Monday, January 26, 2015
Chapter 1: What is learning anyway?
Here we are!! Now we can begin! We have so much to talk about as we begin to read and learn about the brain and learning. So I am going to start with a very basic question and one that is outlined in your text (all of the discussion questions won't be this straight forward- I promise!): What is learning? As you read the Chapter 1- what were your thoughts about how learning differs from thinking? We use these words interchangeably- but they really are quite different. I would love to hear your thoughts. Particularly how this might impact what you do as teachers.
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Before reading this chapter I never really thought about learning and thinking as separate terms. Thinking is how the information is transmitted in the brain. Learning is the experience that is taking place in a given situation. Learning is what allows the attainment of concepts and material. I enjoyed Zadina's expression, "Fire it before you wire it." Educators should have this mentality when creating lesson plans. Our goal as educators is to teach students effectively. The chapter had great ideas, including the implementation of activating prior knowledge. Before a student can confidently begin to think about how to transmit new material they have to understand the underlying foundation on which the new concept is built upon. If the students do not have any prior knowledge, then there is a good chance that their brains will not think the information is important enough to keep for long periods of time. In order to attain material, it must be learned. In order to learn material, a student's brain must be fired up to know the material is important and needs to be stored. If an educator attempts to teach a new concept, all course material should be clear. This includes the varying levels of prior knowledge for each individual student in the classroom. As an educator, I believe that it is very important for students to feel personal connections to the material being presented. Allowing students chances to make connections in the classroom, allows educators an opportunity to determine what experiences the students may already possess about the subject matter being taught. This also gives educators an opportunity to adjust lessons accordingly. By allowing students an opportunity to make connections based off of their experiences, it allows them a chance to transmit the information (Thinking) into an experience that means something to them (Learning).
ReplyDeleteAshley- I also thought Zadina's comparison of firing vs. wiring was helpful in understanding the difference between thinking and learning. Zadina provides a clear explanation that thinking involves an exchange of chemicals, while learning involves a synapses strengthening over time. I thought it was also important to note that "practice makes permanent" and what we do over and over becomes second nature, even when we've learned an "incorrect" way of doing something. This made me think about the importance of students getting feedback on their work quickly so that they can have opportunities for correct practice.
DeleteHas anyone ever learned something the "wrong" way and then tried to "unlearn" it? When I started teaching first grade I learned that I hold a pencil incorrectly - oops. Despite trying to change my grip, I still hold a pencil the way I learned in kindergarten.
I have always thought of thinking and learning as two different concepts. I know we tend to use them interchangeably, but I have always thought of thinking as making connections and being able to process information while learning is understanding and comprehending the information. In Chapter 1, Zadina says thinking is "the transmission of information among relevant neurons in the brain" and learning is the act of strengthening synapses and stabilizing dendrites for a more long term storage of information. So in order for students to learn the information, there needs to be an initial transmission of information from neuron to neuron then a refiring of information. In order for this to happen students need to make connections to what they already know. The book made the suggestion of teaching material in a spiraling fashion. When teaching math, I completely understand the importance of this. If students don't understand how the material fits together, then they are just memorizing procedures instead of understanding the bigger picture and the concepts behind the processes. The teacher I am student teaching with does a lot of spiral reviews so students don't forget older concepts, and so they can see how they fit together. During each lesson we try to reiterate the "bigger picture" and peak interests for the next lesson. I think asking questions that peak interests for future topics and constantly making connections throughout the year helps students to fire those initial neurons (think) and refire neurons (learn).
ReplyDeleteMeredith,
DeleteI agree with your post that questioning the students does aid them in connecting information and will pique interest in new information. I was curious if you and your student teacher completed all of the questioning while assessing for learning in these situations? I believe it's necessary to allow students to collaborate about concepts and to figure out where the gaps in their knowledge lie. I find that students will often assist their peers in filling these gaps with student-created language which may be more authentic than the answers provided by me as a teacher.
-Jamie
Jamie, yes, my mentor teacher does such a great job with having students discuss and collaborate about concepts. The environment that has been created in the classroom is one where students feel comfortable discussing their thoughts with each other. They also critique each other really well. I love hearing the students explain concepts to each other and explore new ones together.
DeleteLike Meredith, I have thought of thinking and learning as two different concepts. When I consider the term "thinking," I think of processing new information and trying to make connections to existing knowledge. When I consider the term "learning," I think of comprehending information in such a way that you will be able to recall the information later because you have formed and strengthened those connections in your brain. I am currently working with my mentor teacher to teach a unit on factoring to my algebra I students. Each day for the past week we have covered a separate topic within the factoring unit and the students have performed so well during class and on short assessments. Today, we gave the students an activity that involved all of the different topics we have covered on factoring, and they looked at us like they had never seen the material before. Reflecting on the previous lessons and the activity, it seems that although they have participated in the lessons and processed the information, the students have not strengthened their skills and really learned the content. Now that the major topics have been covered, I think it is important that we give the students a couple of class periods to reflect on the information and work problems in order to "wire it" in their brains. I also really like the idea of spiral reviewing material throughout the year. So often, students think that what they learn in one chapter can just be forgotten after the test. It's so important for the students to make connections to previous material. Using spiral reviews as warm ups is a great way to bring back older material that is relevant to the current lesson.
ReplyDeleteI think that if someone asked me flat out if there was a difference in learning before beginning this class I would have discussed that thinking is processing, but learning is internalizing. For example, I am terrible at remembering what I read. Yes, I am thinking about what I am reading, I am processing it, but I am not retaining it. The information doesn’t become part of my understanding of the world. Now, I know that if I go back, highlight, take notes, use it in a hands on situation, then I am much more likely to learn and retain the information. It sounds like the student’s in Amy’s class can relate. Sure we get it, in the moment, but it doesn’t always stick.
ReplyDeleteZadina writes that thinking is the transmission of information among relevant neurons in the brain (perhaps why, in the moment, it all makes perfect sense). However, in order to learn the information we must practice that skill over and over, causing the same neurons to fire over and over. Zadina writes that the cells that fire together, wire together. Therefore, we cannot be exposed to information one time, in one way and learn it. We need repeated exposure to it, through different lenses. As we continue to fire these same signals, you are literally strengthening and increasing the connections between neurons.
So, the million-dollar question: What does this mean for my students? It means that we need to expose them to new concepts repeatedly, over time. Meredith mentioned spiraled units, in which teachers and students revisit information in a new context, interacting with it many times. I find that with my students they retain more if we cover less material in depth, than cover a ton of material, but just skim over it. In the latter scenario they retain little. Zadina also discusses the importance of going slowly and connecting to prior experiences when introducing new concepts. This is especially important with my 1st graders. Learning something new is hard work! They will need breaks and repeated exposure before they learn the concept.
Katy - I can definitely relate to the need for repetition with young students. I work with Pre-K teachers and we use a portfolio system for assessment. It is tricky to figure out when a student has truly mastered a concept in a way that s/he will still know it a few weeks later. Typically we try to collect three pieces of evidence before feeling confident that the skill has stuck. Do you have any suggestions for what has worked with your first graders related to assessment?
DeleteKaty,
DeleteI can really relate to your post about a lack of retention by simply reading new information. For this reason, I think the multiple pathways model is key. Many teachers think that they are transmitting information via multiple pathways by simply adding a visual aid or a movement activity to an isolated lesson. I believe that this is differentiation only. For true multiple pathway learning, teachers must present BALANCED opportunities throughout instructional time. Unfortunately, this model is utilized rarely and we must do better!
-Jamie Hipp
I agree about going deeper with content. When I taught first grade, I felt that my students were much more successful when they were able to focus on smaller chunks of information for longer periods of time. They did not get overwhelmed with information overload. Although I always seemed behind when compared to my colleagues, I was comfortable with it because, I knew that my students were able to connect their newly learned skills and information at any given time. By slowing down the pace, as well as the content being presented,my students were able to have a true learning experience.
DeleteSimilar to Meridth and Amy I thought of thinking and learning as two different things. To me, thinking is the act of pondering something that you already know. While learning is understanding and processing new information. One thing that I thought was interesting is that "learning literally stregnthens and increases the connections between neurons and dendrites." I visualize this as a rope that gets more and more threads to strengthen it. Similarly, as a student adds more knowledge by making more connections of a particular topic that student strengthens his or her learning.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that I would like to note is the plasticity of the brain. I never really thought about the brain as being unable to change. People can learn new things throughout their entire lives. Although learning may become more difficult as we get older it is still possible.
One thing that was noted in the PowerPoint was the importance of time for reflection. I found this bit of information very important because for my masters degree my thesis is researching the effectiveness of written reflection after reading on reading comprehension. In other words, does time for reflection aide in understanding and comprehension? I am excited to learn more about this topic and how I can help my students to learn better by understanding their thought processes.
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DeleteI never thought about the connection between this material and your project, but I am excited to find out more about the results! I don't know much about teaching ELA, but I do know that when I teach students a new concept I absolutely have to give them time to reflect. I almost think of this reflection time as a time for them to process the new information. So often I see the students just try to extract a step by step process from the examples I am showing them so that they can simply memorize how to solve a problem. It isn't until we step back and allow them to practice and reflect that they understand why the steps work the way that they do. I think that understanding the "why" is much, much more important than memorizing a process, not to mention that learning and processing new information are exhausting (as mentioned by Katy above). Therefore, I think time for reflection is definitely necessary in most situations.
DeleteInsufficient learning occurs in many classrooms. Learning is deliberate, purposeful, ingrained information that students will retain. Unfortunately, we all know many students who think about new information but cannot apply it outside of their learning environment or in a different manner than the way the information was presented. It is clear that numerous teachers are not effectively supporting student learning.
ReplyDeleteOften, educators plan a lesson, teach it, and assess for learning. Inadequate. Based on Chapter One, these teachers are setting students up for failure. We should consistently assess for prior knowledge. Although it may seem a waste of time to assess gifted students or those who have grasped all prior material, this helps all students make connections with information that has already been “wired.” In my opinion, teachers should also share scope and sequence documents with students in various formats (for younger students, I have found mapping and graphic organizers helpful). I also encourage students to discuss and determine how new knowledge or information fits into/around/with what they already know. They have to think critically and use metacognitive skills to determine connections which helps strengthen conceptual information networks in their brains.
Teaching the material one way is also unsatisfactory. Students need repetition and multiple pathways of information input to be able to adapt what they learned to new circumstances. Differentiation is key. The homework menu is genius! Not only do students take ownership of their work due to the element of choice, but they also are firing the information in varied ways so it is wired with increased synaptic strength. This undoubtedly leads to long-term potentiation.
All educators should master the difference between thinking and learning, and should ensure that both transpire in their classes.
Amy, Your comments about the "why" behind learning is important. I think this is especially important with your students because they are still developing the ability to think abstractly. They have to see it and touch it. We use a math curriculum that does an excellent job putting objects and materials in kids hands before moving to a pencil and paper.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great way to develop a real understanding of math. When students use objects to explore and generate ideas about mathematical concepts, it helps them understand when they finally do put a pencil to paper. I feel that so often students at all levels just write down information without actually thinking and trying to form those connections in their brains. Without the thinking it makes it pretty difficult to do the learning!
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ReplyDeleteTo me learning is truly understanding a concept and being able to take the information that you have received, and apply it to a different setting or situation, and use it or store it for future reference. The book gave an example of learning how to drive a car, and that once you’ve mastered the set of skills required, driving without thinking about each step, you have learned how to drive a car. I think the process of learning involves thinking and making connections.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this chapter I felt like I had to look at the concept of learning and thinking thought a different set of glasses. Because I am in special education my students have various cognitive and social disabilities and lack prior knowledge in many areas, especially in academics and social interaction. Finding an interest they have in a subject no matter how small that may be can assist me in the learning process. I can take that interest and make it more attractive in my lesson to build upon their prior knowledge of a subject.
As I was reading this chapter and specifically this section on learning and thinking I thought about lesson panning. I thought about the anticipatory set and how important that part of a lesson is. Its purpose is to reintroduce what the students have already learned, introduce new skills related to what they already know, and ask them to think about how they might be related. The anticipatory set includes learning and thinking while building excitement and anticipation on what the students will be learning next.
I think that in order for teachers to be successful in the classroom we need to understand that this process of thinking and learning will not happen in a day. Unfortunately, as Zadina touched on, it is difficult to build on a new concept and teach it to learning with the short time we are given. I believe this is really challenging for us as teachers. At the pretest stage we as educators need to help our students make connections with the content that we are teaching no matter how small a connection may seem. This means understanding the demographic of our students in the classroom and realizing that learning is a process and happens at different rates for each student. Prompting our students to think about how their prior knowledge and the new information presented is connected throughout our lessons is important. We can prompt this thinking process through different types of interaction using examples from the chapter such as movement to different areas of the classroom during pretest and posttest, videos, pictures, music or sound, or maybe texture.
Morgan Walker