Question Four

At the beginning of this course we all set up our own personally blogs. Mine can be found here:

http://www.rhiannonsspace.blogspot.com


For some of us this was a completely new concept and a bit of a challenge. However we created our blogs, personalised them and added all our work, thoughts, reflection, theories and assessments along the way.

Part of our work was to research some of the educational theorist whose work greatly influences the classrooms that we will enter upon graduating and even before. These peoples work has revolutionalised the way that children are viewed by teachers and parents. In the past the only way children were offered learning was by rote. They were given information and that was the lesson. There was little to no discussion, debate or reflection. Children were viewed as empty vessels that were to be filled with knowledge and shaped into adults.

However the work of people like Piaget. Bloom and many others have torn down this idea and reshaped it into something much better.

As seen on my blog Piaget Piaget's main theory revolved around the four stages of cognitive development in children. The four stages are as follows:

1. Sensorimotor StageAge of birth to 2yearsChildren learn through their senses and movement of both themselves and their environment. They also learn about object permanence. This is when they begin to understand that an object exists even if they can no longer see it.

2. Preoperational StageAges 2-7yearsThis is when children acquire their motor skills. This includes things such as coordination, hand-eye coordination and speech.

3. Concrete Operational Stage7-11yearsIt is in this stage that a child start developing and using logic

4. Formal Operational Stage11+yearsThis is the final stage of cognitive development. In this stage children can think abstractly, draw conclusions and evaluate information.I

find Piaget's work slightly difficult to accept on the whole. I believe that yes children obviously developed in stages but I don't think that those stages are necessarily the same for all children. Piaget's theory states that the stages developed at the same rate that the child ages. However I don't think that this allows for psychological development or different learning rates which are inevitable amongst children. Piaget's stages are sequenctional. However children do not developed at a determined rate and occurrence and timing of their development cannot be timed to such a key as Piaget has it.

Piaget’s work focused mainly on the cognitive development of children. However this came to show teachers and adults that children to have to develop cognitively by themselves. Yes there is information and knowledge to be shared with them but as they develop it is them who are responsible for reflecting on this information, thinking abstractive and turning it into knowledge and intelligence.

Another theorist who changed the way teaching and learning was viewed was Bloom. Blooms main tool was his taxonomy:

As mentioned before, previously learning in schools was very shallow learning. It was all about recollection of facts feed to students. Bloom however said that this was not enough and was definitely not the way to shape the next generation.

As the above diagram shows, Bloom places this simple skill of remembering at the bottom of the triangle. Unfortunately it also shows that this is a skill most commonly used in classrooms.

His taxonomy shows that Bloom believed the most important skills in teaching and learning were more complex ones such as analysis and creating. It is only through these skills that the knowledge given to students will become their intelligence resulting in deep level learning. However unfortunately once again, it can be seen that these are the least used skills in classrooms.

As well as clearly displaying the work of these people blogs can also be examples of their work.

Vygotsky for example believed that al development depended on the child’s exposure to society. He’s work showed that children developed cognitively through social interaction. The development of ICT, technology and tools such as blogs have taken this social interaction to a completely new and global level.

Our blogs can be viewed to friends and family around the world. Not only can it be seen but it can be added to by others as seen on my blog. This allows for a level of social interaction and development unprecedented in Vygotsky’s time.

As well as Vygotsky’s view of social interaction, blogs can also display a likeness to Glassers idea of children having five basic needs:

Survival
Belonging
Power
Freedom
Fun!

Although a blog does obviously not cloth or feed people it can help provide for the other four needs in ICT.

To add to another’s blog, you must be invited. The group of friend, family and fellow students who come to join your blog essentially become a mini community. One that you are welcomed into and belong in.

Also as you can be a contributor to blogs, your own and others, there is a sense of power that can be found. You are capable of porting facts, information, thoughts or pointless babble on a global source available to almost everyone. This can provide a great feeling or power and freedom.

Finally as shown on this and my previous blog, they can be a great source of interactive amusement! Showing videos, sharing pictures and listening to music!

Question Three

Part of a teacher’s role is to be aware of and have an understanding of the different learning styles within their class.

Every child has a different intelligence or learning style. This is the way that the prefer information to be presented to them. When facts and information are presented to certain people in certain ways they learn better from it. The better a child understands the information given to them the more likely deep learning and effective teaching and learning are likely to occur.

The different learning styles include:
Linguistic: involves sensitivity to spoken and written language, the ability to learn languages, and the capacity to use language to accomplish certain goals.
Logical: consists of the capacity to analyze problems logically, carry out mathematical operations, and investigate issues scientifically.
Musical: involves skill in the performance, composition, and appreciation of musical patterns. It encompasses the capacity to recognize and compose musical pitches, tones, and rhythms.
Kinaesthetic: entails the potential of using one's whole body or parts of the body to solve problems. It is the ability to use mental abilities to coordinate bodily movements.
Spatial: involves the potential to recognize and use the patterns of wide space and more confined areas.
Interpersonal: is concerned with the capacity to understand the intentions, motivations and desires of other people. It allows people to work effectively with others.
Intrapersonal: entails the capacity to understand oneself, to appreciate one's feelings, fears and motivations.

I think that it is because of these multiple intelligence with such wide variety that online learning can be so effective in classrooms.

A teacher is automatically going to be bias towards teach8ing in a way that would best be learnt by their own learning style. With multiple intelligences this is the first obstacle that teachers must overcome.

The next is figuring out a way in which all learning styles can be included into their lessons. No one classroom will ever be filled with students who all learn exactly the same way. For this reason teachers need to find a way in which to perhaps teach to the dominant learning style but in no way ignoring or disadvantaging the other learning styles.

This is where ICT and computers come in as this is one of the key ideas in technology, variety.

By incorporating ICT into their lessons, teachers have the power to appeal to most if not all of these different learning styles in the one activity. This is one element we have come to be familiar with over this course.

An example and a personal favorite of this ability is WebQuests. WebQuests are essentially whole lessons or activities online spanning across many different age groups and subject areas. They set out very clearly a goal and tasks for the students. They are often asked to step into a role or become another figure to undertake tasks and steps in the journey towards the goal.

As they are online they can be very interactive. Giving links to other websites, videos, podcasts, facts, history and precedents. The tasks are often structure in group work allowing for social interaction and as they are a newer development the tasks assigned are usually relevant to the students.

Along this course we have seen many attributes and disadvantages of the use of technology and ICT in lessons and classrooms. However I think that the variety and inclusiveness available though tools such as WebQuests are by far one of the best aspects.

Question Two