning activities/skills lend themselves to student’s individual or group construction? How might you structure learning activities that lead students to discover these skills/these principles?

 

Our lesson takes a multi-disciplinary approach with math and geography to challenge students to solve a problem. This problem requires them to draw upon knowledge they learned previously in their life as well as knowledge they have gathered from the activity. Constructivism is a learning theory that highlights the importance of past knowledge and internal thinking in learning new material.

 

The activity first gives students a location on a map. Then using a formula, the students have to find a given slope. Applying that slope to the map, they then find another location on the map along that slope, and research some facts about that location that they chose. Using the formula requires them use previous math knowledge and apply it. they have already been taught how to use slope in theory, but now they have to apply it to the real world. This task also requires some general understanding of maps. Obviously this activity is not fully developped as we ran out of time in class to work on it. It could be modified to encourage collaboration. Work could be split up among students so that they do different parts and come together to expalin their work to other students. The important part is that this activity allows students to come up with an infinite number of answers (the plot they point on their slope) that are all correct. This encourages individual discovery.

I think in general with activities, educators can structure them in stages so that students see and understand how they build. You could show that with an example that trying to do the 2nd part before the 1st would not work because the prerequisite knowledge has not been yet learned. Also, technology is a great tool for educating with constructivism because it allows for  individual exploration of a subject. Here is a brilliant video of a man who has explored this idea of individual exploration with technology and learning through experience. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VLje8QRrwg It is not necessarily strictly an example of constructivism, but its emphasis on exploration and building on prior experience makes it a compelling answer to the problem of teaching certain material.
 

Memory processes

Now that I know more about how memory is stored and retrieved, I can really see myself actively considering these principles when I am making my lesson plans or engaging students. For instance, if I am giving students new information that I expect them to remember, I will give it to them in a manageable amount, as well as cluing them in to strategies that they can use to remember the info, so as mnemonics, visual imagery exercises, elaboration, and organization. I will try to structure the lesson so it is conducive to students using these strategies.

Cognitive Learning

The cognitive learning theory states in part that we learn based off of implementing knowledge we have learned in the past. I hope that my students will have the skills necessary to think critically and explore complex ideas.I want my students to be able to formulate and ask good questions: questions, the answers to which are not just a Google search away. I want them to be able to assimilate their knowledge to solve problems and tackle big issues. I want them to be able to organize any new information or understaindings in a way that it can be easily retrieved. Importantly, I want them to be able to understand which style of learning works best for them so they can get the best out of their education. Collaboration: I want students to be able to work together to solve problems. Part of cognitive learning is about taking old information and using it to help you understand new information. Another part of it though is welcoming outside understanding to aid you in this. Collaboration is central to this kind of learning.

Assessment in the classroom

We can all think of different ways our knowledge was assessed in school. Probably the first ways we think of are tests, quizes, and papers. That is not the limit to how teachers can assess student knowlede or ability though. Here is a clip of Jack Black doing some impromptu assessment in the movie School of Rock (I should say it is rather weak assessment he gets better).
Jack Black's character is not a good teacher, at least he doesn't start out that way, but he does get that learning can feel spontanious and fun. There are two broad categories of assessment: formal and informal. I think both are necessary and useful. I also think that both do not necessarily have to look completely different. It may be beneficial in a circumstance to make a test feel more relaxed and spontanious. It may be beneficial to plan out exactly what questions you will ask which students but make it seem spontanious and dynamic.
scholastic has a short and sweet guide to the difference between the two. http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/formal-versus-informal-assessments

In My Classroom

Informal assesment

1. Getting the students to read- This will allow me to see if they understand the material

2. asking questions during a lecture- this keeps the class awake and helps me gage if I need to slow down or revisit a subject.

3. performance assessment- this allows students display wholistic knowledge, bringing together knowledge from different disciplines and combining it in a meaningful way.

4. Pop quizes that won't be graded- this one may be a stretch but I may give one at the beginning of a topic just to see what student's know. Plus, after they learn the material, they will still have those questions in their heads and will feel good for increasing their knowledge.

Formal assessment

1. Observation- Doing a careful, empirical observation on how students interact with each other or a challenge could be useful for gaining their intelligence in less assessed areas, like emotional intelligence for instance.

2. Quizes- these keep students on their toes and don't take up a lot of class time.

3. tests- Of course, the big bad test. It's a fact of life, but preparing students for it well and not designing it with the intent to trick a student can make it something the student is proud to take and do well on.

4. Web based assessment-computer programs that give instant feedback and are thoughtfully engineered with past statistics in mind can be extremely effective in teaching new material. Perhaps more for math than social studies, but there is certainly something out there. here is a cool video about what people are doing in the math world. It's really compelling. http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/TEDxOrangeCoast-Matthew-Peterso

creating a positive learning environment

Environment is everything. If a plant does not have good soil, it won't grow well. In the same way, if a student does not have a good classroom, he will likely not meet is full potential. Based on our discussion and the reading in the textbook, I think it is fair to say that a positive learning environment is absolutely crucial to success in education. I would like to share a video of a very NEGATIVE learning environment just for fun. This is the trailer for the movie: The Substitute 2. Though I would love to be a badass teacher someday, I hope I don't ever have to engage in physical combat with my students, especially gunfights in the halls. I really don't think that will be a problem. I do know that there will be problem students though. Creating an effective positive learning environment will minimize distraction caused by problem students and maximise student potential. It will also make my life easier.
One aspect of the environment is the physical layout of the classroom. If I am teaching history, I want a classroom that encourages students to collaborate and inspires them to dig deeper into the content. Ideally I would have tables to facilitate group work and discussion, and create a general sense of togetherness in the class. I will put high-quality pictures on the walls of compelling people and events in history to grab students attention and give the subject matter more relevance. I would like to have a few class expectations visible at all times so no student can say, "I didn't know." I want students to feel like they are in a different world, not just a classroom. I am the first to admit how cheesy that sounds, but I really believe that the less like a "classroom" it feels, while still maintaining order and respect, the more happy students will be to show up with open minds each day.
I will also create a positive environment in how I act and treat my students. I will make it clear to students that I will respect them as long as they respect me and each other. I will try my best to be excited about my material to foster excitement in my students. Some of the material we will have to cover will undoubtedly NOT be exciting. I won't try to make it something it is not, but will go the extra mile to make it relevent, if that means throwing in a pop-culture reference or showing a movie clip. I think you must balence time spent on pure information sharing and time spent on cultivating interest. That is easier said than done I'm sure. I think I am digressing a little so we will get back to the class environment. I want students to feel safe to express their thoughts, so I will facilitate debates that make students step out of their comfort zone and hopefully learn to feel ok about having a different opinion than somebody else. Studying history is all about interpretation, and in that lies its strength. Collaboration is huge. discussion is huge. I will not tolerate students dishonoring each other and will not hesitate to make an example of a student doing this by sending him to the principle.

the Maryland department of education has a nice little page about creating a positive learning environment. In it they give rationale for why this is important. maryland happens to have some of the best public schools in the country.

"Every school has a culture whether or not the principal is attentive to it or shapes it. Culture is comprised of assumptions, beliefs, expectations, habits, and values which affect every aspect of the schoolhouse, and consequently student learning. Principals make a difference in the development of culture. They must actively engage in the components of culture if they are to foster a sustained improvement in student learning and achievement. By effectively assessing the climate in the building and implementing effective strategies to maintain and/or improve the various cultural components, the principal facilitates a set of norms and values that focus everyone’s attention on what is most important - student achievement."

here is the link to the rest of it http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/leadership/programs/leadership_learning_series/series2.htm

Case study

In the high school case study the students are all seniors about to graduate and could not care less about class. this is a difficult situation. I think I would be a little more relaxed at the end of the semester, but would hold firm to the fact that I will not tolerate disrespect. If 10 students are wasting my time and the time of their peers, I will not hesitate to send them to the principle's office. I know they will not be suspended and will still graduate, but they will learn an important lesson. hopefully when I become a good teacher, students will want to pay attention because they feel compelled by a desire to learn, not fear of punishment. Also, I would not turn my back on the students. There are ways around this. I will take up any phone I see. It all starts at the beginning of the first class. Students will test their teacher to see how far they can go. If you keep giving them another, inch, they will go for one more. That's why I plan to keep to my rules, my word, from the very beginning.

Motivation

I first want to share a speech given in the movie Any Given Sunday by one of my favorite actors Al Pacino. It's a typical half-time locker room speech, and should not be used as a template for motivating students in class, haha but it touches on certain facets of motivation that are relevent to our discussion. warning: Pacino uses realistic football coach language...

Any Given Sunday speech

Obviously, motivation in the classroom is not going to look quite like this. With that said, it is interesting to think about in the context of external vs intrinsic rewards. The team is a professional one, so win or lose, the players are making big bucks. The power in the speech is that Pacino character is trying to instill intrinsic motivation, to win. But smaller than that, to play for each inch, to play for each other. Money could not motivate them to play much harder than they needed to to play on the team. Intrinsic motivation really is more powerful.

 In a recent TED talk I listened to (I listen to a LOT of TED talks) by Simon Sinek, I learned a little about the Wright Brothers. They were not the best suited to be the first in flight. There was actually a wealthy man racing to beat them. He had a hired team who worked for pay. The Wright Brothers' team consisted of men who's goal was not to make money, but to fly. In the end, the team with an intrensic interest in their work won because they were willing to put in the hard work and motivation. In the afterschool program in which I volunteer, there is a kid named Neil who is difficult to motivate. My friend was pared up with Neil and used candy to motivate him to read. The candy worked, but Neil kept trying to find out what the bare minimum was he would have to read in order to get candy. It took away any possibility of there being intrensic value in reading a book. Reading became a job that he had to do to get his wages, the denomination of which was Twix.

In the classroom, a teacher's job is not only to provide material for students to soak up, but also to motivate them to care about it in order to get the most out of it. Some teachers have an easier time with this than others. Instilling interest in literature is usually easier to do in most students then the Pathagorean theorem, but that doesn't mean a math teacher cannot find ways to foster creativity and desire for knowledge. In my own classroom, I really hope to motivate students in various ways. I will allow students to work together as a team, which has intrinsic motivation built in. I will also motivate students by making the material relatable to their own lives. Whether I'm teaching History, Geography, or Econ/Gov, I'll try to keep it dynamic to keep things interesting and motivate students to learn because they will be interested in the material. I also beleieve that this material is important for anybody who is to be a citizen of the world and wish to convey that message. I want to instill in students an enthusiasm for learning that will carry into the rest of their lives. they'll need it...

PLE 1- Thoughts on the first day of class

On the first day in 401, I got to hear everybody's reasoning for why they planned to become educators. It was great to hear a lot of earnest responses and challenge myself to flesh out my own motivation for heading down this path. There was a variety of motives mentioned, but at the core of everybody's response was what I believe to be a genuine desire to make the world a better place. I know there are teachers out there who do not really care about their students, but what I see in my peers right now is genuine. Going through this program is a lot of work for a hard job that won't make anybody rich. That is to say the extrensic motivators are not huge. For the record I think teachers make a fine wage.

My goal in this class is to increase my understanding of HOW students learn best. I want to gain real world knowledge that people have learned from experience and become knowledgeable on some theories of teaching so I may choose which ones to best implement when  I begin teaching. I also hope to build some friendships with students I will be working with in the next year.

I wish to explore more deeply the principles and theories we were introduced to in 210, seeing how they play out in real world circumstances-in the classroom.

My biggest concern right now, and from it many questions spawn, is the future of creativity in the classroom. I think inspiring creativity is extremely important, especially because it is our most important resource for the economy of this country- it is what sets us apart from China and other great world competitors.

Here is a TED talk from a great thinker in education, Sir Ken Robinson speaking on creativity. It is well worth the time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY