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MAETY22014

byKateMcCallum

LOOKINGBACK

Overthecourseofthelastfewweeks,itwouldbemostappropriatetosaythatIhavehadtorevisit
mytheoryforteaching.Thisseemssimpleenough,butinfactisquitecomplex.Ithasactuallybeenyears
sinceIhavehadtoexplicitlyfocusonedpsychologyforexample,andImnotsureIevenreally
understooditthefirsttimeasanundergraduate.Yet,therearemorepiecestoteachingbesidesthe
edpsych.Realizingthis,Iwashappytobeabletoutilizeablendofthesenotionsinthissummers
courses.Insuch,Icometothismajoranalyses:themostinfluentialfactorforlearningisexperience.

WhatIsExperience?
Naturally,onemustfirstreallydefineexperienceinordertounderstanditandutilizeitinterms
ofeducationalpractice.Someofthemostinfluentialresourcestohelpdothisaretheworksof
psychologists.Thissummerwetookalookagainatsomeofthebignames:behavioristslikeWatson
andSkinner(inthe1950s),Kohlerandhiscognitivism(around192070),andsocialscientistslike
Piaget(around195080)allcontributedtoacomplexunderstandingoflearning.Thesetheoristseach
haveuniqueimportance,especiallyinthequestofdefiningexperienceinlearning.
Forexample,abehavioristmightpointoutthatexperiencesshapebehaviorsandtherefore
controlledactions(environment)canactasacatalysttolearning.Yetalsoimportantarestudent
reactionstomybehaviorsasateacheraswell.Thiswouldbasicallydefinetheroleofateacherasone
whomakesthestudentareactionalbodytonewinformationandmakesthestudentbehaveaccordingly.
Icanseesituationswherethisisnotallfalseandinterestinglythesummerclasswasabletorecall
instanceswherethiswasusedeffectivelyintheclassroom.Forexample,whentheteacherclapsthree
times,thenstudentsreciprocatewithamockpatternallthewhileteachingtransitionalbehaviorslike
quietdown,backtoyourseat,etc.Itriedthisintherequiredclassactivityandwithoutanyexplanation
allgradstudentsbehavedaccordinglytheyrepeatedtheclapsasaninstantrecall.Alsoinclass,we
wereinfactabletofindafewnewtechnologiesthatkeptthesamebehaviormodelssuchasthenoise
meterfortheiPad.Oldideas,justnewtrickstousethem.
Oneimportanttakeawayhereintermsofexperience,Ibelieve,isthestudyoftherewardsthat
behavioristsuse.Whenabehaviorisreached,anawardcanbegiven.Equallyimportant,whenan
unwantedbehaviorisreachedperhapsarewardcanbetakenaway.Or,whennonegativeorpositive
reinforcementisgivenatall,whatmessagedoesthatsend?Ithinkinnatelywehavesomecognitive
similaritiesintheseaspects.Peoplelikerewards.Itfeelsgoodandenhancesexperience.But,ifrewards
arenotpreparedwell,theycanhavelastingnegativeeffectsonexperience.Forexample,ifastudent
nevergetsapieceofcandyhe/shemaystoptryingaltogether,orremembertheexperienceso
negativelythathe/sheneverwantstoperformforcandyeveragain.Or,adifferentstudentmaytry
harderbecausehe/shedidntgetthecandythistimeandreallywantsit.Oranothermaynotcare
becausehe/shehatescandyanyhow.Therearemanyinstanceswherebehaviorsareindividualandthe
roleofrewards/behaviorsjustdoesntexplainthem.Butmanyreactionsareindeedalike.Mostkidswill
gleeatapieceofcandyforajobwelldone.Thekeyaspectsarethesethreethings:
1.Behavioristtheorycanhelprationalizethatexperiencescanbeareactiontoan
environment/stimulus.
2.Reactionscanbesimilar,buttheyarentalwaysthesameforeveryone.
3.Thereforenoonelesson/experimentwillresultinthesameexperienceforeverylearner.
Movingfurtherinunderstandingtheroleofexperience,nextstudiedwascognitivetheorythis
summer.Thishasmanylevels.Itrulybelievethatinordertounderstandthistheorywell,youmustbe
abletocomprehendoratleastbeopenmindedtoscience.Basically,theclasslookedathowliteral
brainfunctiongrowsandhasimplicationsonlearning.Forexample,abrainhasshortandlongterm
capabilities.Thebigquestioniswhatshouldthefocusbeonforlearning?Theansweriscomplex:its
both.Butultimatelymosteducatorswouldprobablyagreethatreallearning(thekindthatstickswith
oneforlife)occursinthelongtermmemory.Mostoftherootsofexperimentingthistheoryliedwith
Kholer(1920,1970).Ilovethechimpexperiment~nobehaviormodelingtoldthatanimaltomakea
newtooltogetthebanana.Theprimatehadhisowncognitivedevelopment.Mymostvaluabletake
awayfromthinkingaboutbraintheoryifyouwill,isthenotionthateachstudentisindividual.Eachis
athis/herownstageofdevelopment.Therefore,intermsofexperience,againeachisindividual
dependingonbrainstageandfunction.Also,intermsofshorttermandlongterm,cognitivebrain
researchhasshownthatreallyalimitedamountofinformationcanbeprocessedatatime,andittakes
muchmoretotransferfromshorttolongtermmemory.Inclass,intelligentgraduatestudentshad
difficultywithshorttermmemory(anythingover7rule)withrandomwords,butwithmemorizing
laundryparagraphmostcouldwriteelaboratelyaftertheparagraphwasremoved(note:itwasnt
eventitledlaundry)becauseweretrievedexperiencewithlaundryasadults.Generallyspeaking,
experienceiscoupledwithlongtermmemory(hencemyrealizationofitsimportance).But,longterm
memorycanbeoddwithstorage.Evenifithasbeenlearned,itmaynotnecessarilybetriggeredbythe
teacher.Or,itcanbetriggeredwithoutintention.Soisthisthestudentsfaultortheteachers?Yikes,
right?Ifonehasnounderstandingofastudentspriorexperiencesthatledtolongtermmemory,how
canretrievalandnewunderstandingtakeplace?Itprobablywonthappenatleastnotonanydeepor
lastinglevel.Sooverall,cognitivetheorycanhelpteachersagainseektoreachindividualcognitivelevels
ofunderstandingandtryandcreateasmanytriggerstopriorexperiencesaspossibleforshortterm
memorytoturnintolongtermmemoryretention.Nounderstandingofexperienceequalslimitedlong
termmemoryresults.
Thelasttheorystudiedthissummer,whichcanhelpdefineexperienceineducation,isthatof
socialculturaldevelopment.Thisfieldofstudyreallybuildsonbraindevelopmentandaddsthesocial
roletoit.Ithinkthatmostcanagreethatallanimalsexistwithbothabiologicalandasocialschema.
Thebrainoperatesunderbothconditions,simultaneously,sotospeak.Ireallylikehowthisanalysis
doesnottakesocialhabitsforgranted.Itrulybelievethattheyarepowerfulinshapingexperiences.For
example,achildwithlimitedcognitiveabilitycannotdistinguishwellwithsize(twohalvesofhalvesdo
equalfour,butfoursmallpiecesisnotlargerthantwohalves),canverywelldistinguishthat4pieces
feelslikeitisbiggerandthereforehe/shewantsfourpieces.Eventhoughinturntheygetnothingmore,
he/sheishappier.Thistomeisnottobeneglected.Socialanalysisisineverysuccessfulbusinessmodel
andmuchcanbelearnedItermsofeducation.thisinfacthasspurredmetothinkmuchclearerabout
mygoalsforteachinginthecomingyears.

LOOKINGAHEAD
Wespentquiteabitoftimefocusingonmorerecentresearchanddocumentariesandseminars
thatcriticizedthe"oldschool"teachingmethodsthatweredevelopedaroundadifferentsocietythat
doesn'treallyexistinmainstreamAmericatoday.Thenotionofthehappyfactoryparticipantjustisn't
realisticandjustisn'twhatstudentsknowintheirownrealitiesoutsideofschool.Heck,mostAmericans
liveoutsideofthisreality...onlyschoolsstillimposebells,lectures,scantrons,etc.Themostsuccessful
businessmodelsareactivelyengagingworkerswithfreedomandenticingthemtousepassionand
creativity.ThisisahugeareaofconcerntomeandoneofthetopproblemsIwanttoaddressand
standupagainstthemundaneandroutineeducationinmyfutureyearsofteaching.Somethingsinmy
circleofcontrolrightaway,aretofocuslessonsoncreating,nomatterwhat.Maybenoteverydaybut
asanultimategoal.Thisisaparadigmshift,becausemostlessonsrightnowaskforrecallorreflection
ofideas,butdonotgototheextenttowhichstudentshavetocreateoriginalproducts(forapurpose).
Mymediaclassesdothisbynature,butifcouldusethemodelmuchmoreinmycommonEnglish
course.Ireallyliketheideaofuncoveringknowledgeratherthandirectlyteachingit.
Ironically,educatorsthemselvesarebeingjudgedalongthissameageoldmodelthatscools
ascribeto..Thepushforstudentachievementislaughable...achievewhat?Notmanyseemtoagree.Is
contentrecallenough?Istesttakingenough?Idon'tbelievewehavegreatsystemsforthisincurrent
USeducation,asschoolsvarywidelywithinthestateandacrossthenationonhoweachinterpretswhat
studentsshouldachieve.Yet,studentsarenotimpressed.Theygetthrougheducation,insteadofgetting
intoit.Meanwhile,theyspendtheirtimeonotherthingsinsociety.Ibelievethisalsoisanongoingissue
thatcouldusemoreresearchandmoredevelopment.Iamnotsurewhyeducatorsarenottappinginto
moresocialrealmstohelpanalyzeandtailorteaching(asinmyDreamItproposal).Iamextremely
interestedintheexperienceofthestudentandit'saffectonthestudent'sproductivity.Beyond
recognizingthesocialtendenciesinmodernstudents(Boyd2014),veryfewimplicationshavebeen
writtenaboutandIcouldn'tseeanythatfocusedonthistypeoftechnologyintheclassroom(notin
Facebook,Twitter,etc.).Mostfocusedonteensandtheirengagementonnoneducationaltechnology.
Iamparticularlyinterestedinlookingatamorenarrowdata,yetthedataisnotreadilypresentyet.
Perhapssomeisinquetobeprinted...orperhapsIneedtobethefirst.Onlytimewilltell.
Overall,Ireallyhavecometounderstandexperiencetobeasumofmanyparts:theemotionsof
thestudentatdifferentpoints,theengagementandattentionthestudentsaregiving,andthefeedback
andrelationshipthatishadbetweenstudentandteacherarethreethatseemmostworthstudying.We
knowfromdailyexperience,thatstudentspartakeinthesethingsatdifferentlevelswithinsociety,but
theyarenotalargefocusforeducators.Ithinkthatmostofmymoremoderndataanalysiswillexplore
thesenotionsindepth.Ihopetocometounderstandtherelationshipbetweenthesefactorsandstudent
learning,attemptingtocorrelateinameasurableway.Itmaynotbeentirelypossible,butagirlcan
dreamcan'tshe?Insum,Ibelievethatstudyingtheideaof"experience"forstudentsinmyclasseswill
guidemetothenextlevelIstudentachievement.
Thetechnologyinmyfuturecanonlyaddtothisstudy.Studentsarecontinuallyusing
technologiestopromotedifferentexperiencestheywishtohave.Taketwitter,orInstagram.Both
containelementsthatallowotherstofreelyjudgeeachother.Yet,studentsseemtocravethis
judgement...howcaneducatorsgetstudentstoengagefreelyincreatingandcritiquingeachother's
work.Rightnow,Ihaveaheckofatimegettingkidstoworkwitheachother'swritingdrafts.They
don'tevenwishtobehonestonpaper,butyoushouldseeallthecommentarysomeofthesame
studentsputonline!Thisisallhypothetical,buthopefullyfurtherstudyandresearchcanuncoverthis
learningforme.
Myquestforknowledgeandresearchhasonlybegunagainthroughthesesummercourses.I
amparticularlymotivatedtoperhapsenactmyDreamItmodelandseehowmuchresearchIcancollect
inordertoreflectonceagain.Thiscomingyear,Ihopetomakeeachofmystudentfeelthatthe
experienceinmyclassroomwasactive,engaging,meaningful,andproductive.

MAETY2READandSTUDYREFERENCES
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Shulman,L.(1999).Whatislearningandwhatdoesitlooklikewhenitdoesntgowell.Change,31(4),
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Feynman,R.P.(1989).ItsAsSimpleasone,two,threeInWhatDoYouCareWhatOtherPeopleThink
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Mishra,P.,&Koehler,M.J.(2009,May).TooCoolforSchool?NoWay!Learning&Leadingwith
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Levstik,L.S.&Barton,K.C.(1997).Thetheorybehinddisciplinedinquiry.

Watson,B.,&Kopnicek,R.(1990).TeachingforConceptualChange.

Dweck,C.(1999).Caution:Praisecanbedangerous.AmericanEducator,23(1),49.

Boyd,Danah.(2014).It'sComlicated:TheSocialLivesofNetworkedTeens.NewHaven/London:Yale
UniversityPress.

GenerationLike.(2014)FRONTLINE:PBS.org.Website19952014WGBHEducationalFoundation.

Dewey,J./Bruce,B.C.&Levin,J.A.(2011).MediaforInquiry,Communication,Construction,and
Expression.

Girod,M.(2001).Teachingforaestheticunderstanding(modifiedfromdissertation).

Heath,C.,&HeathD.(2007).TeachingThatSticks.http://delaney.typepad.com/files/teachingthatsticks.pdf

McLeod,S.(2011).AreWeIrrelevanttotheDigital,GlobalWorldinWhichweNowLive?UCEAReview.

Paulson,T.(2007).FeelingtheTug?ManagingtheTensionsthatPullLeadersinDifferentDirections.

Henriksen,D.,&Mishra,P.(2013).Learningfromcreativeteachers.EducationalLeadership.70(5).
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at:http://www.ascd.org/publications/educationalleadership/feb13/vol70/num05/LearningfromCreativeTeach
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Cuban,L.(2010).Howonescienceteachersintegrateslaptopsintolessons.

Cuban,L.(2010).Confusingtechnologyintegrationwithinstructionalreform.
Mishra,Koehler&Henricksen.(2011).The7transdisciplinaryhabitsofmind:ExtendingtheTPACK
frameworktowards21stCenturyLearning

Wiggins,G.,&McTighe,J.(1998).UnderstandingbyDesign.Alexandria,VA:AssociationforSupervision
andCurriculumDevelopment.Chapter2:Understandingunderstanding.

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