This week at Walden University, I was asked to find two course resources from our library regarding two topics (the brain and learning and problem-solving methods during the learning process) and comment on their value. Below each reference, I’ve included a brief description of the content present in each journal as well as a quick critique of their merits or lack thereof.

 

Nuangchalerm, P., & Charnsirirattana, D. (2010). A delphi study on brain-based instructional model in Science/UNE ÉTUDE DELPHI SUR LE MODÈLE DE NEURO-PÉDAGOGIE EN SCIENCES. Canadian Social Science, 6(4), 141-146. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/756032463?accountid=14872

This article from Candadian Social Science reports the results of a study which investigated the opinions of 20 experts from various disciplines regarding a brain science approach to science education. The article then presents an instructional model for brain based learning using the results of the experiment.  Through five techniques explained in the journal, (preparation, relaxation, action, discussion, and application science instruction can be theoretically improved in the classroom.

As a science teacher, I was intrigued by the title of the article, yet unimpressed when I read it. For one, it appears the article was originally written in French and then poorly translated, so I had a hard time understanding what certain parts were trying to say. Furthermore, although it presents techniques for improving instruction, it is very vague on how these techniques are carried out by the students and teacher.  I can’t see much I’d take into the classroom from this.

 

Ifenthaler, D. (2012). Determining the effectiveness of prompts for self-regulated learning in problem-solving scenarios. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 15(1), 38-n/a. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1287024877?accountid=14872

The second study I examined determined the effectiveness of two types of prompts (generic vs. direct) and hypothesized that students who received generic, rather than direct prompts during the problem solving process  were likely to be more successful performers (p. 41).  In a nutshell, a generic prompt is more open-ended whereas a directed prompt asks students to perform tasks that require mastery level understanding of what was read/presented during instruction. Not surprisingly, students were able to more effectively monitor their own learning when presented with generic prompts.

I can’t say that the results of the study were too surprising since I’ve learned on my own that open-ended prompts require the students to think on their own rather than be directed by me or a text.  However, I don’t think I’ve ever thought of generic prompting as a promoter of self regulation during problem solving or a grantor of student autonomy. It turns out generic type of prompting is more powerful than I actually thought and I’ll be sure to incorporate it is often as I can.

 

I recently read a blog post published by one of my classmates at Walden University regarding the flipped classroom. This an unconventional classroom model in which students would view a course “lecture” at home (typically through some form of video media), on their own time, then return to class to work on ideas presented in the video lecture with their teacher and peers.  The advocators of “flipping” tell us students get more from this experience since teachers can spend more time helping them with course work rather than lecturing for most of the hour and then sending students home to work on a classroom assignment on their own.

 

In this blog, I will present some of my thoughts and feelings regarding “flipping’. I currently teach high school Geometry and AP Calculus, therefore, my opinions that follow will typically reference these two courses.

“How would Flipping currently work in my classroom?”

I believe flipping has a real chance of being successful in a class like AP Calculus and I’m going to experiment with the idea as early as this coming week. My AP Calc class consists of 15 highly motivated students who would likely love this idea. They already complain that they don’t get enough in class time to ask questions and go over problems since our currently pacing doesn’t allow this to happen all that often. We usually have only 15 minutes or so per class period to discuss problems; as a result, I’m spending lots of time before and after school with my students helping them out. I’m sure that my students would have no problem watching a video, trying a couple example problems on their own, then coming to class to work the next day and clear up confusions. I’m extremely excited to try it out!

“Why am I skeptical flipping wouldn’t work for all of my classes?”

Let’s move onto Geometry and discuss the implications of a flipped classroom. Now instead of  speaking about 15 highly motivated students, my thoughts turn toward 34 plus (yes, this is indeed my current class size in all of my Geometry courses) students that pretty much cover both ends of the motivational and socioeconomic spectrum. What would flipping look like in these courses?

Before I even consider student responsibility and motivation, my first thoughts are of students who don’t have access to the video they would need to watch in order to contribute to the daily assignment or activity. Although most of our students likely have internet access or a computer at home, I’m willing to bet there are still plenty who don’t. These students would either have to watch the video at school somehow or else they would be coming to class unprepared for the next day.

Now let’s turn to the frustrations of many a teacher: student motivation. In some classes, 20% or so of my students do not complete their homework regularly and, when it is turned in, it’s usually a substandard effort. One could argue that these students may have not understood the day’s lesson and that is the reason I got nothing back from them the next day. Although this may sometimes be the case, I’m willing to bet that if I were to assign them to watch a 20-30 minute video to watch on the next math lesson, there would still be a significant amount of students who would not watch the video. What do I do with these guys when the other half of the class is ready to work and ask questions the next day? Several solutions come to mind, but I have to wonder if they are more effective than simply dealing with these students in a traditional model where they at least receive classroom instruction. Let’s not forget that there are still plenty of students who learn well in the traditional setting. However, if there is even a small possibility that I could increase these numbers, I would be willing to try flipping. My idea for Geometry: flip a few of the easier lessons and see how it goes before making an all out effort.

“Conclusion”

Although, I’m not completely sold on this flipping  idea (my math brain would never allow this before trying it out first) the idea is intriguing enough that I will give it a try in all of my courses. I’ll start small, with AP Calc and a few Geometry lessons and go from there. I expect some excitement, frustration, and rewards: three attributes that make teaching so exciting!

 

 

Hello fellow instructional designers!  Listed below is my review of two blogs and one professional learning community that has already proven invaluable to me as an educator.  I found myself spending significant time on each one of these sites and quickly became fascinated, amused, and addicted to the content.

http://blog.cathy-moore.com/about/

Cathy’s instructional design blog is fun, informative, and interesting.  A renown speaker and instructional designer, Cathy offers some awesome insights into learning and challenges many current theories in her posts. As I’ve always been one who enjoys challenging the status quo, I found several of her posts both entertaining and enlightening.  There are lots of imbedded videos and slide shows to add color to the content.  Moreover, she publishes at least two posts per month so the content is new and refreshing.  This was easily one of the best ID blogs I found while searching and I’ve already subscribed on my reader.

http://teachingcalculus.wordpress.com/

In the world of Calculus teachers, Lin McMullin’s name is well known. He’s coauthored several textbooks and is an active member of the AP® Calculus community. I’m new to teaching Calculus this year, so his blog will prove invaluable to me. There are lots of resources including pacing guides, problem sets, and projects here for me to delve into and try out in class. His blog posts offer insights into difficult questions teachers have regarding this subject. I found myself spending over an hour on his page and am glad that I found it!

https://apcommunity.collegeboard.org/web/apcalculus/home

Although not a blog site, the AP® community website is an amazing resource for AP® teachers.  Teachers who have a login to access the community can choose their subject area and access a massive community of teachers who are willing to share resources, insights, and answer questions on the discussion board.

Of the three sites reviewed, I feel like I can make the most meaningful contributions here.  I enjoy coming up with new instructional ideas, problems, tests, quizzes, and modules and I will likely be sharing these on the discussion board.  Furthermore, I love to ask questions and I can get a prompt response from one of the many experienced teachers.