Final Blog

Our final readings were just as interesting as our previous readings this semester.  There is just so much to learn and consider!  I found the idea of cultural legacies an interesting concept from the Gladwell excerpt.  His assertion to be aware of our own cultural legacies and to give them up if they do not promote learning ties into Bandura’s caution of society’s influence on learning.  Specifically I thought about the values of our modern-day American culture; what do we value?  What values do we expose our children to in our culture?  Overload of media, messages from reality television, idolization of sports players,  – all of these things are creating our cultural legacy and influencing learning.  That’s some intense stuff!

I really enjoyed the Dweck chapter too from the readings this week.  A growth-minded approach to teaching and learning ties in many of the ideals I believe in and want to incorporate in my classroom.  Valuing each student and working with each student to obtain success is critical, as is the knowledge that I, as a teacher, am also learning and growing in the classroom.  As the author states, a growth mindset “has a key role to play in helping us [teachers, parents, coaches] fulfill our mission and in helping them fulfill their potential” (p. 204).  The suggestions at the end were quite helpful and I’ll use those in the future for sure.

My thoughts with regard to the question of how people learn are about as complicated as the issue of learning.  After careful reading and consideration of various theories and learning models this semester, I do not think there is one right answer about how and why people learn.  Learning is a complex and multi-faceted endeavor that should incorporate various techniques from each of these theories and models.  Learning goals and classroom contexts must be considered; as well as the individual learners.  Each learner is influenced by a myriad of things including prior knowledge, motivation, and culture.  Each learner is different and therefore no one approach is sufficient for everyone.  Not only is learning a complex issue, but it is also an extremely important one.  In addition, we have seen how the American educational structure may not be the best one to encourage learning.  Rigid assessments, unrealistic goals and chronic funding shortages all weaken this system.  This complex issue is going to take great minds and complex solutions in order to set our educational system on a better track in the future.

This class was great & I wish everyone the best of luck!

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York: Random House.

R11: Problem solving, metacognition; self-regulation

Quotes:

“Metacognitive knowledge involves knowledge about cognition in general, as well as awareness of and knowledge about one's own cognition” (Pintrich, p. 219).

“Our current educational system better prepares children to answer questions that are well defined and presented to them in the classroom than it does to formulate the nature of problems in the first place.  Often the skills involved in solving well defined problems are not the same as those involved in recognizing a non-obvious problem or creating a problem. The skills needed clearly to state a problem and to represent information about it in a way that permits solution are also often not emphasized in current classrooms” (Pretz, Naples, & Sternberg, p. 9).

“Any discussion of problem-solving abilities must survey the environment in which an individual encounters a problem. Peers, culture, and even language structure play a role in the recognition, definition, and representation of a problem” (Pretz, Naples, & Sternberg, p.24).

“Rather than educate others to become followers, it is in our best interest to encourage problem solvers to become active problem finders, to stay curious so that they discover and create novel problems, and to think flexibly in the process of solving those problems” (Pretz, Naples, & Sternberg, p. 27)

Question: 

Do you consider yourself a good problem-solver?  If so, what strategies do you employ in order to solve problems?  I like to think of myself as a good problem-solver; I am flexible, curious and generally have motivation.  However after reading the Pretz, Naples, & Sternberg article, I couldn’t help but think about my assumptions and other blockages that probably get in the way of my problem-solving abilities.

Direct Connection: 

I agree with Pintrich’s assertion that metacognitive knowledge needs to be incorporated with different subject areas and taught explicitly.  These skills are often-times lacking in students and should be addressed in classrooms in order to help students learn more about themselves and be better students.  By explicitly teaching, explaining and modeling metacognitive knowledge, teachers are providing students with strategies and skills which will serve them both inside and outside of the classroom.  The ability to think through a problem and employ strategies to overcome the problem is essential tools for everyday living.  I also liked his suggestion for teachers to explain their strategies of metacognition in order to allow students these processes in action.

Indirect Connection:

I thought the connection between creativity (including motivation and curiosity) in the Pretz, Naples, & Sternberg article was an interesting one.   The authors state, “Most research that has attempted to identify the personality characteristics associated with creativity has found a great deal of variability among creative individuals, suggesting that the ability to create problems and solve them in a way that is considered useful and original may vary greatly from domain to domain. For example, the traits that are associated with being a creative visual artist may be very dissimilar from the traits associated with being a creative business manager. For a creative visual artist to transform his or her creative idea into a reality, he or she often must spend long hours in the studio. But a creative business manager will probably need to interact intensely with many different types of people in order to carry out her creative vision for her organization” (p. 23).  This makes me wonder about successful people in various fields; I wonder if the majority of them have these traits?  The passage above exemplifies that different skills/traits/approaches are needed in different fields, so is it that successful people have simply learned the best strategies for their field?

References:

Pintrich, P. R. (2002). The role of metacognitive knowledge in learning, teaching, and assessing. Theory into Practice, 41, 219-225.

Pretz, J. E., Naples, A. J., & Sternberg, R. J. (2003). Recognizing, defining, and representing problems. In J. E. Davidson & R. J. Sternberg (Eds.), The psychology of problem solving (pp. 1-30). New York: Cambridge University Press. 

Module 7: Virtual Lecture - Learning, Memory, Retrieval & Happiness

Daniel Kahneman: The riddle of experience vs. memory

While Daniel Kahneman’s talk begins and ends with a focus on happiness, it is the explanation of what he calls the “experiencing self” and “remembering self” which I believe can be paralleled with regard to learning, memory and retrieval.  Kahneman explains that humans confuse the differences between experience and memory.  He states that we in fact have an experiencing self, which is the present and a remembering self, which is the past.  The experiencing self can be likened to the working memory; the fleeting, quick moments that are oftentimes forgotten.  Whereas the remembering self can be compared to our long-term memory.  This is the part of ourselves which is a storyteller and ultimately makes decisions.  He states, “our memories tells us stories” and it is from these stories which we make decisions.  This distinction is important for learning as it demonstrates how our memories of something (especially when we classify them as good or bad) can influence our present selves and future decisions.  Thus the connections and associations we put on memories will influence the future and this is important for education.  As we strive to make learners aware of how the present can influence the future, this talk can be used by our remembering self.

About the talk:

colonoscopies, Nobel laureate and founder of behavioral economics Daniel Kahneman reveals how our "experiencing selves" and our "remembering selves" perceive happiness differently. This new insight has profound implications for economics, public policy -- and our own self-awareness.

R10: Cognitive load & Multitasking

Check out this article from MSNBC.com "Will teen multitasking give rise to ADD?"

Quotes:

“When we talk about multitasking, we are really talking about attention: the art of paying attention, the ability to shift our attention, and, more broadly, to exercise judgment about what objects are worthy of our attention. People who have achieved great things often credit for their success a finely honed skill for paying attention. When asked about his particular genius, Isaac Newton responded that if he had made any discoveries, it was ‘owing more to patient attention than to any other talent’” (Rosen, p. 109).

“For the younger generation of multitaskers, the great electronic din is an expected part of everyday life. And given what neuroscience and anecdotal evidence have shown us, this state of constant intentional self-distraction could well be of profound detriment to individual and cultural well-being. When people do their work only in the ‘interstices of their mind-wandering,’ with crumbs of attention rationed out among many competing tasks, their culture may gain in information, but it will surely weaken in wisdom” (Rosen, p. 110).

Question: 

My question this week comes from the article on minimal guidance during instruction: I have always considered constructivism more of a theory of learning versus an instructional theory or method.  This article seems to list constructivism as a method of instruction and is critical of this method.  Is constructivism a theory of learning or a theory of instruction?

I think what bothered me about this article was the generalization regarding constructivism.  The authors seemed to lump together several different approaches to instruction (discovery learning, experiential learning, scaffolding, etc.) and dismissed these approaches as inferior to directed instruction.  I definitely do not agree with the notion of completely unguided instruction as a practical approach to learning, especially with novice learners.  Taking my example from last week with sailing & experiential education; I think it is absurd to think an appropriate (constructivist) approach to learning how to sail would be to place a novice sailor in a boat and say “go for it!”  Instead, a constructivist (experiential) approach for a novice learner would be to first have guided instruction from an expert, then allow the novice learner to experience the lessons in-person.  This experience is a key part of the learning as it would not be very beneficial to only have the novice learner sit and watch the expert sail the boat while explaining the techniques, procedures, conditions, etc. to the novice learner.  The novice learner must take the helm and experience these things in-person to truly begin to learn the skill of sailing.  Anyway, I just didn’t like this article very much.  Anyone else feel the same way?  Anyone else love it and want to comment on my take of it?

Direct Connection: 

I could definitely relate to Rosen’s article on multitasking as that is something I do on a daily basis, especially on workdays.  I find myself divvying up attention between several tasks/technologies at once.  I can definitely tell as I am doing this that not one particular thing has my full attention and this lack of attention to each item is detrimental to how I am performing.  But it seems to be such a commonplace in our society today; such an expectation to get “more” done in each day.  It is overwhelming and distracting to say the least.  I wonder if perhaps this is one of the reasons I enjoy outdoor activities so much, as those are times where I can focus on one item at a time (or at least fewer items).  I don’t know and I can’t think about it too much right now (I’ve got a text to answer, dinner to finish cooking, laundry to switch over and more reading to do … haha!).

Indirect Connection:

Rosen discusses children today and how their multitasking habits will alter their lives in the long run in a detrimental way.  Virtues of patience, moments of silence and the like are uncomfortable for children who constantly multitask.  I am not around children very much so I don’t know if I can agree with this assertion or not, since I’ve not seen any examples to support it or not.  I do wonder though if this constant multitasking isn’t such a good thing, but not just with technologies.  I also consider children’s multitasking to be part of their packed schedules which include multiple extracurricular activities, heavy course loads (and heavy homework assignments), etc. as being a detrimental part of our multitasking society.

References:

Kirschner, P. A., Sweller, J., & Clark, R. E. (2006). Why minimal guidance during instruction does not work: An analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery, problem-based, experiential, and inquiry-based teaching. Educational Psychologist, 41, 75-86.

Rosen, C. (2008). The myth of multitasking. The New Atlantis, 64, 105-110. 

R9: Long-term memory and retrieval

Quotes:

“Today we have books, photographs, computers and an entire superstructure of external devices to help us store memories outside our brains, but it wasn’t so long ago that culture depended on individual memories.  A trained memory was not just a handy tool but also a fundamental facet of any worldly mind.  It was considered a form of character-building, a way of developing the cardinal virtue of prudence, and by extension ethics” (Foer, 2011).

“Rehearsing the cue in the context in which it will need to be recalled is crucial” (King-Friedrichs, p. 78).

Question:  Can you improve your memory capacity?  Williams James discusses memory and its significance in learning.  He claims that there can be “no improvement of the general or elementary faculty of memory” (p. 61).  This assertion is in direct conflict with the Foer article we read this week.  Did Foer improve his memory capacity or did he just learn techniques to actually use all of his memory capacity?  I still do not believe someone can increase their memory capacity (i.e. – muscle) but I do believe you can learn/train yourself to better ways of remembering, just as Foer did in his article.

Direct Connection:  I found Foer’s story fascinating and really enjoyed reading it.  While I was reading it and reflecting upon it I couldn’t help but think about myself and wondered if I could do something like that; I don’t know that I could, I really don’t.  I find it amazing people have trained their brains and memories to be able to remember and retrieve such a vast amount of (random, useless) knowledge.  I have trouble remembering the things I think are important, much less the trivial stuff I hardly pay attention to on a daily basis.  This article reminded me of a class I took directly after high school.  The summer before my freshman year in college, my mom had me sign up for a “Becoming a Master Student” course which was taught at UK.  The course taught us tricks for remembering like chunking and other mnemonics.  It also emphasized good study skills and really stressed the concept of “be here now,” meaning that if your mind is wandering then you won’t pick up on what your professor is saying.  This course was really interesting.  Too bad I didn’t remember all the tips from it!

I think this link will take you to more information about Becoming a Master Student

Indirect Connection: This week’s readings really made me think about the oral traditions which are being lost as we move to rely on more technologies for memory storage.  I thought about how everything used to be passed down orally; recipes, family traditions, business information, records, etc.  Everything we store today in/on a computer used to be shared orally.  This tradition was strong in Appalachia and I wonder if it is being maintained in a deliberate sense anywhere.  The Hindman Settlement School came to mind while thinking on this, but I’m not sure if they focus on oral traditions.  I also thought a lot about the languages that are lost each year.  With the loss of these native languages, many oral histories can also be lost.  I hope technology is helping to save these important (oral) artifacts before they are gone forever.

References:

James, W. (1899/2001). Talks to teachers on psychology and to students on some of life's ideals. Mineola, NY: Dover.

King-Friedrichs, J. (2001). Brain-friendly techniques for improving memory. Educational Leadership, 59(3), 76-69.

Foer, J. (2011, February). Secrets of a mind-gamer: How I trained my brain and became a world-class memory athlete. New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/02/20/magazine/mind-secrets.html?hp.

Module 6: Information Processing

As someone who loves experiential education, I think the best source of putting into practice information processing & decision making is the wilderness.  I find that often times actually putting into practice a new skill is a powerful form of information processing.  The wilderness is a place that requires real-time information registry and processing; there are real-time decisions to be made which have real-time consequences.  This type of learning takes into account all of the sensory registers we learned about this week (attention, perception,  sensory limitations,  duration & intensity, impact of imagery, role of context, physical environment, psychological environment, meaningfulness).   So while there isn’t necessarily one source I can use for this assignment, I’ll draw a lesson from sailing and apply it here.  Telltales are small pieces of fabric used on the front sail (usually the jib) which help the person at the helm know how the boat is sailing with regard to the wind.  Learning to sail by the telltales is a very helpful and practical lesson, but learning it in a classroom and on a boat are two different things.  Putting this technique into practice on a boat requires the use of multiple sensory registers and requires real-time information processing as the wind can shift without warning.  But once a sailor knows how to read the telltales, using them is a lesson that will typically be used from that point forward while under sail.  
This video is a great explanation of telltales and their importance:

Advanced Sailing Lessons : Weathervanes & Telltales

Here is a picture of the telltales on my boat, Sundowner, while sailing on Kentucky Lake in WKY.  The telltales are the small piece of red fabric on the orange portion of the sail ...

And here is a picture of me at the helm of a 47-foot Beneteau sailboat in the British Virgin Islands.  In this picture I am controlling the boat solely by watching the telltales, nothing else (don't worry, there were plenty of other folks on board keeping watch for other boats, hazards, etc.).  I believe the expression on my face shows that there is real-time information processing going on!

While this isn’t necessarily a source of information about how humans register & perceive information, it’s definitely something I made a connection to during this lesson; that is the street art of Bansky.  His work takes into account many of the sensory registers covered in this lesson: impact of imagery, role of context, physical environment, psychological environment, meaningfulness and perception are all drawn upon when viewing his work.  Pretty neat!

Banksy's website