Class So Far...

So far, class is pretty intersting. I like the fact that as a class, we all stay engaged in the conversations that take place. This would not be nearly as possible if we did not have our little table discussions. I believe this is because often times, individuals are afraid to vent their feelings or thoughts about a subject simply because they do not want to be shot down by saying something offensive, or something that may make them feel as if what they said was dumb or unnecessary. With our various mini group discussions, the classroom environment has become much more comfortable and home-like as we begin to build relationships with the individuals at our tables that we are constantly engaging in converstations with.

As for the learning theories, I am pretty much understanding everything pretty well. However, I find myself fumbling to remember what CLT stands for. As I am writing this, I can sit here and think of what the C acutally stands for (Constructivist), however, when put on the spot, it is not so simple. I do always eventually remember. It's crazy that I understand what it is and all, and yet I struggle to remember what the C stands for. Sad, but true.

iWrite Words: An Educational app for iPad

iWrite Words is an educational appl that can be used for the iPad. This game is for children between the ages of three and six. It teaches children how to write words while working on letter recognition, letter writing, and sounding out words. I can truly see how this tool can be a big help in the classroom setting as students within the correct age range might struggle with a lot or most of the components that come along with reading and writing. this game can help to impove these skills in a fun-filled way.

This is the link to the app:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/iwritewords-tracing-game/id307025309?mt=8

and here is a link I found on Youtube of a child playing the game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZTkPtAyqOY

and lastly, an article/review of the app:
http://appstruck.com/2009/06/iPhone-App-Review-look-mommy-iwritewords/

I can clearly see how this app can be used for educational purposes, for which I described earlier, however, I do not see how a child can be using this app on a regular basis and not learn from it. This is because what with all the letter tracing, sounding out of words and letters, and such, there is no opportunity for the child to play the game in some other sense where they will not learn anything from it. THESE are the kinds of games we should be allowing our children to play, something that they can learn from.

Including DLT, SLT, and CLT in the classroom

I feel that trying to incorporate the three learning theories that we have learned so far would be extremely difficult as well as easy. I say this because it is fairly easy to incorporate one or more of the learning theories without even realizing that you are doing so. This was shown clearly in class on Tuesday when we learned about the Constructivist Learning Theory as we did not know we were learning something new and relevant, but we most definately were. Some of the class even ventured to question why we were even doing certain activities as we did not realize that they tied into anything until we had already learned it. Whereas trying too hard to utilize the three learning theories can become frustrating and more difficult than need be.

Questions I would ask myself to ensure that I am utilizing these 3 learning theories:

1)  CLT (Constructivist Learning Theory)
                            ** What is the student's position on the topic at hand?
                            ** Will the student have to assimilate or accomidate their stance on the topic at hand at all?


2)  DLT (Developmental Learning Theory)
                            ** Where are the students on the concrete to abstract scale?
                            ** How am I determining the student's position on the conctete to abstract scale?
                            **Am I making sure that students are understanding both concrete and abstract parts of the topic at hand?
                            ** Am I leaving anyone behind, and do I need to go over things again to ensure that everyone is on the same page?
                            ** Am I breaking things down enough so students can understand it from the concrete point of view?
                            ** Am I making sure that the level of abstract thinking is age-appropriate for the students?



3)  SLT  (Social Learning Theory)
                            ** Am I allowing students to do group work as to essentially learn from one another?
                            ** Am I allowing students to  
                            ** Am I allotting time for students to use their peers to inquire with and bounce ideas off of one another?
                            ** Where are the students on the Zone of Proximal Development Scale?
                            ** If students are struggling, is there an opportunity for them to learn from the more knowledgeable student in the group/ classroom? If so, has that opportunity been seized?

DLT...like BLT..only it's not.! ha ;p

Math has always been hard for me. However, I did not figure this much out until I was in the fourth grade. I was constantly being yelled at and punished for not understanding the material that was being presented to me. I remember having to stay after school for detention to work on math problems that I had previously gotten wrong earlier in the day. Although I know that my teacher thought she was helping me, I definately was not feeling the love. I felt as though I was being singled out and overall, it made me feel dumb.

I see now that there were so many other ways that my teacher could have tried to reach out and help me when I wasn't conprehending the school work. I am definately a hands-on type of girl, and that alone would have helped me tremendously. Fractions were my worst nightmare! Blocks, or math pieces of some sort would have helped me figure some of the  problems out and I would have caught up with the class more easily.

For whatever reason, my teacher chose the method in which she did, and though my parents were giving me extra help at home, I still wasn't getting it. Even today,  I fully and whole-heartedly believe that if she would have chosen a hands-on approach to teach me, give me something visual, then I would not suck so horribly at mathematics! Though a lot of this was up to me, it is still the teacher's job to teach. As in the video we watched in class on Tuesday, "We always assume that when teachers teach, students learn". This is, in most cases untrue. It simply depends on the method that is chosen to teach each subject.