- Identifying similarities and differences
- Summarizing and note taking
- Reinforcing effort and providing recognition
- Homework and
practice - Nonlinguistic representation
- Cooperative learning
- Setting objectives and providing feedback
- Generating and testing hypotheses
- Cues, questions, and advance organizers
An assignment for this week is to read the Principles of Teaching & Learning presented by the Carnegie Mellon Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence. The Eberly center emphasizes a learner-centered approach to teaching presented in the Learning Principles
and Teaching Principles on the Web-site. To say that the main take away from this site is 'Know your audience' may sound like an oversimplification, but it really is the essence!
As a student, I often struggled with courses and assignments that were rigid and left me wondering, 'Am I doing what I should be doing?’ I always found areas within the course that piqued my interest and were relevant to me. Alas, sometimes I found that there was a divergence from what was expected of me and what I learned. In hindsight, I should have asked for greater clarification from my teachers.
The Eberly site brings all of this together by stating the relevant principles of teaching and learning. Teachers want to teach, but they can't make a student learn. It is up to the student to reflect and apply what they are learning. The teacher can take on many roles as a facilitator, moderator, etc. But all of this is meaningless unless the teacher understands the knowledge, experience and motivation for their students. If the teacher does come to understand these and other student learning factors, they still need to do something. Course activities and tasks need be custom tailored to mesh with the student.
Teachers need to be less rigid in course design and accommodate students with different motivation, abilities and ways that they learn. The Eberly site proposes that teachers should clearly state what will be required of the students and what they will learn. The clear stating of objectives helps demystify and establish a contract between students and teachers by which all can judge how they are doing. The assessment of the students needs to include an assessment or evaluation of the teacher and course design.
As a teacher I informally ask students about their backgrounds and motivation. Granted, I wear two hats; one as a corporate trainer and the other as a sailing instructor. Corporate training tends to be, well, just that, training. Employees are well-motivated to learn as it directly impacts their immediate career. Sailing students at the University Wisconsin come from all walks of life and have different expectations about how they will use their new sailing skills and knowledge. I need to start getting feedback from both of my teaching areas to help assess and tailor learning objectives that meet the needs of my students - not just what I think they need to know. In the end, my teaching will be more effective if I can first better understand my audience and then apply that knowledge to course.
Brian the 5th strategy above is one that I am not that familiar with yet and I have not received my book to read up on it, but I am hoping to get all the facts soon. Do you have any way to quickly describe what "nonlinguistic representation" is referring to?
ReplyDeleteHi Shannon, according to the text, Nonlinguistic Representation, "Enhances the students' ability to represent and elaborate on knowledge using mental images". I think this has to do with building associations, kind of like a diagram with boxes and arrows connecting.
ReplyDeleteI agree that teachers can't make students learn. When kids, in my case 9-10 year old fourth graders, don't see the point of what we are learning about, it is tough to get them to put effort in. So much of what I teach them this year lays the foundation for more in depth studies in higher grades. I see them rush through their work and refuse to double check their answers. Their goal seems to be finish quickly and move on to drawing, reading or goofing. I incorporate tons of art or creative ways to express what they've learned but even that isn't up their alley. They would rather draw Sponge Bob,
ReplyDeleteIn response to Shannon's question for you, non-linguistic representation is any form of information or student learning that doesn't involve full sentences. It includes pictures, graphs, charts, diagrams, flow charts, etc. to organize and make sense of information.
I agree that teachers need to be less rigid in course design and need to cater more to the student's learning styles. Year ago, one size did fit all. At least, that was the approach that was taken. Now, in such a fast-paced, attention grabbing society, each person needs something a little different. It is important for today's teachers to be flexible and to understand the various learning styles of their students.
ReplyDelete