8 Ways Of Learning

8 Ways of Learning

Deconstruct/Reconstruct
This form of learning occurs in a holist fashion rather than in parts. Students master a series of activities with a whole structure rather than series of sequenced steps.
Learning Maps
This method of learning is about making those overall shapes and structures in the text, activities and courses explicit. It requires the use if visualisation and the use of diagrams in order to map out the process for students.
Community Links
This method draws on the draws on research which describes Aboriginal pedagogy group-oriented, localised and connected to real-life purposes and contexts.
Symbols and images
The educator goes beyond the use of being primarily visual – spatial learners. The teachers would use all senses to build on the symbolic meaning in order to build on new concept in a class, more specifically, the use of indigenous pedagogy, the use of both concrete and abstract imagery.
Non –verbal
Kinaesthetic, hands – on learning is a critical feature to Aboriginal people. They test their knowledge non –verbally through experiences introspection and practice thus becoming critical thinkers who can judge the validity of knowledge independently.
Land links
The pedagogy is related to learning about land and place. There is a strong Aboriginal connection between land and knowledge/ learning that is widely document. Furthermore pedagogies are ecological and place based which are being drawn from the living landscape within a framework from a framework of found ancestral and person relationships with the place.
Story sharing
This form of learning draws on well document personal narratives that in knowledge of transmission and transformation. Elders teach using narratives drawing lesson from narratives in order to involve learner in interception and analysis.
Non- Liner
This is a complex cycle of learning that occurs continually. Aboriginal students can have a indirect rather than a direct form of learning. The though process of an Aboriginal person are not restricted by a serial and sequential nature of verbal thinking like that of a mainstream person.

8 Aboriginal Ways of Learning. (2009). Retrieved from http://8ways.wikispaces.com/URL

The Future of learning

It would be horrific for a teacher to walk into a classroom and only to find that that their class look like ….

Their minds spinning in all directions. It is easy to criticise another educators work but about own? Can we look at our own classroom with confidence and say we have done right by our students. Let’s review what a 21st century classroom looks like.

This whole blog screams change within the classroom environment and why not? We see it every day. If we look at the journey of change we will find that technology has taken us from typewriters to computers that transport can occur both on land and in the air, food can be organic and artificial yet edible. Yet in spite of all these changes why our classroom are so stagnant? Why can’t our classroom be more like this…?

J.Jensen.(2013). Ecolearningspaces. Retrieved from http://ecolearningspaces.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/yk-pao-06-688×230.jpg?w=658&h=220

MyRolder.(2013, August 5). My ideal Classroom. Retrieved from https://wordpress.com/post/78090666/37

Knowing – in Action (KIA)

Knowing – in Action (KIA)

Refection !!! let’s face it, it’s the most hated part of the teaching industry yet the most critical. It is purposeful method wherein through this ongoing process we are informed about our teaching techniques and thus reshapes our form of work. However it doesn’t have to be so complex. By structuring reflecting into a questing format known as known as KIA we begin to reflect on our work. Here are a few guidelines for KIA.

• Choose an incident – choose a lesson you want to reflect on. This could be something that you believe that went well or something that you would like to improve on. This incident maybe more likely to be something you need improvement in.
• Next, think about the incident in two separate frames: for example, think about the way in which you struggle with the lesson and how you overcame the struggle in order to improve it.
• Finally, discuss the process that either exists needed existence between the time frames: what was not right in knowing the actions? See if you can specify actions that link in this discussion and draw on your own discussion? That helps explain your discussion.

Papps.P.(2010, January 4). A Taxonomy of Reflection: Critical Thinking For Students, Teachers, and Principals (Part 1). retreved from http://www.peterpappas.com/2010/01/taxonomy-reflection-critical-thinking-students-teachers-principals.html

Schön, D. A. (1987).  Teaching artistry through reflection-in-action.  In Educating the reflective practitioner (pp. 22-40).  San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Taxonomy

Looking at the word ‘taxonomy’ I was quite confused as to how something so dreadful, such as the word ‘tax’ could be categorised under the word education. So I did some research and struck gold…!!! I found that word ‘tax’ comes from the latin word ‘taxire’ meaning to assess, evaluate handle…. These definitions associate well with the word taxonomy as it is a categorisation/classification of ‘things’ based on evaluation of characteristics.
Three domains of educational domains were identified, these include:

•Cognition – this involved knowledge the development of intellectual skills. This domain of Bloom’s Taxonomy has been further broken down and revised in recent time. These elements consist of:
Memory – the recollection of prior – knowledge
Understanding – comprehending, the translation and the ability to interpret.
Application – ability to use a concept in a new and improved way.
Analysis – distinguishes between facts and inferences
Evaluating – making judgements about the value of the ideas of the materials.
Creating – Builds on the structure and paters using diverse materials.

• Affective – This involves the way in which we manage things emotionally, this include our feelings, our motives, values, and our attitudes. This is broken down in five sub categories :
Receiving Phenomena – wiliness to participate on the part of the learner.
Responding to the phenomena – Active participation on the part if the learner.
Valuing – the worth of a person attached to the person or phenomena.
Organisation – organising values into priorities by contrasting values and their resolving conflicts thus creating a unique value system.

• Psychomotor – this includes motor movement, co-ordination and motor – skill. This has seven sub categories.
Perception – the ability to use cues to guide motor ability.
Set – includes mental, physical and motor sets. It is defined as the readiness to act.
Guided response – it is the early stage of learning that requires imitation and trial and error.
Mechanism (basic proficiency) – this is an intermediate stage of learning and is a complex skill.
Complex overt response – the skill involves the complex task of motor movement patters while the proficiency aspect indicates a quick, accurate, and highly coordinated performance, requiring a minimum of energy.
Adaption – the skills are well developed and the learner can modify the movement in order to fit the pattern.
Orientation – creating a new movement pattern that fits a particular situation or problem.

How does this help my personal Taxonomy?
It is obvious that people learn in different ways. I for one prefer the quite quarters of my room away from the hustle and bustle of the world….or so I thought….. However looking back at the reading I find myself reflecting on the cycle of Bloom’s taxonomy.

Motivation and engagement – I need to be engagement in what I am learning and completing. There needs to be a reason for it.
Knowledge/understanding/Goal – I need to understand the ‘learning intention’ otherwise I feel overwhelmed with the content resulting in frustration and loos of control.
Planning and self-monitoring – when working I like to have a structured plan of I can achieve the task. It enables me to refer back to the plan in case I feel a sense of loose during the assigned task. Furthermore it keep me determined and lets me know if I am achieving what it required.

Reflection and feedback – using the plan I am able to evaluate and re- evaluate if necessary the task I am performing using the plan. (i.e , am I meeting the goal? Has anything changed?). Furthermore, it builds on the current practices and thus enabling me to become a more proficient learner (what am I doing well? What am I struggling with? How can I fix this?)

Referencing
Bloom B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I: The Cognitive Domain. New York: David McKay Co Inc.
Bloom B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I: The Cognitive Domain. New York: David McKay Co Inc.

Asking the tough Questions

Asking the tough Questions – Collaborative, Co- operative and Group learning

Collaborative learning and group learning go hand – in- hand and research has proven that it increase the learning achieved by students. This form of learning relies on groups of people gathering together in order to meet a common goal. The curriculum is common to all Australian teachers. It acts as a guide to ensure that the content requirement for each year level has been taught. 

In my perspective the curriculum can be viewed as both collaborative and cooperative learning space. It is a cooperative learning space, wherein teacher work alongside the cubiculum in order to educate and provide children with the knowledge and skill necessary. It also requires the cooperation of the students in order for the content to be understood and developed. The content is also collaborative. If we look back at the definition of CoP (where member come together to share the same concerns and passions in order to enhance learning through interaction), we will find that the classroom encompasses this very definition (where children engage in their leaning discussing ideas, thoughts and  discoveries) which is driven by the common interest of the curriculum.

tyoparent.(2010, February 18). ‘Does Group Work Work?’ Is it the best way for children to learn? retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tdt-b4yMp-M&feature=youtu.be

iPads and Education

Ipads and Education

iPads in Education

Like most of you (I assume)… when I think of using technology within a classroom, I think of computers, smartboards and ipads. During my time of placement I wasn’t provided with the opportunity to witness the use of an ipad. This explains Orrin T. Murray and Nicole R. Olcese point, who state that, although there is an overwhelming growth in technology for children, its use within the classroom is poor. Murray and Olcese prove a number of reasons for this. The apps on the ipad can prove to be mechanical; furthermore some apps come in the format of a multiple choice format. However needless to say, not all apps occur in such a format. Finding applications that assist rather than hinder requires trial and error, and asking friends what they are using.

I also found it interesting about the ipads and various ways in which it can be used. The article mentions that ipads can be used to enhance children independent thinking and collaborative work, which is what teachers strive for (I imagine). With application that are user friendly such as ‘words and friends, ’mathletics,’ and ‘imovie’ it allows for an engaging, interactive and enjoyable lesson. They can also be great for creating documents, organisational skills, creating portfolios, blogging, art, mapping….And!!!….the possibilities are endless.
However it be notes that the ipad isn’t the only available tool in developing the child. We look at the child as a whole and therefore we use models and other tools that meets the needs of the child in order to enhance the child’s learning.

Murray.O and Olcese. N. (2011). Teaching ans learning with ipads: Ready or Not? Tech Trends. 55(6). 42-48.

Community of Practice (CoP)

Community of Practice (CoP)

Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger define CoP as group of member who share the same concern or passion for something they do in order to improve learning. That is the focus is mainly on the sharing aspect where the practitioner (student and staff) were the interest increases the knowledge through the exploration, discovery and ideas that are shared through each member. This form of learning is increasingly popular among educators. CoP creates a variety of opportunity to learn namely through informal meetings, online communication and many others.

How can you create a community of practice within the classroom?
Incursion and excursion and are a wonderful and exciting way to form a community of practice. Through incursion and excursion children encounter the same experience however in different forms. Therefore by doing a unit work which involve posters were children can visually share with their discoveries with their peers while technology becomes a means through which children communicate reason their findings with their peers.

Smith.M.(2009). Communities of Practise. retrieved from ://www.infed.org/biblio/communities_of_practice.

21st Century Learning

21st Century Learning

We are living in the 21^st century, times have changed.  Gone are the days where there tables and chairs would be lined in rows and the teacher would be in total control of learning. The focus 21^st century learning is now on the individual child and to cater to their learning needs. Research states that the best way which this can occur is through interior design. Who would have thought…?

Like water is a source of living, a classroom is means for learning. However the aesthetics of the learning environment must be appreciated in order to gain the most out of learning. Children are curious beings, constantly scanning and seeking inspiration from the world around them. This curiosity must be given into however we need to be careful as to the type of stimulation that we provide for the children. For example, providing the children with too much visual stimulation such as brightly coloured display pictures can cause hyperactivity among them  on the other hand low stimulation can be appear boring  and static. In conclusion, a balance of visual stimulation can provide children a rich learning environment.

In addition, visual stimulation isn’t the only element that caters to learning needs. We can enhance the learning of a child through interior design principles and elements. A research study done by Boehm and Weinberg, asked students which room they preferred to visited.  The children indicted that they preferred the room which included a large spherical space for discussion,  including photographs, and window that protruded light and plain classroom as opposed to a messy overwhelmed bright pestered filled classroom. These elements can be included within a classroom setting especially if children are provided with the opportunity to voice opinion on the classroom layout.\

Read.A.M. (2010). Creative Education: Contemplating Design: Listening to Children’s Preferences about Classroom Design.2. pp75- 80. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/Samantha/Downloads/CE20100200002_93870032%20(7).pdf 

Blog vs Widgets. What’s the difference?

Blog vs Widgets. What’s the difference?

What were your first thoughts when you heard the word “blog” or widget”? I pretentiously nodded while imagining an animated creature completely ignoring the possibility that these words could potentially be a family in the world of 2.0 web technology.

Just like the English language, the web trend is seemly unending and it is the trend of the internet to spew new words and phrases each year. For those of us trying to grasp the terminology and it’s concepts it can make our head spin. So if you come across words and you’re wondering what they mean, you are not alone. Let’s make clear what these words mean, so we look as ‘high tech’ as the world around us.

A Blog
WPMU DEV. (2013, July 6). What is a blog?. Retrieved from 

A Widget

Human.H.J.(2010,January 26). What is a Blog? What is a Blogger? What is Blogging?. retrieved from http://john.do/blog-blogger-blogging/

WPMU DEV. (2013, July 6). What is a blog?. Retrieved from 

PLN ?

PLN?

Teachers are learning junkies; in addition we are social bees. Put this together and we form a  system known as  a PLN or personal learning system.  PLN’s can be used in a variety of forms namely social networking where educators share resources, provide support, introduce and debate ideas and celebrate learning.

Beginning teachers and pre- serice teachers, like myself, rely heavy on the support and mentoring of other teachers. Furthermore, we rely on the occasional on the occasional informal training of other teachers that exist within the family, friends and the past experience. Research states that the beginning teacher who is provided with the  mentoring and support that they  need,  is most likely to stay in the profession. I bet that most you are reading these posts right now and thinking to yourselves and ‘thinking to yourselves, these are unrealistic and impossible to implement’   and by yourself, you would be right. In enters the ‘the personal learning network.An educator who has establish a strong network of teachers at various stages of their career can benefit valuable support from their local school and colleges. However a digital support system goes a step future. It provides those beginning teacher and per- servise teacher with that extra support that they need in order to become effective and successful educators Thus creating a village of village of professionals.

Sakamoto.H.B.(2012, January 3). What is a PLN, anyway?. Retrieved from http://www.teachingvillage.org/2012/01/03/what-is-a-pln-anyway/V

Henderson.k. (2013). what size is your digital footprint?A powerful Learning Digital Learning Network Can Give a Boost to a  to a Teaching Career Phi Delta Kapphan 94(7). 14.<img src=”

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