The importance of epistemological beliefs

Epistemology, as defined, is the study of knowledge. It is quite important to know the dimensions of personal epistemology for it greatly affects comprehension and academic performance outcomes.

Schommer (1998) presented evidence that elaboratedness of a person’s system of epistemic beliefs has many substantial implications for learning:

• Students, who believe that learning occurs quickly, tend to read texts more superficially.
• Students, who believe that knowledge is certain, tend to learn facts by heart rather than understanding the meaning of the to-be-learned.
• Students, who believe that learning capabilities are determined by innate abilities, show less interest in activities designed to master complex challenges.
• Students who trust authorities do not tend to challenge the sources of information.

Looking at my own beliefs of knowing, I consider learning through a gradual process. I usually take time to understand the concepts presented, find correlation between the new information and prior experiences, and make careful analysis and evaluation of such – whether I chose to welcome the idea and add to my repertoire of knowledge, or disregard the thought.

As to the belief that knowledge is certain or changing, I think it depends on the situation. For example, there are facts that are certain. These cannot be changed and hold validity over the course of lifetime. Universal facts like knowing that there are 24 hours in a day, or we have the sun and moon, day and night will never be changed. On the other hand, there are some information acquired that needed to be updated, or changed as necessary. Like for example, in the workplace, there are instances where a new process or methodology deemed to be more effective will be employed. This can either be an enhancement to the current process, or an entirely different approach. There are also instances when we make an effort to know something out of our own volition, and sometimes, we learn because we are required to do so. We opt to know and understand what we are passionate about and there are times we are forced to learn things for compliance.

I am more likely to believe that our learning ability can be acquired through experience, as compared to innate abilities. The notion adults have that they tend to know more because they are older and have acquired a lot as they grow is somehow true. This is subjective of course, as I also acknowledge the individual differences of people, their cognitive processes, and perceptions. I think our learning abilities are continuously enhanced as we mature and thus, develop deeper understanding of the things around us.

The last point highlighted can be attributed to the teaching preference of the giver of information. If he/she is considered to be a subject-matter expert of the field, chances are, the recipients of information will trust the ideas conveyed. In the classroom, it happens when students perceive the teacher as formal authority.

The study of knowledge is very important most especially for the educators for this will guide our daily activities. Our perception on what seems to be important for our students – that which will add value to their existence and lead to personal development, the decisions that we make upon applying our pedagogy, and continuous evaluation of the outcomes will all be based on our own understanding of knowledge. We often share what we believe is valuable for us, thus, we can say, we reflect ourselves on our teachings. 🙂

Reference:

How Epistemic Beliefs Influence e-Learning in Daily Work-life. by Harteis, C., Gruber, H., & Hertramph, H. (2010). Retrieved March 31, 2015 from http://ifets.info/journals/13_3/18.pdf

My Learning Experience on EDS 103

Photo retrieved March 31, 2015 from
https://www.pinterest.com/shiftelearning/learning-quotes/

Looking back four months ago, I remember myself so happy and thrilled knowing that I got accepted for the PTC program. I have always dreamt of being a teacher just like my parents, and now I’m making it a reality. Late last year, I decided to enroll at UPOU with the following courses: EDS 111 Principles of Teaching and EDS 103 Theories of Learning.

I must admit though, that I got a little scared at first. The distance-learning education is quite new to me and I was used to the traditional classroom learning approach. Some of the questions that popped up my mind include: Will this work for me? How can I balance the demands of my work and school? Am I ready for new challenges?

As days went by, I found myself totally immersed on the topics and modules provided. I was able to learn about the teaching profession, the important roles that teachers and students play, and most especially, I got to know myself more. One of the topics that I found interesting the most is the different learning styles.

Photo retrieved March 31, 2015 from http://www.loving2learn.com/Goals/Charts/LearningStyles.aspx

I have realized that in order for us to teach effectively, we have to center our efforts to our students. We should be able to acknowledge differences on personality, learning styles and preferences, behaviors, and experiences. With this, I have come to realize that a “one-size-fits-all” approach will not work thus the need to use multiple strategies and methodologies as we deliver our content.

Being a student, I have come to know that I am more of a verbal/visual learner, thus making this type of learning successful. I prefer to see words and visual representations (images, concept map, graph) upon knowing and understanding the content. I have taken some personality tests too during the course and justified that I learn best using this method.

Also, I find the different learning theories helpful enough to understand a student’s behavior. I have realized that among all other things, motivation plays an important part in learning. We tend to exert effort to learn the things that we find interesting and add value to our existence. It is true that sometimes, we are motivated by external factors such as rewards and recognition. I think, however, that nothing beats intrinsic motivation. The inner desire to learn things without expecting to receive anything but the knowledge itself cannot be undervalued.

Then and now, I define learning, in reference to the cognitive approach:

Cognitivism refers to the study of the mind and how it obtains, processes, and stores information (Stavredes, 2011). Information comes in as input, the mind processes the information for the time being, and the information is stored away to be retrieved later (Learning Theories, 2011b).

The information that we receive on a daily basis undergoes certain cognitive processes – should we welcome this information or disregard such? If we allowed its entry, did it justified pre-existing knowledge or changed it entirely? Apart from the mental processes that we apply, social factors also affect our learning. By observing other people, we tend to learn from their experiences. We look up to our parents, teachers, and experts as good sources of information.

Having understood the modules presented in the course, my view on teaching and learning deepened. Before, I used to believe that teaching is just easy – we just have to refer to the curriculum and teach students the things they need to know. I have realized after this course that teaching involves a lot of considerations. It entails continuous decision-making – what learning goals and objectives to set, the mode of instruction to use, the metrics to be used for evaluation, etc.

The most significant lesson I have learned would be the importance of using student-centered approaches. I used to be an advocate of the traditional approach where the teacher gives a lecture to students. As a trainer in the work place, we used to have classroom sessions where mostly, I do the talking. I have learned that in order to achieve effective teaching, we must encourage critical thinking among students. We should inspire them to speak up and voice out their opinions and views. With this, I would like to make a shift from the traditional expert/formal authority type to a supportive facilitator or delegator.

The course may have ended, but I know that learning does not end here. It is in fact, the beginning of many more learning experiences I aim to have. 🙂

Reference:

Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism & Connectivism. Retrieved March 31, 2015 from http://ci484-learning-technologies.wikispaces.com/Behaviorism,+Cognitivism,+Constructivism+%26+Connectivism

My Learning Experience on EDS 111

Time flies so fast! I cannot believe three months have already passed. I can still remember how thrilled I was as I saw my name on the confirmed list of accepted students. It has been my dream to pursue teaching, and here I am now, already few steps closer.

Before, I’ve always got these fears and doubts: What if I won’t be able to juggle my time between work and school? What if this approach will not work for me, and should have taken the traditional class setting instead? What if I found out that this profession is really not for me? Late last year, I decided to follow the desires of my heart, took a risk, and accepted the challenge.

Am I happy with the results? Yes, definitely.

It was not easy. Well, I believe, nothing ever comes easy. It was very challenging to find time with the demands of my work and other personal stuff. I used to work for extended hours, even coming to office during holidays and weekends. As a senior analyst in a multinational financial firm, handling real-time pricing and news information updates, client queries, and highly-critical data, I often find myself already exhausted by the time I reach home. With eager and excitement, I still enrolled at UPOU for a full load this semester.

With very limited time, I have learned how to do some sacrifices. I had to give up a lot of social invites and work opportunities so as to accommodate my notes and modules. Did I regret? Of course not. Never will I. In fact, this has been the greatest decision I ever had. It was quite difficult, but all worth it.

As I read the course syllabus, I had a glimpse of what would transpire for the whole semester – mostly revolve around the basic foundation of teaching. I have thought that I will learn a lot from the different teaching perspectives, methodologies, skills, and pedagogy. Little did I know that I would be able to learn a lot about myself, too.

What I have learned most during this course is the importance of critical thinking and reflection. Also, I have realized that the student-centered approach is a lot more effective as compared to the traditional setting where the teacher does the lecture. With this type of learning, we became accountable for our own development. The amount of learning we will have depends on our willingness and motivation.

I know that teaching is one of the noblest profession but it is when I have enrolled and actually study about the field that I have justified the clause. The future of our students rests greatly on our hands. We will always have an impact on the course of direction they will decide to take. We shape their minds, hearts, and their whole existence. I believe, it is our primary responsibility to strive hard and achieve to be better so that we can as well provide them the best.

This course has helped me reflect on the principles that I believe in and the practices I exhibit. Before, I thought being a teacher is just easy. You just have to refer to the textbook, do some explaining to your students, and that’s it. With all the key take-away from the modules, I have learned so much. The whole teaching experience involves a lot of considerations – the students, institution, stakeholders, and the society as a whole. Teaching should not center on us, but should always be directed to learners. Our ultimate goal would be to improve the student’s learning experience and development. It is a must to always seek improvement on our pedagogy so as to facilitate effective teaching and achieve maximum learning success.

With my aim to become a pre-school teacher in the future, I’d like to share the below illustration that would serve as a guide on how to become an effective educator:

Photo retrieved March 30, 2015 from https://rasison.wordpress.com/2013/08/11/256/

Hopefully, after quite some time, I will be able to utilize the different body parts as shown above. 🙂

Lifelong Learning: A Commitment

Photo retrieved March 29, 2015 from https://iusphcareers.wordpress.com/2015/01/19/the-importance-of-life-long-learning/

Wikipedia defines lifelong learning as the “ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons.”

Soni (2012) states that, “Lifelong learning is more than adult education and/or training — it is a mindset and a habit for people to acquire.”

More than anything, I believe that intrinsic motivation plays a very important part for learning to occur. Over the course of our lifetime, we would be bombarded with a lot of information – some we will absorb, some we will disregard. Continuous, or what we formally call as lifelong learning, relies heavily on the person’s willingness to understand and absorb new information. The primary key in order to achieve this is to keep an open-mind. Transmission of knowledge would never be possible if we are not willing to receive such.

Some of the factors that impede learning include:

• Limited opportunities (time and resources)
• Personal priorities
• A know-it-all perception
• Interest on the topic
• Motivation
• Fear of the unknown

People would probably have different considerations but I usually see the above as prevailing factors that hinder a person to acquire new information, idea, or skill. Sometimes, even when a person displays enthusiasm on learning, there is no opportunity to do so. In some instances, priorities are needed to be weighed and evaluated. Take my case for example. With the demands of my work, it is often difficult to find time for other things. I handle real-time pricing and news information updates that clients monitor closely. A delay for an hour or even a second would cost us a breach in data quality. A lot of times I would take my meals on desk or in-between calls and meetings. With this, signing-up for special classes, trainings, and seminars is not among the priorities.

There are also some people who have the know-it-all attitude. These people believe that they are smart enough to know all things and do not consider the need for further learning. Sometimes, interest on the topic influences one’s motivation to learn. If the person does not find the subject interesting, he/she will not put any effort on understanding and learning the presented information. The fear of the unknown is also one interesting area that stops a person from discovering new facts. The phrase “ignorance is bliss” can be well related to this. There are people who do not want to step outside their comfort zones and would rather keep things as is and stay where they are.

With the different considerations presented above, I therefore conclude that lifelong learning is indeed a commitment. In order to gain something, there might be some things that should be traded-off. With me facing some issues on time, I opted to give-up some of my personal time to accommodate my notes and modules. It entails sacrifice in a way, but I know that all of these would bear fruitful rewards someday. 🙂

References:

Soni, S. (2012). Lifelong learning – Education and training. FIG Working Week 2012, Rome, Italy. Retrieved March 29, 2015 from https://www.fig.net/pub/fig2012/papers/ts05i/TS05I_soni_5945.pdf

Wikipedia: Lifelong learning. Retrieved March 29,2015 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifelong_learning

The Six Critical Questions

While I was doing the Jo-Hari window (a model used to better understand one’s self by reflection and feedback from others), I remember a friend telling me I used to think way too deep that I tend to complicate things. With this, I have come to realize that I have developed my critical thinking skills and apply it actually on a daily basis. I am usually curious with the things around me and asks a lot of questions.

The below questions can guide us digest the information presented and develop deep understanding:

Photo retrieved Mar 21, 2015 from http://www.knowledgereform.com/2015/01/14/critical-thinking-6-critical-questions-to-think-about/

WHO – Most of the time we give weight and importance as to who is our source of information. Is he/she credible enough to make us believe the things he/she is saying? This depends primarily on the context of information that we are about to receive. In the school setting, the most credible person in the eyes of the learners is no other than the teacher. In the workplace, it might be the top management or subject-matter-experts (SME) for technical knowledge. At home, it might be our parents or our older siblings. Good personal relationship between the giver of information and its audience can also help achieve effective knowledge transmission. As a senior analyst and trainer, my colleagues have considered me as their “go-to” person in times of uncertainty. I have noticed that people would tend to believe from tenured analysts and those with higher ranks as compared to new joiners.

WHAT – This question is indeed one of the most critical as it pertains to what information is being transmitted. Here, we have to pay attention as to what type of information they are giving. Are these plain facts, opinions, or point-of-views? We have to distinguish as these information will be later on processed in our respective cognitive faculties. If what have been communicated are merely opinions and point-of-views, we have to evaluate as to whether these are strong enough to be adopted, or disregarded if not. Usually, before making decisions, I ask for the opinions of people around me. I believe that welcoming ideas from people would widen our options and thus arrive to better decisions. It’s always good to hear different perspectives as it’s not all the time that what we thought or believed to be the best way is actually the best. Sometimes I will find myself amazed and would say “why didn’t I consider that?” Two heads are better than one, as they say.

WHERE – The physical setting where the transmission of knowledge took place also plays an important role. Was it in a formal learning environment like the classroom or training room or done elsewhere? In our classroom management topic, we have tackled the importance of physiological setting to help achieve effective teaching. We must be able to provide a healthy physical environment that is conducive to learning – the lights, room temperature, seating arrangements, visibility, noise, etc. From my own experience, I learn best when it’s quiet and the room is properly lit. I am easily distracted by people talking so I opt to listen to music while I am reading my modules.

WHEN – The time when sharing of information took place should also be considered. Was it before, after or during an event, first thing in the morning or at night? For decision-making situations, I usually seek advice before I arrive into a final decision. I talk to my peers and gather information through research that could help me think critically. On the other hand, for evaluations and reflections, I ask for feedback during or at the end of the learning activity. I have noticed also that I am more productive in the morning than at night. With the demands of my work and school, it’s very difficult to squeeze everything with limited time. I have to work for extended hours, allot some time for travel and then read my modules. As the pattern is quite different from the way I perceive to learn best, I took naps and rest for a while so my mind will be conditioned before I study my notes.

WHY – This refers to the purpose of giving information and is related to the type of information being transmitted (WHAT). For trainers like me, the purpose would always be to teach something not known to learners. It may cover trainings on the daily operations needed to be acquired or workshops that could contribute to their own personal development. There are instances also when sharing of information takes places in an informal environment. A good example would be when my friends and I are talking about a particular topic over lunch. Here, different ideas are being shared and exchanged, without the formal intent of learning or acquiring information.

HOW – This question answers the way information is delivered to recipients. Was it through a lecture, read from a printed material, or watched from a television? The medium used for sharing the information could also impact learner’s understanding. For example, using a language not known to all may hinder the delivery of message. In order to avoid this, we should use subtitles that translate the information to the language that can be easily understood. Knowledge of the English language would serve as an advantage as this is almost understood by all. In the workplace, I also provide trainings across different countries. I can say that the geographical and language barriers impact the learning experience. With trainings done over the phone, it’s quite difficult and challenging as compared to providing trainings via face-to-face in a classroom setting. The time to learn and acquire everything is much longer as compared to my trainees in Manila. There are times when there are technical issues like phone lines are not audible enough or the remote computer screens are not functioning properly.

The above-mentioned are just few of the basic questions one can ask once a new information has been presented. These, together with the learner’s preferred learning styles, personalities and behaviors shape the overall learning experience. I believe that interests also play an important role. When we are passionate about something, we are motivated enough to learn and immerse ourselves into the experience. Intrinsic motivation, for me, is more powerful than those driven by external factors. We are doing things because we love to, and not because we are required to do so or we are just after the reward we might get. When these things are taken away, there is nothing to look forward to anymore.

Nothing beats doing your heart’s desire. 🙂

Photo retrieved Mar 21, 2015 from http://imgkid.com/finding-your-passion-quotes.shtml

Reflective Practice: The Key to Success

Oftentimes, I find myself looking at the mirror, conscious on how I look and most importantly, how I look in the eyes of others. This habit not only covers the physical aspects, but also encompasses a deeper level – our personality.

Personally speaking, I am the type who pays attention to what other people say. I believe that our actions reflect our values and people around us have a pretty accurate view of who we are. There are some though who believe that we know ourselves better than others and their opinion should not matter upon making decisions. I stand on the other side.

The Jo-Hari window gives us a clear representation of our self and also how others perceive us. By giving feedbacks on how they see our actions, we learn more about ourselves. I have tried this activity and I can say that it helped me a lot on understanding myself. The below windows show some examples of the personality perceptions that I got:

OPEN AREA – you and others know about you I am a happy and cheerful person most of the time I am organized with my things and thoughts I have keen eyes to detail I am straight-forward and direct to the point

BLIND AREA – you may not be aware but others know about you There are times when I don’t understand basic questions (I tend to engage into critical thinking) As most of the time I am lively and jolly, people perceive that something is wrong when I am quiet (when in fact I just focus on what I do) People would say I tend to overthink (as I often consider all possibilities and different scenarios upon making decisions)

UNKNOWN AREA – you and others are unaware of Yet to discover

HIDDEN AREA – you know about yourself but others do not know about you I lack confidence and usually get nervous upon presenting in front of people I fear to be rejected by others I am moody sometimes

The Jo-Hari technique provides a reflection of how we see ourselves and how people see us. The most important area I would say is the blind area – for these are the things that other people notice, but we are unaware of. It’s a good opportunity to look at this window and re-evaluate our actions and practices. It may sound surprising sometimes to hear their observations, but nevertheless help us to become better versions of ourselves.

In the context of learning, I believe that it is very important to consider other people’s opinions and views. We should learn how to take feedbacks from our students and colleagues as these help in assessing our teaching pedagogies. They are the people who actually see the work that we do and are in the best position to evaluate the effectiveness of our actions, methods and techniques.

As we receive feedbacks from our peers, it is quite critical to engage into self-reflection. According to Harrison (2012), there are five core competences thought necessary for good practice as a reflective practitioner namely: observation, communication, judgment, decision-making and team working. By observing the things around us, being curious and asking questions, we gain information that would help us in our reflections. It is very important to communicate our thoughts as well and keep a brief but vivid details of the things that we learned. We can use personal journals and diaries to preserve the information that can be later used for sound judgment and decision-making. Not to forget the essence of teamwork and collaboration in the process of reflective practice. Most of the time, our students, colleagues, and mentors provide a very valuable input that could help us achieve better results.

Lastly, I’d like to stress on having an open mind. For without this, effective reflection would not be possible. We should acknowledge not only our strengths, but our weaknesses as well. I believe that our flaws provide an opportunity to grow and push us to become the better versions of ourselves. 🙂

 

Reference:

Harrison, J. (2012). Professional learning and the reflective practitioner (Chapter 1). In Dymoke, S. (ed) Reflective Teaching and Learning in the Secondary School (2nd ed.). London: SAGE, 6-43. Retrieved March 14, 2015 from http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/49808_02_Dymoke_Ch_01.pdf 

The Constructivist Paradigm

I remember how I used to define the learning process during the first few days of classes, have I not realized I am thinking the constructivist way.

In my simple words, I define learning by acquiring new information from the environment, understanding its meaning and relating to own experiences. These learnings either add up to the pre-existing knowledge that I have in mind, re-affirm its validity or poses challenge to its relevance.

This is quite similar as to how Jean Piaget, the first psychologist to make a systematic study of cognitive development, has defined on how people acquire information. He viewed intellectual growth as a process of adaptation (adjustment) to the world and happens through assimilation and accommodation.

Image retrieved Mar 3, 2015 from http://ms-dizon.blogspot.com/2013/05/assimilation-vs-accommodation.html

The constructivism learning theory argues that people produce knowledge and form meaning based upon their experiences. From this, people actively construct or create their own subjective representations of objective reality. New information is linked to prior knowledge, thus mental representations are subjective.

An important question popped up my mind though: “What if the mental representations that the learner have in mind were not right and he/she is basing incoming information to that prior knowledge? Will it lead to all information retained as inaccurate?”

If the learner strongly believe that the pre-existing information are all correct, I think yes. That’s why continuous learning should be undertaken. The more information that they acquire, the more likely it will validate or contest the knowledge obtained. I think in order to avoid misconceptions, one should keep an open mind and welcome changes as necessary.

This is where teachers play an important role. Even if the learning process relies heavily on the learner’s ability to process information, the teachers should be able to guide them in the correct way of thinking and understanding the information being acquired. In order to facilitate this, teaching pedagogy should be adjusted to present the learnings in a more meaningful way. Like for example, instead of the traditional approach where lectures are given by the teachers, it can be the other way. The topics can be distributed to class and let the students present in the way they understood it. Group activities and lively discussions can also be initiated so as to know each and everyone’s point of view of the matter.

Based on observation, people tend to explain things with relation to their own experiences. By letting them do the talk, we will be able to understand the point one is taking, and have an idea to his/her repertoire of knowledge. During group discussions, there will be a large pool of ideas coming in from students – differing ideas perhaps. I believe this is a perfect time for everyone to open up their minds and welcome ideas as it may arise. However, it is still dependent on the learner whether or not he/she has chosen to adopt the new learnings into his/her pre-existing knowledge. Therefore, as in the constructivist perspective, knowing is an active, ongoing process, not just a constant or fact to know or memorize. Teachers must challenge the student by making them effective critical thinkers and not being merely a “teacher” but also a mentor, a consultant, and a coach.

References:

Constructivism Learning Theory. Retrieved Mar 3, 2015 from http://www.teach-nology.com/currenttrends/constructivism/

Constructivism. Retrieved Mar 3, 2015 from http://www.learning-theories.com/constructivism.html

Simply Psychology. Retrieved Mar 3, 2015 from http://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html

Overview: Student-Centered and Constructivist Approaches to Instruction. Retrieved Mar 3, 2015 from http://wps.ablongman.com/ab_slavin_edpsych_8/38/9953/2548032.cw/index.html

Nurturing Creativity and Innovation

Quote retrieved March 1, 2015 from https://www.pinterest.com/avidlearner81/educational-quotes/

Quote retrieved March 1, 2015 from https://www.pinterest.com/garrettlrowan/inspiration-journal/

The investment theory of creativity (Sternberg & Lubart, 1991, 1995) is a confluence theory according to which creative people are those who are willing and able to “buy low and sell high” in the realm of ideas.

What does the “buy low and sell high” approach actually mean?

By buying, it can be considered as pursuing ideas, thoughts, and concepts that are out of favor but have growth potential. These might be new, fresh and unique ideas that are unfamiliar or unpopular. Selling, on the other hand, refers to the ability to present these ideas to gain favor and acceptance. How does one effectively sell unpopular ideas? This is where creativity comes in.

A creative individual, although sometimes faced with resistance from others, is able to find ways on how to actually convince and persuade the behaviors of people.

Below are some of the suggestions to enhance one’s creativity:

1. Keep an open mind and be receptive to new information
2. Have the courage to try new and different things
3. Take risks and explore the unknown
4. Express what you feel and think, regardless of how other people think (but not in an offensive manner)
5. Develop critical thinking, process thoughts deeply
6. Find your motivation
7. Be patient to test different approaches
8. Make connections between old ideas to produce new insights
9. Brainstorm with others to generate different ideas

As we think of creative ways on how to best deliver the content, it is quite important to reflect on one’s personality type, interests, capabilities, strengths and weaknesses. Not to forget that we also have to consider the content being taught, the curriculum to be followed, and most importantly, the student’s behaviors, personalities and learning style preferences. We need to incorporate creative ways into our pedagogy to attract student’s attention and interest. Often times, being creative requires one to think outside the box. The teacher can achieve this by adjusting his/her mindset and welcome new, fresh ideas that may come from colleagues, personal experiences, research, and from students.

We should foster creativity not just for ourselves, but to our students as well. Though we cannot directly teach or transmit creativity, we can help them nurture it. As teachers, we can employ different pedagogy that supports creative thinking:

1. Use open-ended questions
2. Encourage group discussions
3. Use mind games to develop critical thinking
4. Let students present in class
5. Ask for feedback

It is quite important that teachers show support and respect to the student’s thoughts, opinions, and point-of-views, regardless of its validity. We can ask for some elaboration and explanation for novel ideas. The teacher should be able to develop a healthy learning environment and a friendly atmosphere in class in order to encourage student’s participation. Fear, rejection and embarrassment should not hinder them from expressing their thoughts. The teacher however, should learn how to control the flow of information coming in during the discussion. Usually, different ideas will pop every after topic, and might drift away from the original topics needed to be tackled. To address this, the teacher can give guide topics and questions that can help students track their ideas.

Lastly, I would like to stress open-mindedness. As without it, creativity will never be possible. We should welcome criticisms for it unlocks our potentials, gives us chance to grow and leads to personal development.

Quote retrieved March 1, 2015 from http://blogs.swa-jkt.com/swa/10318/tag/open-mindedness/

References:

Sternberg, R. J. (2006). The nature of creativity. Creativity Research Journal, 18(1), 87-98.) Retrieved March 1, 2015 from http://people.uncw.edu/caropresoe/GiftedFoundations/SocialEmotional/Creativity-articles/Sternberg_Nature-of-creativity.pdf

Rieck, D. (n.d). Do You Have These 11 Traits of Highly Creative People? Retrieved March 1, 2015 from http://www.copyblogger.com/highly-creative-people/

A Close Look at the Cognitive Approach

Every day, people are bombarded with too much information. It’s a fact. Without proper management of such, it would be impossible to maintain sanity. Thus, I find it important to have a deep understanding on how we do actually process information.

This is one interesting topic the cognitivist approach has covered. First, let us define what cognitive learning means:

Cognitivism refers to the study of the mind and how it obtains, processes, and stores information (Stavredes, 2011). Information comes in as input, the mind processes the information for the time being, and the information is stored away to be retrieved later (Learning Theories, 2011b).

In this theory, learners are considered to be active participants in their learning, and the mind functions like a computer processor.

A computer’s function includes: encoding of new information, processing the new information into the database and storing to different folders or drives for retrieval. Human beings also process the same way through the use of cognitive processes. As we encounter new information that is usually picked up by our senses (sight, smell, sound, taste and touch), this is either processed to the next level or disregarded – depending on the content’s relevance to one’s familiarity and personal experiences. Those information that passed our senses and considered as relevant, will be put into what we call the “short-term” or “working memory”. We can perhaps call this as the active state of mind. This is where you put all your thoughts at that given moment. The information will then be deeply processed using some executive functions before moving to the “long-term” memory. This is where we store all the information learned for retrieval. The Atkinson and Shiffrin’s stage theory model best illustrates the concept discussed:

The comparison between how computers and human beings process information are pretty much the same except that humans have emotions and subject to physical and mental exhaustion that could affect the cognitive processes. I have experienced this most of the time as I read my modules after a long day at work. During this time, I am already tired and weary and was not able to fully understand what I was reading. Because of this, some information were disregarded and did not move forward to deeper processing. To address this, I usually take a nap first before studying to freshen up my mind. As I wake up, I feel energized and motivated to learn – which is the best time to study as attention is at its best. This is also true in the classroom setting. Usually, students focus on the teacher with the intent to learn at the start of the day.

The primacy/recency effect supports the idea of prime and down times. New and difficult learnings should be presented first (prime-time-1), followed by some practice exercises during the down-time and then a quick summary at the end (prime-time-2). This concept was suggested in order to maximize the student’s attention span.

Looking back, I thought it was better to start the day by recalling previous lessons as it was the case for most of my school years. My teacher would either give us a pop quiz, call names for oral recitation or would provide a summary lecture. After reading the module, I have realized that it shouldn’t be the case. We have to utilize time and take the opportunity to deliver instruction when students are most eager to learn. We can also employ some of the best teaching principles like rehearsal/repetition, chunking/clustering, and priming. These strategies can help on delivering the content that result to effective learning.

To sum it up, information is everywhere – and it is up to us on how we choose to process these information. As educators, it is quite important to understand how cognitive processes work as information serves as our main tool for our profession. These are what we provide, and it is imperative that we best know how to deliver those. 🙂

References:

Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism & Connectivism. Retrieved February 23, 2015 from http://ci484-learning-technologies.wikispaces.com/Behaviorism,+Cognitivism,+Constructivism+%26+Connectivism

Information Processing Theory. Retrieved February 23, 2015 from http://psysc613.wikispaces.com/Information+Processing+Theory

Sousa, D. Primacy/Recency Effect. Retrieved February 23, 2015 from http://www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/secondary/math/download/file/How%20the%20Brain%20Learns%20by%20David%20Sousa.pdf

Teaching Skills: the key to effective learning

“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.” 
― Dolly Parton

Learning, for me, has achieved its maximum success if teachers were able to influence a student’s knowledge and behavior in desired ways. But how do we actually do this?

The module for the past two weeks has made me understand the relevance of the different skills to effective teaching.

1. Instructional Planning Skills

• planning the learnings, setting goals, objectives and expectations, choosing the medium of instruction, and evaluating results

This skill is essential to effective teaching as this serves as a guide that determines the status of the student’s learning development. Upon creating the lesson plan, it is quite important to take note of the content/subject area to be taught, the students – as well as their respective characteristics, behaviors, personalities and learning preferences, pedagogy, and curriculum. As we determine the content to be delivered, we also have to take into consideration the student’s existing knowledge. This can be assessed by conducting some interviews and tests. Schools usually follow a curriculum that guides the teachers as they conduct their lessons. Teachers usually deliver the content through different medium of instruction depending on the student’s varying needs. Thus, it is imperative to acknowledge class diversity. Evaluations play a critical role in determining the learning success. Diagnostic tests are frequently used to check if the goals and objectives were met. The instructional process should be aligned with each other as presented below:

As teachers plan the instruction, he/she takes into consideration as to how this will be delivered to students and what are the measurements to use upon determining its success. During the actual delivery, teachers constantly assess whether goals and objectives are being met as planned or necessary amendments are needed – if the content should be altered or the approach used.

2. Classroom Management Skills

• ability to maintain a healthy classroom atmosphere, manage disruptions and create an environment that is conducive to learning

A class consists of several students with different characteristics, behaviors, personalities, and interests. This skill is therefore necessary to be able to manage diversity and maintain a healthy classroom environment. The teacher should develop a sense of awareness and sensitivity to each and every student’s behavior and be able to manage disruptions. Setting rules and regulations can also help maintain peace and order within the halls of the classroom.

The physical class setting should also be strategically designed in order to achieve maximum learning success. One of the greatest challenges in managing the classroom is probably the constraints on resources. In some rural areas, facilities are not provided well enough to students. There might be instances where a class consists of more than 60 students compressed in a small classroom. The tools and materials used upon delivering the instruction may not also be sufficient. To address the situation, the teacher should be creative and resourceful in order to still provide the best learning possible despite of limited resources.

3. Motivational Skills

• ability to influence student’s behavior on learning, find pleasure and enjoyment upon attaining goals and objectives

Motivation drives us to do the things that we do. Thus, I believe this skill is one of the very important skills an effective teacher should possess. Learning is quite impossible to achieve without the willingness to acquire information. If a student is not open to new learnings, no matter how hard the teacher tries, effective transmission of knowledge will never take place. The teacher should be able to motivate students to find pleasure in the things that they do and appreciate the learnings provided to them. One of the techniques that can be used is modeling where a teacher leads by example. This way, students can be encouraged to look forward to learning as the teacher shows great enthusiasm and pleasure upon experiencing it. The students can have a notion that “if he/she is enjoying it, I might as well enjoy it”. Using rewards and recognition can also help influence student’s behaviors. Teachers should be able to acknowledge the efforts exerted to inspire them to keep up their good work and even strive to be better. I myself is motivated when I know someone acknowledged my efforts. It felt good that they appreciate what I have done, and thus, inspired me to strive harder.

The teacher should also be able to find a perfect match between the student’s skill and the activities. Sometimes, if high-skilled students perceive tasks as not challenging, they experience boredom. On the other hand, if low-skilled students perceive tasks as very challenging, they feel anxious and overwhelmed. Knowledge on one’s strength and weaknesses should be determined so as find the most suitable approach and engage students.

4. Interpersonal Skills

• ability to communicate effectively and relate to students

Canter (1996) pointed that “the success of assertive discipline depends on first establishing rapport with students” and one way of establishing good personal relationships with students is through the use of interpersonal skills. If the relationship between the teacher and the students is good, cooperation can be achieved and learning will take place easily. Students are motivated to come to school every day and look forward to all learning opportunities presented. They engage to meaningful conversations and contribute to the over-all learning process. Students feel that they are free to voice out their ideas without fear of embarrassment or rejection. If the teacher was able to develop good relationships, even the shyest student will be encouraged to participate. He/she will not fear to ask questions or clarifications if topics seem vague. The tension will be removed and a healthy learning atmosphere can be achieved. As students open up their opinions and point of views, the teacher should exhibit respect at all times. He/she should honor the ideas expressed and if these are contrary to majority, try to discuss and expound – as sometimes, learnings happen during such circumstances.

All the skills mentioned above acknowledge student diversity. People differ in a lot of ways and the teacher has the responsibility to cater to their varying needs. It is quite important to note that each behavior is influenced by different factors like socioeconomic status, cultural background, gender and sexual preference, learning style and development stage. It is only by having a deep understanding of such that the teacher can tailor the medium of instruction to be used upon achieving learning goals and objectives.

Lastly, I would like to add passion and patience as key to effective teaching. Teaching is no easy task and without these traits, every day will feel like drudgery – just exhausting and tiring. I do believe that teachers do the things that they do because they genuinely care, and not just out of profession. 🙂

References:

Airasian, P. W., Engemann, J. F., and Gallagher, T. L. (2007). Instructional planning and assessment (Chapter 3). In Classroom assessment: Concepts and applications – First Canadian edition. Toronto, ON, Canada: McGraw-Hill Ryerson.) Retrieved from http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/0070959668/405859/Airasian_88697_ch03.pdf

Scarlett, W. G., Ponte, I. C., & Singh, J. P. (2009). Building positive teacher – student relationships (Chapter 3). In Approaches to behavior and classroom management. SAGE Publications. Retrieved from http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/26067_3.pdf