|
Adam Torgerson Assignment 10 1. what did you find 1.1. interesting about the article? I found the findings section discussing understanding and preconceptions particularly interesting. By looking for patterns in knowledge, students often lead themselves astray by incorrectly identifying patterns. These initial understandings ideally should be detected and addressed by a teacher. This strongly relates to my own experience in dealing with preconceptions about new knowledge. I often try to relate new knowledge to some similar kind of old knowledge. Often, I make an incorrect relation and end up confusing myself by making assumptions based on two objects I assumed were related, but were really not. 1.2. not interesting about the article? This is somewhat of a personal bias, but I really hate when people use the "right tool for the right job" analogy. It is a tired cliche. I would be more informed if I were given practical instances in which each tool is right for which job, so I could apply them properly. I hope that is what the book goes on to explain. Also, several pages were missing (from my copy anyway), so some sections were hard to follow. 2. what do you consider the main message of the article? The main message of the article is that learning needs a very dynamic approach. Different people learn the best from different teaching techniques. Different subject matter may lend itself to certain teaching methodologies. Different age students will respond differntly to different teaching styles. Being an effective teacher means learning how to balance these issues and present students with what they need. 3. analyze and describe how you have learnt a complex systems (e.g.,“Microsoft Word” or a similar system incase you have never learnt MS-Word, Photoshop, Java, using the Web effectively, …)? I would say there are two general ways I approach a complex system. Common to each method, I will first quickly browse what documentation is available, perhaps spending more time if I find some section of it infomative. The first method, which I use when I have very little insight into the system, is to determine how to accomplish my goal by looking for the relevant section of the documentation. The second general method, which I use if I have had experience with a similar system or interface, involves a hands-on trial based approach. I will try to design a simple solution to my problem, and try implementing it in the system. Only if I get stuck or have other difficulties will I resort to the documentation. 4. describe the most interesting / exciting learning episode of your life! I suppose the time one of my high school social sciences teachers was illustrating humans' evolutionary similarity to apes by doing an ape walk around the classroom in front of all the students most interesting because it comes to mind first and was quite entertaining. 5. write in one short paragraph (a) what the following concepts mean and (b) which role they have played in your personal learning (e.g., where you have encountered them) 5.1. learning by being told Perhaps the most traditional learning method, it may also be the least effective. The teacher typically stands in from of a class and lectures. Most of my classes have been like this throughout high school and college. 5.2. self-directed learning The student drives the learning experience. A teacher may or may not be available. In some cases, students are driven to self-directed learning because of a teacher's incompatible teaching style, or incompetance. This is found in academics as independant study; a student works in a particular area, largely proceeding at their own pace, but using a teacher for support and guidance. 5.3. learning on demand Learning anything at any place at any time. This can be associated with online education, and many companies seem to offer learning on demand corporate training programs. Although I have been in CAETE classes, I did not take them as online classes. 5.4. discovery learning Discovery learning is an inquiry based learning style, in which students are given questions they must answer by experimentation and creative problem solving. This kind of learning is often seen in the physical sciences. 5.5. experiential learning Learning based on experience; whether or not that experience is directly contained by the teacher, or is just based on best practices accumulated from others' experiences. The student is also motivated to get that experience. I have not had experience with this either. 5.6. informal learning Informal learning is learning directed through a teacher. A teacher notices a student is interested in a subject, and helps them find out more about that subject. In learning about one particular subject, a student may find another subject they are more interested in and is encouraged to research that instead. As a students new needs are detected, the teacher does what they can to assist the student. I have not encountered this type of learning. 5.7. collaborative learning Collaborative learning is when students work together on a larger problem. They build upon each other's knowledge, and typically end up teaching each other something. I have encountered this in class group projects. 6. which media support have you used and are you using for your learning? Besides the Internet as a general learning media, I use the CAETE program to review previous CS lectures in classes that support it. The classes are videotaped and the slides annotated for distance education students, but regularly enrolled students have access to it as well.
|
