1. Three theories of learning I would use to teach learners how to calculate and compare unit costs of various size and/of brands of the same product are Constructivism, Situated Learning, and Schema Theory.
Using the theory of Constructivism, I would offer a question. An example question could be, “What brand is the best value for regular potato chips?” If budget would allow, it may be interesting to give each kid $5, and see who could buy the most potato chips. I could take the students to the grocery store, so they could experience the chip aisle for themselves. From there, they could build on what they already know from division and comparisons. They could compare what the prices are per ounce across brands. This would immerse the students in a meaningful, relevant, experience.
Using Situated Learning Theory, the assignment would be done as a group. Each group of students could be given a budget to purchase party supplies for a class party. This would be a community based assignment, where the students who have more experience with comparing prices may take the lead. The students would need to decide how to effectively use their budget, and ‘price shop brands.’ The lead student would first show the other students how s/he would compare unit costs. I would step in when necessary. Then all students in the group would participate in comparing unit costs of different sizes and brands to meet their budget as far as possible for the party. Students who understood the process would ‘help a friend,’ as they decided on the various products for the party and how to stretch their budget. With Situated learning, the students would learn from each other in a real-life scenario.
Using the Schema Theory and Cognitive Load, the teacher would lead learning. How to understand unit costs would be broken up into smaller parts, all building on each other. This way, students would not be overloaded with information. For instance, we could start with how to compare size, once the students mastered that idea, we would compare price, then we could talk about why and how we could compare price per unit with division, and so on. These small tasks would slowly build up to the whole task (comparing unit prices across brands and sizes). This could be done in the classroom setting.
2. Many of the concepts discussed in chapter 14 could be applied to the field of education/ art education. Our end goal is to facilitate learning and experiences that help children be successful now and in the future. As teachers, we want to help students improve their performance. While HPI references the workforce, it can also apply to students. Their performance would equate to learning and applying their newly learned skills. As they continue to learn, we want them to be able to improve on skills such as reading, or creative problem solving, etc.
Systemic versus Linear thinking skills also applies to the art education field. The education field encourages systemic thinking for both students and teachers. Effective teaching and learning (performance) is an end result from a number of interacting elements. Teachers set clear expectations, give timely feedback to students, give access to information, there are consequences, there are procedures, and so on. The classroom functions very similar to a workplace. I agree with the chapter that single-solution, miracle interventions are ineffective in education, just as it is in the workplace. Which is why HPI is accepted in the business world and can also be used in the field of education.
Honestly, I felt the business world and education are interchangeable in all of the chapter. The concepts and charts work the same way with students as they do with employees. I think teachers should use caution though, to make sure they do not take on too much of an authoritative role.
3. I subscribed to Art Ed Radio by Art of Education. It is a podcast meant for art teachers. The topics are relevant to elementary, middle, and high school art teachers. The episodes I listed to were on keeping your art club alive, how to intrinsically motivate students, and teaching artists that aren’t “dead white guys.” There is a variety of topics that range from budgets to dealing with student immaturity to teaching on the fly. The podcasts are hosted by a high school art teacher and he invites guest art teachers and relevant guests to discuss their experiences. I certainly plan to reference this podcast in the future.
4. I was unfamiliar with social bookmarking until we were asked to explore it this week. The idea reminded me a lot of Pinterest. I can certainly see the value in social bookmarking between teachers. Similar to Pinterest and Blogging, I think it is valuable for art teachers to share their experience and resources, since they are often the only art teacher in their building. On an individual level, I love the idea of social bookmarking to better organize sites and resources for planning. I would love to have categories for appropriate artists, art museum lesson ideas, art teacher lesson plans, and classroom management. Right now, my bookmarks are a mess, so I usually don’t use them and then I forget about great resources. Sometimes I feel like tags can be hard to work with. I often forget how I have tagged or organized something. For instance, I tagged similar sites as each: ‘lessonideas,’’lessonplans,’ and ‘lesson plans.’ But I did find the Tag Groups option on Delicious, so this may help me streamline my tags. I am having a hard time thinking of practical ways social bookmarking may be useful for administration sharing with teachers or teachers sharing with parents. In my case, maybe sharing fun art related sites with parents so their kids can access them later. I look forward to see what other people think.
No comments:
Post a Comment