Written Essays |
Educational Psychology 399 OL ~ Learning and Classroom Management |
Productive Feedback: |
As I am approaching my final evaluation of the school year, it occurred to me that assertive discipline has another place within the school that shapes the behavior of the staff not the students. Attendance is one behavior in which the staff is documented on. Perfect attendance is rewarded with a bonus. If all provided sick days or personal days are not used within the year then they are carried over to the next year. However if additional days are used outside of the provided then pay is docked for those days used in addition to gaining a poor attendance record. Teaching performance, school involvement through committee participation and extracurricular involvement, and relationships with colleagues, parents, and students are also evaluated on a daily basis. Good standings in these categories result in positive evaluations, which can be rewarded through being reired to the district, earning senority, or carring a strong work ethic to another work place. On the other hand poor evaluations in this category often result in job termination or carrying the burden of a bad track record when looking for other employment. Assertive disciline is used in school districts to encourage model behavior
from the staff to set a good example to the young impressionable minds
of the students. The teaching profession is constantly under the microscope
of society and teachers should display professional behavior whether
it is through following the dress codes, learning current teaching techniques,
or challenging our students through a variety of methods. There is definitly
a need for assertive discipline in the work place to encourage employees
to step above and beyond the standards in order to stand above the rest,
to succeed in a competitive world, and to educate the youth of our nation. |
Use of Punishment: |
| It is not often that I have to resort to using punishment
in my classroom. However when the occasions to surface, the strategies
have been quite effective. My most recent occurrence happened about two
weeks ago when I caught a student throwing spitballs at my bulletin board.
After discussing the issue with the student and his parents, the student
spent an afternoon after school helping our custodial staff around the
building. The next day the student hand delivered to me an a letter of
apology that went into great detail about how he was sorry for his actions
and that he had learned his lesson. He even offered to come in and help
fix my bulletin board. He has since been extremely pleasant to work with
in class.
One other strategy that I have used with great success is having students write an essay about their behavior, how they intend to change it, and they must get the letter signed by all of their other teachers and their parents. I don’t feel that the writing portion is the punishment, but that they have to inform their other teachers and their parents of the behavior issues that have occurred outside of their view. In the middle school environment I feel that this works nicely because it lets the other teachers know what is going on in the students other classes and allows teachers to recognize repeated behaviors. Many teachers have thanked me for using this strategy and have implemented it in their own classrooms. The only times that I use punishment is usually after I have tried positive
or negative reinforcement and did not get the desired results. Often
because of individual differences, punishment in addition to positive
and negative reinforcement dependent on past experiences with a particular
student or behavior, but also the urgency of the issue.
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Procedural Knowledge: |
| The school that I work at runs on trimesters and being an
encore teacher I only see my students for twelve weeks. With such a limited
amount of time and an unlimited amount of information to teach, I find
it very important to teach my students skills that will help them get the
most out of their brief time in my class. I assessed when the most time
is wasted and how that could be changed. As a result I came up with a system
that has helped tremendously.
My students learn on the very first day of computer class that when they enter the classroom that they are to look at the whiteboard for directions. The directions usually specify what materials need to be picked up, what program needs to be opened up, and/or what page to open their textbooks to. This enables me to start class when the bell rings and it alleviates discipline and tardy problems. It also allows for incentive activities if the students earn them at the end of class. If the students come into the classroom and get started then they will have more time to work in class as well as working towards earning incentives. I fortunately have not encountered any problems with this system. It is very motivating for the students to get to use the computers and they want to use the time wisely that is granted to them while in the computer lab. They usually learn the system within a few days. All it takes is for one time for them to learn that if they don’t come in and get started then they won’t earn any incentives and they will have to bring their work home to finish. I hope that my students will carry this knowledge on to other classes and situations in life, because it amplifies valuable lessons about time management, self-control, and problem solving.
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Computers and Building Lessons: |
| It became
apparent to me that Mayer’s statement is
valid as I read chapter 8. When reading about logical reasoning an example
was provided that asked what word in a set of five did not belong. Of the
words CYCLE, SELDOM, SAWDUST, SAUSAGE, and CELLAR, I guessed that the word
CYCLE did not belong because it was the only word whose second letter did
not consist of a vowel. However the answer was correct, the reasoning was
very different. Had I been given the guidance in advance that I should
focus on the beginning sounds, my reasoning for my answer would have definitely
been different. I agree with Mayer that meaningful learning is produced when, “the learner explores a problem or task and is given various forms of guidance- including concrete materials, hints, and links to prior experience.” In my seventh and eighth grade Computer Literacy course I teach a unit on how to successfully and efficiently search for information on the Internet. Within the unit I use concrete, discovery, and inductive methods of instruction with the aid of computers as outlined below.
http://www.kidsdomain.com/brain/computer/surfing/kids_intro_net.html II. (Discovery Method) Guided exploration and reinforcement of vocabulary http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/welcome/ III. (Inductive Method) Independent exploration and application of vocabulary http://www.gdport.com/tgif7.htm
Being a computer teacher I witness everyday the role computers play in creating meaningful learning experiences using concreteness, activity and familiarity. One goal that many teachers who teach an academic area strive for is to integrate technology into their classroom activities. As the computer teacher I aim to bring all of the academic areas into my classroom to reinforce the skills they learn in my class, other classes, as well as outside of school.
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Website Analysis: |
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| When it comes to guidelines for analyzing websites I find
that there are many principles that differ from those used to analyze textbooks.
One issue that stands out to me is the fact that a textbook is more prone
to cover more in depth information about a topic where as a website primarily
covers the main points. However, I feel that students may respond differently
to these different types of reading materials. In my teaching experiences,
my students are much more motivated to work on a computer versus a textbook.
Although there are many distractions involved with using websites (pop-ups,
animations, advertisements, etc.).
One thing that needs to exist in the classroom where the computer/Internet is being utilized is guidance from the teacher. Teachers need to provide the same support to their students while working online such as reflecting upon prior knowledge, summarizing the material, discussing inferences, and monitoring comprehension. According to Jamie McKenzie, author of www.fromnowon.org, a site dedicated to promoting the advances in educational technologies outlines eighteen “Design Tenets for Educational Web Pages.” I feel that many of the tenets proposed by McKenzie support many of Mayer’s findings on reading fluency, comprehension, and retention. I have applied McKenzie’s tenets to the following websites on Internet safety. Although some of the guidelines are specific towards creating a school website, I have omitted those that are not relevant. http://www.kidsdomain.com/brain/computer/surfing/index.html
Kids Domain- Although this website is relatively brief with few graphics, some of the information is repetitive. The strongest feature of this site is that it uses signaling through typographical cues such as bold, italics, and coloring of key terms and concepts. The author of the site uses generalization throughout the entire site, which keeps it simple. Overall this site is student friendly, it is easy to find information, the vocabulary is age-appropriate, and a concise yet descriptive explanation of each link is provided. My experience with using this website with my classes has been incredibly positive with seventh and eighth graders of all ability levels. I use some of the printable materials in addition to my own to monitor comprehension. Play It Cyber Safe- This website has an inviting and fun vibe to it yet it also appears very professional. I liked that each page opened in its own window this made it easier to navigate through the sites and links. I did not like that some of the links did not work or required files to be downloaded. These issues cause confusion and frustration. The games on the site required Shockwave, which again has to be downloaded if it has not been done so already. These issues create a disruption in the flow of classroom activities and waste valuable class time. Overall this site was aesthetically pleasing however underneath that the content of the site was disappointing. Besides the games, the site really did not provide any information about Internet Safety. It only provided links to sites related to Internet Safety. Neither of the sites provided adjunct questions, advance organizers, summarization, or comprehension monitoring. Wonderments:
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Metawriting: |
| According
to Mayer, “ metacognition is knowledge and
awareness of one’s own cognitive processes.” Webster, “to
set down or express in letter or words on paper, etc.” defines writing.
My own interpretation of metawriting (a comparative conception of metacognition
and writing) is thinking about the cognitive processes while in the act
of writing. As I sit here writing this piece now the cognitive processes
that are present seem to be dominated more so by the thoughts that I am
conveying versus the actual rules of writing.
Piaget studied the differences between writing and speaking and found that, “writing is a skill that depends partly on the writer’s ability to understand the perspective of the audience.” I also feel that the writing process allows for more time for word choice, sentence structure, and revision, whereas the act of speaking moves much faster with almost immediate results. Although people’s writing often reflects one’s unique personality, it also allows for a more fined tuned composition dependent upon the audience. So what makes one a good writer? Applebee outlined three kinds of knowledge: I feel that Applebee was accurate in his guidelines, however I feel that there is an element of personal style that really amplifies one’s ideas through a written composition. As a computer teacher my students do a lot of revisions to learn many of the tools of a word processing program, but when they do create their own documents I encourage them to be creative and to let themselves shine through their work whether it is a formal letter, an invitation, or a flyer. I think that metawriting lends itself to this type of creative writing because you should apply your own ideas, interests, and strengths to your writing. For example, I have many students that are incredibly funny and when they write that humor is apparent in their work, which makes it unique. Moreover, not only is knowledge of language, topic, and audience important, but also an original component of the creator. Flower and Hayes proposed three cognitive processes in writing which include planning, translating, and reviewing. Planning includes generating ideas, organizing those ideas, and goal setting for the writing process. Translating consists of creating the product and reviewing includes revising and editing. I was fortunate enough to observe a group of students taking the writing portion of the ISAT tests a few weeks ago. In the test directions it specifically encouraged the students to not only plan, but also to review and even provided an area to plan and a checklist of items to look for in the reviewing process (punctuation, spelling, grammar, etc.). It was truly appalling to witness these students totally disregard the planning and reviewing steps of the writing process. I am not sure what this has to say for the metawriting that these students experience or the quality of their end products. Perhaps the solution to the problem that I have recognized is the emphasis of the product rather than the process. After discussing this issue with several colleagues I found that within the school that I work at several teachers break down the writing process into steps and grade the students on different milestones such as note taking, outlining, and creating a topic sentence in addition to the final product. Unfortunately the students are obviously still lacking in this area. One thing that I have tried in my own classroom is social motivation. I have asked for students to volunteer to share their finished products, I have displayed student work in the classroom and hallway, and I have conducted contests. When students know that I am not going to be the only one who sees their work they tend to put more effort into the writing process which usually results in a better product. Within my classroom I have employed all three methods of instruction as identified by Hillocks. In my advisory I have my students write in their journals two or three times a week. This natural process type of writing places more of an emphasis on the student’s ideas rather than language. They may write about any questions, comments, or concerns they may have about academic or personal issues. I respond to their writing at the end of every week and the students have really responded well to this activity and I have really gotten to know them much better. I also have my students do presentational writing in computer class such as thank you letters and PowerPoint presentations. Although these activities are important for the students to do they are very time consuming which is not conducive in a twelve-week class. In addition I have also used environmental writing activities. For example I have my students conduct a debate on copyright. The students have to research the topic to support their argument and then they create a persuasive piece based upon their findings in which they present to the class. I have found through the different types of writing activities that I have used in my classes that the responses of my students vary significantly. Some students do not like to choose what they write; they can not function without specific topics and boundaries. Other students would much rather have those freedoms and produce fabulous work. Every person has their own preferences and abilities and if there were a way to accommodate a lesson for every student than we would see much more success, however it does not always work that way. There will always be those students who can throw together a phenomenal piece in a half an hour and those that spend hours on a mediocre piece. Its just like those who can solve a ten step algebraic equation without writing down a single number where as another person could fill up a whole sheet of paper and not even find the answer. Overall, each individual has their own meta-notions for the things that they do and experience, knowledge, and personality significantly influence the process and product of each. As educators we need to encourage our students to apply these meta-notions to their fullest and to learn from their trials and tribulations along the way.
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Misconceptions: |
| I
teach computer literacy to seventh and eighth graders and I have encountered
many misconceptions and attitudes that impact student learning. Technology
is constantly evolving and I think that many of the misconceptions are
formed because of unfamiliarity and the continual changes. Although students
are exposed to technology in the classroom today more than they ever
have before, specific courses have only recently emerged in many schools.
The most common misconception that I have discovered is that everything on the Internet is true. Even after teaching about looking for reliable and accurate websites by taking them to the hoax museum (a collection of bogus websites), they still have a difficult time grasping this concept. To help extinguish this misconception I bring in a variety of magazines including some real cheesy tabloids and ask them to identify the ones that would contain reliable and accurate information. My students also have many misconceptions regarding copyright laws. Many of them believe that it must be okay to download music because so many music-sharing programs exist and it is so easy to do. They also think that it is okay to copy software, games, movies, or CDs if it is just for their friends. I always here them say, “Why would they make CD and DVD burners if it were illegal?” Right now there are quite a few legal cases involving people their age that clearly proves to them that there are real life consequences to copyright infringement. After reviewing several laws I ask my students how many of them would love to be a rock star, actor, movie producer, video game creator, or software designer. Then I ask how many of them would want their product to be copied and distributed with no profit in it for them. Not too many responses! More so than misconceptions students often develop attitudes that prevent them from getting a solid educational experience. For example, I always have one or two students who believe that they know everything about computers. These know-it-alls typically do not put forth much effort, do not pay attention, and usually perform worse than the other students. These students decide before stepping into the classroom that they do not need my class and will not learn anything and they don’t. How often have we all heard, “I’m just not a computer (or math, science, whatever…you name it) person and I’ll never learn this stuff.” When people let themselves believe these statements, they simply will not succeed because they aren’t willing to make it worth their while. I truly believe that everybody is capable of learning a specific subject area, but you have to recognize the obstacles that make it difficult for you to learn it. Mayer outlined the four major components involved in mathematical problem solving, which makes it easy to recognize where your weaknesses exist and focus on those areas. I
have utilized various questionnaires and surveys in my classroom
to determine what misconceptions my students have. This gives
me an idea about how many students have certain misconceptions,
so that I can redirect their thoughts. According to Mayer, “The
first step toward meaningful learning is to recognize that one’s
current conceptions re unable to explain the available data.” When
trying to overcome misconceptions in the classroom it is important
to give concrete information and examples, so that your students
can relearn the accurate information and recognize their mistakes. |
Class Meetings: |
A class meeting provides students as well as educators with an outlet for expressing concerns, issues, opinions, and feelings in a safe and structured environment. Glasser outlined three different types of class meetings including open ended (what if scenarios), educational/diagnostic (used to make curriculum decisions based on student interest, knowledge, and experience), and problem solving (clarify problems, suggest solutions, and create a plan of action as well as specific behavioral concerns). The class meeting really embraces the sense of community that should exist within every classroom. Jane Nelson, a Dreikurs-Adlerian writer believes in, “using much classroom time to hold daily and weekly classroom meetings with students, which she views as teaching children life skills that are in many ways more important than reading, writing, arithmetic, or other academic subjects.” I feel that this statement is incredibly valid just from teaching middle school students everyday. Recently six students from my school were suspended for drug possession. These students were very open about the fact that they have been buying and selling right under our noses! This must mean that the other students know about this as well, but did any of them come forward about it? Absolutely not! Why? Perhaps because these students have not been properly taught how to handle these types of situations and simply fear peer retaliation and the social stigmas of being the tattletale. I truly believe that implementation of classroom meetings would help solve problems of this nature. This year I have used class meetings quite successfully with my advisory. I meet with my advisory three times a day, everyday. I see them in the mornings for a half an hour, forty minutes at lunch, and then the last ten minutes of the day. At the beginning of the year I had my students start writing questions, comments, and concerns that they may have about academic and/or personal issues as a precursor to discussing these topics in class. I wrote back to each of them at the end of the week. Although we have continued the journals we also use class meetings at the end of each day and once a week. Within our class meetings we have two representatives that fill us in on upcoming assignments and events. These students are in charge during the last ten-minute session of the day and do an awesome job settling the class down, getting their attention, and addressing student questions. Our weekly meeting varies in topic from week to week (this week’s topic was…surprise, surprise…about drug use). Throughout the year I have used Teachers First’s Guide to Peer Mediation as a resource. This website provides a clear description of preparing for a class meeting, conducting the meeting, setting rules, and creating an agenda. I have adopted their suggested rules, which include: 1.
One person speaks at a time. My next step is to incorporate these class meetings into my computer classes through asynchronous meetings. I would love for my students to discuss the course topics and share their ideas through technological means. My experience with this method has been incredibly positive and would love to learn more about how to bring this type of activity into my classroom.
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Cognitive Apprenticeships: |
| According
to Mayer cognitive apprenticeship, “helps
students learn the cognitive processes that experts use to handle complex
tasks through guided experience on intellectual tasks.” Through formal
instruction using modeling, coaching, and scaffolding, students are exposed
to experiences that occur in real life situations. The Georgia Youth Apprenticeship
Program developed by the Georgia Department of Education has embraced this
notion with the philosophy that not only are they “preparing students
for the world of work,” but also they are, “providing Georgia
with a high-skilled, technologically competitive workforce.” This
concept could even motivate the state to provide more funding for educational
purposes.
The Georgia Department of Education has identified student and employer
benefits for this program with many of them reflecting Mayer’s
depiction of the advantages of an educational program based on the apprenticeship
model of instruction. The Georgia Youth Apprenticeship Program allows
students to: The businesses are provided with: Although I was not able to obtain specific information about the instructional
approaches employed through the program it appears to have a heavy emphasis
on more of a traditional approach. The state has created a curriculum
framework for each occupational field based on student performance standards
which were created from an eclectic collection of “performance
standards gleaned from other states, from national curriculum laboratories
and national curriculum projects, and from industry skill standards.” In
addition the curriculum framework includes two components: With 163 schools and 2,518 employers, and 82 coordinators participating in this program, there definitely has to be an emphasis on the various instructional approaches such as reciprocal teaching, cooperative learning, and participatory modeling. The skills that the students who are directly involved in this program obtain lend themselves to great classroom lessons that could only come from these unique experiences with occupational fields ranging from Cosmetology to Therapeutic Medical Technology. The students would eventually be able to be the ones to interact with one another by modeling, coaching, and scaffolding. Technological skills are a huge emphasis in this program, but technology also plays a crucial role in the instructional methods for connecting students and employers as well as for skill attainment. The program could utilize distant learning for students who are unable to leave the building or to interact within unsafe working conditions. Mayer also discussed using computer simulations; imagine completing a frog dissection without the intolerable smell of formaldehyde and scraping miscellaneous parts off from the lab tables for months afterwards. Cooperative learning, reciprocal teaching, and participatory modeling could occur between students on opposite sides of the globe or perhaps just opposite sides of the building through synchronous or asynchronous chats. The tools that are available within your typical school provide many outlets for opportunities that would not be otherwise available within the confines of a classroom. As a student in the CTER program I know firsthand that learning through the means of instructional technologies can and do occur successfully in all different contexts. Technology can unlock those doors that have never even been opened in order to allow classroom experiences that continue to unlock more and more doors of unexplored territory. Mayer states “By infusing apprenticeship principles into schools, the students become cognitive apprentices within the classroom, teachers (and highly able students) become master learners within the classroom, and classes are transformed into the communities of practice working together to master academic classes.” Cognitive apprenticeship combined with modern technologies like the Georgia Youth Apprenticeship Program could only warrant the transfer of school skills and knowledge to real life situations.
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Motivation: |
| Dewey
states that, “teachers should not spoil the
student by creating a situation in which everything is made play, amusement…everything
is sugar coated for the child.” However this tends to be difficult
when our students function in a sugar coated world. In the field of education
we compete with many outside forces including the media, video games, and
high tech/high functioning toys and gadgets, which effects our students
in the classroom. By making education fun, we are only enabling our students
to enjoy their educational experiences and cherish them for a lifetime.
We are teaching them to make the best of the situations that they encounter.
As educators we should encourage our students to become self-motivated
and look for ways to enhance the experiences that we are blessed with and
those that we are burdened with. As a middle school computer teacher, I know how motivating computers are in the classroom. Each student holds their own individual motivations toward working with computers. Many of the students enjoy the hands-on element of working with computers and can stay focused on the course material. The students also do not have access to computers all of the time, so when they do get to use them it is seen as a privilege. Even with the increased use of computers in the classroom there is so much diversity in the hardware and software available that students should not get bored with this incredibly motivating tool. According to the article, Humans and Computers Working Together in School, “Pupils motivated by the use of technology by its practical, flexible, and often, exciting potential, can take greater control of their learning. Teachers are released from more traditional classroom management issues and are able to take a more facilitative role, devolving responsibility for learning to pupils.” So perhaps there are many environmental factors involved in motivating students as well. A teacher that does not have render much structure or control probably does not spend as much time engaging the students in the academic content. As a result the students may not recognize the value of the subject area deterring their motivation. I am currently proctoring a standardized test, which is taken on the computer. The students like taking the test better on the computer versus filling in the bubbles, and hopefully their test scores will reflect this disposition. Over time it will be interesting to see whether their increased motivation for taking the test will stay consistent or if the novelty of taking this type of computerized test will wear off. This situational interest is created not because it has been sprinkled with some sort of flavoring as Mayer mentioned, but because this format presents the test-taker with immediate scores and the absence of the mundane task of filling in the bubbles. Mayer’s strategies for motivating students are valid guidelines for educators to use, but I also think that students need to be taught how to become self-motivated and to find value in what they are learning, be confident that they can be successful, and make an effort to succeed. These are valuable traits that will ensure continued achievement in school, the workplace, and in everyday situations.
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Course Work: |
Collective Works |
Conflict Resolution Project |
Wonderments |
Talking Essays |
References |
Peer Feedback |
Last
Updated: 05.06.04 |