This week in class we covered three additional strategies that will help students learn: Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers; Nonlinguistic Representation; Summarizing and Notetaking. All three of these are designed to help students absorb more information in class, specifically by presenting that in different ways. People learn through different methods, and teachers can improve their class results by helping students to look at the same information in a different format.
The first strategy involves enhancing student's ability to use text to organize and use information about a topic. Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers all allow students to drill into ideas and arrange that information so that they will remember more and be able to apply that information better. Although I have used all of these strategies, I am most familiar with the use of Advance Organizers in the classes that I have taught. Because I usually teach adults, I like to try and leverage the experiences of the class. One activity that works very well is a Post-It note brainstorm. I will post a topic on the board and distribute Post-It notes to the class. Students can then write their ideas on the notes and stick them under the topic. We will then organize the notes into like categories, and talk about the themes that emerge from these groupings. It is a great way to get different perspectives from the class, and it allows all students to contribute ideas , even those who might not speak up during a discussion.
The second strategy involves the use of Non-Linguistic Representation. I am particularly interested in this strategy as I am a visual learner. I would much rather see a graph, picture, or diagram than a long page of text. This is also an important strategy for students who might not have English as their primary language. The exercise that I mentioned above can also serve as a method of Non-Linguistic Representation. Once all of the students have posted their ideas and they have been grouped into themes, there will usually be several that have many posts, and several that have very few. By looking at the size of the groupings, the instructor can illustrate to the class which points are most important. The instructor can also use the smallest groupings as discussion points. "Why do you think this topic received the fewest posts?" The visual of the different sized groups of ideas will teach as much as the ideas themselves. There is more about Non-linguistic Representation below where I compare and contrast several tools.
The final strategy for this week involves Note Taking and Summarization. This is a skill that is not always developed. In fact in our study group only half the people had actual formal training in note taking; the rest of us learned it through practice. We all agreed that providing a method of note taking to the class will improve overall results, as everyone will be able to work using the same methods and at the same pace. Summarization skills will also teach the students how to glean the most critical pieces of information from a lesson, without getting lost in less important details. Since most of my teaching is for adults, I have not used these strategies much in my classroom. However I definitely can see that providing summarization tools could help the class. This could include distributing worksheets that have the some concept headings filled in, then ask the students to list the key ideas under each concept.
Compare and Contrast Three Graphical Organizers
For the last part of this week's blog entry we were asked to compare and contrast three different tools, specifically looking at functionality and ease of use. Since I am a visual learner, I focused on three graphical organizers that will help to present concepts using a picture or diagram. To this end I even created a Comparison diagram, based on a template from one of the sites: https://docs.google.com/a/wolfmail.stritch.edu/drawings/edit?id=1E9r9bS1TlSMo2hv4pfv3c_18o90A7N7vgPkJUdRsPh0&hl=en&authkey=CITZpkc
The first site I looked at was Exploratree. This site has a number of graphical organizers that can be completed on-line. This was one of the best features of the site. Students can pull up one of these templates and immediately start adding their thoughts by typing directly on the diagram. The site was also very easy to use because the templates are broken out by the type of activity that the student need to to, such as Map Your Ideas or Solve Problems. One other interesting feature of this site was that it provided templates in Welsh, although perhaps this should not be surprising since the site is based in the United Kingdom.
The second site I looked at was the Education Oasis. This site was similar in that it also provided a large number of templates for graphical organizers. I actually liked this site better because it has a much larger selection of templates, and the categories are more aligned to content type, such as Cause and Effect, Character and Story, and Compare and Contrast. This is the site where I found the template that I used above to compare these tools, and this type of categorization will make it easier for teachers to find a template that works for their lesson. The biggest drawback to this site is that the templates are all PDF files that must be printed and filled in by hand. They can be edited using Adobe Acrobat, but this will still be more difficult than the templates available at Exploratree.
The final site that I looked at was CMap, short for Concept Map. I am familiar with the idea of concept mapping. In fact the Post-It note activity that I referenced above can be used as the starting point for a concept map. Once the class ideas are grouped by theme, the different concepts that emerge can be identified, and the relationships between those concepts can be defined. The CMap site allows teachers to do this same activity electronically, by creating a concept map that identifies key entities and the relationships between them. Of all the tolls this seems like it would be the hardest to use, as the software might need to be installed on a local server. Once installed there will be a learning curve until teachers and students can quickly and efficiently capture their ideas. It might be easier to just use a Smart Board or drawing program to achieve the same goal. Once some is familiar with CMap however, this toll could be incredibly powerful as the class will be able to link numerous concept maps and look for patterns across many elements.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Objectives, Feedback, and Recognition
This week's reading deals with three related topics. All of these work together to give students a road-map of their learning. Objectives let the students know where they are going, feedback lets them know if they are getting closer to the goal, and recognition rewards those who have done well on the journey.
Objectives should start with the learning benchmarks and goals that you need to achieve. These will include the basic concepts and skills that the students should master. But there are other learning objectives that can be incorporated into lesson plans. We have brought up 21st century learning skills a number of times in this course. Problem solving, creative thinking, and collaboration are all secondary skills that need to be incorporated into objectives in addition to the pure sharing of facts. The classes that I have designed and taught are for adults. It is very important to get adult learners involved in the instruction, so I always make sure to create objectives that speak to that, such as "Students will be able to use the knowledge of X to classify and differentiate Y". It is in these areas that technology can help the most, but it can also hinder. We need to be sure not to lock students into simple question and response type exercises, but to allow them the freedom to come up with new ways of answering an assignment.
Feedback is an especially critical component when dealing with adult learners. There are two major differences in the classes that I typically teach. First of all, there is usually not a grade awarded at the end of the class. They are designed to provide knowledge and impart ideas, but not explicitly measure the retention of those ideas. Secondly because I work with adults feedback has to be handled with extra care. With students there is an expectation that the teacher is the leader and the class will follow, although of course it doesn't always work that way. With adults however the class will bring a range of experiences and expectations. They will look at the instructor as service provider, and will expect good service as part of the instruction. If feedback is not presented in a positive and constructive manner, and bad feedback can color their experiences for the whole course. The ideas in the article Feedback that Fits are doubly important. I have found it best to present feedback as a question, such as "What do you think about this conclusion?" I also like to have the class reflect on each other's assignments.
Recognition is the capstone of the process. When a student has completed a major milestone in the class, or has done exceptional work on an assignment, it is important to reward that achievement. I am also a strong proponent of the praise in public concept. It is important to show the class that good work will be appreciated, and to use that work as an example for others. I do not subscribe to the idea that everyone must be rewarded, but I do look for opportunities to spread the recognition to as many class members as possible, once they have demonstrated some achievement.
The last part of our blog assignment is to reflect on Electronic Student Response technologies. This is an area where I have had very little experience. Although I am familiar with the concepts, I have never had the opportunity to design a class that would use these tools. They certainly would provide a good way of getting immediate feedback on the learning of the class. I look forward to being able to incorporate them into the future.
Objectives should start with the learning benchmarks and goals that you need to achieve. These will include the basic concepts and skills that the students should master. But there are other learning objectives that can be incorporated into lesson plans. We have brought up 21st century learning skills a number of times in this course. Problem solving, creative thinking, and collaboration are all secondary skills that need to be incorporated into objectives in addition to the pure sharing of facts. The classes that I have designed and taught are for adults. It is very important to get adult learners involved in the instruction, so I always make sure to create objectives that speak to that, such as "Students will be able to use the knowledge of X to classify and differentiate Y". It is in these areas that technology can help the most, but it can also hinder. We need to be sure not to lock students into simple question and response type exercises, but to allow them the freedom to come up with new ways of answering an assignment.
Feedback is an especially critical component when dealing with adult learners. There are two major differences in the classes that I typically teach. First of all, there is usually not a grade awarded at the end of the class. They are designed to provide knowledge and impart ideas, but not explicitly measure the retention of those ideas. Secondly because I work with adults feedback has to be handled with extra care. With students there is an expectation that the teacher is the leader and the class will follow, although of course it doesn't always work that way. With adults however the class will bring a range of experiences and expectations. They will look at the instructor as service provider, and will expect good service as part of the instruction. If feedback is not presented in a positive and constructive manner, and bad feedback can color their experiences for the whole course. The ideas in the article Feedback that Fits are doubly important. I have found it best to present feedback as a question, such as "What do you think about this conclusion?" I also like to have the class reflect on each other's assignments.
Recognition is the capstone of the process. When a student has completed a major milestone in the class, or has done exceptional work on an assignment, it is important to reward that achievement. I am also a strong proponent of the praise in public concept. It is important to show the class that good work will be appreciated, and to use that work as an example for others. I do not subscribe to the idea that everyone must be rewarded, but I do look for opportunities to spread the recognition to as many class members as possible, once they have demonstrated some achievement.
The last part of our blog assignment is to reflect on Electronic Student Response technologies. This is an area where I have had very little experience. Although I am familiar with the concepts, I have never had the opportunity to design a class that would use these tools. They certainly would provide a good way of getting immediate feedback on the learning of the class. I look forward to being able to incorporate them into the future.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Two Articles on Improving Student Outcomes with Technology
A Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Teaching and Learning With Technology on Student Outcomes
In reading this article, I was stuck by their assertion that education has previously been a "soft science". It never occurred to me that much of education practice is based in theories and techniques that are used just because they are familiar, rather than those that have been reviewed and proved by scientific methods. I think the practice of analyzing and summarizing various studies is a great way to collect some common themes and check education practices against against them. The most significant finding of the studies was that the application of technology was significant in improving the learning outcome of students. Many people might have an opinion of how effective computers are in learning; many people probably consider them more of a distraction. These studies verified that students will remain on task longer, and that the transition from a teacher centric to a student centric learning environment will improve their ability to retain information.
My other conclusion from this article is that I need more background in statistical analysis.
Principles for Teaching and Learning
This article was much more applicable than the first one. The 7 learning and 7 teaching principles listed in these articles are definitely items to keep in mind when designing technology based classes. For the 7 learning strategies, the one theme that seemed to exist in most for the strategies was that students must be involved in the learning for it to truly be successful. Student's prior knowledge, organizational skills, and motivations will all determine how well they can learn. Also their ability to set goals and monitor their own progress against those goals will provide additional motivation to learn.
The teaching strategies also had several elements that involve understanding the students, and especially their motivations. They also stress that teachers will need to change the role that they play in class, depending on the reactions of the students, and that teachers will need to keep refining their classes as they learn more from different groups of students.
In reading this article, I was stuck by their assertion that education has previously been a "soft science". It never occurred to me that much of education practice is based in theories and techniques that are used just because they are familiar, rather than those that have been reviewed and proved by scientific methods. I think the practice of analyzing and summarizing various studies is a great way to collect some common themes and check education practices against against them. The most significant finding of the studies was that the application of technology was significant in improving the learning outcome of students. Many people might have an opinion of how effective computers are in learning; many people probably consider them more of a distraction. These studies verified that students will remain on task longer, and that the transition from a teacher centric to a student centric learning environment will improve their ability to retain information.
My other conclusion from this article is that I need more background in statistical analysis.
Principles for Teaching and Learning
This article was much more applicable than the first one. The 7 learning and 7 teaching principles listed in these articles are definitely items to keep in mind when designing technology based classes. For the 7 learning strategies, the one theme that seemed to exist in most for the strategies was that students must be involved in the learning for it to truly be successful. Student's prior knowledge, organizational skills, and motivations will all determine how well they can learn. Also their ability to set goals and monitor their own progress against those goals will provide additional motivation to learn.
The teaching strategies also had several elements that involve understanding the students, and especially their motivations. They also stress that teachers will need to change the role that they play in class, depending on the reactions of the students, and that teachers will need to keep refining their classes as they learn more from different groups of students.
Tracking our Tools - Technology and Classroom Instruction that Works
We have started a new course this week, called Enhancing Learning Materials Through Technology. What I am most excited about with this class (so far) is the textbook, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. All of our previous classes have introduced a wide variety of tools and technologies that could be used to enhance the classroom experience, and to help students learn more. This textbook has finally given us a good framework that can be used to organize the tools we have used. Based on that material, I have created two spreadsheets that I intend to use through out the rest of this program. The first is just a slight variation of one of the charts from the book. It lists the 9 instructional strategies that can be enhanced with technology, and the types of software that are best able to do so. I have added the specific recommendations that are presented in each chapter, so this spreadsheet is a one stop reference for the key ideas of the text: https://spreadsheets.google.com/a/wolfmail.stritch.edu/ccc?key=0Auyl8fgWt9e5dEgtcGJEWmNiS3dodk9pWUNjbVJjR2c&hl=en&authkey=CLiw6bkH
However the text also gave me another idea. One issue that I have been struggling with is how to keep track of all of the tools that we have used. By using the seven categories of software identified in the text, I was able to go back through the lesson plans from the previous classes and group the tools into those categories where they will add the most value: https://spreadsheets.google.com/a/wolfmail.stritch.edu/ccc?key=0Auyl8fgWt9e5dE5XNm50eEwwRWtrSHFkSXNFNE11YkE&hl=en&authkey=CM2gtfAI
This will be a reference that I keep growing as we go through the rest of the program.
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