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July 28th NOTES 2

above all else, teach no wrong!
Jean Piaget


leading figures in developmental psychology
provided insight & contribution into the field
learning occurs through environment
basic theory of cognition has 3 main elements...
    1. equilibration-cognitively balanced in relation to understanding of the environment, when equal we're at an equilibrium
                         (nothing challenges our thinking)
    2. adaptation-assimilation: take an existing schema & fit it into one that already exists
                       accomodation: change scheme to fit into schemas
    3. organization-organize new schema into existing knowledge
                         the desire to organize is a desire to experience
development is an approximation to an ideal state of equilibrium that will never be achieved (based on piaget's idea)
you're trying to get closer & closer to know more of the world which in turn leads you to saying you thought you knew the basics
all learning starts w/what you know & is built on
construct an understanding
Piagetan Development
4 major stages
    1. sensorimotor - everything is learned through the senses
                            birth to 2 years
    2. preoperational - stage just prior to the acquisition of mental operations
                            2 through 7 years
    3. concrete operational - able to perform mental tasks when they are tied to concrete tasks
                                       conservation: characteristics of object remain same despite changes in appearance
                                       3 aspects of understanding reasoning:   
                                            1. identity- no alteration
                                            2. compensation - actions=compensation
                                            3. reversibility - done can be undone
                                       (i.e. griffin w/the pennies, playdoh & cool-aid)
    4. formal operational - mental tasks that involve abstract thinking & coordination of multiple variables
                                   not everyone makes it to this stage (some need concrete tasks)
need to have practices that are appropriate to each students stage they are at (i.e. imagine - not all children can do this)
challenge as a teacher to recognize where students are cognitively & match their experiences
limitations of Piaget's theory:
    1. 4 seperate stages
    2. underestimation
    3. cultural differences/ages are wrong
basic categories in which children think still holds true
optimal mismatch: perfect match between existing schemes & new schemes
                         ideal discrepancy between current cognitive structures & challenging new information
Lev Vygotsky
favored scientist in the state
learning takes place through social interactions, essentially through society
verbal thought - thinking & language merge
zone of proximal development: range of tasks too difficult to master alone but can be mastered w/guidance & assistance
                                         you can do it yourself (i.e. i'll catch you if you fall mindset)
                                         you know that you can do it because someone is there w/you
scaffolding: changing level of partner support provided over the course of the task
                Bruner's term
                (i.e. learning to ride a bike w/o training wheels while parent holds bike & lets go)
    self-scaffolding: helping yourself to achieve your goal
                          (i.e. talking to yourself when you are lost & telling others to be quiet)
instructional conversations: learning through interactions w/teachers & or students
Play
pretend play: involves more assimilation than accommodation
                   ability to negotiate reality
provides important mental support system that allows them to think & act in more complex ways

Piaget is cognitive constructivism & Vygotsky is social constructivism
"kids learn more by accident in a place where they feel good than they will on purpose in a place where they don't"

Erik Erikson (psychosocial)
student of Sigmund Freud (psychosexual)
8 interdependent stages: manner in which conflicts resolved in a given stage affects the accomplishments
    1. trust vs. mistrust: forms the foundation of ego development & is dependent on the quality of the maternal relationship
    2. autonomy vs. shame & doubt: serparation of self from parent & is dependent of supportaive & not overly critical parents
    3. intitiative vs. guilt: learning to initiate activities & enjoy accomplishments & is dependence on supportive & not controlling parents
    4. industry vs. inferioirty: industrious capacity for productive work, cooperative participation & pride in doing things well
            allow students to set & work towards realistic goals
            allow a show of independence & responsibility
            support students who seem discouraged
            scaffold them (i.e. placing a book on the table w/o them knowing & going to it & saying wow what is this-they think they found it)
    5. identity vs. role confusion: who am i? where am i going?
            provide career choice models
            help students find resources for resolving personal problems
            be tolerant of fads that don't intefere
            give students realistic feedback
    6. intimacy vs. isolation: finding an intimate life companion or risking loneliness & isolation
    7. generativity vs. stagnation: giving of ones self to the next generation
    8. integrity vs. despair: reflecting on life's' accomplishments
crises: turning points of increased vulnerability & enhanced potential
resolution: favorable ratio of positive to negative
development creates "a series of potentialities"

James Marcia
identity for adolescents
have adolescents: had crisis & explored options
                         made commitments
people are going to evince a certain type of personality & can change on a weekly basis
    you should help them explore what their options are until they can effectively put their identities together on their own
relates to identity & role confusion

July 28th NOTES 1

KWHL
Know, Want, how, Learned-
Acronym for what we know, what we want to know, how we know it, what we want to learn
For pre assessment- to determine direction for lesson 
Brainstorm
What we know:
1. Social transmission- relaying of information that a culture or society deems important.
1. can perpetuate class systems
2. Changing and improving
3. political
1.     is a "broken" system
4. controversial- flawed and broken
5. Group oriented and individual focus
6. Fun
7. it's necessary
8. it's a right but also a privilege
9. About learning both facts and relationships
10. can take place anywhere
11. inspirational- can inspire self and others 
12. school is systematic
13. Many methods for teaching and learning
14. Babysitting- current model of education for 12 years is based off of desire to keep youths out of workforce after WW2
15. Consumes large amount of resources- teachers spend on average $500 of their own income on classroom supplies
16. focused on achievement
17. Education is power- with internal hierarchy
18. Takes a village/ community
19. takes passion to teach well
20. taken for granted
21. learning is a never ending process
22. should be priority of entire community- parents, teachers, students....
23. challenging for everyone and rewarding
24. Quantity VS. Quantity
What we want to know:
1. Practical knowledge
1. methods
2. Direction of future education
3. strengthening knowledge of learning communities
4. classroom "management"
5. develop successful relationships with parents- involve them in their child's education
6. be effective collaborator
7. work with administrators
8. how to be "effective" teacher
9. how to construct innovative lesson plans
10. how to stretch resources
11. how to sustain enthusiasm (prevent burn-out)
12. how not to take it all to personal
13. authentic assessment (alternative)
14. multicultural education
15. co-curricular 
16. how to develop relationship with each student
17. balance between planned and emergent curriculum - between spontaneity and preparedness
18. balance in life
19. making learning relevant to students 
20. how to differeintiate
21. how to discuss difficult issues - without imparting bias
22. how to use technology
23. what possibilities are available to educators- admin. alternative schools- out of country

How will we learn this stuff
      
1. Slowly
2. what is most important to you? Make sure to find the opportunity to explore that
3. it is your job to make sure you get what you want out of the program. 

PArt 2:
We will compile a "best practices" collection

Discussion of the readings
Palmer
-important to know yourself.
-children know when your are real.
    -how do we do this?
-finding the right mentor
    -SO important to KNow your students
- Front stage- back stage dynamic
-teachers are an easy target
-developing your identity is critical

Tao of teaching
-a class is the sum of it students- sum of all it's community members
-say important things only once

What was the title of the book Mark suggested? Judicious something? Forest something?

It was about judicious discipline, and the first name was Forest, last name started with G
Forrest Gathercoal


CHapters 1&2
what is good teaching?
Expert vs. novice


To Analyze a piece of Research ask:
1.      How do they operationalize their constructs?
2.      How did they set up the piece of research, the experimental design?
3.      Who funded the research?

July 28th NOTES 2
K-W-H-L
K- what you know
W- what you want to know
H- how we want to learn it
L- what you learnt
K - what we know about education..
society's way of passing on important information & knowledge (social transmission)
constantly changing, improving (education is not static)
is political
   controversial
   fun
   necessity for the greater good
   right & a privilege
   about learning- creating facts, relationships (conceptual & affective)
   inspirational & can inspire others
   power
   never-ending process
   challenging & rewarding for all
   change is hard & frustrating
group orientated & individually focused (dual learning)
happens anywhere
only hope to make a better world- peaceful & understanding
based on a system (grade levels & learning)
numerous methods of teaching & learning
thought of as a babysitting service
required by law until the age of 18
requires a lot of work & effort (social commitment, money, focus) by both teachers & students
flawed system
emotional learning is a structural weakness
focused on achievement
many people are involved
takes a village to do it right
content & process is highly debated
takes passion to teach...well - students, teachers, parents, society's passion too
taken for granted
Learning is a never ending process
debate between quality vs. quantity
W- what we want to know..
practical knowledge not just theory
conceptual techniques for ece/elem
preparation for the future of education (ability to move w/it)
strengthen knowledge of learning communities & applying it
classroom "management"





politics of public school (curriculum, funds, control)
successfully develop relationships w/parents
effective collaborators w/administration, community, parents, students
"effectiveness" as a teacher
innovative, creative lesson plans
discussions & discoveries
how to prevent burn-out
          not take it personally
discover resources and stretch them
ways of assessing students besides testing
how to bring extracurricular activities back into the classroom
          do multicultural education
          get to know students individually
          deal with discipline
         introduce the 1st day/last day (what to say, comfortableness, what to do)
         deal with issues out of our control but need to be addressed (family & personal issues)
         teach a wide range of students (differentiate)
         talk about things that are taboo (i.e. homosexuality, death, divorce)
         effectively teach both sides of the issue
         inspire
         effectively use technology
         remain enthusiastic everyday
         teach with low to no resources
         stay in education without teaching (alternatives)
balance between spontaneity & preparedness
                         school & home
relate learning to students lives - making it relevant & connect (make meaning meaningful)
school administration
alternative schools

What is Good Teaching?
experts vs. novices'
"the art of education is like the art of medicine; it is an art that cannot be practiced w/o special gifts,
but one that assumes exact & experimental knowledge relating to the human belongs in which it is exercised (piaget, 1973)
Educational Research
think about research in different ways
correlational research does not tell us about direction of effects of the cause of relations
operationalization of the construct: what does _________ mean
                                                     construct = idea
                                                     operationalize = define
scientists are always testing the opposite of their hypothesis aka the null hypothesis
causal relationships have to be a causal research (best is random assignment)
3 main questions to ask
    1. how do they operationalize their construct/how is it manifested in the study?
    2. how is the research set-up? (qualitative, quantitative, quasi-method, experimental, etc.) can conclusions be drawn
    3. who funded the research? '
heisenberg principle: observers presence may influence the subjects behavior or responses
                                i.e. principal comes into classroom and everyone changes behavior and is good
hawthorn effect:  a temporary change in behavior due to an adjustment in environment conditions, the act of teasting a new idea may spark a temporary improvement
most educational research reported in the paper is reported incorrectly
Cognitive & Linguistic Development
proximo-distal: center outward development
cephalocadal: top down development?
it takes time to react because neurons need to be connected
what you feed your body is related to how your brain works
    sodium, calcium, potassium is necessary for electrical chemical system to function
    kids need food for thought: crackers (carbohydrate) immediate work & peanut butter (potassium) to last
myelination: coating of the neurons, sheath covering axons
                   makes connections go faster
                   brain cannot do anything if myelin is not there
                   multiple sclerosis: degradation of the myelin (information shorts out because no myelin)
                                               happens overtime
                   occurs for over 3 decades & there are spurts of myelination @ about age 2, around 6-7, 10-11
you're not born w/all the neurons you will ever have, generate new neurons

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July 25th

Rights and Responsibility in this Learning Community:
        1.  Rights
                -Respect
                -Freedom to speak our truth
                -Trust
                -Feel comfortable with others in the class
                -Confidentiality
                -Active listening: listening for understanding
        2.  Responsibility:
                -Be respectful
                -Use active listening
                -Show up on time
                -Attendance
                -Be prepared
                -Be supportive
                -Be honest and sincere with feedback
                -Do your best work

1. step outside of your comfort zone - seating & greeting
2. mentally be here - focus distraction