Cyndy's+personal+page

Personal Reflection on "How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience"

I've pasted some quotes from the article and my responses to those.

" One of the hallmarks of the new science of learning is its emphasis on learning with understanding"

I think this switch has occurred between the time I went to grade school (1970's) to when I started teaching (1980's). This has been a good, but difficult switch to make because I think teaching for strictly facts is easier than teaching for understanding. It's easier to assess learning if you're just looking for factual recall. I find myself slipping into this mode of teaching when I'm frustrated with how the lesson is going or if I suddenly realize the curriculum won't be covered. How can I stop from doing that? I find that I assess mostly on factual recall, as well. This is easier to grade..."does the kid get the concept or not?" And I'll know by the right answer. hmmm.. something for me to think about.

"A logical extension of the view that new knowledge must be constructed from existing knowledge is that teachers need to pay attention to the incomplete understandings, the false beliefs, and the naive renditions of concepts that learners bring with them to a given subject."

I need to be more aware of previous knowledge. I do make a lot of assumptions of my students' prior knowledge. I assume that everyone thinks the same, or comes with the same preset knowledge. I am also guilty of assuming that because I've taught them all the same lesson, they have all gained the same knowledge. So I need to practice re-teaching a different way, asking questions, taking the time for learning to show.

“What does this article teach us about learning?” (Community space)

=
“How do I understand learning to occur?” - building on previous knowledge -practice, practice, practice - changes behaviour** “How does what we have explored relate to learning and teaching with technology?”
 * This article teaches us that learning is far more than just being able to regurtitate facts. Learning actually changes the shape of the brain. Learning is based on previous knowledge and is shaped by what has been experienced.**=====
 * - change of thinking in brain

No absolute values---people get to pick and choose what they want Learning is much more global - could have huge repercussions in our society We expect learning to be instant, just as technology is. -does this lead to shorter attention span? - does this mean it needs to be etertaining? There is much greater variety - does our curriculum limit the students in their learning? More student centred - teacher's job is to facilitate. Teachers are no longer the ones who disseminate knowledge, we help the students find it.**
 * Many more voices are heard