BSIE 2010: Session 25

How much of what we learn is actually remembered and "ready to be used (consciously) and recalled" at a moment's notice?  I have come to understand that a significant amount of observations and stories are located within the unconscious recesses of the brain.  The unconscious contains a wealth of "observations and stories".   Certain stories and observations are easier to list (on paper or verbally) because of the conscious brain.  There are more complex memories which we are not able to list as easily.  We are not always able to connect-the-dots.  As a middle school student, I recall studying fractions.  I could compute all the basic functions by plugging numbers into a formulas and following patterns to solve the problems.  I recall doing this, but did not fully comprehend exaclty what I was doing.  During my first year of college,  I was able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions, but the difference was that I actually understood what I was doing and was able to see patterns.  Sometimes we may think that our students are grasping stories and observations at a particular level, when in in fact they may be just going through the motions.  The students in any given classroom are very diverse human beings.   It is of the utmost importance that we relate  to each one individually as a unique being.  A learner's ability to perform or 'shut down' may be directly related to expectations or lack of expectations of the teacher, and the relationship between teacher and student.  But there are those times when stories in the unconscious (given certain conditions) become conscious.

So many questions and comments...

Paul gets the train running and then pulls the brake in the name of 'tabling conversations' until or for the forum.  Argh-----------frustrating!

However...if we teach the lesson without using the correct terms, at what point to do introduce and teach the terms so students are able to assimilate in the real world?

I found this interesting and challenging at the same time. I would have been so lost without the girls helping me to do what needed to be done. But I did manage to get something out of it as the day moved on. As an educator we must try to understand what a child feels when he/she is not getting it. Today I did not get a lot of it. I was with it up to a point, although it was wonderfully presented and the facilitator was wonderful in her presentation I just did not know how to get to the result that I was hoping to find. The other thing is that I was hoping to find out when the cougar died? 

Educators must be very mindful of their students,  to try to catch when they go on shutdown. It will not be hard to spot just watch their behavior and you will know who is not engaged and who is. If students can be caught at the point of (I do not get it) before they go in to the shutdown mode then we would not lose so many student to miss behavior or just sheer boredom.  I applauded all educators that have to teach and be the class room watch person as well.  

I am that person that has to break it down so that I can understand it then I will learn the technical terms.  I so agree, break it down to the students and then teach them the technical term.

This was the first time during the institute where a particular subject matter presentation really provoked an emotional response to the activity and content.  I was very grateful to have had this experience. It really helped me to make connections to content that I don't think were intended (I guess this is what you could call the hidden curriculum).  I found it very interesting that when I hit my threshold I just could not process the information. It began to create feelings of frustration, irritation, shutting down, and even a question of self-worth as it pertained to my ability to contribute to the activity.  I then found myself feeling empathy for my partner who was breezing through the activity and thinking of many alternative ways to figure the problem out. 

As I reflected further, I analyzed one particular emotion that was brought out that I had not felt in a very long time.  This was the feeling of self-worth in terms of the value I had in contributing.  I began to associate this to what I will call an "Americanism" to be the best, to out-achieve others.  When I was unable to attain this, I felt left out.  In every aspect of my life, from sports to school, to social settings that I should stand out and be on top (as I think we continue to perpetuate this message in schools through standardized testing).  The "Americanism" to out-do everyone else created this impulse to become intensely competitive, even if it was just with myself, that burnt me out because my conscious and subconscious just were not clicking.  I was saying to myself "it's ok and no one really expects you to get this" but inside I felt this almost burning feeling of agitation in my brain that seemed to be a self defeating notion saying "you should be able to get this.  Why can't you get this?"  That conflict ultimately lead to shutting down and a total disconnect.  I feel as thought this has really brought me closer to my students and will encourage much more reflection on my lessons in the future.  So my question then is what message are we really trying to convey to our students and the educational community.  "Are we trying to educate our children to be the best or are we trying to teach our children to be better?"  jI feel these two messages are really in direct conflict with one another. 

Rebecca Vandiver's model lesson was complex and multilayered, allowing for various adaptations to subject specific courses and grade levels. I could see the cooling experiment with the math component in a high school physics class. I plan to use the cougar connection and the cooling experiment with the graphing exercise but without the math derivation in my grade 7 biology class. As a result of the debriefing discussion, I might try the change in rate with manipulatives. To develop this part of the activty, I will consult a math teacher teaching middle school.

As Rebecca stated, the cougar story motivates the students by presenting a problem to solve. Is is the hook to gain their interest and attention. Our colleagues suggested using a human forensic problem, but my students would be interested in either the animal or human example. They are already interested in conservation issues. I will have them read a conservation article from the grade appropriate magazine, Science World, prior to the experiment. A discussion of the article will connect the ideas we discuss to the problem of limiting cougar hunting and how to enforce the law. Rebecca's model included stopping points in her presentation to allow students to solidify their understanding before going on to the next step in the lesson by solving a specific problem. This also allowed time for students with questions to gain the help they needed to go on. These opportunities are important to encourage students to continue even if they begin to feel out of their comfort zone. For this reason, Rebecca's model needs to slow down at the point of the introduction of rate of change. Wil and Paul both suggested that a new story needs to be introduced at this point. I agree. In grade 7, rate of change is understood well with the example of sledding down a hill. The students make the connection, and without prompt, will use the word slope. We can then extend the idea to lines having slopes.

Today's experience reminded me that students come to a class with a variety of likes and dislikes based on abiltities and past experiences, both positive and negative. Our approach to problem solving including the words we use can create an encouraging or inhibiting experience.