For this week's reflection, you should reflect upon the various strategies and concepts presented in this course. Through Week 6, we have presented foundational information related to the seven (7) C's of effective instruction. The seven (7) C's include
:
- Cooperative Teams,
- Clarity,
- Concept Building,
- Course Momentum,
- Culture,
- Cycle of Instruction, and
- Connections
In Week 7, we will proceed full circle to identify the foundational elements of effective instruction. Please provide references to one or more of these concepts by answering the prompt below.
Reflections on Learning: Prompt #3
Reflect on the various strategies and concepts presented through course readings, activities and discussions. Answer the following questions...
- What concepts or strategies have interested you the most?
- What concepts or strategies do you plan to apply to your current personal or professional practice?
- What concepts or strategies are unclear or confusing?
- What topic(s) would you like to learn more about as the class progresses?
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11 comments:
Steffi Paskow
Reflections on Learning: Prompt #3
Reflect on the various strategies and concepts presented through course readings, activities and discussions. Answer the following questions...
• What concepts or strategies have interested you the most?
• What concepts or strategies do you plan to apply to your current personal or professional practice?
I’ve enjoyed the DAL book due the way it applies theory to real world scenarios. I could relate to the comment that adults think they’re self directed yet they feel short changed if an instructor doesn’t want to be the answer the person but rather be the resource for learning. This concept forced me to reflect on my facilitation style and how I want to be extremely prepared (content wise) so that I can have the answers if asked a question. At the same time I ask a lot of reflective type questions in order to get the participant to think for themselves. So they may ask me a question & I’ll deflect it by asking them what they think. However I still have found that I need to know the answer so I don’t disappoint the participant. Now that I’m cognizant of this I will move towards being a “resource for learning” versus deep preparation so I can answer most questions.
Also, the understanding of phenomenograpic theory and research “suggests that if learners come to the learning environment expecting to accrue knowledge as discrete bits of information and if nothing is done to influence a change in the perspective; reproductive learning will be the outcome.’ Given the connection; “educators who wish to encourage development must intensify focus on strategies that can be used to prompt deep approaches to learning.” The use of reflection logs is an example of learning as transformational. I plan on using reflective logs in my training sessions. I believe the use of reflective logs is critical to deeper understanding. I didn’t realize the benefits until I started my Masters program. Most of the classes require some type of reflective log. Whenever I am writing a reflective log I review my notes, do some research if it applies and I always learn something more and/or reinforce the learning that took place in the classroom. In order for new knowledge to transfer to long term memory I think it’s critical to use logs for example.
As discussed in class as well as the reading “guided imagery and visualization” as a strategy is powerful. Being a believer in goal setting tied to visualization I have firsthand experience of the value it brings to learning. I didn’t realize that my civil war instructor was using an imagery strategy when he discussed the war in such detail without pictures. It was an amazing class. I plan on continuing my use of visualization by designing my future training sessions with specific activities. I never thought about curriculum design using this strategy. I will also keep in mind the following from the DAL book; “self discovery, an exploration of unconscious belief and desires can be guided through visualization.” I saw the value in mindmapping/Semantic Mapping, KWL (Know, Want to Know, Learned) which activates prior knowledge. I have used mindmapping for strategy meetings however not for formal training. I also have not used the KWL which now I plan on doing.
One of my strengths is checking for understanding (Instructor Clarity) however I was not familiar with the term dipsticking. I would like to use different approaches when asking questions like color cards, verbal fill in the blank, etc…
I think cooperative learning used as a teaching strategy can be valuable especially for students who have low self esteem. The
premise behind this type of strategy is to create a collaborative environment whereby each student is responsible for not only
learning the material but also in helping their teammates learn, resulting in the creating of an atmosphere of achievement.
STAD is one of three strategies developed at JHU based on research of cooperative learning. As we learned about STAD
experientially in class I became more open minded to when STAD could be used in the classroom. Some of the factors I thought
were prevelant to my type of training was the teamwork support system with emphasis on helping each other to succeed versus
every person for themselves. The downside was the time element. The whole process if done correctly seemed to be time
consuming.
The Kolb learning model is very effective from an instructor’s viewpoint as well as students. David Kolb defined a learning model based on two preference dimensions, giving four different styles of learning. It’s designed for specific people, using varied styles of delivery to help the different type of learners. It also helps people understand how they learn.
ACCOMODATORS Concrete
Experience DIVERGERS
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Perception
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Active
Experimentation <------ -- Processing -------- ------> Reflective
Observation
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V
CONVERGERS Abstract conceptualization ASSIMILATORS
What concepts or strategies do you plan to apply to your current personal or professional practice?
An instructor/facilitator needs to customize the course
I really liked the “snowball” strategy. This would be a terrific icebreaker during any of my training sessions especially on the first day. It’s a way to get to know everyone, find a common theme amoungst each person, set the tone, and put everyone at ease.
• What concepts or strategies are unclear or confusing?
I can’t think of any at this time.
• What topic(s) would you like to learn more about as the class progresses?
I would like to learn as much as I can about the use of technology in the classroom. I’m looking forward to Web 2.0 for example.
Most of the pharmacists we hire are either new graduates are or leaving retail (community) pharmacy for hospital pharmacy. Either way, there is a great deal of orientation and training that must take place. Because I am not a pharmacist, I do not train them on pharmacy practice. I guide each new pharmacist through the initial two weeks, making sure that the basic tasks required by Human Resources are accomplished and boosting their confidence. By the third week of training, they are mentored by a senior pharmacist in our satellites.
New pharmacists always do better when they start with a “cohort” group, which usually means I have three people starting at the same time. They always learn from each other. However, to have more than one pharmacist start at the same time is unusual. I want to duplicate a team learning experience for those pharmacists who start their training as an individual. I am going to create a cooperative team for each new pharmacist who enters our system by having one of our newly trained pharmacists, a senior pharmacist, a lead pharmacist technician, and a pharmacy manager become the cooperative learning team. I also plan to have the team members understand the “Big Picture” steps for creating meaning. The other concept I want to teach to members of the learning team is “cognitive empathy.” I want them to be attuned to new pharmacists and develop skills to sense misunderstandings or discomfort.
Because most pharmacists are detail oriented, I am going to have a detailed activity itinerary (the roadmap) ready for them when they start training. They will see the steps during the next eight weeks that will make them an acute care pharmacist.
I am also planning to use some of the Web 2.0 strategies, such as the Google docs and spreadsheets to make our competency checklists electronic. Currently, there is always confusion about who is checking off the competencies and where the actual document is located. If we move to an electronic document, we can centralize the process and keep all stakeholders involved.
The topics presented are clear to me! I have many ideas about how to include methods and strategies into my work (too many to be listed here)!
I am eager to move into the discussion about how the technology can help us with our work in educating adults.
The concepts or strategies that interest me the most are cooperative teams, instructor clarity and the big picture, and STAD scoring. First, I like cooperative teams because I think working in small groups is a good tool to get students involved in learning through interaction, encouragement, and working together to get a group consensus. Cooperative teams also allows students to share resources and ideas, while each student maintains individual accountability for the assigned task.
As a facilitator, Cooperative teams is a way to get students of diverse backgrounds to work together and share their experiences and perspectives. It also a way to get feed back from each student within the team.
Chapter five "Collaborating" discusses a number of activities, such as "learning circles for informal adult education, structured cooperative learning, and cooperative inquiry" where adult learners can work in cooperative teams. Chapter five explains when and how to utilize these activities. Fortunately, I have had the opportunity to work in groups while at JHU and learned that working in cooperative teams help to break the barriers of learning by interacting with other adult learners.
Although, working in small groups may have some disadvantage like personality conflicts, but for the most part, I think it has and a lot of advantages. For example: When I was in the PELP cohort most of the students were police officers and I was a correctional officer. When we worked in cooperative teams I learned their perspective of policing and they learned about corrections. Working together in cooperative teams broke the barrier between us, and as a group we put together a great presentation because of our diverse experiences, knowledge, and research.
Second, I believe the clarity and big picture concept is helpful to use as an instructor because the framework is outlined for an instructor to design and plan activities to give meaning to instruction. Additionally, it allows the facilitator to check in with the students and evaluate if the instruction that is being delivered is clear.
If the instruction is not clear, the instructor can makes changes to the instruction and implement the elements of cognitive empathy by monitoring body language or asking questions. As a new instructor, the big picture and clarity is the concept I plan to use to ensure that I am reaching all students in instruction delivery.
I also plan to use STAD scoring as a tool to engage students in learning as both cooperative teams and individual learning, and then score their outcomes. I also feel that the reward system of stad scoring can motivate students and help them to focus on learning.
I would like to learn more about google documents and the tecnology of web 2.0.
As I reflect on all we have learned so far this semester there are a few things that stand out to me as both interesting and relevant to my professional practice:
1. Clarity -- my current professional practice involves an opportunity to institute a national training/development program for pediatric subspecialty fellowship coordinators which will prepare them for the certification process if they choose. In designing this program, it will be critically important to employ all of the elements of clarity. Coordinators will need to know what they will learn, how it is related to what they already know and have been doing, and why it is important (big picture). They also will need the opportunity to meet the requirements of certification and, eventually, recertification.
2. Cooperative Learning – I would like to use small groups during professional development experiences for a couple of reasons: I have benefited from this strategy and think that it is effective in fostering deep learning. There are added benefits to cooperative learning in my professional plans and practice including colleague support and networking.
3. Maintaining Course Momentum – It was helpful to explore strategies for dealing with unpredictable moments. You can never plan for every reaction or response during instruction and it is important to have strategies for dealing with these situations and employing redirection tactics when necessary. In addition to the strategies of playback and critical questioning which I discussed in a previous journal, I also am interested in employing a strategy proposed by Teresa for dealing with participant interests that are not critical to course objectives, but would enhance learning. She suggested three options for dealing with this type of situation which I found feasible and compelling.
I don’t think anything discussed in class so far has been confusing to me. I feel like I have a good grasp on the concepts of effective instruction. However, I would like to spend some time as a class discussing strategies that would be useful in our individual professional practice. We have such a diversity of experience and goals that it would be interesting to see how different strategies can be applied to our very real situations. I also am looking forward to learning about more web-based instructional strategies.
Considering various concepts and strategies we have been studying so far in this class, I became particularly interested in learning more about the importance of the big picture. As a future English/ESOL instructor, I would of course use the activity itinerary with my students to provide them with a road map before plunging into the course. I also think creating syllabus as a cohesive plan that presents a course as a unified and logic ‘jigsaw puzzle’ with parts that interrelate and depend on each other is actually guiding an instructor to see the big picture for himself. It is also necessary to communicate outcomes in the form of expectations and goals, but most importantly, students must see the purpose in the planned learning experiences and must be able to apply knowledge into their real life situations. As an English/ESOL instructor, I believe I will have many opportunities to “teach” for transfer ; for example, conversational activities based on specific but everyday situations will require particular vocabulary that students will use in oral form (dialogues) or written form (short essays, diaries). These exercises should help students to become better speakers in life. Among the activators, personal/reflective journals have been most effective to me as an adult learner. These assignments, even though graded and required, are truly constructed for my personal reflections and analysis or synthesis. I also like the idea of surveys at the beginning or at the end of the learning session. These strategies provide the instructor with immediate feedback. Activators closely correlate with connections between concepts. I am also a big fan of the idea when students, not the facilitator summarize the key points of the learning session. Here I welcome creative ideas such as visual (illustration, collage) or a game (jeopardy). Since learners value the time of processing new information or learned concepts in general, summarizing is a great opportunity for them to participate in cooperative learning (teams) and produce a type of summary to be presented to class.
Cooperative learning strategies captured my interest as well. With no doubt effective teamwork will rely on equal accountability and will result in refined social skills of the team members. However, I haven’t been convinced about the effectiveness of STAD strategy with adults on graduate level since I did not find it interesting or stimulating. However, I do understand that if such strategy will meet my learners needs, I more than willing to use it during instruction.
Another concept that affects students’ growth is clarity. Clarity involves both cognitive and emotional empathy. It is not only knowing what is inside my students’ heads but also knowing their feelings and apprehension they may bring to classroom. In this category I consider checking for understanding crucial for effective learning. Even though the common forms of dipsticking seem more appropriate on K-12 level, I would focus on nonsignals such as frequent questions /discussion and short writing assignments. These strategies provide adult learners with the opportunities for critical reflection. I also believe it is important to connect with students on personal level to a certain extent. Many times understanding students’ background will enable teachers to “see and grasp” the students’ reasoning in a new way. Another element of cognitive empathy that interests me is ‘unscrambling confusions’, particularly the fifth level when students explain their own current thinking. Since the facilitators of adult learners may not hold all the answers to every question, it would be beneficial for instructors who can better understand students’ frames of reference. Students benefit from this approach by using higher critical thinking skills, which are inevitable in adult learning.
At this point I am looking forward to learning useful technology strategies that I might use with language learners in the future.
• What concepts or strategies have interested you the most? I have enjoyed all of the team-related strategies such as creating and revisiting operating procedures and goals, team study, and the STAD point system. I also liked from the book the Contradictions Workshop, Educational Biographies (creating one was very informative for me last semester), suggestions for facilitating discussion, and guiding learners through reflections. I believe in the importance of all the aspects covered about clarity! Most of what was presented, however, was not new to me.
• What concepts or strategies do you plan to apply to your current personal or professional practice? I like all of the concepts and strategies that fall within the adult learning theory of humanism (Chapter 11-13). I especially like the attention paid to power within a learning situation and the responsibility to help adults develop. Along with the responsibility is the honor of participating in adults’ transformative learning. Throughout the program we have focused on reflection. I think I would do this naturally, however now I will be more intentional about how and when I reflect.
• What concepts or strategies are unclear or confusing? Nothing is really unclear or confusing at this point.
• What topic(s) would you like to learn more about as the class progresses? I look forward to learning more about Jigsaw. I’ve used it in PD, but didn’t really know that was its name and that it was a cooperative learning strategy.
From Seth:
Q: What concepts or strategies have interested you the most? A: I have enjoyed the range of concepts and strategies presented in class discussion and in the reading. I particularly was intrigued by the concept of “contradiction” as referenced on pages 58/59 in the Developing Adult Learners text. I love the discussions about “patterns and structures” in adult learning. It is so true, that based upon our past experiences and education, we so readily “imagine” (get stuck into believing) how work gets done, how teams a supposed to operate and so on. A self-styled futurist, Joel Barker, popularized this idea by introducing the term, “paradigm” as a pattern or way of thinking. He argued that paradigms can stifle innovation and block people (leaders) from seeing the potential of a new idea. The text, via the “contradiction” concept argues this as well, as the text refers to it as creating “limits” or a term I have never encountered, “dysfunctional mental image.” I find this to be quite powerful, and I like the tool suggested in the reading regarding the workshop, and overcoming “distractions” that may be deeper than appreciated. I think of the image of my organization, its 180 + year existence with one consistent mission (stability), and how that may also be a disadvantage, (stifles growth potential) as we compete with for-profit and academic health care providers whose focus on making a profit and achieving acceptable clinical outcomes sometimes runs counter to the balancing act a faith based organization strives to achieve. I also see this concept of contradiction playing out in adult continuing education. How do adult learners really face their underlying perceptions of going back into a structured learning environments? How do instructors and facilitators work to change their paradigms about the expectations of adult learners in continuing education?
Q: What concepts or strategies do you plan to apply to your current personal or professional practice? There are five (5) key concepts that I want to immediately embrace and begin to incorporate in to my work, and teaching as I move forward: (i) develop the skill set to share power and authority; (ii) encourage colleagues and peers to become self-directed; (iii) figuring out how I can be better at using past experiences as a platform for on-going learning; (iv) practice reflection (toward “wonderment”); and, (vi) ensure that all leadership activities have an element of facilitative “best practices” incorporated into the teams and work groups.
Q: What concepts or strategies are unclear or confusing? I am fine with everything presented in class and in the text. I do sense from classmates that connecting the vast research done on K – 12 students to adult learning is sometimes a challenge. Some of the classmates are professional “teachers” in K – 12, and already have a foundation in this theory. I can see a whole body of work and terrific opportunity to “connect” past research in K – 12 to adult learning, and tie it together as a “continuum” (adolescent to adult) of learning, somewhat on the scale of what we learned last semester with Levinson stages.
Q: What topic(s) would you like to learn more about as the class progresses? A: Perhaps to use some class time to conduct an experiential activity, as highlighted in Chapter 5 (e.g. Cooperative Inquiry).
I have felt the most connection with the effective instruction techniques of Clarity, Big Picture, and Cooperative Teams. Clarity and the Big Picture work hand in hand to make sure that everyone knows where we are beginning, what will happened during the course and what our results should be, including how we will apply them.
As a teacher, I use these techniques and strategies on a daily basis. As far as a “framework of meaning” is concerned, I believe that summarizing is the most important concept. I was fascinated by the 10-2 Rule. I was not always aware of how long I was lecturing verses giving time for discussion. I do feel that High School students can absorb more than 10 minutes of lecture, but finding a balance between the two is very important. I have my students summarize learning at the beginning of every class which also supports the idea of checking for understating in instructor clarity. Checking for understanding is crucial for student’s success. I am constantly engaging in the strategies of reading body language, asking questions and using different forms of dipsticking like unison responses and raising hands. These techniques will eventually help move the new information into prior knowledge which they can draw upon in future lessons. I have always enjoyed doing KWL, not only as a student but also as a teacher. I think they are a great tool for having students see on paper their strengths and knowledge that they already have while at the same time giving them an opportunity to explore new information.
Another important element of the Big Picture is the activity itinerary. Students always want to know what is going on and what the overall purpose may be; especially older adolescents and adults. This technique helps to get everyone on the same page and will help the students to make connections as the course goes along. If they know what the end result will be, they are more able to connect ideas along the way. Explicitness is also important for not only content delivery but also for the climate of the class. When teachers are explicit in their directions and in their teaching, it tends to limit behavioral problems and, in fact, promotes engagement and attention.
Encouraging cooperative teams is another strategy that can benefit the learner. Working in teams allows students to see and hear differing perspectives from their own. It also lends itself to an environment where the learners can take on the role of teacher at times. Giving specific roles to team members as we did in our class the first day also helps the team move as a unit. Each one is held accountable for their individual contribution. I have never worked in a team where we specifically divided roles up equally as we did in our first class. I will use this in my future team activities in the classroom. Another important element of cooperative teams is self and group assessment. Often times we only look to the teacher for feedback, but in cooperative learning environments we can build upon the feedback of our team members. At times, they may know more about our individual progress than the teacher.
Overall, I have felt that the material in class has been very applicable to my career. I was familiar with some of the concepts already, but I have enjoyed learning about the different strategies that we can employ in the classroom. I look forward to learning more about Web 2.0 and integrating technology resources into the classroom.
o What concepts or strategies have interested you the most?
I found the Developing Adult Learners book very interesting, especially since I am currently an adult learner. I have found many of the practices in the text modeled by many of the instructors I have had at JHU (like the critical questioning and journal reflections), and I have even had many of the adult students’ feelings, thoughts or comments described in the text, so I can really relate to it. The section on facilitating discussions was very interesting because, with my current position as a middle school teacher, I am very accustomed to having the answer for every student’s question, and being that “center of all interaction.” I want to get in the habit of not automatically responding to each comment or question now, so when I teach adults I will be more accustomed to being a facilitator of discussions by asking more questions and challenging students to think more, and have richer conversations.
o What concepts or strategies do you plan to apply to your current personal or professional practice?
I plan to apply the Cooperative Learning principles to my current practice. I really see the value in working in groups and being able to build upon others’ knowledge, so I already use cooperative learning a lot in my teaching. However, the principles and processes we learned in class like grouping considerations, and individual accountability are very important, and should definitely be incorporated to have the groups work more effectively. With the groups I have now, I constantly have to monitor and make sure everyone is doing their fair share of the work. I didn’t have an individual accountability system put into place, and this is very important.
o What concepts or strategies are unclear or confusing?
The activities we completed in our last class really cleared up any confusions I had about the STAD model. I found it really helpful for us to actually complete a couple of quizzes, and then use our scores to figure out our improvement points and calculate our team score. The only thing that is a little unclear to me is the Jigsaw II. I am familiar with using Jigsaw, and have used it in the past to have a group of students each reading a different article/ text and becoming an “expert” on their topic. Then coming back to the group to share and teach what they learned to everyone else, so the entire group can complete an activity based on all the readings. I have never heard of Jigsaw II, and the only thing I got from the presentation was that it has goals and accountability. Maybe I am doing a portion of Jigsaw II (goals) when I have the students apply what they learned from the group activity.
o What topic(s) would you like to learn more about as the class progresses?
I enjoy learning about all the different strategies used to enhance learning, and I would like to continue learning about and becoming familiar with the different technology tools that can be used to instruction and learning. Especially those that are available for use for free.
Word splash and semantic mapping have interested me the most. I will use both of these strategies when appropriate. I really enjoy activating prior knowledge because I believe that this is very important for tying in old information and technologies with new information and technologies. Students will come to understand that they have a knowledge base and there is always room for more information. Anticipating confusions and unscrambling misconceptions is a strategy that I feel as though I will have to become more proficient in to become a better facilitator. I would like to learn more about Anticipating confusions and unscrambling misconceptions. I would also like to learn more about breaking down barriers within cultures i.e. organizations, cohorts, students etc.
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