Week 7, motivational learning

What is learning?
This week I have been thinking about learning in the context of my life. It seemed that during high school, I would learn to get a grade. I did not put much stock into my learning, and I don't think I took full advantage of my learning opportunities. In my pre graduate studies, I took learning a little more seriously, but still going to classes, doing homework, studying for finals was more a chore. I did not learn in the context of, how will I use this knowledge in my life? I think now that I am at the end of my formal education, I look at the classes I take as opportunities. As I take classes I try to apply the material to my life, and utilize it, not merely just get a grade. This has me wonder, is learning an attitude? Surprisingly, quite a few of the parents of students I have taught never graduated from High School. Usually, in the IEP meetings, the parent would explain to their child how important education is, and how they wish they would have stayed in school, and took advantage of it. I think we value learning more as we mature.
How can learning best be effectuated....
The teachers who have had the most impact on my life are teachers who are passionate about what they teach. Teachers who have experience in their field, love it, and want to share their knowledge with others. Usually these teachers have an interest in helping students share their same passion, or at least understand why they are passionate about their field of study. I think excitement about a subject rubs off on those you teach.

Week 6 Human Development

What is learning?
This week in pondering about learning, I have begun to ponder about knowledge. How do learning and knowledge differ? What is knowledge, and how does it relate to learning? Is knowledge the end result of learning? Piaget says to know an object is to act on it. Knowledge is not rote memorization or copying information. Knowledge is being able to modify, change, and transform an object. So I guess according to Piaget, we can learn many things, but only truly have knowledge on a few things. To a point I agree with Piaget. I have learned many things, but I do not still 'know' them. If you asked me to complete a derivative problem, I could not. At one time I could, but I have completely forgotten how. I am going to have to continue to ponder on this subject....
How can learning best be effectuated?
I have learned the most when I have been stretched. When I have had a task that I thought was just out of my reach, but somehow completed it. Looking back at the classes I have been privileged to take in my life time, I would have to say the classes that I have enjoyed the most are definitely not the easy ones. The classes I have valued the most have stretched my intellectual limits, and have caused me to think from a different perspective. My favorite teacher in high school, Mr. Staker taught me that learning causes us to expand our horizons and look at life differently. In Mr. Staker's class we learned the parts of the frog, the shrubs native to Utah, and how to appreciate the complexity and simplicity of life. Learning is best effectuated when it causes you to think in a way that you have not before.

Week 5 Schema

What is learning?

I have been finding my inner schema this week, about learning. As I mentioned last week, I think learning should be connected with our past experiences. I think this is very crucial in the younger age when students are learning so much. It makes learning more meaningful.

How can learning be best effectuated by teachers?

I think a teacher should connect what they are teaching to students experiences. I have taught a site based reading program called Edmark. I think this program is really good because it helps student immediately connect what they are reading to, to familiar objects. For example the student will read a sentence like put the apple in the box. After the student reads that sentence they put a card with an apple on it, on top of a card with a picture of a box on it. The real objects would probably be better, but the cards work well too. This helps the students realize the letters they are putting together refer to an actual object.

Week 4 Meaningful Learning

What is learning?

Should learning be meaningful? Should what we learn in our classes have meaning in our everyday life? I have been pondering these questions this week. As I mentioned in my last weeks blog, I am a strong believer in generalizing what we have learned into other areas. The more 'connections' we have with the content we are learning the more we will internalize what we learn. Learning is being able to connect with prior knowledge, other content areas, and future adaptations.

How can a teacher best effectuate learning?
I think in some skills it is hard to help students connect with experience, but it is extremely important. For example, I am taking a class where we are required to make a website using HTML, I have never used HTML, I have no previous experience with anything close to HTML, as a result, it is like learning a foreign language. However, my good teacher, has helped me out be comparing HTML to dictating a document. I have some experience with this, so it has given me some connections. These connections have helped me see the big picture of HTML. I think the more we can connect past experiences to learning new content, the better students will grasp what they are learning.