I think that these concepts are valid. Often times I feel that I can regonize material more then I understand it. I think what makes college difficult is that all the information isn't put before you. Also from the math perspective of chemistry I can't teach to myself. I have to see it before I can do it myself. I do think narrowing down to certain areas and heavily covering those would be a better way to reach to learn.
I have always thought that quality over quantity is important when teaching. I have had professors who just spew information at students during a lecture, and spend little to no time discussing what is important. I believe that if a student is taught the most important concepts in class, then all of the smaller details can be learned through other materials and better related to the larger more important concept. I strongly believe that students need to be able to relate what they are learning to prior knowledge and experiences to fully comprehend and remember it. I agree with the article that without the ability to relate, the information is just stowed away, basically inaccessible for the future. I have struggled to learn this way, especially in chemistry. I have always viewed chemistry as a mostly calculations based subject and it is harder for me to grasp the conceptual aspects. This article highlights some methods of learning and even restructuring how one thinks about and approaches learning science. I think I will try to start viewing chemistry in a more conceptual manner, as well as more diligently focusing on relating the new material to old material and experiences.
I think that the idea that learning is influenced by existing ideas is particularly interesting. Having had both the experience of coming to class having done the readings and homework and also the experience of being completely unprepared, I can really relate to this idea. On the days that I am prepared for class, my knowledge of the subject matter is not only expanded but also solidified in my head. On the days that I am not prepared, however, I only retain a partial understanding of the lecture material. This makes the lecture much less useful. Another idea that this article talks about is the idea that sometimes what a student learns is actually slightly or even completely wrong. I’ve experienced this before in C105. After the 2nd exam, through a random conversation with a classmate, I realized that I had been thinking about a concept completely the wrong way. As a consequence, I answered incorrectly on a problem on the exam. This probably could have been avoided if I had given more thought to the concept while studying for the exam.
But sometimes it is hard to realize that you have the wrong concept. In working with other students it becomes a little easier to find these misconceptions.
I previously mentioned my interest in the medical field; I believe my desire to pursue a career in this field is rooted in my deep passion for the process of gaining and spreading knowledge. I love learning and love to help others learn even more. Many things mentioned in this text "speak" to me. Some "Principles of Learning" I've implemented in my own approach to studying such as "People learn to do well only what they practice doing". This particular technique is very important for me to do well in science classes such as chemistry and physics. When I help others learn I have to keep in mind that "Learning is not necessarily an outcome of teaching". This is important for me to remember so I know not to expect too much from someone all at once. Sometimes it takes more to process information until you can fully understand it and that's ok. Another principle that resonated with me is to "build on success". When I recall the best teachers in my life, I always think of the ones that encouraged me and built my confidence in a subject based on my progression, effort, and success. I try to mirror this action in my own life because I know how much it can help to diminish anxiety towards a subject.
Reading the section on “Expectations Affect Performance,” I found that I both agreed and disagreed with several points when it came to how people learn. I found it interesting that the basis of this topic was about self-confidence and can be extrapolated back to parents and many other influential people in a student’s life. While teaching younger students in a camp and other extracurricular settings, I can see how being able to find and support students where their content knowledge currently is can be a challenge. Reading and thinking about how everything can be a chain reaction is very relatable and makes me more aware of the attitude and process that I put towards learning. All in all, I think that expectations of others can help form how you act, but in the end you have to decide for yourself what you want your performance to be.
For me, I need to practise alot to do the thing perfectly, but other people are not like me because they can get it from the first time. So, basically I now what I need to do to get better.
yes, a few of these concepts spoke to me directly. from my experience ideas tend to build off of each other, particualrly in the field of science. As i progress in my studies, ideas tend to over lap from one class to another , whether it is anatomy, bio, chem, or even physiology. the more i practice each subject the better i get as the material builds in over laps in the given field. One of the topics i enjoyed is that students only learn to do well what they practice doing. i find this particularly important especially when it comes to chemistry. Chemistry is not a subject that comes naturally to me, so practice is essential to my progress in the class.
Throughout school I think we all have had the pleasure of experiencing different teaching styles and methods. Whether these were beneficial (or not) we all have had to make our own version to the teaching/ learning methods. These methods all seem to have our personal touch. This works best for an individual to the get the most out of the information we are given to digest. The one thing I learned very well in school is the fact that learning is NOT the result of teaching. Learning is all up to the student to want to learn and absorb the knowledge teachers hand out. However, this takes some self-discipline which is key to surviving in college. Therefore, we can take what we learn and apply it not only in the classrooms where we learned it, but in the lives we live. That what makes learn so much fun. :)
I found that this chapter regarding effective learning and teaching had points similar to how I learn material from various classes, especially those that are science based. The article mentioned the point "people learn to do well only what they practice doing"- I agree with this and find that it is very helpful to remember information if I do a variety of practice problems relating to the specific concept, rather than just one sample problem. I also agree with the point "effective learning by students requires feedback"-if I just sit there and read the textbook, the material won't stick with me until I explain it to either myself or others. A concept that was described in the section that I agree with now that I read it, but never thought about before , is that what students learn is influenced by their existing ideas. To understand new information, we often create analogies and connections with ideas that we have learned before, and I believe this helps enhance the learning process as well.
I enjoyed what the article had to say about fostering curiosity.
Learning, in my opinion, shouldn't be a quantitative measure of how many questions you could get right on Jeopardy, but rather looking at a particular question and repeatedly asking yourself "why?" questions to progressively build your own understanding. I appreciated the articles lack of emphasis on rote memorization and instead stressing the significance of understanding.
I think that these concepts are valid. Often times I feel that I can regonize material more then I understand it. I think what makes college difficult is that all the information isn't put before you. Also from the math perspective of chemistry I can't teach to myself. I have to see it before I can do it myself. I do think narrowing down to certain areas and heavily covering those would be a better way to reach to learn.
ReplyDeleteI have always thought that quality over quantity is important when teaching. I have had professors who just spew information at students during a lecture, and spend little to no time discussing what is important. I believe that if a student is taught the most important concepts in class, then all of the smaller details can be learned through other materials and better related to the larger more important concept. I strongly believe that students need to be able to relate what they are learning to prior knowledge and experiences to fully comprehend and remember it. I agree with the article that without the ability to relate, the information is just stowed away, basically inaccessible for the future. I have struggled to learn this way, especially in chemistry. I have always viewed chemistry as a mostly calculations based subject and it is harder for me to grasp the conceptual aspects. This article highlights some methods of learning and even restructuring how one thinks about and approaches learning science. I think I will try to start viewing chemistry in a more conceptual manner, as well as more diligently focusing on relating the new material to old material and experiences.
ReplyDeleteI think that the idea that learning is influenced by existing ideas is particularly interesting. Having had both the experience of coming to class having done the readings and homework and also the experience of being completely unprepared, I can really relate to this idea. On the days that I am prepared for class, my knowledge of the subject matter is not only expanded but also solidified in my head. On the days that I am not prepared, however, I only retain a partial understanding of the lecture material. This makes the lecture much less useful.
ReplyDeleteAnother idea that this article talks about is the idea that sometimes what a student learns is actually slightly or even completely wrong. I’ve experienced this before in C105. After the 2nd exam, through a random conversation with a classmate, I realized that I had been thinking about a concept completely the wrong way. As a consequence, I answered incorrectly on a problem on the exam. This probably could have been avoided if I had given more thought to the concept while studying for the exam.
But sometimes it is hard to realize that you have the wrong concept. In working with other students it becomes a little easier to find these misconceptions.
DeleteI previously mentioned my interest in the medical field; I believe my desire to pursue a career in this field is rooted in my deep passion for the process of gaining and spreading knowledge. I love learning and love to help others learn even more. Many things mentioned in this text "speak" to me. Some "Principles of Learning" I've implemented in my own approach to studying such as "People learn to do well only what they practice doing". This particular technique is very important for me to do well in science classes such as chemistry and physics.
ReplyDeleteWhen I help others learn I have to keep in mind that "Learning is not necessarily an outcome of teaching". This is important for me to remember so I know not to expect too much from someone all at once. Sometimes it takes more to process information until you can fully understand it and that's ok. Another principle that resonated with me is to "build on success". When I recall the best teachers in my life, I always think of the ones that encouraged me and built my confidence in a subject based on my progression, effort, and success. I try to mirror this action in my own life because I know how much it can help to diminish anxiety towards a subject.
Reading the section on “Expectations Affect Performance,” I found that I both agreed and disagreed with several points when it came to how people learn. I found it interesting that the basis of this topic was about self-confidence and can be extrapolated back to parents and many other influential people in a student’s life. While teaching younger students in a camp and other extracurricular settings, I can see how being able to find and support students where their content knowledge currently is can be a challenge. Reading and thinking about how everything can be a chain reaction is very relatable and makes me more aware of the attitude and process that I put towards learning. All in all, I think that expectations of others can help form how you act, but in the end you have to decide for yourself what you want your performance to be.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I need to practise alot to do the thing perfectly, but other people are not like me because they can get it from the first time. So, basically I now what I need to do to get better.
ReplyDeleteyes, a few of these concepts spoke to me directly. from my experience ideas tend to build off of each other, particualrly in the field of science. As i progress in my studies, ideas tend to over lap from one class to another , whether it is anatomy, bio, chem, or even physiology. the more i practice each subject the better i get as the material builds in over laps in the given field. One of the topics i enjoyed is that students only learn to do well what they practice doing. i find this particularly important especially when it comes to chemistry. Chemistry is not a subject that comes naturally to me, so practice is essential to my progress in the class.
ReplyDeleteThroughout school I think we all have had the pleasure of experiencing different teaching styles and methods. Whether these were beneficial (or not) we all have had to make our own version to the teaching/ learning methods. These methods all seem to have our personal touch. This works best for an individual to the get the most out of the information we are given to digest. The one thing I learned very well in school is the fact that learning is NOT the result of teaching. Learning is all up to the student to want to learn and absorb the knowledge teachers hand out. However, this takes some self-discipline which is key to surviving in college. Therefore, we can take what we learn and apply it not only in the classrooms where we learned it, but in the lives we live. That what makes learn so much fun. :)
ReplyDeleteI found that this chapter regarding effective learning and teaching had points similar to how I learn material from various classes, especially those that are science based. The article mentioned the point "people learn to do well only what they practice doing"- I agree with this and find that it is very helpful to remember information if I do a variety of practice problems relating to the specific concept, rather than just one sample problem. I also agree with the point "effective learning by students requires feedback"-if I just sit there and read the textbook, the material won't stick with me until I explain it to either myself or others. A concept that was described in the section that I agree with now that I read it, but never thought about before , is that what students learn is influenced by their existing ideas. To understand new information, we often create analogies and connections with ideas that we have learned before, and I believe this helps enhance the learning process as well.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed what the article had to say about fostering curiosity.
ReplyDeleteLearning, in my opinion, shouldn't be a quantitative measure of how many questions you could get right on Jeopardy, but rather looking at a particular question and repeatedly asking yourself "why?" questions to progressively build your own understanding. I appreciated the articles lack of emphasis on rote memorization and instead stressing the significance of understanding.
Encourage your 2-year old to ask why!
DeleteThanks for your responses!
ReplyDelete