Jason’s “How People Learn” Reading Log
After reading the introduction, conclusion, and my two assigned chapters from How People learn, I feel that I have in fact learned a lot. Some of the themes from the reading we have already discussed in class, for example, that students bring with them a world view and existing knowledge into the classroom. The introduction gives the great example of thinking that the world is flat and being told that it is round. This leads the new learner to picture a pancake with people standing on it, which is a sort of compromise of the existing belief with the new information. In my personal experience, especially in intro courses, after a few semesters you begin to expect and prepare for common misinterpretations.
The example of the cat learning to pull the string to get out of the cage was also a great example. As educators we don’t just want the cat to be able to pull the string we wont the cat to understand why the string works. We should not be anywhere near satisfied with students that can check the right box. We should be striving to go beyond memorization to deeper understanding.
I personally read chapters 5 and 6 along with the intro and conclusion and I would like to briefly outline those chapters here. First chapter five illustrates how the brain develops through interaction with certain environments. As a sociologist this is not a surprise to me as my discipline has always focused on the importance of nurture in the nature vs. nurture debate. However this chapter illustrates just how unproductive that debate is. The brain requires essential information from the environment to develop. Meaning that your environment effects the physical structures of the brain, or in my understanding, nurture (social environment) effects your nature (biology, genetics).
So if we know exactly how important our environment is to our brain’s development, how do we go about creating the best environment? And how does this affect our understanding of college teaching? The chapter outlines learner centered environments, knowledge centered environments, assessment centered environments, and community centered environments. Classrooms need to be thought of as learning environments where everything fits together. The teacher considers preexisting beliefs, allows students to grapple with new information, provides insightful and useful knowledge to assist that grapple, delivers assessments that fit the course, offers productive feedback, and strives to understand the classroom as part of the larger communities culture.
Teddy’s Reading Log 02.28.2010
Teddy’s Reading Log 02.28.2010
For class session 03.01.2010
As you can see, our most recent reading is from Chapter 1 of the book: Classroom Research, Implementing the Scholarship of Teaching by Cross & Steadman (1996). This text explains the continual development of Classroom Research & Assessment and lists its relevant characteristics as being learner centered, teacher directed, student/teacher engaged, content specific, scholarly knowledge based, practical and ongoing in research that raises new questions. Teachers are encouraged to engage short-term research projects in their practicum. Observations and experimentation are cardinal in helping teachers understand how students learn, what they learn and why they learn it in the manner they do. The chapter goes on to discuss realms of research and development (referred to as R&D). The valued commodities are spotlighted institutional incentives and tenure for teachers having approved scholarly productions internal/external of the classroom.
According to Cross & Steadman, Classroom Research is probably best understood in the context of its relationship with other efforts to improve education. The application of educational research to practice, faculty development, assessment of student learning and the Carnegie proposals to broaden the definition of scholarship are all moving towards achieving greater insight about the scholarship of teaching and learning. Many feel it we can gain more positive results using old-school standard research methods or scientific pedagogies. However, others believe it can be done using assessment as a product of Classroom Research to obtain the desired outcomes. Regardless, they often end up leaning towards quantitative or qualitative research methods.
Over and over again, Boyer’s 1990 Scholarship Reconsidered is mentioned! This chapter attempts to connect Classroom Research as it relates to assessment, faculty development, educational research and the scholarship of teaching. Cross and Steadman state seven “Good Practices” that perpetuates student-faculty engagement, cooperation among students and colleagues. Also, it promotes active learning, prompt feedback, high expectations and respect for diverse talents and ways of learning. Most of all, it places emphasis on time on task.
My favorite section of this reading assignment is entitled “Relationship to the Scholarship of Teaching. This section discusses the various forms of scholarship recognized by the Carnegie Foundation (Cross & Steadman p.26-27). First, is the scholarship of discovery which contributes to the stock of human knowledge and intellectual climate of a college or university? Second, the scholarship of integration involves making connections across disciplines and making interpretations that fit research into larger intellectual patterns. Third, is the scholarship of application that addresses the question, “How can knowledge be responsibly applied to consequential problems? Lastly, the scholarship of teaching is conveyed as a dynamic endeavor involving all the analogies, metaphors, and images that build bridges between the teacher’s understanding and the students’ learning. I hope that Classroom Research and Assessment continues to be a very gratifying intellectual experience that is meaningful to teachers and learners!
Aracelie_Reading_2 Mar
Aracelie’s thoughts earlier this week – “So will this be like McKinney’s book? Are they going to give me in depth pointers on how to address my research question? This book is much bigger than McKinney’s…I thought it was a workbook when I bought it, but I don’t see any activity pages. Plus, I don’t think this is that kind of class…So then what’s in here? What will they talk about?” And so those were my initial thoughts beginning Classroom Research: Implementing the Scholarship of Teaching. I must admit each time I open one of these books or one of our articles, I begin to feel a bit overwhelmed by all the vocabulary and concepts and theories. But then I begin to look forward to all the things we will have to discuss when we get to class.
From this particular reading, the defining of Classroom Research in relationship to the other areas (Assessment Movement, Traditional Educational Research, and Faculty Development) is somewhat eye-opening. On page 13, for instance, the authors talk of how “subordination implied in the expert-subject relationship is not completely alleviated by placing teachers and students on “advisory” committees to inform the experts about investigations that would improve practice.” I had an “Oh, now I get it” moment after reading that statement. We have discussed how there is a gap between traditional research and classroom research, but it wasn’t clear in my mind as to why that gap is as big as it seems to be. It seemed like common sense that all we have talked about with respect to SoTL would benefit everyone involved over the long-term. I was not able to clearly see how the implied relationships also at play affect much of how big the gap will remain and how soon a bridge will be built to close that gap.
Schon’s concept of the “topography of professional practice” (i.e., the high ground versus the swampland) is pretty genius. It applies to more than education. It also applies well to many top-down organizations (e.g., government, business). “Relevance over rigor” – If it’s not relevant to real-life, is there really any value added in addressing the question? For those in upper-level management or administrative positions, the answer may be yes. Addressing the “big picture” helps big organizations survive. However, the day-to-day workers who support those managers and administrators are influenced more by the relevance question and cannot necessarily afford to always consider the “big picture”. And so we are back to figuring out how to build that bridge…
Jason Bishop: Making the Most of College
Okay. So I printed this out and took it to class with me instead of posting on the blog (mistake one), then I forgot to hand it in in class (mistake two)! So here is my one page summary of the book that I presented last night.
Richard J. Lights highlights the importance of involving student interviews in our assessment of teaching and learning. Why not ask students what they think about their educational experience? In short, the light believes that we as teachers have a lot to learn from students, and he makes a pretty convincing argument. While there are some methodological issues with generalizing his findings (done with Harvard students) to all colleges, I do believe most of his findings are useful to most colleges.
Light begins by pointing out that learning is not just occurring in the classroom. In fact his research shows that when students were asked to think of a moment that changed their lives profoundly four out of five students interviewed reported moments outside of the classroom. Students benefit and are more satisfied with college when they connect their in-class and out of class experiences. The author then moves on to a section on student tips for success in college. He outlines the importance of time management, and specifically dedicating extended blocks of time to writing/studying rather than numerous short burst. Many struggling students come from high school’s that did not require critical thinking (gathering, analyzing, and constructing opinions).
If we understand that a majority of learning occurs outside of the classroom we must become very concerned with homework assignments and facilitating group studying. As many of the student quotes expressed, studying in groups can facilitate constructive criticism, and expose students to differing interpretations of the same material. However, we also must maintain a focus on students in the classroom learning (the author’s one-minute feedback activity on Page 66/69 struck me as a great practice.) Light also reports that faculty loose creditability when they become “predictable” and that they should focus on getting across “how academics in their field think about the world”.
Light then shifts focus to student diversity. He does not site his statistics that 1 out of 6 Harvard students come from families below $20,000, or that 35% of the 2004 graduating class was “non-white”. The use of “non-white” as a category seemed odd, although his later discussions of diversity made up for this. He makes the point that diversity can only have a positive effect in the right environment, which requires a culture of inclusion and a stressing of common ground. He uses student’s reports of negative high school experiences with diversity, and their opposite experience at Harvard to drive home this point. Harvard stresses inclusion and students have the common ground of taking school very seriously and striving to learn. The final student quote is probably the best in the book. The student stresses how he had a diverse classroom focus on affirmative action that could not have been so meaningful without a diverse student body.
Teddy’s Reading Log 02.23.2010
Teddy’s Reading Log 02.23.2010
For class session 02.23.2010
The book Opening Up Education focuses on the development of Open Educational Resources or OER. The 38 prominent scholars that authored this book promote learning platforms beyond the traditional classroom. The open education movement demands full access to education anywhere, anytime for students everywhere! Students engage learning activities at home, work, and other non-traditional environments. This project is an on-going metamorphosis that is sure to someday become the norm. Greater access makes this form of education very attractive to the busy nine-to-fivers and others with challenging schedules. Time is a precious commodity and open education provides learners with resources that are very accommodating for the adult learner. Participation by teachers and students is a must if the movement is to be a success.
Leaders of the open education movement seek to enable and encourage participation of the entire learning community, but are centering their current efforts on teachers and future scholars. It must become an agency for formal and informal education as it creates ecologies within ecologies of productive thinkers that enjoy deep learning. The designing of open education requires carefully molded scaffolding designed by teachers and students of cross-disciplines, building informative channels of structured frameworks that have educational resources that build on old data to enhance the scholarship of teaching and learning.
Open education is presently reforming education and the results is a new community of learning and practice. As always, the mission here is to create a community of instructors, theorists, scientists, and students who want to achieve the most effective best practices for teachers by studying what students know and how they learn through civil/practical engagement. By implementing open-content, open-teaching and other forms of the movement, students experience an international band of critical thinkers that enjoy scores of digital content located in online libraries of endless data 24 hours a day. We’ve been granted great insights through the mediums of open education. The provision of more access, agency, design freedoms, and ownership of our education is truly a most welcomed “Reformation” in the 21st century!