1. What "dominant paradigm" is showing signs of wear?
The instructional model of the teacher and the textbook as the primary sources of knowledge, conveyed through lecturing, discussion, and reading is showing signs of wear.
2. According to the research, how does Project-Based Learning support student learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.
Project-based learning involves completing complex tasks that typically result in a realistic product, even, or presentation to an audience. Generally, research on project-based learning has found that students who engage in this approach benefit from gains in factual learning that are equivalent or superior to those of students who engage in traditional forms of instruction. This approach aims to take learning one step further by enabling students to transfer their learning to new kinds of situations and problems and to use knowledge more proficiently in performance situations. In Shepherd's (1998) study, the students who engaged in project-based learning demonstrated a significant increase in scores on a critical-thinking test, as well as increased confidence in their learning. A study by Boaler (1997, 1998) found that those who had participated in a project-based curriculum did better on conceptual problems presented in the National Exam. Significantly more students in the project-based school passed the National Exam in year three of the study than those in the traditional school. PBL students had developed a more flexible, useful kind of mathematical knowledge that engaged them in "exploration and thought". The students in a third study in the multimedia program eared higher scores than the comparison group on content mastery, sensitivity to audience, and coherent design. They performed equally well on standardized test scores of basic skills. Other short-term, comparative studies of traditional vs. project-based approaches have demonstrated several benefits from projects, such as an increase in the ability to define problems, growth in their ability to support their reasoning with clear arguments, and enhanced ability to plan a project after working on an analogous problem-based challenge.
3. According to the research, how does Problem-Based Learning support student learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.
Problem-based learning typically involve a specific type of activity focused on using reasoning and resources to solve a problem. In all problem-based approaches, students take an active role in building the knowledge, while the teacher's role is to make thinking visible, guide the group process and participation, and to ask questions to solicit reflections. Meta-analyses (Dochy, Segers, Van den Bossche & Gijbels, 2003) of studies have found that medial students who are enrolled in problem-based curricula score higher on clinical problem-solving measures and on actual ratings of clinical performance than peer who are not enrolled in such programs. Research has found that the use of cases in teacher education can help prospective teachers learn to apply theory and practical knowledge to specific school contexts and think through and resolve classroom dilemmas more productively. Studies of the efficacy of problem-based learning suggest that it is comparable, though not always superior, to more traditional instruction in facilitating factual learning. This approach has been found to be better, though, in supporting flexible problem solving, application of knowledge, and hypothesis generation. Students are better able to generate accurate hypotheses and coherent explanations and to support their claims with well-reasoned arguments. They also experience larger gains in conceptual understanding in science.
4. According to the research, how does Learning by Design support student learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.
Design-based lessons have several features that make them ideal for developing technical and subject matter knowledge. Design activity supports revisions and iterative activity as students create, assess, and redesign their work product. The complexity of the work often dictates the need for collaboration and specific roles for different students. Design projects require students to set constraints, generate ideas, crate prototypes, and develop plans through storyboarding or other representational practices. Hmelo, Holton, and Kolodner (2000) did a study and found that the design project led to better learning outcomes than the traditional approach to instruction. They also observed that design activities are particularly good for helping students develop understanding of complex systems, noting that the systems can be presented as a united whole whose structure is adapted to specific purposes. Fortus and colleagues (2004) did a study and found that both higher-and lower-achieving students showed strong evidence of progress in learning the targeted science concepts, and that students were able to apply key concepts in their design work. They also noted a positive effect on motivation and sense of ownership over designs among both individuals and groups. A growing body of research has shown the following: students lean more deeply when they can apply classroom-gathered knowledge to real-world problems, and when they take part in projects that requrie sustained engagment and collaboration; active learning practices have a more significant impact on student performance than any other variable, inclduing student background and prior achievement; students are most successful when they are tuaght how to learn as well as what to learn.
5. What are the differences between the three approaches?
Project-based learning is the use of in-depth and rigorous classroom projects to facilitate learning and assess student competence. Project-based learning is student-centered in which students learn about a subject in the context of complex, multifaceted, and realistic problems. Learning by design is a project-based inquiry approach to science learning with roots in cased-based reasoning.
6. In your opinion, what is the most important benefit to learning that is common across the three types of inquiry-based learning approaches?
I think the most important benefit to learning is being able to create something real-life. I personally learn better when I physically do it myself. I feel that when teachers just lecture at the students, they aren't grasping much of the information. However, when they are able to discover information on their own, it will stick with them forever. Most children just learn the information for the test and then forget it afterward. By allowing them to figure things out themselves, it lets them take ownership for what they have learned. These inquiry-based learning approaches are more difficult for the teacher, but so rewarding for the students.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Researched-Based Strategies: Generating and Testing Hypotheses
The PowerPoint quiz did not support the generating and testing hypotheses strategy because instead of the teacher creating opportunities to guide students through the process of asking good questions, generating hypotheses and predictions, investigating through testing or research, making observations, and finally analyzing and communicating results; we were just given the directions to go off of. We were not given the opportunity to go through these steps of generating and testing a hypothesis. This activity could be modified to reflect the generating and testing hypotheses strategy, by creating opportunities that allow the students to recognize patterns in their findings. Show the students how to transform raw data into graphs or other visual representations that will help them see patterns and make connections. If students are able to make connections from the quiz to other projects that they have done, it will make more sense and mean more to them.
Double Entry Journal #6
First Speaker
1. Why is this video helpful for teaching in West Virginia?
This video is helpful for teaching in West Virginia because there are many children who speak the Appalachian dialect and it would be helpful to teach them how to code switch.
2. What evidence is presented that supports the credibility of the speaker?
Rebecca Wheeler is the associate professor of English, language, and literacy at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. She is the coauthor of Code-Switching, and a literacy consultant for the National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE). She also holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia, M.S. from Georgetown, and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.
3. Describe the traditional approach to responding to student writing.
When teachers see grammar issues with student work, they correct it. The teachers find error, what the student is not doing.
4. Why does the traditional approach not work in improving student writing?
Teachers focus on what the student is not doing, when they should be focusing on what the student is doing.
5. Name the three strategies associated with the linguistic approach to writing instruction.
Scientific method, contrastive analysis, and code switching.
6. How do you know the cat and Taylor go together?
Taylor and cat are next to each other.
7. What is different between the two patterns of possessives for informal and formal English?
The pattern for informal possessives is the owner and what ever it is that they own are next to each other. The pattern for formal possessives is the owner has an "'s" and then what ever it is that they own.
8. What strategy is being used for teaching the second grade students the different patterns between informal and formal English?
The scientific method applied to grammar discovery.
9. Describe how the scientific method is used to teach students to code switch.
Instead of seeing student writing as a bunch of mistakes, teachers look at the patterns. They collect data (sample of student writing), observe data and seek a pattern, describe the pattern (form hypothesis), check hypothesis, and modify hypothesis.
10. What question is being asked to engage students in the comparison and contrast strategy?
"Now let's look at formal English, what changed?"
11. How does code switching support meta cognition?
The students think about what they want to do to succeed in the setting and then choose their style to fit the setting: time place, audience, purpose.
12. What evidence is presented that the code switching approach works? Describe one of the studies.
One teacher talked to her students about when to use formal English and when to use informal English. The students made a list of when it's ok to use informal English: in quick writes, short answers, general conversations, and in question/answer sessions. Then they made a list of when they must use formal English: in essays/papers, in multiple sentence answers, for oral presentations, group projects, and in talking to classroom visitors. This shows that students know when they should code-switch. Taylor found that her African American students were continuing to struggle and failing, she decided to try an experiment where she had a control group with traditional correction and an experimental group with contrastive analysis. After one semester, she found that in the control group there was an 8% increase in grammar issues, and in the experimental group there was a 59% decrease in grammar issues. The No Child Left Behind test results for Rachel Swords' urban classroom showed that before code-switching there was a black-white achievement gap of 30 points; with code-switching the achievement gap is gone.
Second Speaker
1. How did the students respond when asked how they felt about being corrected when they talked?
The students felt stupid, angry, and confused.
2. Give an example of a "fund of knowledge" the teacher drew on to help students learn to code-switch?
The teacher drew upon the students already knowing about informal and formal clothing. They glued pictures of informal and formal clothing on paper. She also had them to draw and write places they would go wearing informal and formal clothing. She then moved to informal and formal language they already know. After that, she moved into the possessive patterns with informal and formal English. She always starts with what the children already know and use that to learn what they do not know.
3. What are some added benefits aside from raising test scores that stem from using contrastive analysis?
The students have taken upon themselves to recognize patterns in different places. They start to realize that people speak differently and it's ok. They are able to have command over their language to take control of being corrected.
On Your Own
Contrastive analysis is an example of generating and testing hypotheses because they can use their regular language to write a paper and then see how people react to it. They can then write a paper using proper English and then compare it to the first paper. Contrastive analysis is an example of identifying similarities and differences because they can use both their language and the proper English and compare and contrast the two. They can identify the similarities and the differences between the languages.
1. Why is this video helpful for teaching in West Virginia?
This video is helpful for teaching in West Virginia because there are many children who speak the Appalachian dialect and it would be helpful to teach them how to code switch.
2. What evidence is presented that supports the credibility of the speaker?
Rebecca Wheeler is the associate professor of English, language, and literacy at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. She is the coauthor of Code-Switching, and a literacy consultant for the National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE). She also holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia, M.S. from Georgetown, and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.
3. Describe the traditional approach to responding to student writing.
When teachers see grammar issues with student work, they correct it. The teachers find error, what the student is not doing.
4. Why does the traditional approach not work in improving student writing?
Teachers focus on what the student is not doing, when they should be focusing on what the student is doing.
5. Name the three strategies associated with the linguistic approach to writing instruction.
Scientific method, contrastive analysis, and code switching.
6. How do you know the cat and Taylor go together?
Taylor and cat are next to each other.
7. What is different between the two patterns of possessives for informal and formal English?
The pattern for informal possessives is the owner and what ever it is that they own are next to each other. The pattern for formal possessives is the owner has an "'s" and then what ever it is that they own.
8. What strategy is being used for teaching the second grade students the different patterns between informal and formal English?
The scientific method applied to grammar discovery.
9. Describe how the scientific method is used to teach students to code switch.
Instead of seeing student writing as a bunch of mistakes, teachers look at the patterns. They collect data (sample of student writing), observe data and seek a pattern, describe the pattern (form hypothesis), check hypothesis, and modify hypothesis.
10. What question is being asked to engage students in the comparison and contrast strategy?
"Now let's look at formal English, what changed?"
11. How does code switching support meta cognition?
The students think about what they want to do to succeed in the setting and then choose their style to fit the setting: time place, audience, purpose.
12. What evidence is presented that the code switching approach works? Describe one of the studies.
One teacher talked to her students about when to use formal English and when to use informal English. The students made a list of when it's ok to use informal English: in quick writes, short answers, general conversations, and in question/answer sessions. Then they made a list of when they must use formal English: in essays/papers, in multiple sentence answers, for oral presentations, group projects, and in talking to classroom visitors. This shows that students know when they should code-switch. Taylor found that her African American students were continuing to struggle and failing, she decided to try an experiment where she had a control group with traditional correction and an experimental group with contrastive analysis. After one semester, she found that in the control group there was an 8% increase in grammar issues, and in the experimental group there was a 59% decrease in grammar issues. The No Child Left Behind test results for Rachel Swords' urban classroom showed that before code-switching there was a black-white achievement gap of 30 points; with code-switching the achievement gap is gone.
Second Speaker
1. How did the students respond when asked how they felt about being corrected when they talked?
The students felt stupid, angry, and confused.
2. Give an example of a "fund of knowledge" the teacher drew on to help students learn to code-switch?
The teacher drew upon the students already knowing about informal and formal clothing. They glued pictures of informal and formal clothing on paper. She also had them to draw and write places they would go wearing informal and formal clothing. She then moved to informal and formal language they already know. After that, she moved into the possessive patterns with informal and formal English. She always starts with what the children already know and use that to learn what they do not know.
3. What are some added benefits aside from raising test scores that stem from using contrastive analysis?
The students have taken upon themselves to recognize patterns in different places. They start to realize that people speak differently and it's ok. They are able to have command over their language to take control of being corrected.
On Your Own
Contrastive analysis is an example of generating and testing hypotheses because they can use their regular language to write a paper and then see how people react to it. They can then write a paper using proper English and then compare it to the first paper. Contrastive analysis is an example of identifying similarities and differences because they can use both their language and the proper English and compare and contrast the two. They can identify the similarities and the differences between the languages.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Double Entry Journal #5
1. What does the research say about the impact of negative teacher attitudes about students ethnicity and language variations on student learning?
Studies have shown that teacher mindset can affect the performance of linguistically diverse students through affecting the way assessments are given or looked at, the way the student reacts to school, where the student is placed for ability groups, and the psychological state of the students. It can also lead to students being misdiagnosed as having language disorders. By an English Language Learners (ELLs) being "othered" by society, peers, and/or the teacher, a student may feel powerless an inferior in the classroom. As a result, students often "remain silent and isolated...participation and dialogue do not occur as freely among language learners...ELL's are anxious, silent, and positioned differently according to different contexts". Negative teacher attitudes toward an ELL can factor into low self-esteem, and can be particularly harmful because these students may already be experiencing a great deal of conflict about their self-identity which comes when taking on a new language. When students feel limitations within the classroom, because of "othering", low self-esteem, a lack of self-efficacy, fear, resistance, or disengagement, low academic achievement can result.
2. What are some assessment pitfalls?
Typically assessments follow medical models which assume that all children being assessed are the same. There is no consideration for children of culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds. Under the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA), assessment should no nondiscriminatory of all children. However, many Hispanic children are being tested with language as the only cultural aspect being addressed. Effective assessment and intervention of diverse children with disabilities must also take other factors into consideration such as family and cultural experiences. Acculturation, the role of language, and family participation are just a few aspects of a child's life that should be considered when assessing.
3. What three approaches can be used to transform students' dialectal diversity into an asset (funds of knowledge) rather than a liability (cultural deficit).
4. How prepared do you feel to teach in a culturally diverse classroom?
I do not feel very prepared to teach in a culturally diverse classroom. I have never really had an ELL growing up in school, therefore, I have not seen how teachers have helped the children. Being in college, I have learned a few strategies to help, but I have not actually seen it take place in the schools.
Studies have shown that teacher mindset can affect the performance of linguistically diverse students through affecting the way assessments are given or looked at, the way the student reacts to school, where the student is placed for ability groups, and the psychological state of the students. It can also lead to students being misdiagnosed as having language disorders. By an English Language Learners (ELLs) being "othered" by society, peers, and/or the teacher, a student may feel powerless an inferior in the classroom. As a result, students often "remain silent and isolated...participation and dialogue do not occur as freely among language learners...ELL's are anxious, silent, and positioned differently according to different contexts". Negative teacher attitudes toward an ELL can factor into low self-esteem, and can be particularly harmful because these students may already be experiencing a great deal of conflict about their self-identity which comes when taking on a new language. When students feel limitations within the classroom, because of "othering", low self-esteem, a lack of self-efficacy, fear, resistance, or disengagement, low academic achievement can result.
2. What are some assessment pitfalls?
Typically assessments follow medical models which assume that all children being assessed are the same. There is no consideration for children of culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds. Under the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA), assessment should no nondiscriminatory of all children. However, many Hispanic children are being tested with language as the only cultural aspect being addressed. Effective assessment and intervention of diverse children with disabilities must also take other factors into consideration such as family and cultural experiences. Acculturation, the role of language, and family participation are just a few aspects of a child's life that should be considered when assessing.
3. What three approaches can be used to transform students' dialectal diversity into an asset (funds of knowledge) rather than a liability (cultural deficit).
- The awareness approach examines the history and social climate associated with the development of certain dialects and allows self expression in students' native dialect as they undertake projects such as music composition. One final component of the awareness approach is comparing and contrasting students' native dialect with Standard English.
- Critical pedagogy focuses on transforming the social order rather than teaching students to succeed in the current social order. Teachers who employ this approach work to give students a voice and teach students to critically analyze the ideologies supporting the current language power structure.
- The critical awareness approach combines the awareness and critical pedagogy approaches. Students are taught Standard English, but they are also taught to think critically about the standard language ideology. Students in classrooms using the critical awareness approach are given opportunities to use their non-Standard dialects in a significant way
4. How prepared do you feel to teach in a culturally diverse classroom?
I do not feel very prepared to teach in a culturally diverse classroom. I have never really had an ELL growing up in school, therefore, I have not seen how teachers have helped the children. Being in college, I have learned a few strategies to help, but I have not actually seen it take place in the schools.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
Where I'm From
I am from baby dolls, thrilling rides, and friends til the end.
I am from the house in the country that feels like the city.
I am from strawberries, puppy tails, and kitty whiskers.
I am from the coal miners and redheads, from the Weavers and the Millers, and a loving family who has and will always be there.
I am from the queen of lateness and a family of perfectionists.
From days spent in the sunshine and late nights with the best of friends.
I am from a singin', dancin', and Holy rollin' Christian church.
I am from German and English heritage, born and raised in the rolling hills of West Virginia.
The smell of potato soup, chicken pot pie, and fudge filling the kitchen remind me of cold, winter nights.
From my dad who has always protected me, my mom who I have always aspired to be like, my brother who has always armed me with great advice, and my sister who has always comforted me.
I am from life, love, and laughter.
I am from the house in the country that feels like the city.
I am from strawberries, puppy tails, and kitty whiskers.
I am from the coal miners and redheads, from the Weavers and the Millers, and a loving family who has and will always be there.
I am from the queen of lateness and a family of perfectionists.
From days spent in the sunshine and late nights with the best of friends.
I am from a singin', dancin', and Holy rollin' Christian church.
I am from German and English heritage, born and raised in the rolling hills of West Virginia.
The smell of potato soup, chicken pot pie, and fudge filling the kitchen remind me of cold, winter nights.
From my dad who has always protected me, my mom who I have always aspired to be like, my brother who has always armed me with great advice, and my sister who has always comforted me.
I am from life, love, and laughter.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
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