Pheonix

Head bowed
She is not patient
nor a monument
Monumental sadness
etched in every pore

No happiness lives there
Ode to Joy is
purely academic
Red eyed and blotchy
She stares through
layers of ill

ill will
ill heath
ill repute

allegations that erode
the love
her person destroyed
Prometheus at least was
not eaten by those he helped

There gift - to leave him
while accepting his
Her tormentors use fire
that are fire that scorches

is she the Pheonix?

JS423 lectures 7-8

lecture 7-8

Terrorism and the American Dream

Terrorism is secondary violence. First violence is the system that allows sweeping oppression and exploitation of those who are economically weaker. By continually subscribing to the ideology of lifestyles that are systemically based on the exploitation of the weak, we are committing economic violence.

The American Dream – that perfect small town, where everyone is clean, white, beautiful and special, is a construct of the perfect society that is crafted to support a lifestyle that is grounded in economic oppression of the weak, both within America and in the world generally. If you happen to be a poor (Black/Hispanic) American, you are either absent from the dream or it is your own fault, you are; too stupid, lazy or immoral to know or deserve any better.

The American Dream is held in place by using those members of society who are most likely to be absent from the Dream. The military is full of young black and Hispanic soldiers, who’s only way of becoming part of the Dream is to die for it. Only then do they change from being disturbing ‘gang’ members into ‘worthwhile’ members of society.

This Dream comes with a price that is only now being fully realised. The Dream is being exported all around the world through the American media. Advertising American consumerism and movies about the wonderful way of life these beautiful people live is being pushed into the face of the 80% of the world that are struggling to feed themselves and who have no chance of experiencing this dream. Is it any wonder that these people are full of envy and hatred for a people that deliberately oppress them and glorify themselves for doing it!

And Australia believes and follows this Dream. We had our own dreams about a ‘fair go’ for all, but was there really any truth in it? Or was it too only for the white, bright Aussies, and if you were indigenous forget it! Either way, our dreams are being subsumed under the American Dream as we absorb more and more of their cultural take over.

If we are going to follow America in its constructed ideology, then we deserve to incur the envy and wrath of those we help to oppress.

exam notes summary

Instructionism: Outcomes based learning
Spady “Know and can do”
Constructivism: Students will only learn at their own level
Piaget: What stage it the child at?
Vygotsky: How do we get the group to the next stage?
Siemens: Social Constructivism: How you learn not what you know
Gardner: Multiple intelligence theory – how we learn affects what we learn


Summative Assessment At end
Formative Assessment Throughout
Objective assessment: Single correct answer
Subjective: more than one answer
Criterion competence in a specific circumstance
Norm-referenced comparing students.
Formal assessment Test, quiz or paper
Informal assessment Does not contribute to a student's final grade
Evaluation: determinations of merit and/or worth. Usually of the course effectivness

Exam notes

: Pedagogy exam notes

Instructionism: Outcomes based learning

• Defining what is valuable learning
• Teach what is defined as valuable learning
• Test that it has been learned
• Designing down – begin with what they should know at the end and work out how to structure the learning to attain that outcome.
• Have high expectations – let them know that you expect them all to do well.
• Expand their opportunities
• Deep learning for life, not just to know something

Constructivism: Students will only learn at their own level

Structured knowledge – steps that can be easily extrapolated – conceptualise, not just itemised information

Social constructivism:
Vygotsky: ZPD
Piaget: stages of cognitive development
People make meaning of objects – that meaning is a societal construct based on language and expectation


Piaget: What stage it the child at?

Piaget – are we forming kids to know what is already known
OR - are we enabling them to discover new knowledge

4 stages of development:

1. Sensory motor – learning to classify through touch and experimentation learning During the sensorimotor stage, infants and toddlers "think" with their eyes, ears, hands, and other sensorimotor equipment
2. Preoperational - Egocentric mental imagery, and especially language.
3. Concrete Operational - Can consider more than one perspective simultaneously the ability to pass conservation (numerical), classification, seriation, and spatial reasoning tasks. Not abstract tasks
4. Formal Operational - Are capable of thinking logically and abstractly. They can also reason theoretically

Each stage of development is culturally encoded through language and expectation.


Vygotsky: How do we get the group to the next stage?
Vygotsky: “humans use tools that develop from a culture, such as speech and writing, to mediate their social environments.”

• Children construct knowledge
• Piaget’s developmental stages are fluid but dominant at different times.
• Language is central to learning
• o Actual knowledge attained
• o ZPD Gap between the 2
• o Knowledge potential Assistance
• The scaffolding that allows each step of development is constructed through personal interaction with language and culture.
• The organisation as agency of development
• Mediation tools and cultural artefacts
• Society as the agency of development

Siemens: Social Constructivism: How you learn not what you know

• Learning = interaction between bits of knowledge – the connections between people or ideas
• Learning = can come from devices
• Exchange creates knowledge

Gardner: Multiple intelligence theory – how we learn affects what we learn

1. spatial
2. musical
3. bodily kinesthetic
4. logical/mathimatical
5. linguistic
6. audio/visual
7. naturalistic
8. intrapersonal
9. interpersonal

Spady “Know and can do”

• Outcomes based
• Structure education to prepare for life beyond school
• What and whether students learn is more important than when and how
• Success = ability to do
• Test that it has been learned
• Designing down – begin with what they should know at the end and work out how to structure the learning to attain that outcome.
• Have high expectations – let them know that you expect them all to do well.
• Expand their opportunities
• Deep learning for life, not just to know something
• Structure knowledge in a multidimensional framework to examine subject in depth at all levels of development

Assessment:
The activities of a teacher to gain information about knowledge, skill and attitude of students

Summative Assessment - assessment of learning

• At end
• To grade

Formative Assessment - assessment for learning

• Throughout
• Feedback not for grading
• Teacher or Peer

Objective assessment: Single correct answer ie, multiple choice

Subjective: more than one answer Interpretation i.e. essay

Criterion-referenced assessment
· used to establish a person’s competence in a specific circumstance
Norm-referenced assessment

• (colloquially known as "grading on the curve
• It is effectively a way of comparing students.

Formal assessment

• Is given a numerical score or grade based on student performance.
• Test, quiz or paper

Informal assessment

• Does not contribute to a student's final grade
• Assessment by self, peer observation, discussion

Evaluation:

• The process of determining programs and tools for learning
• determinations of merit and/or worth. Usually of the course effectivness

Bloom: Mastery learning

Knowledge
· Or recall of data
· It provides a basis for higher levels of thinking, but is rote in nature.

Comprehension,
· grasp meaning,
· explain,
· restate ideas
· translating,
· interpreting,
· extrapolating it.

Application,
· using learned material in new situations,
· selecting and applying them appropriately.
· Try to do

Analysis
· separate material into component parts
· show relationships between parts.
· breaking apart information and ideas into their component parts.

Synthesis
· separate ideas to form new wholes
· establish new relationships.
· putting together ideas and knowledge in a new and unique form.
· innovations

Evaluation
· judge the worth of material against stated criteria
· reviewing and asserting evidence, facts, and ideas, appropriate judgements.

500 years of women in art

I love this and had to add it

Sound files

A sound file can have many educational uses. They increasing the scope of learning and connecting students to sources they would not otherwise have access to.
Music can also be a good tool as it adds an audio cue to topics. This can be particularly useful for history and geography, to evoke a sensory idea with a time or place

It is a connectivist approach that works well with the learning theories of Vygotsky, Piaget, Prensky, Gardner.

online games: club penguin

Club Penguin Make friends and play games in wonderland that is Club Penguin.

Play this free game now!!

Games are a great educational tool. They appeal to:

Gardner's multiple intelligences: they are audio/visual, bodily kinesthetic, logical mathematical and can be either interpersonal or intrapersonal.

Piaget and Vygotsy's use of language and culture are essential elements here, as is Prensky's digital natives: today's children naturally inhabit the world of ICT games.

Bruner's scaffolded learning, where mastery of one step naturally leads to the next level.

Spady's specific outcomes learning, as you can chose or design a game with a specific learning goal.

Connectivist: Different types of game tasks can be drawn together to form a complete end goal, or win.

This particular game is quite good for young children, my 7 year old loves it. It teaches children a number of real life concepts: they can chose a character and inhabit their space; they must do specific "jobs" to earn money to buy goods; they must save what they earn to afford the more expensive items in the catelogues; they must feed and care for their pets, or they run away! ; they can meet their friends in specific meeting places.


The kids get together and discuss at school where they are up to and how to achieve tasks.

inspiration mindmap

Mind mapping is a great way to show ideas and engage different learning styles, as it uses pictures, texts, connections and hyperlinks. However the technology has to be compatible - if not then you may not be able to view it adequately. This happened in our pedagogy presentation, we could not see the mind map clearly enough to engage with it

Slide show Harmony Day

Slide shows are a great learning tool as they are visual cues. They can be used for school projects, or outings to remind the students of what they saw and did, or as inspiration for a class topic. They are very engaging and fun, especially if the students see themselves in the pictures!! As with this show of "Harmony Day", you can use them for school celebrations, which is a great way to enhance the positive aspects of your schools culture, in this case, diversity, inclusion, acceptance and harmony - and of course FUN!
A blog is a great way to use this type of technology as it can be viewed by parents as well teachers and students

movies: teacher rap & Gore interview

Movies are a fantastic learning tool. They can be used as fun and engaging art, inspiration in English or Drama, like the teacher rap, or for more serious research on specific topics, like the Gore interview.

They are particularly good as learning tools in view of Prensky's digital natives, who learn best form technological sources, Gardner's multiple intelligences, as it engages audio/visual, interpersonal and intrapersonal learning styles, Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development, because it broadens the scope of interaction between the learner and the number of possible teachers. It is a connectivist tool that draws in sources first hand, that would have been impossible without ICT

Resources for Online games

Memory game Maker - http://www.education.vic.gov.au/languagesonline/games/memory/index.htm Become the designer and make your own online games at Sploder - http://www.sploder.com/ Funbrain is a great site full of activities for K-12 http://www.funbrain.com/ For short educational activities online try Quia http://www.quia.com/web http://www.bne.catholic.edu.au/public/learning_objects/ChurchSearch/ChurchSearch.htmlThis is a simple learning object that allows children to explore and name some of the key objects within a church. Suitable for student background. Contains teaching and learning activities

wiki wiki web

Wiki

Online information
Colaborative and editable by anyone
Supports hyperlinks which helps to focus information and allows access to information on all sorts of related topics to be instantly accessed from the page. A whole lot of pages like a scroll that can be easily manovoured around via hyperlinks
Editing can be by word or page
Easy to Use
Free
Evolving
World wide communication, this makes it an ideal: tool for international research; international ideas and sources at an instant
No copywrite (however not to be used for profit)
There are:
Closed wikis or uneditable
Gaurded wikis where information goes through a editing process before the post appears
Open wikis where any editing is immediately on line.

JS423 Assignment 1: Lecture 4,5,6

Robin Martine Eve-Macleod
Grad dip ed
Lecture 4

The Moses Movement

Exodus: The Israelites – the chosen people were the poor, nomadic, slave class – without citizenship – without rights, Moses and the God Yahweh claim them as their own.

The biblical scholar Norman Gottlieb saw Exodus as the symbolic memories of the poor to legitimise their struggle against their oppressors, in Pharaohs Egypt. He saw Moses as a movement, rather than a single entity, whose central message was of equity and equality for the disenfranchised members of society under the Pharaohs – an egalitarian social project in opposition to the feudalism of Egyptian ruling class, that had the prophetic guidance of their god, Yahweh. In this light the “angel of death” killing all the 1st born “…the killing of the firstborn, the ones born to rule” (Brueggemann, p.22), is a symbolic act that disassociates God from the ruling class of Egypt, by eradicating those traditionally born to rule, through an act of guerrilla warfare.

Moses (and those associated with his ideology) is a “…paradigmatic prophet who sought to evoke in Israel an alternative consciousness.” (Brueggemann, p.15) The religious institutions of the Pharaohs preached the divine order of feudal Egypt, while Moses preached in direct opposition to that order, of a “free God” (Brueggemann, , p.17) who actively engages with the Israelites to overthrow their systemic oppression: “Moses dismantles the politics of oppression and exploitation by countering with a politics of justice and compassion.” (Brueggemann, p.16). And leads the chosen, the poor and oppressed out of domination, and into a new way of life.

Jesus can be seen as having inherited Moses’ social project. Jesus enhances and broadens the scope of the project and the ‘promised land’ becomes the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’, not a piece of real estate, but a land of equity and equality for all. Furthermore he rejects violence as a means of attaining equity and equality, in favour of tolerance and love.

This Moses and God I can understand. Looking at the Old Testament like this makes explicable things that were irreconcilable for me, such as the horrific killing of the first born. Even if, like Jesus, I do not agree with the method, I can understand the sentiment.

Reference:
Brueggemann, W. “The alternative community of Moses” The Prophetic Imagination,


Lecture 5

Two “Projects”

The Moses movement achieves its goals. After about 250 years tensions begin to arise as class distinctions take prominence over equality and equity. At Mt Sinai Temple Law was used as a confirmation of hierarchical order and a tension develops between the “Prophetic” project of justice as preached by Moses and Jesus, and the “Purity” project of the Temple of Mt Sinai, in which the law is central: “The Jesus movement left the temple confines and showed the universal appeal and power of Jewish spirituality…A different language, a different culture- none of this was an obstacle. The experience opened them and awakened them to new thoughts. It did not strap them into a rigid orthodoxy.” (The Single Source of Morality and Religion, pp.62-3) The tension this created had a direct effect on Jesus, leading ultimately to his crucifixion, and continued throughout the Gospel in to theology of today.

Balance is essential to create a harmonious blend that gives structure to immutable truths, while seeking justice for all in the myriad ways of human relationships on Earth. Without balance the prophetic can become personal ideology which is little more than heresy, while rigid adherence to the law lacks the ability to work with local community nuances, and can lead to an idolatry of the Church.


Lecture 6

Jesus and the Crucifixion:

The popular view of Jesus’ death gives Jesus up to God as a sacrificial lamb in atonement for the sins of man, a blood sacrifice to a vengeful deity, language and ideology that was part of many religions of the ancient world, including the Old Testament.

In the 4th century Christianity became the state religion of Rome. The influx of pagans embracing Christianity needed to understand their new religion in terms of their past religious experiences, in which blood sacrifice was a central theme.
In the 12th century St Anselum used the ideology of atonement as a ‘sacred mimic of the feudal social order’ at a time when honour was a matter of blood, blood ancestry, blood contests.

However, the theology of atonement is at odds with the most powerful story of the New Testament, that of the prodigal son. This analogy is of God as the forgiving, loving father, who will go out to meet his wayward son, rather than wait in judgement. God embraces the sinners, and rejects the role of accountant requiring recompense to balance the books. It also negates Jesus’ life, as only his sacrifice is needed to expunge our guilt and satisfy God, his life is just filling in time until this ultimate act. If this was the case, why need he go through a human existence at all?

If the crucifixion is not an act of atonement, then it is a consequence of the life of Jesus, not the point of it. Jesus is the inheritor of the prophetic project of Moses that preaches equality and equity for all. Jesus lived and vociferously expounded a life that was in opposition to the current culture and power base of the day. His message was for all, not just those who lived rigidly by Temple Law (The Purity project), and it was in opposition to the structure of society under Roman Imperialism, all of which came to a head with the destruction of the Temple. His crucifixion was a direct consequence of his radical, compassionate, subversive and confronting preaching to the masses, “He has, in fact, dismantled the dominant culture and nullified its claims. The way of his ultimate criticism is his decisive solidarity with the marginal people and the accompanying vulnerability required by that solidarity.” (Brueggemann p.81)

At Gethsemene Jesus recognised that if he continued on this path he would die. He knew that some of his friend will denounce and reject him, but still he feels that to validate his vision of the Kingdom of Heaven must stand firm. His acceptance of death is an act of fidelity to the prophetic mission that he has inherited and lived his life in accordance with. His resurrection is God’s fidelity to Jesus, and thus the prophetic mission he died for: “As with Moses, so Jesus’ ministry and death opposed the politics of oppression with the politics of justice and compassion. As with Moses, so Jesus’ ministry and death resisted the economics of affluence and called for the economics of shared humanity. As with Moses, so Jesus’ ministry and death contradicted the religion of God’s captivity with the freedom of God to bring life where he will, even in the face of death.” (Brueggemann, p,95)

This is a comprehensible act of strength and compassion by Jesus, that is in keeping with his history, and that many others have also committed to with similar results.

Dr Martin Luther King Jr

(Speach: I Have a Dream)

Reference:
Brueggemann, W. “Criticism and Pathos in Jesus of Nazareth” The Prophetic Imagination,

JS423 assingment 1: Lecture 2 & 3

Robin Martine Eve-Macleod
Grad dip ed

Lecture 2

Sign’s of the Times:

Vatican II

Vatican II, convened by Pope John XXIII in 1962 (course reader: “An Evolving Social Message” Chap 2, p.9) was a huge step by church leaders worldwide to make the Church relevant to modern, post war society. Gutierrez was at Vatican II and was a founding father of the new ideals laid down. His motivation was in the extreme poverty and dehumanisation experienced by the majority of people, that he found on his return to Peru in the late 1940’s. They had no voice, while Christianity and the Church offered no critical edge on their entrenched suffering.

The council agreed that theology, and therefore the Church, needs to be contextualised, connected to and relevant to the concerns of modern life, not just expounded from tradition or as a means of justifying iniquity and inequality. Paul VI envisaged this as a “process …[of] three separate moments:

1 Evaluation and analysis of their contemporary situation.
2 Prayer, discernment, and reflection, brining the light of the Gospel and the teachings of the Church to bear on the situation.
3 Pastoral action which fights injustices, thus labouring to make the “reign” of God a reality.”(course reader: ”An Evolving Social Message” Chap 2, p.11)

These moments allow theology to respond to questions that life throws up by engaging in discourse between God and society. To do this effectively it is essential to engage in dialogues with the social sciences; Political science, economics, anthropology and sociology. This allows the Church to have different ideals in different situations, for instance; liberation theology in Asia, where so many religions co-exist, is essentially different from that of Peru, where Christianity predominates.

Lecture 3

What are the signs of the times?

Growing inequity; widespread poverty; encultured violence; mass displacement; intolerance; fear; despair; personal, political and global neglect.


80% of the world’s wealth and resources are owned by 20% of the world’s population.
The ‘poor’ countries are primarily those colonised during the imperialist expansion of the technologically advanced (ships, navigation, guns) counties of Europe and later America, from 1600-1945, and this created the North/South divide between wealthy, independent, imperial nations, and poor, colonised, exploited ones. Poverty is not an accident but a social and economic construct by Imperialist nations for the exploitation of subject peoples: To offer charity is to deny the injustice of the construct, rather than accepting responsibility and redressing the iniquity.

While 80% of the world’s population live in extreme hardship, the wealthy 20% are also exhibiting signs of terrible distress: “A cruel and endemic economic injustice, a soul-killing materialism, a life-destroying drug traffic, a persistent and pervasive racism, a massive breakdown of family life and structure, and an almost total collapse of moral values have all combined to create a climate of violence throughout this [any] country and a coldness of heart on our streets that make even veteran urban activists shiver.”(Wallis p.4). In Paulo Friere’s “The Pedagogy of the Oppressed” – he says that the act of oppression causes a loss of humanity in the oppressor. And it is the none white members of the affluent societies who are suffering most: “The white racism that survived integration by selectively assimilating some blacks while inflicting upon poor black communities the worst conditions since slavery…” (Wallis p.8).

When the developmental status of a country is measured in economic terms people are seen as ‘tax payers’ and ‘consumers’ – no longer citizens or communities: “…the grindstone of our economy effectively leaves politics and political participation to the elites” (Wallis p.11), the effect of this is that politics works only for elitist, multinational, global corporations, and pays no head to the people it is supposed to govern and support, using ‘spin doctoring’ media to gain sway, rather than genuine political debate. And this consumerist society is not sustainable. The wealthy counties are stripping the world bare and creating ecological debt that our children will have to pay. As countries like India and China increase their prosperity, and thus, their ecological footprint, the rate of global destruction will increase exponentially. Global disaster is looming.

Reference:
Wallis, J. “Signs of a Crisis” The Soul of Politics: A practical and Prophetic Vision for Change, Harper Collins, 1994.

JS423 assignment 1: lecture 1

Robin Martine Eve-Macleod
Grad dip ed

Lecture 1

Political & Liberation Theology:
After Reagan’s peace accord in Latin America, the Guatemalan government were reluctant to participate in assessing human rights violations because many of those involved in the atrocities where still in positions of authority.

The Arch Diocese instigated a separate inquiry led by Bishop Juan Geradi “…the starting point of liberation theology is…the here-and-nowness of what is happening,” (McAfee Brown p.52).
Bishop Geradi published his findings in 3 volumes titled “Nunca Mas” (No More).

Two nights later, Bishop Geradi was betrayed and shot by the military, his killers were not found, until much later when Pope John Paul had Geradi’s case re-opened. He was killed because his report made common cause with the poor and helpless who had suffered at the hands of those who were still in power: “Liberation theologians…are talking about commitment to the poor, by which they mean taking sides with the poor in their struggle to escape from poverty and attain human dignity.” (McAfee Brown P.56).

The reports main theme of repatriation of those who died and were buried in anonymous mass grave was put into practice. Bodies from the graves overflowed from the small, local churches, and were laid out in the town square, for burial in very public ceremonies, lasting up to three days. This public display of personal loss and grief was essential to the community on many levels: It offered those who had lost loved ones closure: Reassured the community that no-one is forgotten: As a public acknowledgement that injustice had been done to the individuals and the community often by those who inhabit the institutions that made up the town square.

Repatriation of the dead was insisted on by the Church for several reasons: Christian burial is an essential part of pastoral care for the local priest, it is his duty: On a theological level this was an essential public announcement that the Church, and therefore God, stand in solidarity with justice. That God will not allow the darkness to keep hidden injustice, He will shine the light of awareness and compassion on those in need of justice, “The liberationist message …is that things need not remain the way they are, for the biblical God is working actively for justice and seeks to enlist all of God’s people in the struggle.” (McAfee Brown P.62).

Reference:
McAfee Brown, R. “A New Way of Encountering God,” ‘Liberation Theology’, An Introductory Guide.

Reflections on: Glasser, Vygotskt, Piaget, Hattie and Bruner

William Glasser

Glasser categorises five basic human needs: “survival, love and belonging, power, freedom and fun”. The most important are; love and belonging, as it is through relationships we are able to satisfy all five requirements.

Glasser classifies Seven Caring Habits that foster good classroom relationships and build an effective learning environment in which the teacher;”…engages [students] in encouraging dialogues, constantly checking for understanding and growth” creating “an intellectual relationship or conversation with the teacher.”

Glasser believes that effective education is about “using and improving knowledge” not its acquisition. To foster this kind of learning in “Glasser schools” there is total open learning, no “closed tests”. Information is freely exchanged between teachers and students.

Open communication is essential for learning. I am not good at maths or physics, and in high school, often gained the best insight from my classmate who was good in these subjects, and an excellent teacher. One of the reasons for my poor ability in these areas was that I lack basic maths knowledge. I did not begin formal education until I was 10 and because of this there are large gaps in my knowledge base, gaps that I have never been able to fill. So while I agree that learning to learn is essential for education today, the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic are also essential scaffolding, and often require repetitive practice.

References:

“An Interview with William Glasser”
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3960/is_200207/ai_n9097918

The Glasser Institute
http://www.wglasser.com/whatisct.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Glasser

Lev Vygotsky

Vygotsky saw development as an ongoing process that was in and of the child’s personal, social and cultural environment. Vygotsky saw development as a contrast between what is already known, and what a learner has the potential to know through collaboration with peers and instructors. He called this “The Zone of Proximal Development”

Learning levels should be structured at just above the individual level of the students to a group possible, the level of developmental process rather than the stage of development attained, with the teacher there to facilitate learning.

In the late 1970’s I went to Annandale Public (primary). They had 3 experimental classes that were k-6 inclusive. In these 3 classes there were circular styled desks and any group project would have children from all the different age groups. This was to encourage an exchange of learning between the children. The younger ones where guided, while the older learned to teach as well as learn, with the teacher overseeing the whole. It was effective as a learning environment, and allowed for greater socialisation between the age groups in the playground as well as the class room. The teacher was also able to structure learning on different levels, rather than on pre-set ideas on developmental stages.

With the continual development of ICT the range of collaboration is now so much greater: “…collaboration and peer instruction was once only possible in shared physical space, learning relationships can now be formed from distances through cyberspace…”

References:

Elizabeth M. Riddle, Nada Dabbagh, Lev Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory 3/8/99 https://portal.nd.edu.au/http:/ps.nd.edu.au/portal/dt?JSPTabContainer.setSelected=NDmyUnitsTabPanelContainer&last=false

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vygotsky

Jean Piaget

Piaget observed that children and adults thought and reacted differently to stimuli. He developed the idea that knowledge is constructed sequentially from base motor skill, to abstract thought, through the interaction between heredity and environment. He classified these stages as four distinct developmental progressions, the first three of which, are egocentric:

The Sensorimotor Period (birth to 2 years): A child build on base motor reflexes, to grasp “...more sophisticated procedures,” through physical interaction with the immediate environment.

Preoperational Thought (2 to 6/7 years): A child “can consider more than one perspective simultaneously.” Can understand concrete thought, but not abstract.

Concrete Operations (6/7 to 11/12 years): “... can use these representational skills only to view the world from their own perspective.”

Formal Operations (11/12 to adult): “… are capable of thinking logically and abstractly. They can also reason theoretically. Piaget considered this the ultimate stage of development,”

However more recent research show that the brain continues to develop through teenage years, at which time it also begins to gain emotional intelligence. Although these four stages are useful tool in recognising that there is no point in trying to make a learner over reach their developmental capability, it is a limited. Multiple intelligence and Digital Native theories suggests that different types of learning will affect the levels of cognitive maturity in different learners, and could make these cognitive periods less defined, and possibly eventually in need of redefining.

References:

Pam Silverthorn, “Jean Piaget’s Theory of Development”, EDIT 704, Summer 1999
https://portal.nd.edu.au/http:/ps.nd.edu.au/portal/dt?JSPTabContainer.setSelected=NDmyUnitsTabPanelContainer&last=false

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Piaget

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_intelligence

BBC UK TV: Science and Nature: Human Body and Mind http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/articles/emotions/teenagers/rebellion.shtml

Gardner, H. A Multiplicity of Intelligences: A Tribute to Professor Luigi Vognolo, 1998/2004. https://portal.nd.edu.au/http:/blackboard.nd.edu.au/courses/1/S-ED4236/content/_66601_1/Gardner_MI.pdf

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

John Hattie

According to Hattie, teachers are able to exert a 30% influence on their student’s ability learning (students themselves = 50%). In this light, a teacher’s ability to teach effectively is extremely important for a student’s progressive development. Hattie found expert teachers showed “…16 prototypic attributes of expertise.”

These 16 attributes distilled into “Three dimensions”: Expert teachers set challenges. By setting challenges for my students I can engage them in the learning experience. This allows students to bring their own unique perspective to the challenge, and shows respect for the student’s ability to learn. I would foster an environment of communication so that opportunities and flexibility can be developed as instruments of deeper learning skills, rather than detailed information regurgitation.

Expert teachers continually contextualise their lessons for deep representation. According to Fabio’s research web based mapping techniques facilitate interactions and exchange of student/teacher experiences to make information relevant to the syllabus and the student’s deeper understanding.

Expert teachers focus on problem solving, both in the immediate situation and in the future. Through monitoring outcomes and giving/gaining [feedback] they are able to recognise current and potential areas of difficulty in learning and behaviour, in classes and individuals. As a teacher I need to continually ask what I can do so they achieve the desired educational outcome.

References:

Hattie, J. “Teaches Make a Difference: What is the research evidence?” Australian Council for Education research Annual Conference on: Building Teacher Quality, Distinguishing Expert Teachers from Novices and Experienced Teachers University of Auckland, October 2003.
www.acer.edu.au/workshops/documents/HattieSlides.pdf

Fabio, J. Facilitating Deep Learning in the Adult Online Learner, 2005.
http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/EDU05072B.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feedback

Jerome Bruner

Individuals construct meaning through their personal experience. These experiences are physical, linguistic and culturally based, so that the individual’s development moves from primarily egocentric modes “Enactive representation”, to socially interactive ones like simple “Iconic representation” through to the more sophisticated “Symbolic representation”. These stages were “…dominant during each developmental phase, but present and accessible throughout”.

Bruner saw educators primarily as facilitators in the process of learning through personal discovery: “…the student participates in making many of the decisions about what, how, and when something is to be learned…” then classifies the experience into personal meaning through iconic representation and cultural expectation.

Where teaching was exclusively one-on-one, this type of system would work, but in the current school system I do not believe this is practical. Teaching programs that included elements of his approach would be useful, for example; it is important to know the student’s developmental levels before trying to teach them so that you do not go too far above their capability. Making learning relevant to the student may be difficult if the curriculum is set on data memorisation, but this could be compensated for by teaching that it is not the information that is important, but that the process of learning that particular information is, and that the process is measurably successful when the data has been manipulated by the student to fit the school’s requirements. This could be achieved by the teachers and students developing and experiencing different educational tools and scaffolding techniques together.

References:
http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/cogsys/construct.htmlthem
Hollyman, D. Jerome Bruner: A Web Overview, Massey University. http://au.geocities.com/vanunoo/Humannature/bruner.html

Epstein, M. (Tricia Ryan Instructor) “Maureen Epstein’s Online research Portfolio: Constructionism: Bruner,” Fall 2002. http://tiger.towson.edu/users/mepste1/researchpaper.htm

Reflection on MI Theory

MI After Twenty Years
Howard Gardner

“Multiple” intelligences should not be in and of itself by an educational goal. Educational goals should reflect ones own values, and these can never come simply or directly from a scientific theory. Once one states one’s educational goals, however, then the putative existence of our multiple intelligence can be very helpful.

If we know what we wanting to teach, then knowing that learning occurs in many different way and on different levels will help us to develop teaching methods that will allow us to teach a specific subject/idea more effectively. By using multiple teaching methods, we can cater to multiple intelligences, getting our specific point across to a greater range of students. It effectively levels the playing field as more individuals have access to academic knowledge through multidimensional instruction.

Multimedia and Multiple Intelligences
By Shirley Veenema and Howard Gardner

“According to multiple intelligences theory, not only do all individuals posses numerous mental representations and intellectual languages, but individuals also differ from one another in the forms of these representation, their relative strengths, and the ways in which (and ease with which) these representations can be changed.”

Also the way an individual learns is set very early in that individual’s cognitive development and trying to change the way an individual learns is, at best, very hard, and probably a waste of learning time. With this in mind, to be optimally successful as teachers we need to understand our student’s individual cognitive approaches and try to use multidimensional teaching methods to cover as many expressions of learning for optimal and more universal achievement.

“The idea that there exists a singular perspective is surprisingly hard to change.” As the field of “experts” increases exponentially with ongoing exposure to ICT, the role of the teacher as a guide becomes crucial. Teaching of filtration and analysis, takes over from the dispensing of information as the primary teaching mode.

reflection on Rowe

ON: Personal Computing: A Source of Powerful Cognitive Tools Helga A.H. Rowe

Computers are tools that can be tailored to individual requirements. Just like a “pencil”, a computer can be used to communicate ideas, create art, or design and invent. The difference is in the ease, complexity and multi-sensorial way these tasks can be accomplished on a computer.

Computers allow people to free their thought processes from basic functions, like memory storage and retrieval and allow us to move onto the complex tasks of sifting, integrating, analysing available information so that we can develop and inventing new, more complex ideas, strategies and solutions.

An added bonus of this is that those who have less efficient memory storage are not hindered in the development of “metacognitive strategies”: “They enable individuals to engage in higher order thinking that helps them to muster cognitive processes that would normally not be available to them without that cognitive tool (Rowe, 1993).”

reflection on Prensky

ON: DIGITAL NATIVES, DIGITAL IMMIGRANTS

MARC PRENSKY
If children’s brains have indeed changed, old teaching methods are not only boring, but useless.
How to learn what is relevant takes over from what to learn. Analysis, logic and filtering become the learning essentials as information bombards the student from multiple sources. “Legacy content” is as essential to this kind of learning experience as it has been to older methods of teaching. What is required is new ways to experience this type of content, and for this we need to develop teacher understanding and usability of “Future content” learning methods.

This is fundamentally uncomfortable for the “Digital immigrant”, but essential if they are to remain relevant in today’s teaching environment. Knowing how today’s students learn is an essential part of today’s teaching. Being a “Digital Native” may seem chaotic to the “Digital Immigrant”, but adapting is essential if teaching is going to be relevant in today’s society. If games are today’s learning, then teacher’s need to learn to have fun with it.

reflectin on Elliott

ON: CULTURAL CHANGE NEEDED TO EXPLOIT ICT IN SCHOOLS
DR ALISON ELLIOTT, INFORMATION AGE

Old “sage on the stage” models of teacher are no longer relevant to today’s students. They are accustomed to gaining information for themselves, and from many different sources. Teachers are no longer the knowledge source, but rather the knowledge filter. How to sift, verify, and analyse the incredible amount of knowledge at their fingertips, becomes essential for today’s student. Teacher’s need to understand how these sources work so that they can teach students how to verify what is relevant to their subject. This means an entire new learning experience for teachers.

Teacher’s need to be in at the planning and development stages of all ICT implementation, so that they thoroughly know what they are teaching and how to adapt these teaching models as new ICT develops. Set information must give way to fluid learning for both teacher and student.
Like any new learning, there is fear. Teachers need to know that they will be given the time, not only for training, but also for exploring the world of ICT as an ongoing experience. It has to be a regular, integrated part of teacher work scheduling, they cannot just be expected to take a personal interest, or do it all in their own time.

Personal Reflections

ED 4236: ASSIGNMENT
PERSONAL REFLECTION
March 26 2007
Robin Martine Eve-Macleod
Grad dip ed.
Today was one of those days! It was wet, it was dreary, it was Friday and I was given an extra with year nine! Bloody hell. I got to the class and it was a pigsty, full of dirty lunch leftovers and scruffy, loud, obnoxious kids. My heart sank and shoulders slumped. Still the lesson had to be done. I stood and waited for quiet - no result. In a loud voice I told them to line up outside, grumbling they did (Skinner behaviourism). I then explained that when we went back into class I expected them to behave like socially responsible people, and that this meant they would have to clean up their mess, and not expect others to do it for them.[1] I asked for two volunteers to get a new bin, four volunteers to straighten the tables and the rest to pick up the mess. They did it without too much grumbling. With the class room finally ready I told everyone to get out their Hamlet worksheets and start on them. More grumbling, along the lines of: "who needs bloody Shakespeare", and: "Stupid idiot writes boring crap that makes no sense anyway".

After a while they looked like they might get on with it, but no, up the back one of them was texting away, and another had what looked like a biology book out. At this point one of my students from another class looked at me with pity and just a hint of contempt and said: "Why do you bother?” And I thought what a good question. The weather had meant they had to stay in-doors all day, they were restless, and certainly could see nothing new or interesting in an old rattler like Shakespeare. This mood was not conducive to learning.[2]

The answer came to me that I bother because I love learning myself, I enjoy finding out new ideas and new ways of looking at things, especially old things like Hamlet, and I want to share that feeling. The language and verve of Shakespeare, with the subtlety and absurdity, combine to create a realistic and vibrant experience. But not here and not now, I asked myself “So why was this class so dull?”

As an extra I had little say in this particular lesson plan, and cheeky though it was, I decided to abandon it and try something different. They certainly were not going to learn anything much this way, and they had had enough sitting around for one day and so had I.

I decided to change the experience by making the lesson into an intrapersonal, bodily kinaesthetic experience (Gardner MI), to give them a sense of ‘The Play”, a moving exchange of multidimensional relationships, as opposed to ‘The Text’, two dimensional, abstract phrasing: “Right let’s put away your work sheets, move these tables into a circle, and get out your texts, I mean Shakespeare texts, not your phones! We are going to do the fight at the end”. They looked up in surprise. Shocked out of their torpor, they virtually leapt out of their seats, at the chance of a bit of fun, probably assuming that the extra’s teacher was coping out. Here at last was some enthusiasm.

I put them into groups of five and gave them 10 minutes to do a quick read through and work out how to do it (constructivism, “The learner assumes responsibility”).

So, with books in hand and imaginary swords in the other, they experienced Hamlet as it was meant to be experienced; as a participation between the actors, and as a participation between those on stage and those in the audience.

It was loud, it was boisterous and it was fun. It got out their frustration at being trapped inside all day, and allowed them to have constructive fun. It made them receptive to deeper consideration of what a Shakespeare play is: Is it just entertainment, or are there other meanings within the layers of perceptions that those on stage and off bring to the experience of going to the theatre. How one person’s interpretation can alter our whole perception. This lead to a discussion of different adaptations of Hamlet in film, the Olivier version compared to the newer Mel Gibson, and then in turn to other movie adaptations, such as the Brennar versions of Henry V, and the even more recent BBC TV adaptations into modern place and language.[3]

At the end of this class we had all learned something new not just about Hamlet, but also a deeper understanding of the nature of Shakespearean plays. And more importantly, a deeper understanding of the learning process, that learning can be unpredictable, exciting and fun.

Obviously as teachers we cannot always throw away the lesson plan. Students have to learn what is required, but content based learning can be experienced in a variety of ways. It is important as a teacher to be able to read the students, to decide what kind of learning is appropriate for them in any given context, and on as many levels as possible. To use any means necessary, as Mr Holland (Mr Holland’s Opus) would say, to show them the content in an accessible way.

So my end of term, Friday afternoon, year nine extra, rather than defeating me, as my student’s earlier question implied, had actually been turned into an affirmation of the reason for me being a teacher in the first place, that learning should, and can be fun, and that the more fun it is, the deeper, the learning experience.
[1] Finn & Ravich, A Report From The Educational Excellence Network…”They believe that the teacher's most solemn job is to instruct the young in the”. P.7
knowledge, skills, and behaviors determined by adult society to be valuable.

[2] Connectivism, nd student portal “Thinking and emotions influence each other”
[3] Connectivism, nd student portal “Learning and knowledge rest in diversity of opinions.”

and so we begin...

Another world
how we learn, what we know, what is important.
How to create a new learning enviroment.
All good stuff.
yipee!

For me teaching is about how much fun learning and knowledge can be, that ideas are exciting, both new and old - an old idea is new if you have never heard it before!

History - My favorite subject and an essential part of the human condition - we need to know, as is obvious from the number of orphan and IVF babies that now need to know their biological roots.

Not knowing our past impedes our ability to move forward, and worse, makes us move only around in circles.

I want to show people that the past is just people: Funny, Scared, Clever HUMAN.

English, as in "literature", is also history; the very human side of our history, and that language is just an expression of humanity.

People, and particularly students, treat Chaucer and Shakespeare as an incomprhensible......