Final Thoughts

So the semester has finally come to a close...  I have learned a lot of valuable and interesting information that I will take with me and utilize in my future classroom.  It was great learning about all of the different theories of learning and research in childhood development.  Ideas like Vygotsky's zone of proximal development and Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligence are great theories that I plan in incorporating into my future classroom.  I have pushed myself to learn about new internet tools, technology, teaching strategies, theories, and ideas that I am very grateful for.  It has been a great experience and I am proud of the work that I have completed and finished.  You can hear some more about what I would like my future classroom to look like here.

 

Source: www.bubblews.com

Great posts from some of my peers

I found some really great posts on some of my peers blogs.  Check out some of my responses to their posts below!

Deanne's Blog

April's Blog

Joanne's Blog

Mike's Blog

Assessing Myself

Here are the results of my pre and post tests for each cluster of the textbook.  Prior to reading each cluster, I would take the pretest to assess my knowledge, and then I would read the chapter and retake the pretest.  After I felt confident with my pretest score, I would then take the posttest.  The questions were in multiple choice format and I felt that they really helped to test my knowledge and understanding of what I had read.  Sometimes I would have to go back and look at the textbook, look up a definition, or stop and think for a minute in order to figure out the answer.  I found the pre and post tests to be a great way for me to test my understanding and comprehension of the clusters.  A lot of the clusters had challenging post test questions.  Some of the pre-test questions for chapters in which I had some background knowledge of the topics were easier to answer.  I especially like the tests for cluster 15 pertaining to assessment.  Assessment is an area that I have struggled with.  I was always unsure as to which types of assessments were best, and how to use rubrics and grading systems.  Cluster 15 really helped clarify this for me and gave me some great ideas that I will use in my future classroom.   I struggled with the pretest for cluster 10. Generally, I was able to retake the pretest after reading the cluster to improve my score; however, the system would not allow me to do that for cluster 10.  I am disappointed in my pretest score, but I know that it would have been higher if I had read the cluster prior to taking the test. Overall, the pre and post tests helped me to better comprehend what I had read and put my new knowledge to the test.

Cluster	Pretest Score	Posttest Score
Cluster 1	12/12 points 100%	11/12 points 91.7%
Cluster 2	10/10 points 100%	10/10 points 100%
Cluster 3	12/12 points 100%	12/12 points 100%
Cluster 4	18/18 points 100%	14/16 points 87.5%
Cluster 5	10/14 points 71.4%	12/14 points 100%
Cluster 6	8/9 points 88.9%	10/11 points 90.9%
Cluster 7	14/15 points 93.3%	13/14 points 92.9%
Cluster 8	12/12 points 100%	12/12 points 100%
Cluster 9	11/12 points 91.7%	12/12 points 100%
Cluster 10	3/12 points 33%	12/12 points 100%
Cluster 11	11/11 points 100%	9/9 points 100%
Cluster 12	18/18 points 100%	17/17 points 100%
Cluster 13	10/10 points 100%	10/10 points 100%
Cluster 14	12/12 points 100%	12/12 points 100%
Cluster 15	20/20 points 100%	20/21 points 95.2%

Questioning in the Classroom

There are many types of questions that can be asked in the classroom to foster and build upon student learning.  Anita Woolfolk (2013) identifies may types of questioning that can be used in the classroom.  The framework of these questions can be categorized according to Bloom's taxonomy of objectives.  The types of questions can range from assessing knowledge or comprehensions to evaluation.  

Source: laurant.edublogs.org

Check out this video that talks about how to use effective questioning in the classroom and how to ask good questions.

Fieldwork Thoughts

Task:

Observe your fieldwork classroom and determine what elements/principles of constructivist practice you see.  Jot down your observations and reflect on the findings
 explained to me that for the children's center work they work in in small groups about 3-4 days a week.  During their centers, the student's work together to solve problems in various topics.  These can range from writing letters, to solving puzzles, to working together for make spelling words.  Although this is not exactly following the principles of constructivism, the children are able to make their own discoveries through learning and collaborating with one another.  Being that it was toward the end of the school year, I did not get to observe the students in action during much of their class time, but Mrs. A did express to me the need for children this age to interact with one another and make discoveries and learn through play.  

Source: lynseyhowitt.wordpress.com

Constructivism, is it for you?

I was recently given the assignment in class to work with a group of my peers and create a power point presentation highlighting the constructivism movement in education and presenting to a "board" for review.  Our goal was to try to convince the "board" to adopt our project of introducing constructivist views into the classroom.  So you may be asking yourself what is constructivism??  Well, the constructivist approach is defined as the "view that emphasizes the active role of the learner in building understanding and making sense of information" (Woolfolk, 2013, p. G- 3).   Essentially, in constructivism, you allow the learner to discover the information.  It is very different than direct instruction and has the learner finding out and discovering new knowledge and ideas.  To learn more about constructivism check out our powerpoint!

 

Source: sabb46.edublogs.org

References

Woolfolk, A. (2013).  Educational Psychology (12th ed.).  Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc. 

Testing my Audio learning skills

For this assignment, I had to listen to several podcasts by Dr Woolfolk and create a summary about five of them.  I enjoyed this assignment because listening to the podcasts was a different way to learn the information rather than just reading the textbook.  In the podcasts she highlights some important details from some of the clusters and clarifies what may have been some confusing topics.  By clicking on the name of the podcast, you will be directed to the link so you can listen yourself!

Podcast 5 - Negative Reinforcement

In this podcast Anita Woolfolk clarifies the concepts of both positive and negative reinforcement, and punishment.  First, Woolfolk discusses the definition of a reinforcer as anything that causes a behavior to continue occurring, or to get stronger.  Therefore, whenever a behavior gets stronger or more frequent, reinforcement is happening.  There are two types of reinforcers that encourage behavior and they can be categorized into positive, or negative reinforcement.  A positive reinforcer is something that is added after the behavior and causes the behavior to keep occurring.  A positive reinforcer is something you would work to get.  A negative reinforcer is something that is rewarded for making something that is negative or unpleasant go away.  When the behavior causes something unpleasant to be removed, it is termed negative reinforcement.  A negative reinforcer is something someone will work to avoid.  Punishment, on the other hand, leads to a decrease in behavior.  A punishment will decrease, or end a behavior.

Podcast 8 - Sources of Self-Efficacy

In this podcast Anita Woolfolk discusses why self-efficacy matters for learning, and ways to improve self-efficacy.  Self-efficacy influences motivation and the choices we make.  Greater efficacy leads to greater effort when facing setbacks.  Those with higher self-efficacy will often do better, score higher, and tend to learn more.  When someone has low self-efficacy, they may give up when faced with a challenge.  There are four sources of self-efficacy as identified by Albert Bandura, with the biggest source being a person’s past successes and failures.  Another source is seeing another’s success and failures.  The third source would be criticism or encouragement from others, or social persuasion.  Social persuasion could help to counteract self doubts.  The fourth source of efficacy would be a person’s emotions, stresses, or anxieties that a person feels.  The interpretation of one’s emotional feelings can increase or decrease self-efficacy.  Mastery of a task is the most important source of self-efficacy for most people.  Teacher’s should support self-efficacy in the classroom to give everyone a chance to work at something and then succeed, therefore, building self confidence.  

Podcast 11 - Cooperative Learning

In this podcast Anita Woolfolk discusses different learning strategies that let students learn together.  In cooperative learning student must work together, depend on each other, and work in a team.  Some people emphasize the motivational aspects of working together to achieve a common goal by creating dependability on each member of the group.  Additionally, cooperative learning allows students to explain and elaborate on their ideas.  Cooperative groups also allow group members to be challenged, feel disequilibrium, and strive to improve and expand their understanding.  She also discusses the idea of  productive dialogue as a type dialogue that allows for interpreting and explaining.  Certain teaching goals work better with cooperative learning and teacher’s need to watch and listen to make sure that groups are participating and working together.  Cooperative learning also allows for the students to become the teachers, therefore, enhancing and deepening their learning and knowledge.      

Podcast 12- Beliefs about Classroom Management

In this podcast Anita Woolfolk discusses classroom management, which is one of the most concerning topics for beginning teachers.  It is proven that students in orderly classrooms with minimal distractions often learn more.  Researchers visited classrooms from the first few days of school and observed what the teacher’s did and how they began their class from day one.  They also observed the same classrooms later on in the school year to see what the teacher’s did that worked.  Three qualities that define a good teacher according to students is a teacher who is caring, uses authority, provides structure, and allows for creativity.  Students value a set of rules that allow for structure and consistency, as well as being given the ability to make choices.  Teacher’s want their students to earn their respect and earn their caring, often teachers feel pressure especially when it comes to improving test scores.  Therefore, it is important to maintain a sense of balance in the classroom.  Students need to learn to become independent thinkers and learners, but also need a set of rules, organization, and a role model.

Podcast 14 - Test Taking Skills

In this podcast Anita Woolfolk discusses test taking skills and how anxiety can interfere with learning and taking tests.  One of the best ways to deal with anxiety is through making test taking strategies and studying.  Woolfolk suggests that before the test it is important to attend class, read the material, and complete the assignments. She stresses the importance of getting a good night's sleep before the test, arriving early, and getting a comfortable seat.  Finally, it is important to make sure you bring everything you will need to take the test.  Once you’re in the test, keep a positive attitude and manage your time.  Now what you do after the test?  Be sure to check to make sure it was graded correctly and analyze your test, make notes on your incorrect answers, and save the test to study for further tests.  These are all good strategies to help reduce test anxiety.