Chapter 7 - Knowledge Construction

Of all the learning theories we've covered, I think I'm leaning toward making constructivism my favorite.  Reading the chapter I was basically just checking off each section because they were all ideas about learning and teaching strategies that I already feel strongly about.  This made it really difficult to find any strategy suggested in the book that I don't believe I will implement when teaching. However, I did notice some drawbacks or issues that might arise when using some of the contructivist strategies.

First, though, let's start with the good!  The strategy mentioned in the book that I most see myself using is assigning authentic activities. For me personally, I find that I am more interested in learning and put forth more effort when I can make a connection between my academic work and my life outside of school. If the activity is something that I know I will definitely use later in life or has a purpose other than just receiving a grade, I enjoy doing it so much more than "typical" school work.  I know many students feel the same way I do, so I think using authentic activities in the classroom can be a great motivating factor.  While from a teacher's perspective authentic activities can be more difficult to plan and time consuming, I think they are one of the easiest ways to make learning fun, relatable, and memorable for students.

I thought it was interesting that the book provided an example of an authentic activity in which students created a map of the area from their home to their school, because I remember my 3rd grade teacher doing a similar activity with my class.  She took it a bit further, though, and had us create the map as a set of directions so she could find our house from the school.  With parental permission, she scheduled a few "appointments" each evening for a week in which she visited with each of her students at their house for 30 minutes.  She used only the maps we created (and a parent's phone number just in case) to find her way to our homes.  By doing this, the activity was also an authentic assessment because her ability to find our house was a reflection of our ability to create a map. I remember putting in so much effort into making sure my directions were perfect because I didn't want my teacher to get lost, and once she got there it was so much fun to show her around and play games.  Not only was it fun, but the activity really helped me understand that maps actually have purpose and are more than just pieces of paper.  It's been about 13 years since I did that activity, yet, I still remember it and have kept in the back of my head as one that I'd love to do as a teacher!  Creating a map to a familiar place such as your home is authentic, but I think having someone actually use the map (if possible) makes the activity even more real-life and memorable.

Now, let's get to some of the drawbacks. While I still think I'll use all of the strategies listed in the book, I did notice that they can come with some problems. Like I mentioned earlier, creating authentic activities can be a daunting task depending on how in depth they go. I know I will incorporate them in my classroom, but I have a feeling there will be a limit to just how many and how often I can. Another strategy mentioned, was creating a community of learners. I love the idea of encouraging students to rely and learn from one another! I think it helps students take charge of their learning, have confidence in their knowledge, learn social skills, and gain independence by not feeling the need to ask the teacher every time they have a question. I do think this has the potential to create or further solidify misconceptions that students may have, though. For example, two students may discuss and agree on an idea, but that idea may not necessarily be accurate. This possibility doesn't make me want to use it any less in my future classroom, but I think it will make me more cautious of student interactions and monitor their discussions more.

Since I'm really interested in using authentic activities, I did a little bit of internet searching to find more ideas for incorporating them in the classroom. Here's the link to a list of more activity suggestions you can check out!  

Chapter 6 - Learning and Cognitive Processes

One reason I have chosen to become a teacher is because I want to help students reach their full potential and build a strong knowledge base.  I want to create lifelong learners who are excited about learning and able to connect with and apply their knowledge in real-life situations.  Simply put, I want what I teach and the things they learn to stick.  Thinking back on my own education career, it is amazing how much I have "learned" but do not remember.  I understand that it is not possible for my students to remember everything we do in class, but I also do not want them to simply learn for a test only to forget everything the second it is over.  I think many of us (myself included) are guilty of doing this especially in college, yet we would not be satisfied with our students doing so.

Of the classes I have had over the years, the ones I enjoyed and actually still remember what I learned were classes that I found relevant to my life.  I am always more engaged in classes that I connect with and find the information useful, so I want to provide this type of learning for my students.  The cognitive view of learning calls this meaningful learning.  I believe that as a teacher one of the best ways I can help my students learn is by connecting lessons to their background knowledge and previous experiences.  If they can form a relationship between the new knowledge and their old knowledge, then they will be more likely to remember the newer information. Another cognitive learning skill that aids in storing information is rote learning, rehearsal, and mneumonics.  In school, I recall having to copy countless numbers of spelling words, definitions, and math facts.  As much as I despise these learning methods, I think they can be beneficial for learning material in which it is difficult to attach meaning to and for creating automaticity. I want my students to understand that rote memorization or even using mneumonics is not always a complete picture of learning. They also need to make sure what they are rehearsing is accurate and be able to apply what they've memorized. For example, simply knowing "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally" is not useful unless the students understand how to apply that knowledge to solve a problem.  Similarly, copying a misspelled word 20 times is not very beneficial.  

Once students learn new material, they also need to understand how to retrieve what they have learned. They need to know how to categorize what they have learned in ways that make it easy for them to remember and retrieve later. I want my students to be able to make multiple connections to what they learn. For example, if they understand the relationship between addition, multiplication, and division then they will have three possible ways to retrieve information about all three since they are connected. Students may be able to form these connections on their own, but often it will be the role of the teacher to point these out. The way we organize our instruction and build topics on one another will also help students form these relationships if done in a logical and meaningful manner.

Overall, I just want my students to benefit from being in my classroom. I want them to be as prepared as possible not only for the following grade level but for the real world. I hope that my students will be able to at least remember the key ideas of the lessons even if they cannot remember small details. I believe that the cognitive view of learning could be a useful approach to help me and my students accomplish these goals.

Group Differences: Rural Populations

For this project I read Appalachian Culture and Schooling by Eva Thaller.  While she did not grow up in Appalachia, her family did, and she currently resides on her family's farm.  I believe she is writing for those who are outside of Appalachia as well as those who are from the culture or living in the area.  Her main goal is to address misconceptions, give some background into the culture, and explain reasons behind why education in this area is failing and ways it can be improved.  She bases much of her assumptions on the studies and research of others and her own experiences.

I really related to Thaller because my family comes from the Appalachian region and many were farmers.  I personally lived in a suburban area, though, until 4th grade when I moved to a small farm in a rural community in East Tennessee.  I encountered many of the stereotypes Thaller mentions just by being associated with the community even though it was not where I was originally from.  She states that, "Rural, poor, and Appalachian students are perceived by others to be culturally and intellectually inferior and are socially isolated in the school system" (p. 248-249).  I definitely agree with her on this based on my personal experiences, because I recall being called "redneck" or "stupid" by students at other schools within our county.  Not only that, but we did not receive as much funding or resources as other schools.  Where did/do these misconceptions come from, though?  Thaller mentions that media can play a role, but even after getting to know people and disproving some misconceptions, the general stereotypes often remain.

Building off of this idea, I could not help but question Thaller's generalizations about all people from Appalachia.  I believe generalizations are often behind the strong misconceptions people have.  While I technically grew up in part of the region called Appalachia, I did not encounter several of the characteristics she stated many people from this area have such as disregard of education.  For example, my rural community actually had a very high graduation rate.  While I understand that my experiences may be different from others, I believe it is important to keep in mind that Appalachia is a large area.  Cultures, traditions, and characteristics will differ in all parts of the region, so some traits may be able to be generalized but others could lead to misconceptions.

Lastly, I found it surprising that Thaller compared Appalachian people to other minority and ethnic groups such as African-Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans.  Since these groups of people come from the same ethnic background as most other Americans, they tend to get overlooked as a minority.  It never occurred to me to view this group of people as a separate ethnicity, but I agree with Thaller that perhaps the best way to approach educating Appalachian people is through a cross-cultural approach which is much like what is encouraged for other minority groups.  Addressing linguistic differences and preparing students to live not only in their culture but others, as well, is important.  Students will not only learn to take pride in their heritage but also will make more relevant connections between their daily life and school material which may increase motivation.