This week, we had to read 2 studies. The first one I read was “Learning/Teaching Principles.” When reading the study about how students learn there were many things that I agree with. I believe that students are able to learn more when you activate prior knowledge. They will see a purpose for what they know and how it can be applied to what you are teaching. The students will also make connections. This was another thing this study said. When students make connections between various topics, it helps them to see the big picture and not just one little idea. It also helps them to see how everything is connected and important in one way or another.
Something that really stood out to me as a math teacher was the idea of practice and how to use it. In math we often give homework in hopes of having the student practice the skill. However, when they practice and take the test, they tend to forget it. They also tend to have a hard time applying the skill to a story problem or everyday life. This is something that needs to be taught and focused on in math more. The ability to apply what you learn in class to everyday life is essential.
Lastly, I agree that is important to be a self directed learner. Students seem to be more successful when they are in control or are able to take more ownership for their learning. I find it hard in math to do this with my students. I would love to find a way to do this with math, but I am currently struggling on how to do that.
The next thing I read was “A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of teaching and learning.” This I found to be harder for me to follow and fully understand. In this study they looked at a lot of other studies and how students with technology enhancement did better academically than those who did not. I would agree with this finding because when I first got my own classroom last year, I only had an overhead. I was used to teaching with a interactive white board. I wrote a grant and got a interactive white board. However, before I got my own, I was able to demo a few different boards. The kids were very enthusiastic about how each interactive white board worked, what they could do with it, and ultimately how it changed our lessons. I was very grateful when I got my interactive white board. I think this study reiterates what I see in my own classroom.
Hi Crystal, I think your points about students having trouble retaining what they learn and about the importance of students being self-directed are inter-related.
ReplyDeleteRepetition and practice, application to real-world experiences are all tried and true ways of helping students learn specific concepts. I've seen it over the years where students seem to really "get it" in the moment, but when asked to apply it a few weeks down the road, many struggle to recall the steps. I think helping students gain ownership in what they are learning can make it a more meaningful experience and result in something with a long-lasting imprint.
Knowing that you are working with middle school students adds a whole other level of complexity when it comes to teaching students to be self-directed and take ownership of their learning...
Hi, Crystal. I've been running into the "real world" practice issue for a few weeks now with a couple of my subordinates that I am tutoring in algebra. They seem to hang on to the concepts better when (when being key here) I am able to bring in concepts like balancing the checkbook or calculating tip. We can then take those concepts and extrapolate them to the problems they are struggling with.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to hear that the Meta-Analysis findings are reflected in what you've encountered after bringing technology into your classroom. So far I haven't been able to bring anything in my tutoring sessions to assist, but I'm still looking for something that might be beneficial and permitted on our system.