1. Talk about the brain research you read in relation to your own learning experiences in reading and mathematics.
2. Do you think an emphasis on learning styles or multiple intelligences adds to a teacher's
understanding of his or her students? How does classroom grouping relate to learning styles?
1. Talk about the brain research you read in relation to your own learning experiences in reading and mathematics.
ReplyDeleteThe “Nature of Reading” reminded me that “nature” does play a part in learning and raised questions for me about how to approach that productively in the classroom. For me, reading did come naturally, and I feel that my vocabulary and verbal skills are strong as well as my memory and spatial skills. Perhaps these are genetically-based, but of course, facilitated by a home environment full of books, drawing, reading and writing. When I think about my students, I need to consider that they may have any combination of nature and nurture affecting their skills at reading.
I want to empower students by teaching them about brain malleability (I’m thinking about doing my integrated unit about the brain). But I also want to beware of sending the simple message that everyone can succeed in the same way if they try the same way. We are made differently, and we may not all become Olympic level readers because of a number of factors. We can all become competent readers, though.
In math, I totally agree with the necessity of struggle. The topics I remember most are ones where I had to struggle through on my own. They are the ones that really confused me in the beginning, that I had to work through step by step with my own thinking. I do remember a moment in 6th grade when I saw a problem differently than the teacher did, and I felt very stuck but also very confident that my way was right. We finally had a conversation about it, and I was able to show her my thinking and she understood. Although I was nervous to speak up, it was a supportive enough environment that I did. And it was very empowering to show her my thinking and talk it through as peers.
2. Do you think an emphasis on learning styles, or multiple intelligences, adds to a teacher’s understanding of his or her students?
I did not know that learning styles was “bunk”! I’ve learned a lot about multiple intelligences at Lesley and I do feel that this is helpful for students. I think the two theories are different in that multiple intelligences says that everyone has some combination of different strengths in learning, while learning styles tries to group people based on one style of learning. I want to do more research about multiple intelligences now, and find out what is actually based in research. However, I will say from my own experience that my brain feels much more alive when I am engaged in a variety of learning activities. In the arts integrated program here, we get to move, draw, build, listen, watch, and talk, and I find that a combination of activities really helps me learn more deeply and hold onto that knowledge for longer. In my approach, I hope to provide varied activities for my students, allowing them multiple ways to access the material. But I will be wary of putting any student in a box, like the learning style mentality. If I believe my students can learn only one way, that will only limit my teaching and limit their learning. If I believe that multiple access points can help students put things together on their own and learn deeper, that will free up my teaching and provide them support for learning in their own ways.
Do you think 2nd graders are interested and mature enough to study the brain? If you do the unit, i'd love to hear how it went!
DeleteTotally agree with your comments on question 2. As I've always said, the integrated arts students get the best education and make the best teachers - overall!
I like your wording here: "...multiple access points can help students put things together on their own and learn deeper". I agree with this statement and believe it holds true even if questions about multiple intelligences and multiple learning styles are still unresolved. Teaching to these access points help students discover knowledge for themselves, believe in their ability to learn, and feel excited about the power that knowledge gives them.
DeleteI think 2nd graders are interested in the brain! When I was in third grade my class took a journey 'into the brain' and while a lot of what we discovered was surface level knowledge and enhanced with imaginative touches, I remember being enthralled by the experience. I look forward to hearing how it went if you do it as well!
The brain research articles read for this week discuss different aspects that impact learning; poverty, exercise, genetics, environmental factors, and when students are ready to take on new cognitive tasks. I am fortunate enough to have grown up in a home where food was available, I was not stressed about my home life, and books were plentiful. This set me up to be ready to learn when I entered kindergarten. My parents love of reading is shared by my brother and myself, as we were avid readers in elementary school and onwards. We played many games where math and concentration were used, which showed me how math can be fun.
ReplyDeleteI found the article about the importance of exercise related to learning engaging, and it made me think about my more active students. I wonder how I can incorporate quick movement throughout the day, even if we cannot go outside or do not have P.E. I think yoga in the classroom is a great practice, and have read about how teaching meditation is also a great skill for students to learn.
I first learned about different learning styles in college, in 2006. Since then, there has been much debate on their usefulness and how accurate they are. I think that learning styles can be reframed into teaching methods, as it is important for teachers to not constantly give lessons in the same manner. Overall, I think that the more interactive the lesson is, the more the students are engaged and retain information, no matter the age. I am skeptical that one “learning style” can really show much about an individual student’s overall learning or interests. Students can show their personalities and preferences by how they show their learning, if they gravitate towards writing stories or explanations or creating models. Yet students should not be limited to what they prefer. I believe that teachers should also push students to explore new ways of demonstrating their learning, and try out things they are uncomfortable with. Like the article by Yeung, students master an idea better when they struggle a bit, and become slightly frustrated.
i agree with all your thoughts. Glad you have such a lovely family!
DeleteNancy
I love you idea of yoga or meditation in the classroom. Its difficult for staff to get on board with that sort of stuff. However, in my first grade class, we incorporate Zumba on Fridays. It seems like a good Monday activity as well. But we do it for about a half an hour. Its amazing and the kids really love it.
DeleteJessica, that's awesome that you do Zumba! I tried to do yoga with an after school group, but it didn't work so well. I think different ways to change up the usual routine is a huge deal for kids, and I bet your students will remember doing Zumba for a long time!
DeleteI agree with the research on brain development and literacy/mathematics development and the connection between an active, healthy life style and learning outcomes. There is a popular saying in the field of education that "children learn in time, not on time." Although this is a statement most educators agree with, it does not always reflect the policies or programs in place. Schools, districts, and policies are pushing literacy skills into lower and lower grade levels. Although some children are ready to read at this time, not all are. I recently read about a study that looks at MRI results of children with and without sensory processing disorders and there was a visible difference in the white matter. This is comparable to the article "Brain Research May Point to Changes in Literacy Development." As for physical activity, the flow of oxygen through the blood stream helps the brain. Certain physical activities help build connections in the brain and can strengthen others. I am a person who needs to stay active to maintain stress. When I work out I have more energy, I feel better, and I accomplish more. The same is true for young children, thus the "shake break" phenomena that has developed in classrooms. Breakfast is supposed to be the most important meal of the day to help people function. Maybe we need to edit that morning ritual to include physical activity.
ReplyDeleteI think having an awareness of the types of activities/presentations of information that children respond to is important for planning engaging lessons and making the curriculum accessible. With that said, I do not believe that children learn in only one specific way. I think learning is best accomplished when the task is multi-sensory (visual, auditory, and tactile) whenever possible. Maybe a child responds better to tactile learning activities involving letter identification and representation, but turning everything into a tactile experience will not help that child develop skills in visual and auditory reception. I understand that children, much like adults, have preferences as to how and what they learn. As a child I discovered that I was able to remember information I read (a visual learning style) to the extent that I could close my eyes and visualize the words, and even their orientation on that page. This had many benefits for me academically, however, if my teachers began providing me information through that sense alone, I would not have developed the ability to retain the same information through listening. In higher education, classes are typically run in a lecture format. How could I have been successful if I did not learn through this modality as well? Furthermore, having the curriculum be presented in the same visual format constantly would have become boring.
Classroom grouping is related to learning styles because lower achieving students often benefit from the visual supports and verbal clarifications that may be provided for ELL students. Although the benefits of this approach can be seen through early education. Higher achieving students may not need these clarifications and can extend their learning by figuring it out.
Also remembers that sex makes difference in how and what children learn!
DeleteNancy
1. I grew up in a house full of books. We made weekly trips to the local library throughout my childhood and my mother read bedtime stories to my two brothers and me until we were 10 or 11 years old. The three of us were early readers, were successful in reading throughout our school careers, and still love reading today. We were also good math students, though we weren’t particularly enriched or encouraged in that area at home and none of the three of us chose to study math beyond freshman year in college. I could view my personal experience as evidence of the genetic basis of intelligence (academics came easily to my parents, so they came easily to my siblings and me), but the (humanities-heavy) professional and recreational choices my brothers and I have made since our childhood also suggest that nurture plays a role in learning and achievement.
ReplyDeleteI was most interested to read about the potential application of brain research in the development of technology-based reading programs. One of my 2nd graders – a very intelligent girl with highly educated, involved parents (a dual nature/nurture benefit) – has a learning disability that makes reading and writing a struggle. It’s exciting to think that this research could lead to tools that would help her and other students with learning disabilities reach their full potential.
2. I think that the benefit of considering multiple intelligences in the classroom is less about figuring out how each individual student learns best and more about providing the whole group with a variety of ways to access the curriculum and show what they know. Emily mentioned that her best math learning was the result of productive struggle. I had similar experiences in several of my creative arts classes – some of my most powerful and memorable learning experiences occurred when I was pushed out of my comfort zone (drawing, writing) and asked to think and produce in a novel way (drama, movement, music). Maybe it’s a Zone of Proximal Development thing – not only should we be thinking in terms of content that’s just beyond a student’s reach, but in terms of the modes of learning and expression that challenge them as well.
i agree with all your comments, just don't forget to sometimes give students an easy assignment to make sure their self-confidence is strong.
DeleteI agree that being pushed outside our comfort zone can lead us to a place of deeper learning. One thing I'm discovering as I teach is that many students will do anything to resist feeling uncomfortable. I think students need to be scaffolded through feelings of discomfort, just as they need to be scaffolded through subject matter. We can ease our students into learning to be comfortable with the process of learning....(even if it's uncomfortable!) They will learn to persist and not give up and to believe in their ability to stick with challenges.
DeleteGreat thoughts!
DeleteAfter reading the week's articles I found myself returning and re-reading the Willingham article. Daniel Willingham writes that the idea that students have different learning styles - visual, auditory, or kinesthetic - is unproven and unfounded. He states, "Researchers have been conducting experiments on learning styles for 50 years. They’ve been tested with the sorts of materials that kids encounter in schools. They’ve been tested with kids diagnosed with a learning disability. There just doesn’t seem to be much evidence that kids learn in fundamentally different ways."
ReplyDeletePersonally, I would love do dig deeper into the research he is reading. My personal experiences would seem to diverge greatly from Willingham's thoughts. I would go further though to say that my experiences have led me to follow and agree with Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences which offer more than a mere three learning styles. Gardner has even revised his multiple intelligences over the years as the world and technology has evolved.
In the article, Willingham gives an example of students in an art museum who are all looking at different styles of painters. He cites that students select which paintings they prefer based upon prior experiences. Personally, I would find it more interesting to see different students observe a single painting. I have spent many hours in the Museum of Fine Arts. I have observed many people of a wide range of backgrounds and ages. Some people will stand and stare at a painting for a long period. Others will take a quick look and then read the accompanying information. They are both learning from the work of art, but in different ways. Their learnings can or may be different, yet they are learning in their preferred way and most likely, in the method they learn the best.
I have seen similar instances in the classroom. Mathematics is an area where students will see problems in many different ways. In turn, they will then all go to the tools that they prefer. When exploring a blank hundred chart, some students will visually be able to see where landmark numbers will fall. I have other students who use manipulatives to overlay the chart to show blocks of different color cubes in strips of ten. Yet other students will discuss rather than show their work. Students need to have a variety of resources available to help foster their learning in the method that best suits them?
How though does a teacher know what learning style best fits a student? And not every lesson can be tailored to every student's specific learning style. Without practicing with each distinctive intelligence, how could a preferred style be determined. For instruction, it is necessary to expose students to as many differing styles as possible. Once a student is comfortable with several methods, then instruction can be refined to focus on groups. Small lesson variations and additional resources, such as manipulatives, or flipped classroom lessons could provide students with greater learning opportunity and deeper understanding.
i like how you describe how you would implement multiple intelligences in a classroom. Just remember, as kids mature, their preferred way of learning could change.
Delete1. Talk about the brain research you read in relation to your own learning experiences in reading and mathematics.
ReplyDeleteI would love to keep up to date with topics of neuro-education, though I recognize that findings often contradict each other and prevailing opinion is in flux. It is critical to understand how brain development, poverty, and nature vs. nurture in general affect a child’s ability to learn. In my own experience, I see the benefits of early training, as well as practice making ‘perfect’. If educators understand that remedial training is physically altering a student’s brain matter, it may help the educator to be more patient with the student and to understand that even if the student is trying their hardest, their physiology might need time to catch up. It’s also important to understand how hard work can improve brain function.
2. Do you think an emphasis on learning styles or multiple intelligences adds to a teacher's
understanding of his or her students? How does classroom grouping relate to learning styles?
The most important factor in inspiring student’s to learn is to make learning feel purposeful for them, and to teach in a way that sparks their interests and inherent drive to grow and succeed. Students naturally love to play games, to achieve goals, and to compete and compare with one another. Children are already constantly examining their environment, though different children prefer to interact with the world in different ways. Whether learning style theory is bunk or not, it’s important to recognize that as educators, we want our students to feel motivated to learn. When we present information in different ways and solidify that information in our student’s minds and bodies, then they will show a robust learning, no matter their learning style.
When student’s are grouped in the classroom, it’s important to pay attention to both academic ability and socio-emotional and behavioral issues. Some students need the influence of others in order to motivate them and influence them to attain a higher level of focus and performance. Some students are brought down if they are in a group that has too many distractions. It is not fair to expect high level students to always wait for low level students to catch up. Every student deserves to work to their maximum ability, while simultaneously developing patience and empathy for their fellow students.
Students need to be appropriately challenged, but don’t necessarily need to figure everything out on their own in their own way. As educators, we can provide students with a tool box of strategies and concepts that students can apply as they see fit. We can also show them examples of how to apply them, and encourage them to think with an open mind and not to shy away from challenge.
If you follow your own advice you have given yourself quite a challenge. Remember you are only one person (usually) with 15- 28 students. Try to make the students independent learners as far as possible.
DeleteElizabeth Prior- 2nd grade
ReplyDeleteTalk about the brain research in relation to your own learning experiences in reading and math.
When I think about Nature and Nurture in relation to the brain I think back to my own experiences as a young child. Reading came naturally for me and I believe it was a combination of "role modeling" and never feeling the "pressure" to have to read, read, read! The role modeling piece come from my father who always had a book, magazine, or newspaper in hand. I remember my father reading and enjoying books, magazines and newspapers in both English and Portuguese. For me it was nature and nurture that shaped my brain in regards to reading.
I feel that I can relate with an ELL student in the sense that I learned English and Portuguese simultaneously in school and in the home. I do understand every child learns differently and struggles with different aspects of their learning in relation to their "nature" and "nurture".
Math did not come naturally for me as a student. I believe if there were different manipulatives, methods or visual ways to look at Math, I would have benefited greatly. Struggling in a supportive caring environment can be beneficial in grasping a subject like math because it reinforces "hard work" with a sense of accomplishment and safety. Math can be introduced in a visual manner for young math students who need to "see" it in a different way.
I believe it is important to identify how and when students could be most engaged in learning math so educators can create an emotionally safe environment for all types of learners.
You are very lucky to have learned 2 languages as a child. This alone increased your ability to learn. I suspect if you wanted to learn more math you could, just by focusing on it. Schools have tried to introduce second languages for several years, but I don't think they have had much success - mainly because of costs and teacher availability.
ReplyDelete