tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80717358498805324282024-03-13T22:25:37.424-07:00net4s17Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15932921380354264309noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-18058726876764618652011-02-05T17:10:00.000-08:002011-02-05T17:25:02.640-08:00Final SummaryFrom the very beginning of the book, Mr. Willingham discusses interesting points such as the fact that we are naturally curious, but are not naturally good thinkers. I think that although I thought about how to move information from working memory to long term memory, and ways to help our student's make those connections easier, etc... the chapter that had the biggest impact on me was Chapter 8. I teach five year olds, and have several students who already come IN to the classroom with the perception of 'fixed intelligence'. They are so concerned with "getting it wrong". Some are afraid to even TRY to answer any questions, due to this fear. We work very hard to correct this, and get our students to view intelligence as being malleable. I'll admit that this is not an easy task! <br />Another point in this chapter that stood out to me was when he spoke about the classic experiment with the patterns, and how the comments that students were given could shape how they viewed intelligence. We all, as adults...parents, teachers, coaches, etc. have to be careful HOW we praise our kids. Many times we think we are doing them a favor by telling them that they did a good job, they are "smart". The reality is, that our good intentions may well have the opposite effect: that the next subject/skill they do not do well on, it means they are "dumb" in that area. Sometimes we don't realize how just a small change in the way we give praise "Good job! You must have worked hard!" can give such a different impression for children. We try very hard to make all of our children in Begindergarten feel that they are successful and intelligent. This chapter was a good reminder of the effects of praise, and can be a great one to share with others too!sundbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532700828269555701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-70793718756209175462011-02-02T17:04:00.000-08:002011-02-06T18:43:57.068-08:00SECTION 4 Summary PostI am reposting the CORRECT section....so please just ignore my previous post! I apologize for the misunderstanding!!<br /><br />Section 4 covers chapters 6 and 7. This section was interesting in the fact that he does not put the value of learning styles, and the seven levels of intelligence as was focused on when I was in school!! <br />In Chapter 6, the secrets to getting students to think like experts is discussed. The information that expert have is due to extensive training. The information is also organized differently in their brains than it is in our student's brains. Although they have a lot of background knowledge, it takes more than just knowledge to become an expert; it also takes a lot of practice. It takes the ability to be able to access that knowledge with accurately and to do it quickly. He also points out that even when an expert makes a mistake, and his/her answer is wrong, the guess is more apt to be a really good guess - it makes sense. Willingham says an expert organize information in their brains differently; they think abstractly, and can see the relationships between problems when they solve them. They save room in working memory through functional memory and automaticity. Automaticity is achieved through practice, practice, practice... and that is the way to achieve expertise. Experts CREATE; our students are not experts, so we should not expect them to think as if they were. However, while they may not be able to create a scientific theory, they should still learn about existing theories and develop and understanding of them. I loved the way the chapter ended with the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote: Every artist was first an amatuer."<br />In Chapter 7, Mr. Willingham addresses the isuue of different types of learners. He stresses the difference between cognitive STYLE and cognitive ABILITY. Cognitive style is the tendency think a certain way, not a measurement of how well we think. Willingham states that although most people believe in the theory of visual/auditory/kinesthetic preferences in learning, but most of the time in school, students need to remember the MEANING of things, not how they look or sound. He states: "Meaning has a life of its own, independent of sensory details." In fact, he says that one reason we so willingly believe this theory is something called "confirmation bias"...once we believe something, we interpret situations as being consistent with what we already believe ( kids do DIFFER in their visual and auditory memories). <br />Mr. Willingham defines cognitive ability as the success in certain types of thought. During this section he discussed Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. He questions whether they should be labeled "intelligences" or "abilities/talents". <br />Willingham says that there is no good evidence to support the idea that if instuction is matched to the child's preferred cognitive style, it will make learning easier. He also claims that there is no good evidence to support the idea that if a student is struggling with a skill, the student can use a cognitive strength to make up for a cognitive weakness. <br />He DOES say that learning styles are useful when they are applied to content. Changing our lessons/style helps keep children interested and engaged in learning.sundbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532700828269555701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-7422409955921784132011-01-25T20:59:00.000-08:002011-01-25T21:04:05.318-08:00Why Don't Students Like School Animoto<object id="vp121oqs" width="432" height="240" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"><param name="movie" value="http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/vp1&e=1296018144&f=21oqsDspS7AAKU3wRrJSOw&d=35&m=b&r=w&i=m&options="></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed id="vp121oqs" src="http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/vp1&e=1296018144&f=21oqsDspS7AAKU3wRrJSOw&d=35&m=b&r=w&i=m&options=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="432" height="240"></embed></object><p>Create your own <a href="http://animoto.com">video slideshow</a> at animoto.com.</p>sundbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532700828269555701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-65266251617153085422011-01-23T12:45:00.000-08:002011-01-23T12:49:19.598-08:00Tech BlabberThe site won't let me post the blabber into the blog...keeps saying no ID... so I apologize that you have to go through this way.<br /><a href="http://blabberize.com/view/id/370646">http://blabberize.com/view/id/370646 </a>sundbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532700828269555701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-3669173094400169962011-01-23T12:38:00.000-08:002011-01-23T12:44:58.211-08:00Tech. Blabbersundbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532700828269555701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-73652196144192669742011-01-08T18:02:00.000-08:002011-01-08T18:36:45.546-08:00Chapter 4 summary...Why Is It So Hard for Students to Understand Abstract Ideas?This chapter discussed the fact that it is difficult for the mind to understand abstract ideas, and the importance of providing opportunities to interconnect old information with new, so that deep knowledge can be achieved. Students, in order to really obtain deep knowledge need to be able to apply it in many different contexts. The author explained that a student may be faced with a problem and be taught how to solve it. When faced with a similar problem that requires the same methods to solve, some students may be able to transfer that knowledge and still solve the new problem (deep knowledge), while other students may not be able to transfer the knowledge to the solve the new problem (shallow knowledge). Connecting the information a student already knows to information we want them to learn is extremely important in helping that student achieving deep knowledge. We need to constantly monitor our teaching methods to be sure we are providing this connection within our lessons, and structuring them so students must work toward deeper knowledge rather than being able to use surface knowledge to complete assignments. <br />It was also stressed that although deep knowledge is our goal, we must remember that deep knowledge is not easy to achieve and not forget that shallow knowledge is still a step toward deep knowledge. We need to give them plenty of opportunities to practice skills and apply new knowledge in a variety of ways so that we can help them continue to transfer information, thus attaining deeper knowledge.sundbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532700828269555701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-56269564010217323252011-01-08T14:08:00.000-08:002011-01-08T14:08:34.284-08:00Animoto Sigman<object id="vp1FxenW" width="432" height="240" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"><param name="movie" value="http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/vp1&e=1294524258&f=FxenWMQ4arb0KHzFQxusRQ&d=69&m=a&r=w&i=m&options="></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed id="vp1FxenW" src="http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/vp1&e=1294524258&f=FxenWMQ4arb0KHzFQxusRQ&d=69&m=a&r=w&i=m&options=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="432" height="240"></embed></object>Mrs. Donna Sigmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160726036140348916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-33032787826282845912010-12-31T10:57:00.001-08:002010-12-31T10:57:43.827-08:00<object id="vp1ftYxG" width="432" height="240" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"><param name="movie" value="http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/vp1&e=1293821844&f=ftYxGwnG0RwZ0N0fnlCAfg&d=35&m=b&r=w&i=m&options="></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed id="vp1ftYxG" src="http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/vp1&e=1293821844&f=ftYxGwnG0RwZ0N0fnlCAfg&d=35&m=b&r=w&i=m&options=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="432" height="240"></embed></object><p>Create your own <a href="http://animoto.com">video slideshow</a> at animoto.com.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-51606429501211091722010-12-28T10:59:00.000-08:002010-12-28T11:00:46.392-08:00Final ReflectionWhen I think about how I can use the principles in this book in my teaching, my first question is, “Where do I begin?!” I found this book to be full of wonderful information about how our brains work and how teachers can use this knowledge to our advantage. Often while reading I found that Willingham’s findings contradicted what I thought I knew about how children learn. <br /><br />The first revelation Willingham revealed is that our brains are not naturally good at thinking and that curiosity is the way in which we turn our minds on to thinking about something new. For me, this means that I need to find a way to spark my students’ natural curiosities in order to get them thinking about the concepts and skills I want to teach them. However, later in the book, the author points out that if teachers use a ‘shock and awe’ demonstration to introduce a new idea; students will often only remember the demonstration and may forget all the meaning behind it. This is something that I believe to be true due to my own experiences as a student and that I will keep in mind as a teacher. Students need us to show them the connections between what they are working on and what they can learn from it; I think this is truly one of the hardest tasks a teacher faces – and yet the most important.<br /><br />This book also reaffirmed in me the importance of making a personal connection with my students. Willingham states that emotion plays an important role in memory. If my students feel like I truly care about them, and if they see me as a person and not just a teacher, they will feel more connected to what I am trying to teach. <br /><br />Another idea from the book that surprised me was that Willingham makes a great case for a teaching practice that has become unpopular; drilling. I found that his comments, however, make sense and make a strong case for the use of some drilling (practicing) in school. I agree that students need a strong foundation of knowledge in order to be able to learn more complex ideas later in their education. In order to achieve this, they need repeated practice. Especially in the mathematics area, this is something that I plan to implement. I feel strongly that drilling or repeated practice exercises cannot be my only curriculum, but I now see that it has a place in the classroom.<br /><br />Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book and found several principles that will help me to be a better teacher.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-52750804582729471512010-12-22T08:20:00.000-08:002010-12-22T08:21:27.672-08:00<object id="vp1b0aOm" width="432" height="240" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"><param name="movie" value="http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/vp1&e=1292962699&f=b0aOmnLsNcOWvdUm0KT0vQ&d=111&m=a&r=w&i=m&options="></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed id="vp1b0aOm" src="http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/vp1&e=1292962699&f=b0aOmnLsNcOWvdUm0KT0vQ&d=111&m=a&r=w&i=m&options=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="432" height="240"></embed></object>Jackie's Junkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12556608810808882149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-35021151694262574212010-12-19T16:11:00.001-08:002010-12-19T16:11:11.812-08:00ReflectionA key concept from Why Don’t Students Like School? for me was “It is virtually impossible to become proficient at a mental task without extended practice”. Many of our students want the easy way of going through a class, rather than looking at the class as a way to become proficient in an area. I have always been a firm believer in mastering the math facts to make each new concept less time intensive. The book stressed the importance of practice to also free up working memory space, such as chunking and also making the mental processes become automatized. In following with that idea, chapter eight discussed telling our students that hard work pays off. Similar to the author’s example, I also use the example of athletes and hard work each time I return from watching competition at the Olympic Training Center. I try to stress to my students about how important that effort and dedication is to all areas of life. Until a child has the experience of dedicating time and effort into something and seeing success from that, they rarely “get the point”. I could share examples every day in my class about where practice paid off, but some of my students are still reluctant to put the effort into trying. I try to start small in getting students to practice filling out their student planner daily until it become automatic. History has shown that students with success generally keep track of their assignments and due dates. The same goes for us as educators. We continue to improve on strategies that we practice repeatedly. Daniel Willingham also discussed in addition to just going through the motions of practicing the skill, we need to consciously try to improve, seek feedback, and undertake activities for the sake of improvement. Maybe this is a good time of year to again discuss with my students ways that we could become more proficient in school tasks. Do you suppose the word practice will come up in our discussion? I certainly hope so.Mrs. Donna Sigmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160726036140348916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-2435654798729796362010-12-14T09:14:00.000-08:002010-12-14T09:18:53.615-08:00Reflection Post by Bob Gill<font size = 5 color = 000099> As I read through the book, one of the most interesting concepts that intrigued me was the fact that people are naturally curious, but their curiosity can be delicate and fragile. When I hear the word curiosity, I think of my two cats who can be lured into anything with the right motivation. People have this same desire to discover the unknown. Students also enjoy this kind of mental activity. Some examples listed in book that arouses a person’s interests were crossword puzzles and information packed documentaries. You have to love that History Channel. The chemical analysis behind the enjoyment of thinking is that when a person solves a problem, the brain is rewarded by a small shot of dopamine which is associated with pleasure and learning. But then the big “if” comes into play. If a person experiences success or they enjoy the subject material, solving problems and learning will be pleasurable. Also, if a challenge is too easy or too hard a student will naturally loose interest. So what do we do when many of the concepts taught in school do not spark a student’s natural curiosity to learn? The solution lies in adjusting the difficulty of the problem, and being able to show the student that his mental work will pay off in the end. </font>RJGillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04747007475308701501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-21813546857996169872010-12-12T09:18:00.000-08:002010-12-12T09:21:48.072-08:00Final Book ReflectionOne of the key concept from the book (chapter 8), Why Don’t Students Like School?, deals with the long-standing argument of which has more influence on intelligence, hereditary factors or environment. First, the definition of intelligence must be defined. To paraphrase from the American Psychological Association, “intelligent people can understand complex ideas and use different forms of reasoning.” Certainly intelligent people also reason well and catch on to new ideas quickly.<br />This is not a new argument or question. However, the author’s point of view led me to do further reading and research. My comments that follow are a combination of the author’s book and my own reading.<br />All through history, people have been intrigued by intelligence thus leading to attempts to measure human intelligence. The ancient Chinese used a form of testing to select candidates for civil service positions. Scholars such as Plato searched for clues into human intellect. William Duff, 18th century, investigated the creative and cognitive capabilities of genius and speculated that imagination was an important part of intelligence. During the 19th century, major schools of psychology in Europe began to develop more invasive techniques to measure intelligence. By the nineteen hundreds, Alfred Binet had helped develop the first successful intelligence test using the concept of mental age. This was followed by the work of David Wechsler who introduced his own test, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scales. This test included verbal and performance subtests and was designed to look at real life situations. It also began the comparison of an individual’s mental ability with others of that same age.<br />The book’s author discussed nine principles of the mind. His eighth principle, intelligence can be changed through sustained hard work, was discussed in chapter 8. Willingham believes that genetic inheritance impacts intelligence but mostly through environment. It was interesting to note that he thought the percent that genetics plays on general intelligence changes being somewhere around 20% for young children and up to 50% for adults. <br />Willingham as well as others quote a lot of data from studies of identical twins (those who lived in the same household and those who were separated at birth), fraternal twins, siblings, and adopted children. I think it would be safe to say that all research points to intelligence being influenced by both nature and nurture, but there was certainly wasn’t consensus on exactly what percent genes play and what percent environment plays. Perhaps the influences that we also need to also focus on include prenatal care, socio-economic status, nutrition, and continued health care.<br />As an educator, I believe and support Willingham’s principle – intelligence can be changed through sustained hard work. However, higher intelligence tends to lead to prolonged schooling and longer schooling leads to higher IQ. Also, students who believe intelligence can be improved with hard work get better grades than those who believe intelligence is an immutable trait.Jackie's Junkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12556608810808882149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-38549775998541010242010-12-09T19:08:00.000-08:002010-12-09T19:44:36.596-08:00Chapter 9 "What About My Mind?"<p>In this chapter, the author switches focus from student to teacher; throughout the book he has noted strategies that correlate with mind research and how to assist the student in using what we know about the mind and turning into "action" through specific methods. In this chapter he highlights and reviews the strategies of earlier chapters but relates them to how they can be utilized by the teacher, for the teacher. After reading and thinking on it, it boils down to two common adages "practice makes perfect" and "it takes work to make or create change".<br /><br />Reflecting on the first adage: practice makes perfect, he points out that although factual knowledge is necessary to be an effective teacher, “pedagogical content knowledge” is also required. The two areas are entwined to create effective practices for successful teacher. I think the reader would be able to reflect back on an experience that he or she may have had in which they may have had a very knowledgeable teacher, but the teaching practices they employed may have been ineffective in sharing that knowledge with his or her students. His statement on page 191 summarizes this component well by stating: “It is virtually impossible to become proficient at a mental task without extended practices.”<br /><br />Willingham goes further to define practice in relation to teaching, as not just showing up, but trying to improve. An interesting visual he described was that teachers, during the first 5 years, show steady improvement in their teaching based on student learning, yet after the years of growth, the curve plateaus indicating very little change between a teacher of 10 years compared to a teacher of 20 years in regard to student learning. As we often find, setting goals and claiming desire are one aspect of change, but often these attributes are short lived because of various factors. Willingham goes into a more specific “how-to” approach when challenging ones’ self to improve teaching skills including informative feedback, focused activities directed at improvement and making conscience effort to improve teaching skills. Possibly, more realistically, he briefly recognizes other less time consuming approaches to teaching improvement; commitment to keeping a teaching diary, organizing or joining a discussion group (very similar to a book club) and a forced effort to observe and study comparable youth in alternative settings.<br /><br />As outlined by Willingham, “teaching, like any complex cognitive skill, must be practiced to be improved.” p 189</p>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-29522243935382582462010-12-01T20:09:00.000-08:002010-12-01T20:38:33.314-08:00Summary of Ch. 8 "How Can I Help Slow Learners?"In this chapter the author, D. Willingham explains how the American Psychological Association has come to indentify intelligence. The overall idea is that someone who is intelligent can reason well and catch on to new ideas quickly. Most Americans believe that intelligence is pre-determined through genetics. However, in many Eastern cultures, intelligence is considered to be the product of hard work and effort. The basis behind this argument is the age-old question of nature vs. nurture.<br />Many studies have been performed to determine whether nature or nurture has the most impact on intelligence. Most studies that focused on comparing twins who were separated and raised differently, found that genetics (or nature) must be the dominant influence. The studies found that twins who were separated still had similar intelligences. However, in recent studies, it has been determined that "genetic effects can make you seek out or select different environments." This means that nature doesn't necessarily account for intelligence. Rather, it influences what we are likely to seek in terms of nurturing. At the end of the day, this means that our genetics and environment both shape our intelligence; but intelligence can be influenced through nurturing, therefore it can be changed.<br />This has several implications for our classrooms. If we as teachers believe that intelligence can be improved and we model and promote this in our classrooms; our students will adopt this attitude as well. The best way to communicate this with students is to praise their efforts, not their abilities. Such praise needs to be genuine and truly earned. We also need to create a classroom environment in which risk-taking and failure are a normal part of learning. Students need to feel that making a mistake isn't necessarily a bad thing; it is actually an opportunity to learn something new. Students also need to be shown exactly what hard work means. They need explicit instruction in study skills and they need to understand that in order to catch up, they may have to work harder than other students. Managing a classroom in such a way communicates directly to the students that their intelligence is under their control. Teachers need to show students that just being naturally intelligent is a myth; most students who do well in school have to work very hard.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-7602930807937655332010-12-01T17:48:00.001-08:002010-12-01T17:48:52.794-08:00Blabber by Missy<object classid='clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000' codebase='http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0' width='308' height='228' id='Blabberize.com_Player' align='middle'><param name='allowScriptAccess' value='sameDomain' /><param name='movie' value='http://blabberize.com/swf/blabberembedp.swf' /><param name='quality' value='high' /><param name='scale' value='noscale' /><param name='salign' value='lt' /><param name='bgcolor' value='#ccffff' /><param name='FlashVars' value='id=339926' /><embed width='308' height='228' src='http://blabberize.com/swf/blabberembedp.swf' FlashVars='id=339926' quality='high' scale='noscale' salign='lt' bgcolor='#ccffff' name='Blabberize.com_Player' align='middle' allowScriptAccess='sameDomain' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' /></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-82699018865213855622010-11-21T16:14:00.000-08:002010-11-21T16:26:48.087-08:00Animoto...nothing to do with the book...fun!<object id="vp1RPBMb" width="432" height="240" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"><param name="movie" value="http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/vp1&e=1290384923&f=RPBMbaHn6Ry7E20FCbFNBQ&d=35&m=b&r=w&i=m&options="></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed id="vp1RPBMb" src="http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/vp1&e=1290384923&f=RPBMbaHn6Ry7E20FCbFNBQ&d=35&m=b&r=w&i=m&options=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="432" height="240"></embed></object><p>Create your own <a href="http://animoto.com">video slideshow</a> at animoto.com.</p>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-59245120730292085072010-11-21T15:25:00.000-08:002010-11-21T15:33:25.200-08:00The image I chose is my two teens (mine) expressing what looks like their experience with education and what I thought the book would discuss and express more clearly. Although he touches upon some good thoughts, so far I am disappointed in the content. Don't judge a book by its cover should also be thought of as don't judge a book by its title...as I don't think the author is telling me what I want to hear! <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_uO_3nNiAwRg/TOmrEPQp-xI/AAAAAAAACkA/1xPyd2X5JZU/s1600/scotland%2Bjune%2B2%2B234.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542148905760324370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 161px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 247px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_uO_3nNiAwRg/TOmrEPQp-xI/AAAAAAAACkA/1xPyd2X5JZU/s320/scotland%2Bjune%2B2%2B234.JPG" border="0" /></a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-60062451513354981322010-11-21T15:20:00.000-08:002010-11-21T15:21:23.848-08:00Trying again to Blab...which is usually not a problem for me!<object classid='clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000' codebase='http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0' width='270' height='338' id='Blabberize.com_Player' align='middle'><param name='allowScriptAccess' value='sameDomain' /><param name='movie' value='http://blabberize.com/swf/blabberembedp.swf' /><param name='quality' value='high' /><param name='scale' value='noscale' /><param name='salign' value='lt' /><param name='bgcolor' value='#ccffff' /><param name='FlashVars' value='id=333231' /><embed width='270' height='338' src='http://blabberize.com/swf/blabberembedp.swf' FlashVars='id=333231' quality='high' scale='noscale' salign='lt' bgcolor='#ccffff' name='Blabberize.com_Player' align='middle' allowScriptAccess='sameDomain' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' /></embed></object>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-2837142099099744822010-11-21T12:40:00.000-08:002010-11-21T12:40:41.402-08:00Blabberize by Sigman<object classid='clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000' codebase='http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0' width='214' height='363' id='Blabberize.com_Player' align='middle'><param name='allowScriptAccess' value='sameDomain' /><param name='movie' value='http://blabberize.com/swf/blabberembedp.swf' /><param name='quality' value='high' /><param name='scale' value='noscale' /><param name='salign' value='lt' /><param name='bgcolor' value='#ccffff' /><param name='FlashVars' value='id=333150' /><embed width='214' height='363' src='http://blabberize.com/swf/blabberembedp.swf' FlashVars='id=333150' quality='high' scale='noscale' salign='lt' bgcolor='#ccffff' name='Blabberize.com_Player' align='middle' allowScriptAccess='sameDomain' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' /></embed></object>Mrs. Donna Sigmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160726036140348916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-84852744919562409282010-11-18T18:59:00.000-08:002010-11-18T19:00:19.859-08:00Questions, Questions, Questions<object classid='clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000' codebase='http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0' width='465' height='452' id='Blabberize.com_Player' align='middle'><param name='allowScriptAccess' value='sameDomain' /><param name='movie' value='http://blabberize.com/swf/blabberembedp.swf' /><param name='quality' value='high' /><param name='scale' value='noscale' /><param name='salign' value='lt' /><param name='bgcolor' value='#ccffff' /><param name='FlashVars' value='id=331402' /><embed width='465' height='452' src='http://blabberize.com/swf/blabberembedp.swf' FlashVars='id=331402' quality='high' scale='noscale' salign='lt' bgcolor='#ccffff' name='Blabberize.com_Player' align='middle' allowScriptAccess='sameDomain' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' /></embed></object>Jackie's Junkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12556608810808882149noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-28258992928917967242010-11-17T21:55:00.000-08:002010-11-17T22:00:38.952-08:00Bob's Bunch of Blabber<object classid='clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000' codebase='http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0' width='345' height='406' id='Blabberize.com_Player' align='middle'><param name='allowScriptAccess' value='sameDomain' /><param name='movie' value='http://blabberize.com/swf/blabberembedp.swf' /><param name='quality' value='high' /><param name='scale' value='noscale' /><param name='salign' value='lt' /><param name='bgcolor' value='#ccffff' /><param name='FlashVars' value='id=312670' /><embed width='345' height='406' src='http://blabberize.com/swf/blabberembedp.swf' FlashVars='id=312670' quality='high' scale='noscale' salign='lt' bgcolor='#ccffff' name='Blabberize.com_Player' align='middle' allowScriptAccess='sameDomain' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' /></embed></object>RJGillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04747007475308701501noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-24933027653096291812010-11-12T14:44:00.000-08:002010-11-12T14:45:43.287-08:00Animoto by Bob<object id="vp11iQ5R" width="432" height="240" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"><param name="movie" value="http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/vp1&e=1289601874&f=1iQ5RlvOuwk7R0QDDcTNgQ&d=35&m=b&r=w&i=m&options="></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed id="vp11iQ5R" src="http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/vp1&e=1289601874&f=1iQ5RlvOuwk7R0QDDcTNgQ&d=35&m=b&r=w&i=m&options=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="432" height="240"></embed></object><p>Create your own <a href="http://animoto.com">video slideshow</a> at animoto.com.</p>RJGillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04747007475308701501noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-20536885149680126222010-11-07T10:56:00.000-08:002010-11-07T11:11:37.159-08:00Book Cover<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHXGcjoPgmSAKBc_6mmtfuJ6XKvVfVcXcsiRp-YdruBO5toUqJBt7jFtsAAkvOJB_f95Avj_Tv1Ipg14ZH9_Jqq5bU7QhQPjc-U5yW2o5DuberE0kYkxxnTrpHejPAyhXipotpncvRpw0/s1600/desolate+classroom.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 100px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536884123714293026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHXGcjoPgmSAKBc_6mmtfuJ6XKvVfVcXcsiRp-YdruBO5toUqJBt7jFtsAAkvOJB_f95Avj_Tv1Ipg14ZH9_Jqq5bU7QhQPjc-U5yW2o5DuberE0kYkxxnTrpHejPAyhXipotpncvRpw0/s320/desolate+classroom.jpg" /></a> I chose this picture because I feel this picture looks like a deserted classroom to me....desolate. Kids are looking to be engaged in learning, and want to be a part of an inviting learning environment. This picture <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">definitely</span> doesn't give the feeling of a warm, engaging type of learning environment! Kids won't learn in an environment where they do not feel welcome... plus, this classroom doesn't seem to be technology friendly AT ALL, which will also be a big turn off to kids.sundbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17532700828269555701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071735849880532428.post-22696315392274304232010-11-06T12:39:00.000-07:002010-11-06T12:39:56.652-07:00Chapters 4 & 5 summaries<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chapter 4 summary p. 87-105</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This chapter focuses on the question, “Why are abstract ideas so difficult to comprehend and so difficult to apply when they are expressed in new ways?”The cognitive principle that guides this chapter is “We understand new things in the context of things we already know, and most of what we know is concrete.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Students understand new ideas by relating them to old ideas. So if every new idea builds on ideas that the student already knows, we as teachers need to know what our students already know so we are able to give them concrete familiar examples.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The author claims that “understanding is remembering in disguise”. We must ensure that the right ideas from long term memory are accessed and moved into working memory so that students are able to comprehend the new ideas.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When we contrast shallow knowledge (some understanding of the material, but limited understanding) to deep knowledge (knowing not just the parts but also the whole) we see where students with deep knowledge are able to apply the knowledge to many different contexts and discuss it in different ways. We as teachers want our students to have deep knowledge; so it is up to us to provide them with the experiences they need to gain deep knowledge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The questions that we pose in our classrooms need to be more than factual questions and students need to be given time to contemplate them. Our projects and tests should also demand deep understanding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to stay realistic in our expectations of our students and how quickly they can grasp new information.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deep knowledge is achieved through practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chapter 5 p. 107-125</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The question for this chapter, “is drilling worth it?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>questions whether the cognitive benefit makes it worth the potential cost to motivation. The cognitive principle that guides this chapter is “It is virtually impossible to become proficient at a mental task without extended practice.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Practice helps our students to gain competence and to improve. But it also reinforces the basic skills required for the learning of more advanced skills, protects against forgetting, and improves transfer.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I enjoyed the explanation in this chapter about working memory, which is the site of thinking. When you are combining information in new ways you have to think about it. Our working memory space is limited and could create a bottleneck if we try to put too much information into it. (There is only a limited amount of working memory and no amount of practice will change that.) The way that we are able to “cheat” this limitation is to keep more information in working memory by “chunking,” which treats several things as a single unit and stores it in our long term memory. Two ways to do this is to increase your factual knowledge and to manipulate information to be more efficient. Examples given were tying your shoes or driving a car. At first they take a lot of working memory, but with practice, they become automatic, requiring little or no working memory capacity. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The quote I am including comes from the great philosopher Alfred North Whitehead. “It is a profoundly erroneous truism, repeated by all copybooks and by eminent people when they are making speeches, that we should cultivate the habit of thinking of what we are doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The precise opposite is the case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking about them.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The chapter went on to discuss studying practices and information retention. Cramming allows us to do well on immediate tests; however the information will not be retained long term.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The suggested manner of studying in several sessions with delays between them allows a person to remember material longer.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Practice also is an important provider to good transfer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Information transfer is more likely when the new problem is similar to the structure of problems seen before. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was refreshing for me to read chapter 5 because I think that in our math programs we don’t stress the drilling of math facts like we used to and I see how long it takes middle school students who haven’t learned their facts to complete work that should be automatic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This chapter reinforced the value of spending time to make these basic facts automatic so we’ll have more room in our working memory.</span></div>Mrs. Donna Sigmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160726036140348916noreply@blogger.com2