Technology certainly has become essential for learning
and teaching. Moreover, it's constantly improving, making things easier and more accessible for everybody anywhere. This way we are able to download information and learn online "for free". The article "an open mind" is an example of the technological advance, this case with university courses that have access online. Although it costs money it's a good investment not only for current students but everybody for extended periods of time. The best part is, all the data collected can be modified,improved, updated according to new discoveries and so on. Thus, students also have an important role, they become active learners rather than students who "copy paste" thank to what others have said online. On the other hand, if we have free online courses, we might interfere with a regular process of getting a degree. The runner of this idea, Neeru Paharia, says that having a degree means that you have achieved a certain level, but the knowledge you develop at school can be the same as others who have studied the same topics on their own, just without the degree. The downside to the Open courseware is that this program relies only on online resources, meaning that human answers are hard to obtain. Although, P2PU seems to be better in that aspect where a group of people share what they know and help everybody. Either way, although there are people who might know more than someone who got a degree at school, that person still needs to be qualified by professionals, otherwise, we can't trust as a society.
Learning a new language (gram. and behaviorism)
I tried learning Chinese and in the phonetics lesson you can memorize
the symbols. It also provides with the definition in English which relies on the grammar translation method. I think it is quite useful since I don't know Chinese and I have never seen a symbol before. Thus, as a new learner I need the definition so I start relating the symbol with a meaning. Overall the website makes you repeat on and on the symbols as a drill, and it actually appears and disappears so one can practice and see if we can remember next time the meaning. This is more a behavioristic approach to learning, something like stimuli and response, especially since the colors of the symbols and letters are different in every language. I don't think this is the best way to learn a language as a communicative tool, but rather a way to learn vocabulary or memorize as drills the way we are supposed to write the symbols correctly, which is fine if we only want to learn some writing.
http://www.chinese-tools.com
the symbols. It also provides with the definition in English which relies on the grammar translation method. I think it is quite useful since I don't know Chinese and I have never seen a symbol before. Thus, as a new learner I need the definition so I start relating the symbol with a meaning. Overall the website makes you repeat on and on the symbols as a drill, and it actually appears and disappears so one can practice and see if we can remember next time the meaning. This is more a behavioristic approach to learning, something like stimuli and response, especially since the colors of the symbols and letters are different in every language. I don't think this is the best way to learn a language as a communicative tool, but rather a way to learn vocabulary or memorize as drills the way we are supposed to write the symbols correctly, which is fine if we only want to learn some writing.
http://www.chinese-tools.com
Class observation research
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Description (class carried out by Francisca, Juan, etc)
Teacher gives instructions and explains the purpose of the activity (relating ideas)and makes sure that they know who to work with. Teacher shows pictures and asks the class for the odd image, the one that doesn’t belong. Teacher guides students and encourages the class to participate.Teacher also asks them to stay quiet through body movements. Teacher gives enough time for students to think and monitors the time. The teacher also asks individual students to respond to the questions and calls out students to pay attention. They give opportunity for volunteers and teacher asks for more than 1 possible answer and gives hints when students don’t come up with all the possible answer. Teacher sounds encouraging and enthusiastic, and the class seems excited and engaged to the lesson by being constantly laughing. Teachers also ask students to discuss with a partner their answers before sharing with the rest of the class.
Class carried out by Nicole
Teacher gives instructions imitating and asks for meaning. She shows a video of the seasons while teacher does the mime, and the teacher asks for the missing season and helps students to figure out how to say "primavera" in English by giving examples "we water flowers". Teacher asks for volunteers since nobody wants to, she encourages students to participate and they all accept. Teacher helps students by guiding them, the class clap and teacher congratulates students and instead of making them paricipate she says "can you help me?".
Analysis
In class number one we encounter teachers who are very encouraging. They do not make students feel like they are wrong, or if there was only one answer. Teachers make them believe everybody's answers are okay regardless of what it is really expected. Students seem really engaged and happy to participate due to the fact that teachers are constantly making it seem like a game rather than an activity where they have to learn something by heart. We can notice that students laugh and have fun, while teachers also enjoy the interaction while carrying out the activity.
On the other hand, in class number two the teacher is very active and expressive. She moves around showing the meaning of words/actions in English by acting/mime. She makes students relate what they see to what they hear, and at the same time teacher impersonates. This interaction really makes students feel engaged and willing to participate. The teacher creates interaction that goes beyond "being a teacher" but someone who is also learning with the students, thus asks students to help her so they can sll accomplish the task together.
Teacher gives instructions and explains the purpose of the activity (relating ideas)and makes sure that they know who to work with. Teacher shows pictures and asks the class for the odd image, the one that doesn’t belong. Teacher guides students and encourages the class to participate.Teacher also asks them to stay quiet through body movements. Teacher gives enough time for students to think and monitors the time. The teacher also asks individual students to respond to the questions and calls out students to pay attention. They give opportunity for volunteers and teacher asks for more than 1 possible answer and gives hints when students don’t come up with all the possible answer. Teacher sounds encouraging and enthusiastic, and the class seems excited and engaged to the lesson by being constantly laughing. Teachers also ask students to discuss with a partner their answers before sharing with the rest of the class.
Class carried out by Nicole
Teacher gives instructions imitating and asks for meaning. She shows a video of the seasons while teacher does the mime, and the teacher asks for the missing season and helps students to figure out how to say "primavera" in English by giving examples "we water flowers". Teacher asks for volunteers since nobody wants to, she encourages students to participate and they all accept. Teacher helps students by guiding them, the class clap and teacher congratulates students and instead of making them paricipate she says "can you help me?".
Analysis
In class number one we encounter teachers who are very encouraging. They do not make students feel like they are wrong, or if there was only one answer. Teachers make them believe everybody's answers are okay regardless of what it is really expected. Students seem really engaged and happy to participate due to the fact that teachers are constantly making it seem like a game rather than an activity where they have to learn something by heart. We can notice that students laugh and have fun, while teachers also enjoy the interaction while carrying out the activity.
On the other hand, in class number two the teacher is very active and expressive. She moves around showing the meaning of words/actions in English by acting/mime. She makes students relate what they see to what they hear, and at the same time teacher impersonates. This interaction really makes students feel engaged and willing to participate. The teacher creates interaction that goes beyond "being a teacher" but someone who is also learning with the students, thus asks students to help her so they can sll accomplish the task together.
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