End of a Class: Recap

Well, 'tis the end of the term...well it's very close anyways! I know there are still two more classes left for EDPY, and I am kind of sad about it. I actually enjoyed the class and I do like this blog assignment. I know at first, when I was trying to blog on this class, I found it difficult and just felt like just kind of retyping my notes. I would have very little interaction but near the end, I found I could use ideas from my other education classes to go with this class.

I enjoyed the TED videos. Thought they were very helpful and relevant to what we were discussing in class. I thought that it was really cool that at some point or another, all my classes crossed paths at some point or another. It was so cool. Each class was reinforcing another class' ideas and the like. Piaget, Vygotsky, Skinner, reinforcements, Bloom's, Newton, Calvin, etc. all crossed paths at some time. Their ideas were reinforced and also I was able to see different lights for each one. It was sometimes hard to see one side from another (especially in from a historical view to an educational view....I struggled with John Calvin and his sides I saw).

I wish our class spoke more freely that just us few that always participated in class. It would have been nice to have large class discussions, instead of trying to fish for someone to even talk.

I like Robert as a professor. I enjoyed my time in class. He is very helpful and willing to help us out when we ask or need it. I loved how he would get so excited over such things. It was cool.

I will be using my flash cards for the exam (my whole stack of them!) as we break for the finals. I was impressed how my first exam was 60% and then I jumped to 91%. I was literally dumbfounded by that, considering how I felt after the last exam. Actually, this last month I have been rocking at my assignment and exams and I am not sure how I am doing it. I hope it continues into the finals!!!!

All-in-all, it was an excellent term.

Welcome Hatsune Miku - Digital Singer, real concerts!

If you watch the first video, you will see a normal concert at first; a real audience and band.  But low and behold, there is something new when the singer comes out!  Yes!  It's a hologram of an Anime girl named Hatsune Miku, who became very popular in Japan before she made her real life debut!  It's not even a real girl sings, as you see in the second video I have posted, which explains everything. For other information, there are three other characters like Miku that sing too and do concerts, just to let ya know!

As I watched this in my EDFN 341 class with Richard today at the end of class, it was quickly brought up that Brad, Richard, and other teachers had a slight debate about this. Why? Because this is what we, as teachers or even society, is moving towards. It's going to be like Star Wars with the message holograms and what not! Ok...who knows if that will truly happen, but the video with Miku certainly makes us wonder what we will have to be dealing with later. Will there be school anymore? Will children be learning at home and taking their lessons from a hologram? Will it be interactive? What WILL it be like???

I know I had said in class, that this is no different than Skyping (talking over the internet with video [web cam] to anyone in the world. Video conferencing). I know the Alix school has a class or two where their teacher is from another school and is teaching the Alix students while not even there and is using video conferencing. I know some other girls said this would be good if used correctly and not over done. I know someone else said there is no interaction with between students and the teacher anymore, so children will miss out on developing social skills.

I don't know. I am kind of on the fence. As I watched the video, I was in awe. On one had I thought it was pretty cool (c'mon, it seems like Japan is always leading in technology so I am not surprised) and on the other I thought, "Don't you spend the big bucks to see the real singer?" I guess you do. Miku is only a fictional character after all, with no actual human who plays her voice (computer done...see Video 2). This can be pretty cool if done right. Though makes me wonder if I will be teaching in an actual class/school or be teaching at home. Maybe I will be teaching 1 or more classes at the same time on the same subject with students from different schools or such.

The future looks a bit foggy for us students who will be in the field in 2-3 years. No one is quite certain with how technology will be used. I think it'll be interesting to see!

Watch both the clips and enjoy! I thought they were interesting and thought provoking (obviously).

Midterm #2

I just have to gloat on here a little bit about my midterm #2 that we had around two weeks ago.  I got 91%!!!!!  I am so thrilled about this because my first test was 60% and I was pretty disappointed about it.  And this was weighted more too, so I am happy that I got an awesome mark. I KNOW i got FAT city wrong because I had left it blank, but now I know it.  Was funny.  I had studied all of the video but never thought to remember what FAT stood for.  I am not sure how I pulled this off...I just rewrote my noted in a condensed form and memorized it.

After last class on Friday when we had discussed study aids and such, I went to the Bookstore and bought some flash cards to help me study.  Even got the coloured ones to try Lindsey's idea.  The intro is on blue, IQ questions are in yellow so far.  Green is going to be the Rick Lavois video and on, then will do Pink in what we have been discussing since the last exam. I am hoping to ace the final, so here's for shooting for the stars!! EDPY is my first exam too, so I hope I will do well!

Francis Wayland Parker

I made this video through xtranormal and figured it applies to this course as well.  enjoy!  It''s talking about Francis Wayland Parker, who was thought of "The Father of Progressive Education."

Why Do I Want To Be A Teacher?

Why do I want to become a teacher?   Midway through high school, I was contemplating two different paths I wanted to take.  I elected not to take the psychology route because I am a person who enjoys languages, history, and culture.  During this time I was learning a second language and it was French.  I absolutely loved it, and enjoyed every minute of class.  I think my teacher had a big influence on that.  She was very enthusiastic and a ball full of energy!  She made sure the classroom was completely in a French environment.  Half way through French 10, it was French and nothing but French once you had crossed that threshold, and was the same for the rest of high school French.  As we learned the language, she also made the rule that nothing was stupid or weird; it was just different!  She taught us to be culturally tolerant, which is a great thing to have in anyone’s life.  She also taught us some history on France and Québec to help us understand their point of view.

As high school ended I thought I would love to be like my French teacher and make learning a second language fun and interesting like she had!  I believe that everyone should learn a second language, especially how our world is today with the multi-cultural areas that are developing.  It also could broaden ones horizons and see the flip side of a coin.  Maybe it will help one’s future travels!

(image from http://lestudio1.com/images/SolMarcFavreau.jpg)

It's SOL!  We had to watch old TV show episodes of him in French class to learn French.  Can't say he's not memorable!

 

I know some of the things I look for in a good teacher are what I want to be.  I would love to be that teacher who inspires their students, make them think out of the box, see things from another point of view, and show them that learning can be fun!  I think I would mostly be teacher-centered because learning a new language needs instruction.  Also, being a bit flexible, yet being able to keep control of the class is a good attribute to have.  Having a sense of humour and insight on the subject will enlighten the students’ learning ability.  Though, when I think of teaching I am a bit hesitant since it’s very hard for me to speak in front of people and sometimes I get frustrated when teaching someone something.  I look at these as things I can work on and will do better at.

Functional Analysis vs. Operant Conditioning

When we had discussed these two ideas in class, I think I am more on the side of functional analysis.  Why?  Well, just because that question.  There are always reasons for students behavior and teachers should know why to see if they can help the student.   To the student, it may show some humanity from the teacher if the teacher inquires; it shows that the teacher cares. 

We had talked about some ideas in class that can play a part of it all, and what we can do to help.  That was very helpful.  Gave us ideas on how we can change the behavior around and get a positive action out of it.

In my opinion, I think Operant Conditioning only work for the lower grades when the teacher needs to reinforce good behavior because it's a life skill the students will need to know. With positive reinforcement being more effective, this helps reinforce the skill taught in the lower grades.  As the students get into the higher grades, they don't care for getting stickers, check marks, or marbles to go towards something.  They'll behave the want to, so that is why I like Functional Analysis a bit more.  I think you can use it in many different grades and still be effective.

Inclusive Teaching Direction

This seems to be a very hot topic in the Education World.  I have heard of inclusive teaching since I have started this term and it always seems to bring mixed thoughts; no one seems to know what to expect.  I believe this will be hard on everyone: students, teachers, and parents.  I know I feel overwhelmed with this idea plus having to teach a classroom size at around 25-30 students and accommodate their learning abilities.

To make us less stressed for when we head out to our own positions in the next few years, I think special training with children with learning disabilities would be most beneficial.  With classes that are directed at these type of children, will help us the students to understand them.  This will also lead for us to come up with new ways to help teach the curriculum! We are all aware that we learn at different levels and teachers have to acknowledge that and try to accommodate each child.  With a class specialized to children with learning disabilities, that is something else that we can put in our tool boxes.

Also, I think schools need to have a support system for newer teachers.  It's already stressful for us, but to add to feeling abandoned makes it worse.  New teachers are under a magnifying glass for a while, and with that thought, we do not want to make a mistake!  And of course we will!  We're new and will need to make our own little niche in teaching world, but that can take years to perfect (if you can even perfect it!).  I believe if there is a designated someone who we can talk to with our issues, that would be beneficial. 

Creativity in School

I agree with what Sir Ken Robinson had said in his video at the TED conference that we had watched in class today.  I believe that there is not enough push towards using the students imagination/creative-side in class while learning.  It is all geared to the academics and intelligence. It stifles the child and like he said, children soon to be less creative because they are afraid to make mistakes, which leads to the mindset that making a mistake is wrong.  Well no, it's not completely wrong.  There is still learning from our mistakes; we take in what we did wrong and will learn from it.  Mistakes should not be the bane of our existence because, essentially, we can take something out of it. 


I thought it was interesting when Robinson brought up that there are more students graduating now then there ever was in history, which in turn is leading to this academic inflation.  That is SO true.  I know even when my folks were younger and finding jobs, they didn't need the academics.  My dad use to work in the a garage in Byemoor, AB (small rural town 1 hr south of Stettler) where he worked on vehicles and some farm equipment.  Neither my dad nor my grandpa (who owned the garage), had their tickets but they still worked on the vehicles.  They learned by doing.  Now in today's day and age, you need that ticket saying you are a mechanic to work in a garage like that.  Just knowing how things work and fixing vehicles doesn't cut it any more.  You need the education.  It just seems like now you have to have a diploma, journeyman, Ph. D., etc to do anything.  I find that a bit frustrating sometimes.  It kind of shows that the only way to have the best life as possible is to have the above examples.  The arts is indeed, the lower part of the hierarchy of education and it looked down upon.  If someone is a musician, others look down at them and say the musician will never make anything of themselves.  It's pretty sad though to think that.  Yes, it's a hard industry to get into, but when they break through, it is worth all the blood, sweat, and tears they had gone through.  The artists are the people who make us appreciate what we have to enjoy in life (paintings, musics, books, etc.), so they should be looked upon just like professionals too.

Kohlberg & Heinz's Dilemma

Kohlberg's Level and Stages of Moral Development
1.  Preconventional: no appeal to moral frame work and not internalized.
  a) Punishment
  b) Hedonism 

2. Conventional: expectations/rules
  a) "Nice Boy/Girl"
  b) Law and Order

3. Postconventional: advanced internalized moral most people do not reach
  a) Social Contracts
  b) Universal ethical

Back to Heinz's Dilemma back on October 8th and putting myself in his shoes and putting me in one of these categories would be Conventional, because I would not steal that medicine for my fiancé no matter how sick he was.  The reason would be that it is wrong for me to steal and that I am the type to be looked upon as the nice girl; I do not do many things wrong.  I am a good role model, I guess.  If in the dilemma there was a 100% guarantee that the medicine would work, then I think I would have a moral dilemma myself.  I think I would possibly steal it, but with feeling horrible for doing so, if it would cure my fiancé.  I won't put my reputation on the line to steal if it wasn't going to help.  I am not putting myself on the line.  Not to sound cold-hearted, but everyone has to die sooner or later, and maybe my fiancé's number is up.  I am not a religious person; I'm agnostic.  But I do think that we are here for a reason and when we die it's our time to go; we had finished what we were put here to do.

Lev Vygotsky & Urie Bronfenbrenner

Lev Vygotsky:
He had Four Assumptions:
1) He believed in child trajectory.  Everything that they have learned before helps them where they are.
2) Cognitive Skills are structured by language.  Vygotsky says that we can't think without language because thinking and learning is structured by language.
3) Importance of social relations and culture.  Vygotsky's theory is called "social cultural approach."  Social interactions help develop children.  The thought of "apprenticeship" worked well with his theory (ie: parent, coach, older peer, etc.)
4) Learning is situated and collaborative.  It requires working together between the students and teacher.  (apprenticeship)

Zone of Proximinal Development (ZPD):
"It is a range of tasks that are too difficult for the children to do alone but can be helped with assistance from adults or children that are more skilled."(text book)  With this, it was a core idea for Vygotsky.  He believed that the teacher had to push the boundaries a little bit for them to learn more.  The teacher can push the bar up a little higher each time to help in the students' learning experience.

Scaffolding:
This is the instructional approach that follows in ZPD.  "It's a technique of changing the level of support over the course of a teaching session with a more skilled person adjusting the amount of guidance to fix a student's current performance level."(text book)
ie) Direct-teaching, answering questions, guided practice, formative assessment (For learning [during], as learning [self], and all learning [exam])

PIAGET AND VYGOTSKY VIDEO FOUND ON YOU TUBE

Out of Piaget and Vygotsky, I think Vygotsky resonates more with my personal inclination and teaching preference because his idea of ZPD and Scaffolding really appeal to me.  I agree that teachers need to raise that bar up a little higher every time when their students surpass it.  Also, it makes sense that one cannot think if we didn't know the language, or think coherently anyways.  With language, one can understand what they are thinking.  I also believe that culture and social interaction plays a huge role on the students because they are influenced in those types of things and also changed how they might learn.


Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory:
(http://www.aifs.gov.au/growingup/pubs/reports/krq2009/images/fig2.gif)

This focuses on the social context in which a students life, the people who influence their development, and the interaction between students' characteristics, and their enviroment (from the txt)

Five Systems:

1) Microsytem: the individual directly participates in. It's a recipical relationship between the person and the system.
2) Mesosystem: links the microsystem. Meso = in the middle.  They also affect each other.
3) Exosystem: the first system that the indivudual doesn't have an active role.
4) Macrosystem: attitudes and ideologies of a culture.  Everyone is responsible for their own self and it impacts how lives are organized.
5)  Chronosystem: (Chronos = Time) refers to socio-historical conditions of students' development (text book).

The Famour Jean Piaget, whom I have heard a bit about in class...

Jean Piaget had theorized on Cognitive Process (thinking).  He had three concepts:
1. Schema: a concept of a framework to organize info
     ex) Mind Maps

2. Assimilation: being able to put in new info into existing info (your schema).

3. Accommodation: to adjust new info in your schema.

Piaget also had the famous, Four Stages of Child Developement:
1. Sensorimotor:
    - last from birth to about 2-years-old
    - children coordinate sensory experiences with motor actions
    - experience through their senses
    - no real cognition

2. Preoperational:
    - happens within the 2 to 7-years-old
    - represents the word with words and images
    - symbolic thinking
       * language development and use
    - ego-centrism
       *All about the "I" and has no concept that not everything is theirs or about them.
    - conservation is not there yet

3. Concrete Operational:
    - 7 to 11-years-old
    - Conservation: the idea that some characteristics or an object stays the same even though the physical appearance changes
    - Conservation doesn't start until this stage
       * concrete ---> physical world
       * abstract
       * mental operation that is reversal
          ie:) Math
    - performs operations
ie) (found on http://peoplelearn.homestead.com/MEdHOME/conservation-task-cups.jpg)

4. Formal Operational:

    - 11 to 15-years-old and continues throughout life

    - abstract thinking

       * hypothetical deductive and reasoning

    - the child can do things in their mind and figure out most of it

       * highest form of cognitive

    - beginning of reasoning:

        *ie) ~Classification

               ~ Seriations (can  put things into series)

               ~ Transitivity (can take what they know and can understand some conclusions) (from the text)
                   ie) A  -------------
                        B  --------------------                          C > A, A < B
                  C  ----------------------------
              The child knows that which stick is bigger than the other, or which is smaller than another.
                                     

Effective Teaching P2 AND Exercise in School

5. Subject-Matter Competence:
   -There are 7 points: 1) Instructional Philosophies and Orientation
                                   - Constructivist Approach (wow!  there is that word again) (Student-Centered)
                                   - Direction Instruction Approach (Teacher-Centered)
                                 2) Instructional Planning and Assessment Skills
                                   - These two ideas are linked together
                                   - Goals, objectives, outcomes
                                 3) Classroom Management Skills
                                   - a well planned lesson will help down the road to prevent caos
                                 4) Motivational Skills
                                   - MUST motivate ones students so they will learn and learn well.  Very important!!
                                 5) Communication Skills
                                  - actually listen to what your students are saying
                                 - Talk with not at
                                6) Working Effectively with Students from Culturally Diverse Backgrounds
                                  - Future --> Communities becoming more diverse
                                7) Technological Skills
                                  - Develop and fine-tune technology

6. Commitment and Motivation:
  - Common features --> love students

7. Professional Growth:
  4 Points: 1) Develop a positive idenity
                 - as a teacher
                 - gaining respect
                2) Seek advice from experienced teachers
                 - learn from them, they know a lot and can help
                3) Build-up good experienced teachers
                 - networks
                4) Life long learning
                 - have to be committed
                 - always learning

---------

I thought the video we watched with Allison Cameron was very interesting of how she took the research that she had from the Harvard research about using exercise in school to increase of the productivity and learning abilities of the students.  Before Allison had tried this, a school at Chicago was used in this research and it was very successful.  They had the lowest obesity rate in the Unites States and marks were very impressive and had improved greatly.  I can see why she would want to try this out because of the results and seeing if it would actually work at her school with her students that were on their last legs for school.  They were delinquents and/or students who could not do school nor did they care about it.  

So when Allison got equipment donated (treadmills) and had the OK to follow through from the principal, she had her class exercise for approximately 25 minutes at the beginning of her math class and then do the work.  She had found phenomenal results in some time!  Students grades were going up and they were able to focus and concentrate a lot more.

I think if I was her, I would jump at the chance too to try this.  If it had positive outcomes, why not try?  I realize that it may not work the same, but it would just have to reworked for a specific class.  All research will have it's kinks to work out.  I am glad it had worked out for her and her students.  That kind of  results is something to celebrate.

Effective Teaching P1

Like in the text, it says there seven perspectives or way to master effective teaching because in a class room, many things happen at the same time (rapid-fire succession - Sumara).  The seven points are as followed:

1. Teaching Involves Social and Ethical Matter
-  there has to be fairness in the classroom, and the teacher has to make all their decisions with using that in mind.  I think that it's be very hard, because of the diversity in classrooms.  You can have students that are quick learners, or students that have immigrated and are not quite where they should be in their classes, or even having students that learn better with the constructivist approach to teacher.  Having to plan your lessons around such elements can be very tricky, hence why a teacher has to be creative on how they teach a class.

2.Teaching Involves a Diverse Mosaic of Students
-I had touched base on this on the above point.

3. Effective Teacher
- an effective teacher is one that has definitely stood out in your memory.  In the text is says that a survey was done with students at the ages of 13-17 (NASSP, 1997) , and it was found that the top three characteristics of being the most important found in a teacher.  They are: 1) Humour.  2) Make class interesting.  3) In-depth knowledge of the subject.  I totally agree with this, because when I think of some of the effective teachers in my past, at least one of these characteristics go along with them.

4.Professional Knowledge and Skills:
- our instructor said there are three aspects to this: 1) Motivate the students. 2) Communication. 3) Work with diverse students.  I think that this can also be characterized under an "effective teacher" too, because I think with being an effecting teacher your need to be able to motivate your students to want to learn what they are doing, and take interests.  This can help with learning some responsibility because they are taking the reigns of the education.  They may want to go the extra distance in their classes.  Also, I think communication is a key element because if you cannot communicate clearly, you can lose your students.  Plus, if a student is struggling with the class or something in their life, you can be a bit sympathetic and maybe try to help them.  To be able to work with diverse students would be tough, but if they can master it, it will make the everyone's life easier.  It would be a plus to both side and everyone can take something from class.

Day 2 - The Constructivist Approach - The Blog

Well, we are definitely are using the "Constructivist" approach to this blog, are we not?  Our instructor's idea for this blog is to make it our own so that we can understand better of our topics.

I think this is a great idea.  It helps me to kind of work through what we did in class, or what I have read in the text, or even to just help me on what was discussed in either.  I can kind of just ramble my way through and it should help me work through and master the topics....theoretically anyways!

So I HAVE read the first chapter in the text and found it quite dry and hard to retain, but again, I hope this will help me remember what I have read.  What I do like from the text are the quotes on the sides!  I think my favourite is, "The art of teaching is the art of awakening minds the natural curiosity of young minds." - Anatole France (French novelist and poet, 19th Century) (found in "Educational Psychology" by Santrock. et al. on pg. 7)   Why do I like this quote?  Well, it really does describe with using the tools that we learn as teachers and being able to engage what we learn into what we do, is really an art.  Actually, the text book explains that as well as well, which really just links the two together.  Knowing how to use our tools in our tool box is very important.  And by using these tools, we can engage the students to peak their curiosity and want them to learn more!  I would love my students to learn more wanting to learn is important!  I witnessed this first hand with my own high school French teacher, and she made class interesting.  I WANTED to learn a new language and not just be there for the credits so I can complete my high school diploma.  She would peak our curiosity by not just teaching us the language, but by explaining ideas, events, etc. in France or in Quebec.  We learned parts of the French Revolution and the fall of the Bastille in 1789, the Quebec referendums and what was happening within the province at the time, and also she talked about exchange programs and get use to broaden our horizons and by doing so by traveling.  Having that kind of "art" is a great away for a teacher to be!  You want to engage your students in their classes and by doing so, they take out a lot more than just what is in the class.

Day 1

Well, I will certainly give this a shot.  I am not new to blogging but I am NEW to doing this as course work for a class and find it a bit funny how I have something specific to write about on this blog.  So yes, I get to "ramble" about Introduction to Education Psychology, and today was my first day of classes. I figured I should at least start this and get into a good habit of hopefully writing in this after every class.  Lets aim for that anyways.  The idea is that everything is still fresh in my head, though I did start this just after 11pm...

Today in class our instructor, gave us our course outline and had went over some key points in it: learning objectives, Reading and Information Schedule, and the like.  I was intrigued that 10% of our exams will be coming from the text book, and the remaining 90% will be what we have discussed and learned in class.  I quite like that idea, just because I learn better in class discussions than reading from a text book all the time.  If I am engaged in the topic, it helps me retain what has been discussed, and will help me further down the road when it comes to exams and studying for them.  Which brings me to the next topic which I found interesting today:

We gently glazed over types of teaching, being a more rewarding/disciplined route, or something that is not so structured. I think it's so hard to chose a type of teaching, because everyone, teachers and students a like, are different from each other and learn at different speeds and ways.  Yes, it's very important as a teacher to broad our horizons so we can help each student that comes our ways, and hope to chose the "right way" of teaching.  What I find hard to figure out, "what is the right way?" As of yet, I don't have an answer for the question.  I know our instructor said that it depends of the students and teachers, on each personality and how they learn and teach.  I get it, but I sure hope I get a better understanding down the road.

I think this can be a very complicated course, but today was only Day 1, so I hope it won't be as foggy when we go along the term.