Multiple intelligence

Chapter 5 (p. 137-149)

(3) You have now read several views about intelligence. What do you think about intelligence?

Is it one trait or many? more heavily influenced by nature or nurture? a fixed capacity or a

modifiable ability? Articulate your views in a paragraph of 6-8 sentences.

I find the multiple intelligence theory very interesting. I think that each person has something they are specifically skilled in. While a person may have more than one multiple intelligence, one can not be good at everything. I think this theory is a little of both nurture and nature. I do believe that some people are inherently more capable in certain areas. Some brains are geared fore artistically  musically, or logically for example. But it does take nurturing to use those strengths to their ability.  I think this is a great thing to keep in mind as a teacher. It is important to remember to play up each students strengths. I will make sure to provide opportunities for students will all types of intelligence to thrive. 

Race in the Classroom

Reflections on "From Racial Sterotyping to Deficit Discourse" by Daniel R. Soloranzo and Tara J. Yosso.

          Soloranzo and Yosso wrote this article, as it appears to me, aiming at the white race. They address 

the white supremacy idea and how it effects outcomes of education. They are " examining educational theory 

and practice [and how they] are used to subordinate certain racial and ethnic groups" ( p.2). The critical race

 theory give 5 points: The Centrality and Intersectionality of Race and Racism,The Challenge to Dominant 

Ideology, The Commitment to Social Justice, The Centrality of Experiential Knowledge, and The 

Interdisciplinary Perspective.

           The authors also mention the idea of unconscious racism. They say that white people make comments

 that are not meant to be racism and do not appear to be racism, but in fact show racial bias. It gives 

examples in the article of the exaggerated bias that are give to other races like slow, lazy, violent. It touches 

on three biases that are present: intelligence and educational stereotypes  personality or characteristic 

stereotypes  and physical appearance stereotypes. All of these are presented in a perspective of how whites

 view other races. They say that in education settings teachers show these biases by setting low expectations, 

separating students of color, or " dumbing down" the curriculum. 

             In conclusion, the article challenges people to fight against racial stereotypes. In regards to education 

we should not lower expectation or treat them any differently.. I was surprised that they made assumptions 

about how whites feel about other cultures.I feel like that was stereotyping in itself.  Soloranzo and Yosso 

seem to take the " be color blind" approach to racial issues. While this is effective in many ways, I also

believe it is important to let students be who they are. Each student will bring a different culture to the 

classroom. I do not believe in suppressing that, but integrating that. I personally think it is a really big learning 

experience for students if they can interact, accept, and learn from each others different cultures. 

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Consider your CSEL lesson sequence.  Which metacognitive skills/abilities are involved as students gain facility/knowledge in this domain?

   As students gain knowledge of this domain, they will learn things like convert and overt strategies. It is important for students to learn how they learn. This is give them the skills to help themselves more effectivley throughout school.

Create an activity or lesson component that explicitly teaches one or more metacognitive and one or more problem solving skills.

    It is important that we give students the skills they need to understand their personal learning more clearly. This could be done in think- aloud strategies or actually surveyed test. This link talks more about different possibilities of what teachers could do.http://fcit.usf.edu/mathvids/strategies/tms.html

     As I prepare to be a special education teacher, I am always considering vast amounts of accommodations that could be made for each lesson I plan. Chapter 8 explicitly mentions accommodating students with special needs in regards to metacognition skills. The text says that we, as teachers, may have to teach students with disabilities specific metacognitive skills. Students may not know how they learn or have the skills to do this on their own. When this case arises, I could make accommodations such as scaffolding, guided assistance, partially filled in outlines etc. 

     

Moral Development

I did a teaching project this week that focused on cultural bias. Often our students, or even we, have bias and we don't realize it. In regards to biases, there can be so many: gender, social, cultural, racial, etc. As educators, it is important to be aware of these biases that our students may bring into the classroom. We should be active in working aganist that. Provide ways for your students to get to know each other. When they can build relationships and gain a better understanding of why people are the way they are students will be able to gain a broader view of their piers. If our students had a perspective that was understanding and equal for all their peer, how much better would our classrooms be?

This article is an extension of moral development in the classroom.

http://hepg.org/hel/article/522

chapter 7

Chapter 2

One of the most cited theories of human development is that of Swiss biologist Jean Piaget.  After reading about Piaget’s basic assumptions (p. 27-32) look with particular attention at the stage of child development you would like to teach.  How might you accommodate those students who have not yet developed to this stage?

Piagets' preoperational stage is said to emerge at about age 2. Language rapidly expands, pretend play occurs, and intutitve thought is present. Piaget also suggest that knowledge is constructed not absorbed. If a child has not reached this stage, one could practice vocabulary words with the child. intentionally point objects out a say the word. This will help the child construct their own understanding.

The other most cited theory of human development belongs to Russian developmentalist Lev Vygotsky.  Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development leads us to expect greater diversity among our same-aged students than Piaget.  Create a compare and contrast chart or a mind map that examines these two influential theorists’ ideas on cognitive development.

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 range that you are interested in teaching.  Consider how you might incorporate or adapt the strategies presented for use with your own students.

I want to teach special education in a high school setting. It is possible that my students have not developed some or any of these stages.I will examine each need on a case by case basis. To improve these stages I could read storybooks, parts of speech, introduce new vocabulary, or distinguish abstract words. These are just a few of the suggestions the book gives for each stage.

Summing up the learning theories

Now that we have covered the 4 learning theories in class, here is a great image to sum them all up. It takes each theory and compares the same beliefs across all 4 theories.

http://suifaijohnmak.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/1st-facilitators-session-learning-theories.jpg

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Which of the learning activities/skills can you think of that lend themselves to learning through modeling?

For modeling to be effective there are specific conditions. Attention, retention, motor reproductive, and motivation must be present. 

How might self-efficacy and self-regulation contribute to the intervention plans you use in your case study?
 In my case study, Lisa was disruptive and became angry when she didn't get her way. To understand the problem further we would need to know what the reason for the behavior is. If it is because Lisa wants to avoid something, it may be because she feels like she is unable to do the task. Self- efficacy for Lisa would help her feel like she was able to work cooperatively with her peers. Self- regulation wold help Lisa reach her behavior goals that she can set with the teacher and her parents.

Behaviorism

Chapter 9

How would you define successful mastery of your lesson objectives from a behavioral view of learning?

When I think of behaviorism I immediately think of Pavolov's dog experiment. So if we use this case as an example, a successful mastery would be that the dog demonstrated the desired response. To define successful mastery in regards to behaviorism I would say that the subject has done what you intended the outcome to be. It is very observable behavior so it is easier to measure.

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?

This is the case I have choosen to focus on:

Elementary Education Case Study

You engage your third grade students in cooperative learning activities at least twice a day, changing heterogeneous group members once every four weeks. You have agreed upon routine procedures that your classroom community uses within their small groups, including the roles and responsibilities of group members. Lately you have noticed that one small group always seems to have difficulty grasping material and completing their project in an acceptable manner.  You observe this group carefully and find that Lisa seems to be the catalyst for their problems.  She gets angry with others if she does not get the job she wants and refuses to do her part in contributing to the group’s learning.  She constantly interrupts others in her group.  She does not pay attention when her group prepares for class presentations.

Behaviorism is a learning theory that explains learning in terms of observable behaviors and how they're influenced by stimulus from the environment. The undesired behavior is that Lisa is causing problems. As the teacher you have already observed that Lisa gets angry when she doesn't get what she wants. The behaviorist teacher would then condition Lisa's responses. The teacher could then explain the rewards of behaving correctly or the consequences for bad behavior. Once those consequences were given, Lisa would be conditioned to act correctly.

Metacognitive skills

Chapter 8

Consider a lesson plan you might use.  Which metacognitive skills/abilities are involved as students gain facility/knowledge in this domain?

Think of an activity or lesson component that explicitly teaches one or more metacognitive and one or more problem solving skills.

I am going to consider a lesson that is one of my favorites. In this lesson we would be learning how to tell time. To make the students aware and familiar with clocks I would refer to the clocks in the classroom often. I would say things like " San, please let me know when it is 10:35 and time to line up at the door." This would clue the students into identifying that reading a clock is important information to learn. After teaching the lesson I would then make each student a paper watch to wear. We would walk around the classroom and practice telling time by reading each others watches. This is a type of learning strategy. My approach to using metacognition skill is to use a variety or learning strategies and help to students to recognize how important telling time is so that they will be motivated to further their understanding.

Authentic Assessment

         One of the most important things to me in education is teaching lessons that are authentic. Lessons that are authentic are easily applied outside of the classroom and have much purpose behind them. Authenticity is motivating because the students know that what they are learning is necessary for their lives outside of the school building. Authenticity is beyond memorization or circling the correct answers on a multiple choice test. Authenticity has meaningful application that will follow the student where ever they go. 

           One of my favorite things about high school special education is that I get to teach service learning. I can't think of a better way to have authentic assessment. One classroom I spend a lot of time in was a perfect example to me what authentic assessment looks like. Each week the students had a cooking class. They would follow recipes, safety precautions, health precautions, and make their food. On Friday they would make chocolate chip cookies to sell at the school. They would make advertisements to hang up around the school. They would sell cookies during lunch periods. They were responsible for keeping up with the money, making correct change, and counting the money. It was great! I hope that I can be authentic in all of my teaching.

This schools idea of authentic assessment is really neat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l5m66Y607U

Chapter 6

What are the essential skills and/or learning outcomes you want your students to know and be able to do that relate to cognitive learning? 
  It is important that students are able to recognize and recall information. If they can detect patterns and activate prior knowledge they are more able to store skills in their long term memory. For tips on practical ways to incorporate these techniques refer to my previous post.



How might your knowledge of the memory processes guide your instructional decisions? 

 Depending on what the students know already determines your instructional decisions. If you are able to pretest your students you will know what " building blocks" they already have that you can continue to expand on. After you determine where they are coming from you can make decisions about the design of your instruction. If you know techniques, such as the one we have discussed, you will know how to teach in a way that encourages the long term memory.

Long Term Memory Retrevial

ROY G BIV

HOMES

King Play  Chess On Big Green Steps

My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Nine Pizzas

Any of these ring a bell?

Think back to your time in elementary school. What are some of the lesson you remember being taught the most? How did the teacher teach them? Why did they stick?
            Chance are the lessons you remember are not the ones that you were lectured at and finished a worksheet on. As teachers, we obviously don't want our students to forget what they learn. It is important to know what information need to sustain the children's memory as we teach. Cramming and forgetting quickly do not serve any purpose but a quick grade. So what are some ways to make this information last?
          Things are stored in our memory that are distinct and unique. This means as teachers it is important to mix up how we present material. Build on previous knowledge and memories. If you associate something it has something to latch onto in your memory.
         Another key to remember is " hot cogniton." Hot cognition is when you are emotional invested in something. Simply put, it is your interest. If you can incorporate students interest into your subject matter they are more likely to pay attention, think about it longer, and refer back to it.
        So I encourage you to consider the ways you can start promoting long term memory among your students. Here is a great article about just that.  http://chat.downloads.s3.amazonaws.com/article.pdf

Cool Links!

Throughout the course I have been introduced to some awesome and very helpful videos. This video really caught my attention. I couldn't explain it any better than these words. I love the idea of " awakening" my students.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U


One day in class we talked about being positive with our students. Specifically in regards to testing and assessments. There are now so many required standardized tests that I can only imagine how stressed the students feel. Students are labeled so often by the number on result from one test that is assessed in one way. I could rant about why I don't like standardized test. Instead, check out this video about how these teachers make the  idea TCAP less taunting and looming for the students at their school.

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


My favorite of all these link is this one. This is a brief view of  the special education classroom at Westdale. This covers a variety of topics that we have discussed in class and ideals I would love to incorporate into my classroom. There is a strong sense of community, great classroom management, positive relationship, adaptations, and so much more!  The teacher says that " a lot of people use the word delay, but all I see is ability and a desire to learn." I love that, that's the attitude I would hope that all teachers approach their students with.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEOTMxlRn7c

I am a special education major wanting to teach in a high school setting. This is a blog about my educational psychology class and what I learn along the way. I've had a few difficulties with this blog so the first few blog posts can be found at emdodson.blogspot.com

Chapter 14

1.       Using the diagram on p. 505 of Ormrod’s text, consider three different types of assessment that you could use in your classroom.  Find examples of these assessments through a Google search, identify how you would use them, how they might need to be modified for your students, and what the assessments can tell you – or can’t - about student performance. 

             I think the way you assess your students is crucial to their learning and motivation.  It is easy for test to make students feel discouraged, pressured, or stressed. This should never be the affect. While grades do give students a reason to work hard, there are many different ways to assess their learning. One method I find very productive is Authentic- assessment. Authentic-assessment is a way of assessing that applies learning to real-world task. This is important to build motivating for students because they will see that what they are learning can be applied to the real world. It is easy to lose motivation when students feel like they will never use what they are learning again.

                Another form of assessing that I think I would use in my classroom is performance assessment. Testing students can go beyond just circling answers on a multiple choice test or filling in blanks. If the students have to perform their knowledge, you, as the teacher, are able to see the extent of how much they understand the material. It is not simply guessing the right answer, but applying what they know to their performance.

                One last form of assessment is the paper-pencil assessment. While I think that it is very important how you format the exam, sometimes you have to assess if they students know the facts. I do think it is important to follow up after the test. If students do not understand, do not just take points of and be done with the material. It is crucial in any assessment that the students understand the material thoroughly. If that means reteaching after a pencil- and paper test, then reteach. The format must be structured in a way that you can be sure that they students knowledge is assessed properly.

Chapter 15

1.       Turn to p.559 in Ormrod’s text.  Now, imagine that you are meeting with Ingrid’s grandmother today to explain her scores on the recent standardized achievement test pictures at the bottom of p. 559.  What will you tell her about Ingrid’s performance? Her strengths and weaknesses?  If grandmother asks you what she could be doing at home to strengthen Ingrid’s skills, what would you suggest? Make sure to include links to scholarly articles or other authoritative sources.

              Ingrids test scores explain several things about her strengths and weaknesses. It is clear that her highest scores were reading comprehension and science and social studies was not far behind. It is interesting that while her reading comprehension is high her spelling is much lower. It is clear that Ingrid understands the words but cannot create them on her own.  It is also clear that her math need improvement. Since her math concepts are higher than her math computations, this shows that there is a gap between what to do and how to apply it.

                To strengthen skills it is important to practice. Take problems from the classroom and rework them until they are understood. It is important to not just move on when you don’t understand something, but understand a concept and then move on. Ingrid could attend tutor sessions and give math extra reinforcement time everyday.