Thursday, March 24, 2011
Online Learning for Students
The topic of this week's conversation is online learning for high school students. I have put together a few thoughts at http://voicethread.com/share/1874941. Enjoy.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
EDUC 6714 Reflection
When I started this course I did not know what to expect. The title of the course indicates that we would be learning about how to get all our students to use technology. My first thoughts were that this was fairly obvious. This was one of the main reasons I enrolled in this program; to better able my students to use technology. As the course progressed, I began to have a shift in the way I approached teaching.
A few weeks before this course began; the grade 7 teaching team at my school had a meeting with the divisional math curriculum support teacher (CST). We had requested this meeting because as grade level teachers, we had noticed many gaps and deficiencies in our students’ learning as a whole - not just in one class. One of the first ideas our CST had for us was that there was nothing we could do about the students we were given. This group was weak in math. The recommendation was that we had to meet our students where they were at. I reflected on this statement for some days and realized that although a simple idea, this could make the difference in my students’ school year. With this change of attitude, I changed my approach to teaching my math class. Tomlinson (2009) refers to differentiated instruction (DI) as a mindset that the teachers has about their students. I had begun this process before this course had commenced. As this course continued, I obtained more ideas as to how I could get better at making learning work better in my class.
Two features of DI stood out to me in course. Firstly, the idea of student learning styles was introduced. Tomlinson (1999) urges teachers to know their learners. At the start of the year, establish a survey or questionnaire that will give you an idea of who your students are and how they like to learn. With this information at hand, the second feature of this course, effective grouping, can be implemented. Smith and Throne (2009) and Tomlinson (1999) indicate that for effective DI, a teacher must know how to group students properly. Depending on the assignment, a teacher may use readiness, interest, or learning style to group students. This also falls into what universal design for learning stresses for higher student engagement and learning. Rose (2009) refers to three networks of the brain – recognition, strategic, and affective. When a teacher knows which one of these networks is dominant in a student, assignments can be tailored to these areas and a student will see more success.
My school may not have the best technology program available to students; however, there are many options available. Even before this course started I tried to expose my students to as many technology ideas for assignments as I could. With different assignments using different web tools, I give students a variety of choice as to how they will show their learning.
The course text, videos, and readings, have allowed me to refocus on learning profiles, grouping, and the physical set-up of my classroom. This course also gave me the opportunity to participate in a social network. Through different weeks of the program my group either posted ideas, web tools, or web sites that focused on either DI or UDL. I found this exercise to be beneficial. An activity that was particularly useful was the online chat. I have never chatted online before and it was amazing to think that ideas were being instantly shared by people in at least three countries and two continents. Who said teaching was something done in isolation? I have not been able to apply or use all the resources gathered by my classmates. I have not had a chance to go through all the information in detail. However, it is advantageous to have these resources for the future. Currently, I may not need to use all of the information found, but I have a stockpile of resources that I can use and share with other teachers as they become necessary. I had the opportunity to forward a web site to a parent shared in our social network. The parent was grateful and believes that their child would benefit from the exercises on the web site. Working with my classmates in a group like this was a hands-on exercise in DI. Different learning styles and interests came together to help each other in making their own teaching a more positive experience.
Tomlinson (1999) states that a teacher needs to know what they believe to be successful in DI. The author continues to encourage teachers to start small when using DI, set goals, give choice, and always reflect. Smith and Throne (2009) encourage teachers to include technology when incorporating DI. DI works well when a teacher plans with the end in mind to help students become independent, curious learners. Incorporating technology helps students to bridge the gap between their in school life and their out of school life. With these things in mind, I look forward to the shift in how I approach teaching and my students.
References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program 13: Brain research and UDL [DVD]. Reaching and engaging all learners through technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program 19: Managing the differentiated classroom [DVD]. Reaching and engaging all learners through technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program 20: Putting it all together [DVD]. Reaching and engaging all learners through technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program 22: Reflection [DVD]. Reaching and engaging all learners through technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Tomlinson, C. (1999). Differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.
Retrieved from the Walden Library ebrary.
A few weeks before this course began; the grade 7 teaching team at my school had a meeting with the divisional math curriculum support teacher (CST). We had requested this meeting because as grade level teachers, we had noticed many gaps and deficiencies in our students’ learning as a whole - not just in one class. One of the first ideas our CST had for us was that there was nothing we could do about the students we were given. This group was weak in math. The recommendation was that we had to meet our students where they were at. I reflected on this statement for some days and realized that although a simple idea, this could make the difference in my students’ school year. With this change of attitude, I changed my approach to teaching my math class. Tomlinson (2009) refers to differentiated instruction (DI) as a mindset that the teachers has about their students. I had begun this process before this course had commenced. As this course continued, I obtained more ideas as to how I could get better at making learning work better in my class.
Two features of DI stood out to me in course. Firstly, the idea of student learning styles was introduced. Tomlinson (1999) urges teachers to know their learners. At the start of the year, establish a survey or questionnaire that will give you an idea of who your students are and how they like to learn. With this information at hand, the second feature of this course, effective grouping, can be implemented. Smith and Throne (2009) and Tomlinson (1999) indicate that for effective DI, a teacher must know how to group students properly. Depending on the assignment, a teacher may use readiness, interest, or learning style to group students. This also falls into what universal design for learning stresses for higher student engagement and learning. Rose (2009) refers to three networks of the brain – recognition, strategic, and affective. When a teacher knows which one of these networks is dominant in a student, assignments can be tailored to these areas and a student will see more success.
My school may not have the best technology program available to students; however, there are many options available. Even before this course started I tried to expose my students to as many technology ideas for assignments as I could. With different assignments using different web tools, I give students a variety of choice as to how they will show their learning.
The course text, videos, and readings, have allowed me to refocus on learning profiles, grouping, and the physical set-up of my classroom. This course also gave me the opportunity to participate in a social network. Through different weeks of the program my group either posted ideas, web tools, or web sites that focused on either DI or UDL. I found this exercise to be beneficial. An activity that was particularly useful was the online chat. I have never chatted online before and it was amazing to think that ideas were being instantly shared by people in at least three countries and two continents. Who said teaching was something done in isolation? I have not been able to apply or use all the resources gathered by my classmates. I have not had a chance to go through all the information in detail. However, it is advantageous to have these resources for the future. Currently, I may not need to use all of the information found, but I have a stockpile of resources that I can use and share with other teachers as they become necessary. I had the opportunity to forward a web site to a parent shared in our social network. The parent was grateful and believes that their child would benefit from the exercises on the web site. Working with my classmates in a group like this was a hands-on exercise in DI. Different learning styles and interests came together to help each other in making their own teaching a more positive experience.
Tomlinson (1999) states that a teacher needs to know what they believe to be successful in DI. The author continues to encourage teachers to start small when using DI, set goals, give choice, and always reflect. Smith and Throne (2009) encourage teachers to include technology when incorporating DI. DI works well when a teacher plans with the end in mind to help students become independent, curious learners. Incorporating technology helps students to bridge the gap between their in school life and their out of school life. With these things in mind, I look forward to the shift in how I approach teaching and my students.
References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program 13: Brain research and UDL [DVD]. Reaching and engaging all learners through technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program 19: Managing the differentiated classroom [DVD]. Reaching and engaging all learners through technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program 20: Putting it all together [DVD]. Reaching and engaging all learners through technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program 22: Reflection [DVD]. Reaching and engaging all learners through technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Tomlinson, C. (1999). Differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.
Retrieved from the Walden Library ebrary.
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