After reading “Theories for
Educators”, I still stand by my original model of learning that I posted on
Sunday, August 26th therefore
I have not created a new model to post. The chapter explains how children learn
an abundant amount of information when they interact with their environments.
Suzanne M. Wilson and Penelope L.
Peterson are very clear when they talk about the conclusions that different
research studies have reached. The authors proclaim that, in the past, there
was common misconception that the best way students would learn was through only
listening. This would mean that the best form of teaching would be to lecture
and for students to just sit quietly and listen to the instructor speak. People
thought that as long as teachers were clear when speaking and explaining
information, students would understand just as clearly as the teacher explained
it. If students were unsure, it was assumed that the instructor just did not do
a good enough job of informing their class.
However, with today’s information,
we know that this is not the case. Students actually remember more when they
can relate what they are learning to actual experiences they have had in their
own personal lives. Therefore, if a teacher conducts their lessons with a
series of activities that illustrate the concepts they are teaching, their
students are more likely to gain a deeper understanding of the ideas they are
conveying to their class. Having said this, there are definitely still some
benefits of having a classroom of students put everything down, have their eyes
up at the front of the room, and listen to their teacher educate them about a
particular concept. This method of teaching just may not be the most beneficial
for the students and should definitely not be the only form of educating used
in a classroom.
Kim,
ReplyDeleteGreat points about the role of experience in learning. The traditional method of teaching, lecturing certainly has its uses as you have said. Can you think of specific concepts that would be useful to have teachers lecture?
Also, in terms of experiences, there are some experiences that some students may have access or familiar with but others may not be used to them. For instance, some students may come from a culture where asking questions is not common. How would you then try to draw on their personal experiences? How would you as a teacher, know when to step in and guide them as they go through the trial and error processes that you have identified?