Automatic Processing

Once a student becomes familiar with an idea, the processing of it becomes effortless.  In order for an idea to become automatic, a student must use repetition to become familiar with that idea. Everyday activities such as brushing your teeth and getting dressed and things that you do everyday without even thinking.  They have become automatic and very familiar.  There are so many activities in the classroom that need to become effortless in order to succeed in school, such as reading, writing, etc.  Repeating information over and over, which is also known as maintenance rehearsal is one effective way to make an idea become automatic. Another activity that is also effective in automatic processing is ellaborative rehearsal, which allows you to connect newer ideas to older ideas that you have already learned. One very effective idea that helped me a lot in school was the use of mnemonics.  Mnemonics allow you to take your idea and relate it to something to help you remember it.

Activity : In my activity, students will use mnemonics to help them remember different facts in their biology class.  One students needs to know how to remember the order of the animal kingdom.  For this mnemonic, the student made up a phrase that has the same first letter as the name of the animal kingdom in order.  The phrase "kids prefer cheese over fried green spinach" matches perfectly with the animal kingdom order Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.  The student will now have a way to connect both ideas and to remember the order of the animal kingdom.

Updated Model

My first model demonstrated that children learn best by the three following activities: reading, watching and listening.  Although these three activities contribute greatly to learning, there is so much more that can help students learn better. Certain visual exercises and activities such as repetition and memorization can trigger and activate areas in the brain. Watching videos and activities on various electronics can increase their visual perception and help to activate key areas in the brain. Keeping students focused can also build up their attention span and will allow them to keep their focus for longer amounts of time. Students at first have a hard time focusing but with discipline and interest to keep them focused, their attention span can increase greatly.  Something else that helps students learn better is by being social.  Interacting with other students as well as the teacher helps students become more comfortable and relaxed, creating an ease that will help them learn better.

My original activity was an online learning game. I still agree with my first model, although I want to be a little more clear on what it really would be.  My online learning activity would be a game that would allow students to work together on the computer.  The activity would require students to stay on task and would deliver different directions on what to do.  The activity would include visual questions as well as problems that would require memorization.  Students would repeat these activities often, which would allow them to learn those certain lessons more effectively.

Megan Cox

Hi! My name's Megan Cox and I'm a Junior here at Indiana University. I am currently studying for the Teaching All Learners Program and hope to be enrolled this fall. Along with that, I am also studying for a minor in dance. My older sister, who is one of three, was born with Down Syndrome and that is one of the reasons that led me to want to teach Special Education. Whether is was during my many hours of volunteering at Special Olympics or just hanging out with the students who I peer tutored, I've always been interested in that field of work. During my time here at IU, I am part of the Indiana Red Steppers dance team and am also an active member of my sorority, Theta Phi Alpha. In my free time, you can find me waiting on tables here at our local Bubs in Bloomington. 

 

First Model

In my mind, students learn in many different ways. Three ways that I feel they learn best is by reading, watching and listening.  When all ways of learning are used in the same setting, students become much more engaged and therefor, the students have a higher chance of retaining the information.

Activity

One activity that could incorporate all three learning styles would be an online learning game.  Students listen to the activity, read the instructions and questions, all while watching a computer screen.  Because the activity is somewhat considered a "game", students have fun and are that much more engaged in the activity.  An online learning game would efficiently help students learn and keep them more focused and alert to what they're doing.  The game would be enjoyable for the students and would make them want to learn more!