"Growing up is about learning. The Net Generation are beginning to process information and learn differently from the boomers .... The destination is different and so is the route the kids must take." Growing up digital (Tapscott, 1996)
Considering that we are currently living in an information-overloaded age, the teacher's role has been modified from the deliverer of this information to a facilitator. Students today need to learn how to acquire information, create information, share information and evaluate information. Technology has been the catalyst to this information explosion and therefore must be used in conjunction with traditional teaching methods to address the needs of a generation of children who sometimes learn how to surf the internet before they learn to ride a bike. To accomodate this new generation of learners, I hope to adapt my lesson plans to incorporate more technology and more activities which encourage cooperation, creativity and the scaffolding of information. Most importantly, students will need to be encouraged to become more mentally active rather than the traditional passive learner. It is the repsonsibility of educators to engage and empower learners to become a more integral part of the teaching-learning environment.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Thinking About MI in the Classroom
Choose a topic of instruction and provide an example of how each of Gardiner's intelligences can be used to teach your selected concept.
Course: Science 1206 and/or Science 2200
Objective: to distinguish between biotic and abiotic factors
Timeline: 4 classes
The following plan was designed to accomodate all the various intelligences to achieve the single common objective.
Verbal-Linguistic: Students will be expected to read the appropriate section in their textbook prior to the lesson. A class discussion will take place concerning the assigned reading. Definitions and examples will be written on the board.
Logical-Mathematical: Students will be given a list of factors (water, moose, wind, disease, apple, etc) on a sheet of paper. The students will categorize the factors as being either biotic or abiotic. This particular assignment will be completed individually and will be submitted to the teacher for correction.
Visual-Spatial: Students will be given magazines, catalogues and internet access to cut out/print pictures of abiotic and biotic factors that interest them to create a poster iwhich displaying and distinguishes between biotic and abiotic factors. These posters will be displayed on the classroom walls.
Interpersonal: Students will be working in small groups for the creation of the poster. In addition, each group is expected to briefly describe their posters to the rest of the class.
Naturalistic: Students will briefly walk around the outside of the school identifying and recording biotic and abiotic factors. In addition, students will compare the abiotic and biotic factors on the top of a fallen log with the abiotic and biotic factors on the bottom of the log. In addition, students will collect a sample of water from the small frog pond next to the school for analysis during the following science class.
Bodily-Kinesthetic: Students, working in pairs, will examine a drop of the pond water using a compound microscope looking for microscopic biotic factors. Students will be expected to draw at least one biotic factor located in the pond water and can include this in their science course portfolio.
Intrapersonal: Students, working individually, will answer a question in their journals: How do abiotic factors affect biotic factors and how do biotic factors affect abiotic factors?
You may notice one of the intelligences is missing from this plan. I am hoping someone can assist me with that one.
Course: Science 1206 and/or Science 2200
Objective: to distinguish between biotic and abiotic factors
Timeline: 4 classes
The following plan was designed to accomodate all the various intelligences to achieve the single common objective.
Verbal-Linguistic: Students will be expected to read the appropriate section in their textbook prior to the lesson. A class discussion will take place concerning the assigned reading. Definitions and examples will be written on the board.
Logical-Mathematical: Students will be given a list of factors (water, moose, wind, disease, apple, etc) on a sheet of paper. The students will categorize the factors as being either biotic or abiotic. This particular assignment will be completed individually and will be submitted to the teacher for correction.
Visual-Spatial: Students will be given magazines, catalogues and internet access to cut out/print pictures of abiotic and biotic factors that interest them to create a poster iwhich displaying and distinguishes between biotic and abiotic factors. These posters will be displayed on the classroom walls.
Interpersonal: Students will be working in small groups for the creation of the poster. In addition, each group is expected to briefly describe their posters to the rest of the class.
Naturalistic: Students will briefly walk around the outside of the school identifying and recording biotic and abiotic factors. In addition, students will compare the abiotic and biotic factors on the top of a fallen log with the abiotic and biotic factors on the bottom of the log. In addition, students will collect a sample of water from the small frog pond next to the school for analysis during the following science class.
Bodily-Kinesthetic: Students, working in pairs, will examine a drop of the pond water using a compound microscope looking for microscopic biotic factors. Students will be expected to draw at least one biotic factor located in the pond water and can include this in their science course portfolio.
Intrapersonal: Students, working individually, will answer a question in their journals: How do abiotic factors affect biotic factors and how do biotic factors affect abiotic factors?
You may notice one of the intelligences is missing from this plan. I am hoping someone can assist me with that one.
Multiple Intelligences Self-Inventory
This self-inventory is found on the ThirteenEdOnline site
What did you discover?
My multiple intelligence profile looked like this:
Intelligence Rating
Spatial * * * * *
Interpersonal * * * * *
Bodily-Kinesthetic * * * *
Logical-Mathematical * * * *
Verbal-Linguistic * * *
Intrapersonal * * *
Musical *
Are you surprised at your findings?
I am not overly surprised by the findings. I could have easily guessed that my weakest intelligence area is musical. On the other hand, I would have guessed that my strongest intelligence was intrapersonal but I would have been incorrect.
Would you be surprised at your student's answers?
I think I would be surprised at some of my students answers. Considering that I was somewhat surprised by my own profile, I wouldn’t expect that I could accurately predict all the various profiles of a large class of students.
Would this impact on your choices for teaching and technology? How?
Yes, I would definitely alter instructional methods to meet the strengths of my students if I was aware of their various profiles. There are always students in my classes that are not engaged in the class activity or discussion or lesson. If I were to take a proactive approach by planning and preparing a variety of ways for the students to cover the same objectives, maybe I could engage 100% of my students.
In a very large class of new students, it can be quite difficult to know the strengths and weaknesses of each individual student. As a result, teaching often revolves around the most efficient method to cover the most objectives in a limited amount of time. (I did not say this was the best approach.) With smaller class sizes, there is an opportunity to gain the necessary information needed to taylor instruction according to student strengths and needs.
With respect to using technology as an educational tool, I would argue that technologies (such as the internet) provide teachers and students with multimedia and opportunities for research, collaboration, communication, hands-on activities, sounds, videos, pictures and text. As a result, there is an opportunity for a teacher to address multiple intelligences with a single teaching strategy.
What did you discover?
My multiple intelligence profile looked like this:
Intelligence Rating
Spatial * * * * *
Interpersonal * * * * *
Bodily-Kinesthetic * * * *
Logical-Mathematical * * * *
Verbal-Linguistic * * *
Intrapersonal * * *
Musical *
Are you surprised at your findings?
I am not overly surprised by the findings. I could have easily guessed that my weakest intelligence area is musical. On the other hand, I would have guessed that my strongest intelligence was intrapersonal but I would have been incorrect.
Would you be surprised at your student's answers?
I think I would be surprised at some of my students answers. Considering that I was somewhat surprised by my own profile, I wouldn’t expect that I could accurately predict all the various profiles of a large class of students.
Would this impact on your choices for teaching and technology? How?
Yes, I would definitely alter instructional methods to meet the strengths of my students if I was aware of their various profiles. There are always students in my classes that are not engaged in the class activity or discussion or lesson. If I were to take a proactive approach by planning and preparing a variety of ways for the students to cover the same objectives, maybe I could engage 100% of my students.
In a very large class of new students, it can be quite difficult to know the strengths and weaknesses of each individual student. As a result, teaching often revolves around the most efficient method to cover the most objectives in a limited amount of time. (I did not say this was the best approach.) With smaller class sizes, there is an opportunity to gain the necessary information needed to taylor instruction according to student strengths and needs.
With respect to using technology as an educational tool, I would argue that technologies (such as the internet) provide teachers and students with multimedia and opportunities for research, collaboration, communication, hands-on activities, sounds, videos, pictures and text. As a result, there is an opportunity for a teacher to address multiple intelligences with a single teaching strategy.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Multiple Intelligence Inventory
After taking the Multiple Intelligence Inventory online at
http://www.ldrc.ca/projects/miinventory/miinventory.php,
I was able to assess/determine my own intellectual strengths.
Profile for David Eddy :
Linguistic ........... 29
Mathematics .......... 38
Visual/Spatial ....... 27
Body/Kinesthetic ..... 35
Naturalistic ......... 35
Music ................ 13
Interpersonal ........ 30
Intrapersonal ........ 28
As indicated by this data, my areas of personal strength included
mathematics, body/kinesthetic and naturalistic intelligences.
[Note: this particular inventory did not take into account an existential intelligence. ]
How should learning be structured to best meet my personal needs?
In order to highlight my personal strengths, learning for me needs to be
structured around the three areas identified above. More specifically,
- to highlight my mathematics intelligence, I would learn well by working with
numbers and doing experiments that involve measuring, gathering data and performing calculations in an effort to identify relationships between variables.
- to highlight my body/kinesthetics strength, I would learn well by spending
time in a science laboratory “playing” with science equipment as well as
playing a variety of sports.
- to highlight my naturalist intelligence, I would be expected to learn well by
spending time outdoors, observing wildlife and participating in field trips.
What needs to occur in the teaching-learning process to help develop my other intelligences?
In order to develop my other intelligences which scored lower that the 3
I have highlighted, the teaching/learning process would need to include
other types of instructional strategies such as:
- reading and writing to develop my verbal/linguistic intelligence
- drawing, coloring and watching videos would assist in developing my
visual/spatial intelligence
- listening to music, singing and learning to play a musical instrument
would encourage development of my musical intelligence
- engaging in more group work would strengthen my interpersonal intelligence
- being allowed to pursue personal interests would allow me to further
develop my intrapersonal intelligence
http://www.ldrc.ca/projects/miinventory/miinventory.php,
I was able to assess/determine my own intellectual strengths.
Profile for David Eddy :
Linguistic ........... 29
Mathematics .......... 38
Visual/Spatial ....... 27
Body/Kinesthetic ..... 35
Naturalistic ......... 35
Music ................ 13
Interpersonal ........ 30
Intrapersonal ........ 28
As indicated by this data, my areas of personal strength included
mathematics, body/kinesthetic and naturalistic intelligences.
[Note: this particular inventory did not take into account an existential intelligence. ]
How should learning be structured to best meet my personal needs?
In order to highlight my personal strengths, learning for me needs to be
structured around the three areas identified above. More specifically,
- to highlight my mathematics intelligence, I would learn well by working with
numbers and doing experiments that involve measuring, gathering data and performing calculations in an effort to identify relationships between variables.
- to highlight my body/kinesthetics strength, I would learn well by spending
time in a science laboratory “playing” with science equipment as well as
playing a variety of sports.
- to highlight my naturalist intelligence, I would be expected to learn well by
spending time outdoors, observing wildlife and participating in field trips.
What needs to occur in the teaching-learning process to help develop my other intelligences?
In order to develop my other intelligences which scored lower that the 3
I have highlighted, the teaching/learning process would need to include
other types of instructional strategies such as:
- reading and writing to develop my verbal/linguistic intelligence
- drawing, coloring and watching videos would assist in developing my
visual/spatial intelligence
- listening to music, singing and learning to play a musical instrument
would encourage development of my musical intelligence
- engaging in more group work would strengthen my interpersonal intelligence
- being allowed to pursue personal interests would allow me to further
develop my intrapersonal intelligence
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Theories of Learning .... Behaviourism
Readings
Elias, J.L. & Merriam, S.(1980). Philosophical Foundations of Adult Education. (pp. 82-90; 102-107).
Skinner, B.F. (1958). Teaching Machines. Science, 128, pp. 969-977. Questions for Reflection
Questions for Reflection
1. What are some of the ways in which the behaviourist principle of reinforcement has
been applied to education?
Teachers routinely reward and discipline students in an effort to influence student behaviour.
Students learn that working, paying attention and studying will result in praise, good marks and even smiles. On the other hand, the opposite behaviour can result in less desirable outcomes like poor grades and detention. In an effort to influence the students in our school to behave appropriately, we have instituted an approach known as PBS (Positive Behaviour Supports) whereby students are literally rewarded for displaying positive behaviours.
2. What are the roles of the teacher and the learner in the behaviourist framework?
According to the reading, the role of the teacher is "to design an environment that elicits desired behavior .... and to extinguish behavior that is not desirable." (Elias & Merriam, p.87). The student is expected to take an active role so that their behavior can be reinforced by the teacher.
3. What are some of the criticisms of behavioural objectives?
- learning is complex and cannot be measured objectively and precisely.
- these objectives do not ensure that what is learned will be transferred to a new situation
4. What epistemological tradition (objectivism or subjectivism) do you think underlies
the behaviourist view of learning?
I think that subjectivism underlies the behaviorist view of learning because the learner is an integral part and plays an active role in the learning process and in interpreting the appropriate behavior from the teacher.
5. Can you think of anything you do as an instructor that is influenced by the behaviourist view of learning?
Everyday that I teach, I feel like a "behavioral manager" who is trying to have my students act in ways that are conducive to learning. With this goal in mind, I frequently reward specific actions and threaten to discipline other actions.
6. In what contexts do you think it would be appropriate to use a behaviourist approach to teaching?
In a regular classroom with 30 students, a teacher has the major responsiblity for ensuring that all 30 students have the opportunity to learn. This can a difficult task if every student is behaving differently, and some are not behaving in a manner that is conducive to learning. Often, it is important for the teacher to manage that class and to modify student behavior to ensure that all students are accomplishing a large number of specific curriculum outcomes in a relatively fast pace.
7. In what contexts do you think it would be inappropriate to use a behaviourist approach to teaching?
When the responsibility for learning lies primarily with the learner. For example, students enrolled in distance education courses or when students are expected to solve problems without direct instruction.
Elias, J.L. & Merriam, S.(1980). Philosophical Foundations of Adult Education. (pp. 82-90; 102-107).
Skinner, B.F. (1958). Teaching Machines. Science, 128, pp. 969-977. Questions for Reflection
Questions for Reflection
1. What are some of the ways in which the behaviourist principle of reinforcement has
been applied to education?
Teachers routinely reward and discipline students in an effort to influence student behaviour.
Students learn that working, paying attention and studying will result in praise, good marks and even smiles. On the other hand, the opposite behaviour can result in less desirable outcomes like poor grades and detention. In an effort to influence the students in our school to behave appropriately, we have instituted an approach known as PBS (Positive Behaviour Supports) whereby students are literally rewarded for displaying positive behaviours.
2. What are the roles of the teacher and the learner in the behaviourist framework?
According to the reading, the role of the teacher is "to design an environment that elicits desired behavior .... and to extinguish behavior that is not desirable." (Elias & Merriam, p.87). The student is expected to take an active role so that their behavior can be reinforced by the teacher.
3. What are some of the criticisms of behavioural objectives?
- learning is complex and cannot be measured objectively and precisely.
- these objectives do not ensure that what is learned will be transferred to a new situation
4. What epistemological tradition (objectivism or subjectivism) do you think underlies
the behaviourist view of learning?
I think that subjectivism underlies the behaviorist view of learning because the learner is an integral part and plays an active role in the learning process and in interpreting the appropriate behavior from the teacher.
5. Can you think of anything you do as an instructor that is influenced by the behaviourist view of learning?
Everyday that I teach, I feel like a "behavioral manager" who is trying to have my students act in ways that are conducive to learning. With this goal in mind, I frequently reward specific actions and threaten to discipline other actions.
6. In what contexts do you think it would be appropriate to use a behaviourist approach to teaching?
In a regular classroom with 30 students, a teacher has the major responsiblity for ensuring that all 30 students have the opportunity to learn. This can a difficult task if every student is behaving differently, and some are not behaving in a manner that is conducive to learning. Often, it is important for the teacher to manage that class and to modify student behavior to ensure that all students are accomplishing a large number of specific curriculum outcomes in a relatively fast pace.
7. In what contexts do you think it would be inappropriate to use a behaviourist approach to teaching?
When the responsibility for learning lies primarily with the learner. For example, students enrolled in distance education courses or when students are expected to solve problems without direct instruction.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Epistemological Traditions
Reading
Pratt, D.D. (1997). Indicators of Commitment (pp. 22-25). Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing.
Questions for Reflection
1. What is the defining characteristics of the two epistemological traditions?
Objectivism - knowledge exists independently of the learner
- knowledge is absolute and literal (not open to interpretation)
- observations and descriptions are neutral interest
Subjectivism - knowledge is detremined/interpreted/shaped by the learner
- knowledge can be altered through the personal interests of the learner
2. What do you think some of the implications of each tradition would be for the design of instruction?
Objectivism: the teacher can be considered an experienced expert and would be expected to deliver his/her absolute knowledge to the learner akin to making a photocopy. Instruction could therefore consist of direct instruction, drill/practice exercises and guided sequential learning.
Subjectivism: the teacher would provide opportunities for the learner to reflect upon prior knowledge and personal interests as he/she interprets new information within an already existing personal schema. Instruction would therefore involve activities that would engage students in trying to solve real-world problems with little direction.
Pratt, D.D. (1997). Indicators of Commitment (pp. 22-25). Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing.
Questions for Reflection
1. What is the defining characteristics of the two epistemological traditions?
Objectivism - knowledge exists independently of the learner
- knowledge is absolute and literal (not open to interpretation)
- observations and descriptions are neutral interest
Subjectivism - knowledge is detremined/interpreted/shaped by the learner
- knowledge can be altered through the personal interests of the learner
2. What do you think some of the implications of each tradition would be for the design of instruction?
Objectivism: the teacher can be considered an experienced expert and would be expected to deliver his/her absolute knowledge to the learner akin to making a photocopy. Instruction could therefore consist of direct instruction, drill/practice exercises and guided sequential learning.
Subjectivism: the teacher would provide opportunities for the learner to reflect upon prior knowledge and personal interests as he/she interprets new information within an already existing personal schema. Instruction would therefore involve activities that would engage students in trying to solve real-world problems with little direction.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Archetypes and Paradigms
Reading
Davies, I.K. (1978). Educational Technology: Archetypes, Paradigms and Models. In J.H. Hartley & I.K. Davies (Eds.), Contributions to an Educational Technology, Volume 2. (pp. 9-24). New York: Kogan Page.
Questions for Reflection
1. What is the difference between an archetype, a paradigm, and a model?
archetype: a thought or action which is universally recognized
paradigm: a typical example of an underlying idea which can be used to help explain events
model: a specific and detailed representation of something real
2.What are key characteristics of Davies' three educational technologies?
3.What are the key characteristics of the audio-visual, the engineering and the problem-solving archetypes of educational technology?
4.What archetype, paradigm and model of educational technology do you think most of your teaching would fall into?
Most of my teaching falls into the engineering archetype of educational technology. The high school academic science courses that I teach involve year-end government-constructed public examinations which cover all areas of the prescribed curriculum guides. The pressure to cover all objectives and perform well on these exams forces many teachers to employ the most time effective teaching strategies while covering only the prescribed objectives. I would, however, would love to spend more quality time engaging my students in problem-solving scenarios and allowing students to spend the necessary time to demonstrate their strengths to solve real-world problems.
5. Davies wrote his article in 1978, over 20 years ago. Is it still relevant to the thinking of using technology in teaching and learning, today? Why or why not?
Definitely, this article is relevant today. Considering the vast possibilities for applications of technology into todays schools, it is still necessary to contemplate how and why we use educational technologies and not simply to just use them because they exist. This article, in fact, may be even more important today since the number of technology tools is rapidly growing including ipods, web 2.0 applications, webcams, distance education, etc.
Davies, I.K. (1978). Educational Technology: Archetypes, Paradigms and Models. In J.H. Hartley & I.K. Davies (Eds.), Contributions to an Educational Technology, Volume 2. (pp. 9-24). New York: Kogan Page.
Questions for Reflection
1. What is the difference between an archetype, a paradigm, and a model?
archetype: a thought or action which is universally recognized
paradigm: a typical example of an underlying idea which can be used to help explain events
model: a specific and detailed representation of something real
2.What are key characteristics of Davies' three educational technologies?
Educational Technology One: a hardware approach which focuses on the use of technology as teaching devices.
Educational Technology Two: a software approach which focuses on the use of technology to enhance teaching with particular respect to developing worthwhile teaching/learning experiences.
Educational Technology Three: a combination of the hardware and software approach. It places importance on the environment in which learning takes place, as well as the quality and relevance of the overall teaching/learning experience.
3.What are the key characteristics of the audio-visual, the engineering and the problem-solving archetypes of educational technology?
The audio-visual archetype of educational technology serves to assist teaching in several ways: to allow students to experience previously unavailable resources, to deal with students located in different geographical areas and speed up the evaluation process.
The engineering archetype of educational technology involves a step-by-step approach to teaching/learning and incorporates clear definition of objectives with an evaluation step at the end of the process.
The problem-solving archetype of educational technology relies on a variety of skills and possible strategies to reach a certain goal. According to this archetype, there is no best way and no one particular way of reaching the end product.
4.What archetype, paradigm and model of educational technology do you think most of your teaching would fall into?
Most of my teaching falls into the engineering archetype of educational technology. The high school academic science courses that I teach involve year-end government-constructed public examinations which cover all areas of the prescribed curriculum guides. The pressure to cover all objectives and perform well on these exams forces many teachers to employ the most time effective teaching strategies while covering only the prescribed objectives. I would, however, would love to spend more quality time engaging my students in problem-solving scenarios and allowing students to spend the necessary time to demonstrate their strengths to solve real-world problems.
5. Davies wrote his article in 1978, over 20 years ago. Is it still relevant to the thinking of using technology in teaching and learning, today? Why or why not?
Definitely, this article is relevant today. Considering the vast possibilities for applications of technology into todays schools, it is still necessary to contemplate how and why we use educational technologies and not simply to just use them because they exist. This article, in fact, may be even more important today since the number of technology tools is rapidly growing including ipods, web 2.0 applications, webcams, distance education, etc.
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