It has been an overwhelming two weeks figuring out how to study
independently and how to manage my time wisely. As stressful and terrifying the
last two weeks have been, I feel very overwhelmed with excitement, fascination
and engagement with what I’m studying which goes to show me that this is what I
want to be doing.
My first two weeks of study introduced me to an overview of
how the brain works, the importance of knowing our learners, the four learning
theories, good pedagogy and digital pedagogy, two frameworks and a taxonomy and
working legally, safely and ethically online.
The main key learning point I have taken from the last two
weeks of study is the importance of ‘personalisation’, knowing your learners. Understanding
that every person learns differently and we as teachers need to accommodate
each individual’s best way of learning. ICT’s is an effective way to cater for each
individual learner as it offers infinite combinations of individual and
collaborative work, social networking, visual, auditory, and interactive
resources, colour and multiple formatting opportunities all which enhance the
learners overall education experience. To help educators understand how different
learners learn, four learning theories have been developed– behavioural (observable
change in behaviour), cognitivism (mental processing), social constructivism
(learning is social) and connectivism (learning with computers and internet).
We as teachers need to find ways of making learning exciting
to ensure the information we are passing on is actually being absorbed into the
reflective brain. If students cannot
connect or relate to the given information it travels to the lower brain and enables
a state of ‘fight’, ‘fright’ or ‘freeze’. After watching the video Edutopia by
Dr. Judy Wills I learnt that the most important way to encourage information to
be absorbed is to reduce stress. Dr. Judy Wills shared various techniques to
engage students in learning and ensure the information is being absorbed. The
main technique that stood out for me is “SURPRISE!” which is incorporating
elements of colour, music, costumes and movement in the classroom. This approach probably stood out to me because
I am a dance teacher and believe all these elements capture student’s excitement
and interests. Another technique that stood out is “Kid Watching” which
involves learning about your learners; what sports they like, what their pets
name is etc. and using these as examples and narratives throughout the lesson making
learning here/me/now. I also learnt that it is important to acknowledge SYN-NAPS
(overused memory) and break up the lesson by throwing in some movement or ball
games. Another import point Dr. Judy Wills stressed is “don’t let
students shut down”. Offer constant encouragement and prise, acknowledge and
understand difficulties and recognise student’s struggle to learn when tired or
stressed. One technique that I found to be very endearing was the classroom
pillow. Allowing students to regain focus by first relaxing and letting go of
stressful or distracting thoughts.
All these techniques are examples of good pedagogy (the art
of teaching). Effective pedagogy is using a diverse range of teaching strategies
that support intellectual engagement, collaborative learning, ‘real life’ connectedness,
personal relevance, independent learning and supportive classroom environments
across all key learning and subject areas. The current ultimate goal for
education is to promote higher order thinking, such as analysing and evaluating
rather than just remembering facts.
Two models that support complex ways of thinking (higher
order thinking) are Blooms Taxonomy and the SAMAR model. Blooms Taxonomy is a classification
of different ‘learning objectives’ which are divided into three domains;
cognitive, affective and psychomotor. Its purpose is to motivate educators to
focus on all three domains, creating a more rounded education. The Substitution
Argumentation Redefinition Model or SAMR model was designed to help educators integrate
technology in the classroom. It aims to enable teachers to design and develop learning
experiences that utilise technology enhancing higher levels of achievements for
students. ICT should be approached as a transformative tool, rather than a substitute
or enhancement of normal learning tasks.
With digital technologies comes the issue of working legally,
safety and ethically online. As teachers we have to be aware of copyright guidelines
and child safety. We have to model and teach ethical online behaviours. In regards to copyright basic ethics suggest
that all materials used are referenced unless they are yours. The use of internet
provides students with a powerful resource to learn and research but with that
power risks arises leaving concern for internet safety. These risks can include
exposer to inappropriate materials, physical danger, harassment and bullying
and privacy issues. Our job as teachers is to keep our students safe and in
doing this we need to monitor what students are accessing online.
In conclusion to the discussion of digital technologies in
the classroom came our week 2 online wikki activity based on the topic ‘should
mobile phones be introduced into the classroom’.
Stay tuned for my reflection
of this activity…
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