Final Learning Log

I think children learn in a variety of ways. I know that might sound generic but after taking this class this semester I don't think that any one theorist is completely correct. They all have their strong points and I think if they all blended together it would be the perfect theory. Erikson's learning styles are essential in my mind. It is so important as a teacher to understand that not everyone learns the same way. In teaching we need to have a variety of styles and that is one thing I have learned from this class. As our teacher you modeled everything correctly. You have set the bar high for us. We need to include those essential activities to make our classrooms successful.
I don't know if it is because these are the most recent chapters we have studied but I also really enjoyed behaviorism and social constructivism. I know I will use punishment and reinforcement in my classroom. Using reinforcement is a good way guide your students. I loved learning about self monitoring, self evaluation, and self regulation. These will be so useful to apply them in our classrooms. And in my mind this fits right in to modeling because you have to show your students how they can be effective in demonstrating these things.
This will all affect my teaching because I know I will adopt several of these theories when I am a teacher. I will use these theories to help my students learn and I will model appropriately for them so they can be successful.

Social Cognitivism

This week was very enjoyable. I loved spliting up into the groups and presenting the information. My favorite thing we learned about was modeling. Modeling is so important to use in the classroom. I didn't know there were so many parts that went with modeling. It plays such a large role in everyones live. In my classroom I think it is essential that I use only positive modeling. I will encourage my students to act the same and be positive. When students act up it is important that the other students understand that that behavior is not acceptable. Modeling can be bad if the modeled act is inappropriate. When students use bad language around other students it is very popular for others to catch on and repeat those words.

Behaviorism

This week we talked about behaviorism. I loved the office clip! I was really confused with the difference from reinforcement and punishment and then it talked more about it in chapter 10. I remember learning about it in high school and it started to come back to me. The visuals on the board we much appreciated.
In class today we discussed how all the chapters are related and I discovered that a lot in reading the next chapter. One you understand behaviorism observational learning fits right in. They tie veru well together and work hand in hand in the classroom.
I think this will be very helpful in the future. Understanding how students react to reinforcement and punishment will make a world of difference in classroom management and in meeting the needs of each student.

Knowledge Construction

Today's lesson was easy to understand if you didn't look too deep. Yesterday when I was making my review sheet I thought I understood the concepts and had an understanding of how everything fit together. When I came to class this morning I found that everything was a little deeper than I thought. I didn't actually realize how the process worked and the involvement that occurred through everything else. The concept of social construction was confusing in my mind but after we went through it again in class I was able to understand.
The five steps that you placed on the board helped me relate this to the classroom. Because our students are often hardheaded it may be difficult relaying new information that conflicts with a previous schema they have made. We need to convince them that new information is okay and have our students explore new ideas.
The group presentation today introduced a lot of different knowledge construction strategies. We need to do more social construction projects and draw from distributed intelligences. Something I would like to use in my classroom is authentic activities. The check book idea would work well in the other classrooms. Students are always asking "when am I ever going to have to use this" and authentic activities provide solid proof. Having our students explore new situations to solve the problem may not always be the best way to teach but it works in a lot of different situations. It is important to know when to apply this.
Everything we have learned this semester is really starting to click together. We have to be open minded and include a variety of resources in our classrooms to make our teaching effective. We need to build off of other lessons to introduce new material through scaffolding.

Study Strategy

For my goal I choose to review notes within a few hours after taking them and then within 24 hours after that. I applied this to math 2020 because that is that class that I am struggling most in at the moment. I have tried reviewing with in a few hours. This is really good because the information is still fairly fresh but you have had a chance to digest it. So when you do your homework in this time period everything clicks. The problem is we have class every other day so I then go for basically two says without studying and the homework that seemed easy is now foggy and confusing. I have also tried studying with in 24 hours and this is okay but the notes are not as clear and stuff is fairly confusing.
I have found from my experience that it is most beneficial if you study within a few hours and then do your homework and then review again sometime after you have completed the assignment but before returning to class. Often just glancing over it when it is convenient worked well for me. And I know from past experiences that if you review notes before sleeping it helps process the information into long term.

Cognitive Process

In our class we learned about memory. We reviewed long term and short term and the process that it takes to go from one form to the other. We also discussed different learning styles and how we can connect information to make it more solid. Scaffolding was something that we focused on that was a little new for me. I have been hearing this word a lot lately and it has new meaning now.
Something that I found very interesting was how we processed information. I enjoyed discussing this different types of study. I had no idea I was studying incorrectly was wrong. About 90% of my study habits are ineffective and this is important for me to know. I have thought about this the last week and have tried to apply new study skills. It is actually very hard. Our memory works it such an intricate way. We need repetition in order for it to stick. And not just memorization but learning the same thing in a variety of ways. So as teachers how to we help ourselves and our students process information into long term memory?
Something that was said in our creative arts class that I found applicable was if you teach something in a creative way and take the time to mold it into the minds of your students it will actually save you in the long run because that will process it into their long term memory. They will be able to look back on activities and if your involving several different types of learning strategies it will make a difference. Everyone studies and memorizes in a different way. Some people like to listen to music and can handle watching a football game while doing their math yet at the same time their are people who have to have complete silence and absolutely no distractions.
In my class I need to be aware of how to apply what we are learning and use the different types of study strategies. Everyone learns in a different way so applying it several times in unique ways will make a difference.

September 24th

We learned about individual differences. The part I think will be more difficult is adapting them all into your classroom. If every student has their own personality and you have 25+ students how can you plan a lesson where everyone learns? I enjoyed all the suggestions that we reviewed in class. It is imporant to remember that the child is adapting just as much as you are. It's important to remember everyone has a different intelligence. Gardener's theory of mulitple intelligences will help in the classroom. Each student has their own strengths and weaknesses and if we use linguistic, logical, musical, ect to teach we will be successful.

9/15

It is important in our classrooms to create a strong bond of unity. In order to do so all students need to feel secure. They need to have a good sense of self. As teachers we need to boost our students. In our classrooms we need to eliminate cliques. Everyone is everyones friend at least while at school. I really enjoyed how we learned the different stages of Erikson's model of social development. I have used the peg system in the past to memorize lists of information and it works well. I will be using that on the test for sure.

Child Testing

For my testing I did the experiments on my nephew. He his five, turning six in March. I did three of the experiments that you showed us in class last Wednesday and he failed all three tests.
First I placed two glasses of water that were the same size with the same amount of water in them. I asked him which one had more water. He told me they were the same. He then watched me as I dumped one of the glasses of water into a taller, thinner glass. I asked him the same question and he said the taller glass had more.
For my second experiment I placed to pencils parallel pointing towards him. I asked him which pencil appeared to be longer. Once again he told me they were equal. I then moved one pencil a couple of inches towards him and repeated the question. He told me the one closer to him was longer.
For my third and final experiment I placed two equal round balls of clay in front of him and asked him which one had more clay. He told me they were the same. I then smashed one of the balls in front of him and once again asked him which one had more clay. He told me the smashed ball contained more clay. I asked him why and he told me because it looked wider and fatter.
I was not surprised with his reasoning because he does fall into his age group although I would have expected him to find the round ball bigger than the flat ball. It was very normal to jump to the conclusions that he did but I still find it very interesting that a child can watch you change the shape and automatically assume you have added or removed matter.

Fertile Minds

In the article it relates a baby, after the first few weeks of conception, to teenagers and cellphones. Even at such a young age of development the brain is already up and working at a pace I can't even comprehend. Little shock wave messages are running across the brain and making a lot of noise. Something interesting I learned is the brain is not something that is turned on at birth. It is always working even from the beginning.
Infants need toys and they need interaction. Development will be decreased if they do not have the mental stimulation that they need. It is a crucial time period for the brain and in order for children to have fertile minds they need to have the essentials. Nature vs Nurture? We need both to reach our full potential.
The develop of the brain is very interesting. I like in the article when they said that scientist are surprised that so often everything in the brain goes right. There are so many things that have to link up in order for our brain to act accordingly. They related the axons to a bowl of spaghetti. It is the neural activity that puts everything in it's place.
The motor functions of an infant become stronger and stronger as the brain develops. The movements become more refined and the dim knowledge that was before has now brightened as the baby keeps learning. When these senses don't develop or have another reaction that could be the early signs of autism or another learning disability. Even those exposed to danger feel threatened and develop differently.
The part of the article that I found interesting was that it is easiest to learn a new language from birth to the age of 6. I knew it was easier for children but I didn't realize the essential gap began at child birth. We discussed this in class and I found it very interesting. I totally agree with foreign languages being taught in our classrooms. If it prepares your mind to make adjustments and adapt to learning then why not do it in our classrooms if we can.

Gender and Race Tests

I took both the gender and the race test and I was not surprised with my results. I have grown up with family members who grew up with more of a prejudice and because of this I have had mixed feelings. At times I can agree with them and it does rub off but for the majority of my life it has made me very angry and I have found myself correcting my parents and other relatives. I was moderate leaning towards white people and I think this is only because I don't personally know anyone who is black and have never had the chance to associate with anyone of color and so it is out of my comfort zone. This is something I would like to change and I have been working on it.
On the gender test I also found my score to be expected. My score was moderate leaning towards males in the work place. I have grown up in a family where the girls did all the house chores and the boys worked on the farm. My mom always had dinner ready when they got home. Now as I have gotten older my mom got a job in the school district because she was bored when all the kids went to school. My dad has also sold part of the dairy farm and so now he has time to help our with the house chores. I have also been pushed to go to college and receive a degree. Education and careers are very important to my parents and so I have been told that just because I am a girl doesn't mean I can't work. Another factor that plays a part is I am LDS and they do urge mothers to stay home with their children. As females we are the caregivers and should spent most of our efforts raising a family. This is one of my many goals in life and is very important to me. Because of this I do believe that in most cases the male figure does earn a living.

Learning Log 9/17

Today's lesson focused on students who have special needs. In class we had a debate whether as teachers we should diagnose the needs of the student. My group was on the negative side of labeling. We discussed that labeling our students may limit them in their expectations and goals. Once we started the debate it was hard to decide whose side I was on. Both arguments have pros and cons. As a class we decided that we need to know of the students conditions so we can help them but we need to make sure we are not focusing on their weaknesses. We should always focus on our students strengths.
As a teacher I think it would be important for the students to at least be aware that everyone is different and we all have special needs. One of my classmates suggested the idea of a class mascot that could be a doll of a different race or have a special need. This would be a good idea to get students aware of differences and how we can help each other.
In the movie we watched at the end of class one of the little boys, I think his name was William, said the class needs to know or their will be problems. Individual problems can arise for that student and for the whole class. It is our job as teachers to help unify our class and have our weaknesses into strengths.

Intelligence Testing

I took the intelligence tests required and my results were both expected and surprised. I didn’t really understand the IQ test scores but based on the national curve that it showed I think my score reflected me well. IQ tests in my mind can be beneficial in some ways but I personally think they don’t always reflect the individual accurately. The questions seemed to be completely at random and that is not always an effective testing strategy. Also you have to factor in that some people are just naturally bad test takers. There is a certain amount of all testing that can be factored down to luck and skill. Maybe I am just a good guesser and that is why I received the score I got, yet on another day my IQ could have decreased by several points because I was having an off day.
I have taken the intelligence test once before at the beginning of my Fall Semester 2007 in Student Success. I couldn’t find my old test but from what I can remember it has changed over the past year. I found that I have increased in Logical thinking and decreased in Visual. I think this is mostly because of my college experiences. I have adapted because most College classes are lecture based and show less visual aids. I also took several math classes and because this is a subject that I normally struggle in I have now learned to focus harder on those classes than others because I want to make it a strong point. I became more familiar with numbers in general and learned a lot about myself through this. I actually have always enjoyed working with numbers but when it is required for math assignments, and no longer for fun, it discourages me. My intelligence test showed that Number Smart was the second highest score on my chart and first was Kinesthetic. This came as no surprise to me because I love to be moving a because of this have a short attention span.
I think using these tests in our classrooms would be beneficial. Both could be taken at the beginning and end of each year to show improvement. I think the IQ test could be less helpful than the intelligence test just because the questions do come at random. The intelligence tests could also be used to help teachers get to know their students and connect with them on a level they understand. You could find what learning styles work with your class and use this to incorporate different strategies.

Learning Log 9/10

I found this class to be very intriguing. I didn't think I had a gender bias but after we discussed the issue in class and I read the chapter I found that there are many things that play a part in gender bias. The power point with the pictures of the different children really opened my eyes to a whole new world of individual bias. As humans we are quick to judge. When we looked at the different photos I immediately found a relation to that child and because of that I judged them. On several it was because of their skin color or their dress but on a few I just related it to someone I knew with the same name. My personal opinion is that judging is not bad. We cannot control the first reactions that are minds take when meeting someone for the first time, but we can control how we act on those instincts. As a teacher I need to remember to be more open minded and hold back on those first impressions.
The group that presented this week was very prepared. I enjoyed the lesson that they put together and it also helped me make a few realizations. They purposely choose people that went against their typical gender roles and had careers in a setting outside the normal. I think this would be important to teach our students because they need to understand that they can do anything they want and it does not make a difference if they are male or female or of a different race. We also need to teach our students to embrace their differences and make them their own. We discussed this in one of my groups and it is important that our students understand that it is not bad to be different.
As far as using this in my classroom I am slightly confused with how to do so. I remember in my intro to Education class we discussed the importance of not singling someone out for being different. Some students would rather blend in rather than be praised for being unique. Yet on the other hand I think it is important to celebrate our differences. In my own classroom I think I would like to present a lesson simliar to the group presentation we had in class. Students could then share their dreams and thoughts about what they would like to do in the future. Also in our Social Studies class this week we each brought something from our past that would help the rest of the class learn about our lives and even our ancestors. I think this would be a great time for the students to introduce their differences and learn more about one another.

Research Study

Mammes, Ingelore (2004).Promoting Girls’ Interest in Technology through. International Journal of Technology & Design Education. 14, 89(12).

The article I found was a study comparing girls and boys and their interest in technology. They related this all the way back to the general toys boys and girls use to play with as toddlers. The article went on the discuss the options that girls have to work in a technology bases career and the lack of opportunties they have. In general, girls start falling away from technology at a young age. The article discussed the importance of following up with technology in both genders so girls don't feel intimidated by technology bases careers.
I found this study to be very important for me as a teacher because I am the one who has to make a difference. I am the one who can lead girls towards technology and make them feel more comfortable. I think it is important for all teachers to not be gender biased when it comes to technology. As teachers we need to promote gender equality.

I really enjoyed this part of the article:

"This neglect of technology education compared with other topics is
encouraged by the teachers’ freedom of choice. As a result, the technology
education provided is dependent to the teachers’ competence and interest
in technology" (Mammes, 4).

In the study it followed up with a few statistics that could be a factor in females and technology. It said that over 70% of ELED teachers were female and over 80% were not familar with technology. In result only 18% were teaching technology bases lessons in their classrooms.

Their were other factors discussed in the article but I focused on this because it is sometime I can control in my own classroom. Incorporating more technology in our lessons can make a difference if we take the time to teach it.

Learning Log 9/3

Studying the different types of experiments were very interesting. To me they all have different uses but I really enjoy studying cause and effect so I enjoyed learning about the experimental study. This is more of a hands on approach in my mind and that is the angle that I would like to use when observing. We discussed that sometimes this is not always possible but I did enjoy the experiment you did in class with the different lists. My list was in alphabetical order and so it was easy to memorize. Experiments would be interesting to use in our classrooms as an action study as long as we are giving the students equal opportunities.
I would like to use all of these in my classrooms and I hope we can become more familiar with experiments and the procedures used to make sure it is effective. I would also like to become more familiar with the different learning strategies students use and how I can adjust to make it meaningful for everyone.

My Motivation

1. I am here to become a teacher. I am here to attend a school of higher learning and to be educated. I am here to better myself and become more successful.
2. My motivation comes through the desire to achieve. This desire is driven by the constant need for survival in a busy world. I am motivated by those who have had direct influence on my life. I need to please them and use the resources I have been given to prepare myself for the future. I need to be successful. Though educating myself I can learn how to educate others and strengthen their desire to succeed.
3. Success can be measured by ones accomplishments. I succeed because I want to be accomplished. I am successful because of those stronger influences in my life who encourage me.
4. In my life my failures have come because I have not put the effort into it that my work has required. I have lacked the strength and desire and after a point have given up.
5. In order for me to succeed in this class I need to stay motivated. At times it is hard to stay positive when things go wrong but if I stay motivated and keep my perspective positive then I will succeed. I have all the capabilities to be successful in this program.