Module 4

Module 4: Taking Notes, Games, Motivation and Reinforcement:

Taking Notes:
Summary:
Taking Notes as explained by Woolfolk states "You have to hold the lecture information in working memory; select, organize, and transform the important ideas and themes before the information “falls off” your working memory workbench;  and write down the ideas and themes—all while you are still following the lecture. (pg. 346). 

Reflection:
Taking notes for me was the main study guide I would create while in school. Taking notes while lectures were being given came naturally to me, but I was a visual and auditory type of learner. I can see where students would "fall off" and get discouraged and stop. Growing up I wish there was a class my school district would have offered that was purely on note-taking. Teachers seemed to try and assist us, but we weren't given proper strategies (more figure it out for yourself). Woolfolk gives us ideas from different authors as well on pg 347.

• Taking notes focuses on attention during class. Of course, if taking notes distracts you from actually listening to and making sense of the lecture, then note-taking may not be effective.  
• Taking organized notes works well for students with good working memory, but using a laptop to transcribe lectures can be better for students with poor working memories, at least for short lectures.  
• Taking organized notes makes you construct meaning from what you are hearing, seeing, or reading, so you elaborate, translate into your own words, retrieve, and remember. Even if students don’t review notes before a test, taking them in the first place appears to aid learning, especially for those who lack prior knowledge in an area.

•  Notes provide extended external storage that allows you to return and review. Students who use their notes to study tend to perform better on tests, especially if they take many high-quality notes—more is better as long as you are capturing key ideas,  concepts, and relationships, not just intriguing details or jokes. 
•   Expert students match notes to their anticipated use and modify strategies after tests or assignments; use personal codes to flag material that is unfamiliar or difficult; fill in holes by consulting relevant sources (including other students in the class), and record information verbatim only when a verbatim response will be required. In other words, they are strategic about taking and using notes. 

Games

Summary:
Many researchers suggest games provide a natural, engaging form of learning and that “combining games with educational objectives could not only trigger students’ learning motivation but also provide them with interactive learning opportunities” (Sung &  Hwang, 2013, p. 44). (pg. 412)

Reflection:
Video games and educational games have changed the landscape of learning over the last 20 years. In this section, Woolfolk gives us some information that "American students ages 8 to 18 spend an average of 13 hours a  week playing video games—some more and some less, but some up to 30 hours a week." (pg. 412). 30 hours!! let that sink in, some students today play as much video games as someone who works a full-time job. Thinking back to when I was growing there would have been no way my parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents would have allowed that (lucky if I would play 3 hours a week). If students are using games as a type of entertainment just think if we can incorporate them into a classroom and really get the student's attention. With the growing popularity of Esports we as educators need to get on the growing trend and really give the idea of implementing games into our lesson plans.

Motivation and Reinforcement:

Summary:
"We may acquire a new skill or behavior through observation, but we may not perform that behavior until we have some motivation or incentive to do so. Reinforcement can play several roles in observational learning." (p.431)

Reflection:
Motivation and Reinforcement in our class with the topic of rewards. Kohn wasn't the biggest advocate of using a rewards system inside classroom, but instead using a more traditional approach. But one of the biggest questions, I hear teachers ask today is "how do I teach the un-motivated"? There are a ton of articles showing how to motivate, but I wish there were more hands-on activity because when you have students whose home life is so bad they have zero motivation. I believe with positive reinforcement students can feel and sense that teachers and school staff really care about them. For example, I had a student this past year who was homeless, living at a shelter, no parents, a brother was just put in jail at the beginning of the year, and was almost a full year behind credits. This young man had gotten into a fight and was emotionally distraught, he came up to me and asked if I had a dollar so he could take the public bus home. Instead of the one-dollar I gave him a $10 and said get yourself a warm meal and a safe ride home. After his suspension was up he came directly up to me and thanked me. From that conversation, I had a given him a ton of praise and positive reinforcement and he really took it to heart. Not only did he gain all his credits, but this young man gained a high-school diploma this school year. This just goes to show you that by giving positive reinforcement and sound motivation students can excel.

Module 3: Learning by Observing Others, Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation, Dealing with Discipline Problems

Module 3: Learning by Observing Others, Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation, Dealing with Discipline Problems

Summary:
Woolfolk in this section speaks how modeling: learning by observing others speak to can be influenced by three factors "Development level, the status of the model, and watching others" (pg. 429).  She also gives us a diagram of how certain factors observational learning (pg. 429)

Reflection:
I agree with how Woolfolk breaks down the process of how students learn by observing others (pg. 429). Growing up and now working security at a large high school I can clearly see how she describes these stages. At the development level "As children grow older, they can focus attention for longer periods of time,  more effectively identify the important elements of a model’s behavior to observe, use memory strategies to retain information, and motivate themselves to practice".  I still think this can happen even when students reach adulthood. I see students every day hanging out with certain cliques and inside those cliques students are looking up to one individual and trying to model them. The status of the model plays a huge part in how students develop. Everyone in high school or at least when I was in school had those popular kids that students looked up to and wanted to become. Lastly, by watching others students will start to develop or model their personality and what group they would like to hang out with. I can see this in high school today, with students engaging in different activities and surrounding themselves with different groups of people students begin to further their curiosity about who they are wanting to become.

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation

Summary:
Woolfolk describes" Intrinsic Motivation as associated with activities that are their own reward and  Extrinsic motivation as created by external factors such as rewards and punishments." (pg.463). Both of these motivations are strong and steady in today's classroom, but one may not be the answer in extrinsic.

Reflection:
Students at a young age tend to be full of intrinsic motivation wanting to show off what they have accomplished inside their classroom (this can been seen in older students, but more prevalent in younger age group). From my observations, students who are enrolled in regular classes are more inclined to be less intrinsically motivated than those who are enrolled in honors or AP courses. But Kahn shows us the importance of building and maintaining the intrinsic side but to forgo the extrinsic motivation because it is doing more harm than good. I will not be using many extrinsic factors in my classroom but rather try to build up the student's intrinsic motivation.

Dealing with Discipline Problems

Summary:
Woolfolk on page 527 states "that being an effective manager does not mean publicly correcting every minor infraction of the rules. The key is being aware of what is happening and knowing what is important so you can prevent problems" and "It is critical that you have many effective ways to deescalate rather than escalate student behavior problems."

Reflection:
Woolfolk hits on key points in her text such as not correcting every minor infraction and being aware of what is going on inside your classroom. Disciplining students will always be inside every classroom and it's up to the teacher on how to deal with it. It is very important to stay fair across the board when dealing with students. When Woolfolk speaks on effective ways to deescalate behavior problems I would like to see more teachers take PD courses on these practices. I have been called into rooms where both teachers and students are engaged in a verbal argument, this where the teacher needs to either swallow some pride or just be an adult and handle the situation better. She gives eight techniques that we can use to help defuse a certain situation (make eye contact, make verbal hints, ask students, interactive activity, remind students of the procedure, state correct rule or procedure, tell the student, and offer a choice).

Teacher Interview

SUMMARY:

I decided to ask one of the top PE teachers at West Aurora (in my opinion). He is definitely the epitome of respectful, approachable, and hard-working.  He is always one of the first ones in and one of the last ones out. He volunteers his time for the students by hosting talent shows and chaperoning most events that are happening in the school. I chose Mr. Ranallo due to the fact he would shoot it to me straight and he would take the time to give me thoughtful answers.

REFLECTION:

Going into this interview I wasn't surprised by the way Mr. Ranallo conducted himself, but I was a little surprised he tries to sneak in an off the wall answer since he has a very outgoing personality. I was a little surprised he has not dealt with a student going AWOL. Most times I get called to a P.E. class, a student has walked out and is roaming the school or hiding in a bathroom. This just goes to show you how he makes classroom management a focal point in his class and is a goal I wish I can meet every year.

One point that he hits home throughout the interview is we need to get to know your students and start to understand them. West Aurora has a large diverse student body with students coming from all over the world. This correlates back to Woolfolk in chapter 13 pg. 543 as having Culturally Responsive Management. As Woolfolk states "Taking cultural meanings and styles into account when developing management plans and responding to students." which I have witnessed in Mr. Ranallo's classes day in and day out. He might be one of only a handful of teachers in our building that take to heart the need to understand his students and their needs and backgrounds. 

I found it interesting when he responded to the question about rewards. I know some of our PE teachers still utilize a reward system quite frequently, but he just uses it as a tool to have some fun. I like the idea of using a half-court shot or a 30-yard field goal as a fun way for kids to try and attempt to gain a couple of extra points. I wouldn't make it an everyday practice, but to keep a fun atmosphere and everyone engaged I would definitely try his method.

I also like how he utilizes his co-workers and even his spouse (who is an educator as well) to get through a rough day. I think it's important for teachers to reach out to co-workers and use their knowledge to help get through the day. We all have them and while some just brush it off and move on others bottle it up until they blow up. Not only is this harmful to the teacher, but also the students.

In closing, Mr. Ranallo really hit home the need to get to know our students and their home life. Coming from a very diverse city and having the opportunity to grow up with others who don't believe in the same ideas that my family practices have helped shaped me into the individual I am today. I also like how he really drives home the rules and expectations from day one, in a high school setting I truly believe you have to start strong and maintain those standards through the school year.

Module 2

Concept 1:  Learning Styles/Preferences

Summary: Woolfolk (pg. 139) defines learning styles as "the way a person approaches learning and studying" and "research describes preferences for particular learning environments". With a wide range of learning styles some "have little research support" where Woolfolk believes preferences "is a more accurate label". Different learning styles can show teachers if their students are more visual or verbal learners.
Reflection: I really feel teachers who get to understand their student's styles of learning can greatly increase classroom moral. Growing up I was a big-time visual learner (and still am today), but when teachers' would just stand and lecture I found my self looking out the windows of the classroom. The most effective teachers I had in school are the ones that would utilize both styles and would occasionally let us get up and move around. Now I understand teachers at certain points have to lecture or only give power points, but we as educators need to be mindful that not every student learns the same.

Concept 2: Second-Language Learning

Summary: What if you didn't learn two languages as you were growing up? When and how should you learn a second language? Woolfolk asks. She writes about the distinctions between critical periods and sensitive periods. CP is defined as "If learning  doesn’t happen during  these periods, it never will" and SP as "Times  when a person is especially  ready to learn certain things  or responsive to certain  experiences." (pg 187). She quotes another author in saying there is no critical period that limits the possibility of language learning by adults and older children go through the stages of language learning faster than young children.
Reflection: Woolfolk shows us the two periods in which we are able to comprehend/learn a second language. Growing up in Aurora we were not exposed to a second language until my freshman year of high school. Now that has changed and some elementary schools have dual-languages spoken. As Woolfolk states  "The earlier people learn  a second language, the more their pronunciation is near-native." I took 6 years of Spanish and was always told by my Spanish speaking friends that I say words like a "white boy". If we can get younger students emersed in a second language the better off we can help their pronunciation and then have them start to master the language as they grow older.

Concept 3: Social Class and Socioeconomic Status

Summary: "In modern societies, levels of wealth, power, prestige, and political power" Woolfolk explains are how individuals are classified. She then explains that most people are aware of their social class and how some are below. Some may also show "classism" ("better than members of a lower class"). "psychologists combine variations in  wealth, power, control over resources, and prestige into an index called socioeconomic  status (SES)." SES is usually ascribed to people by researchers. "Most researchers identify four  general levels of SES: upper, middle, working, and lower classes."

Reflection: Working inside a high school I see students clearly forming groups due to their "status", but I do believe it is visibly less from when I was in high school. Students today are way more open to acceptance, whereas students from 20 years ago were still stuck in some old ways. I remember we had an "elite" group of students whose parents were all lawyers and doctors and they were only allowed to hang with "their own". For me, it's important as educators we include everyone and not let factions break up the climate of the school.

MODULE 1: Understanding What Makes a Good Teacher, Physical Development, and Cognitive Development (ZPD)

MODULE 1: Understanding What Makes a Good Teacher, Physical Development, and Cognitive Development (ZPD)

What Makes a Good Teacher?

Summary:

In chapter 1 of Woolfolk, she starts by discussing what makes a good teacher and not one that simply glides by. Woolfolk speaks about the importance of teacher-student relationships and how they impact the educational process "Even when the gender, ethnicity, cognitive ability, and behavior ratings of the student were accounted for, the relationship with the teacher still predicted aspects of school success. So students with significant behavior problems in the early years are less likely to have problems later in school if their first teachers are sensitive to their needs and provide frequent consistent feedback." (Woolfolk, pg. 8). Woolfolk then goes on to state "Teachers must be both knowledgeable and inventive. They must be able to use a range of strategies,  and they must also be capable of inventing new strategies. They must have some basic research-based routines for managing classes, but they must also be willing and able to break from the routine when the situation calls for change. They must know the research  on student development, and they also need to know their own particular students who  are unique combinations of culture, gender, and geography." (Woolfolk, pg 10). Being able to be flexible and understanding each student's attributes can really help a teacher be exceptional.

Reflection:

Woolfolk through chapter 1 does a great job guiding us through what makes us a good teacher. She does a great job breaking down the different topics teachers can use today to help them further make an impactful connection to their students. Working in a multi-cultural, very diverse, and large enrollment pubic high school I can truly see teachers who are putting forth an effort to get to understand their students and the ones who are just going through the paces. 

Physical Development

Woolfolk starts to dive into how physical and social development impacts students during chapter 3. She speaks on how from an early age through later maturation "can be a frightening, disappointing,  exciting, and puzzling time." (Woolfolk, pg. 74). I can still see this today in my high school. The "late bloomers" as we call them, tend to start off shy, timid, physically smaller, and distant their freshman year and by the time they are seniors are the most social "butterflies". Being an inspiring physical education teacher I was drawn to her section about the play, recess, and physical activity. When I graduated high school I was drawn to fact children in America were seeing a huge increase in obesity which lead me to pursue a degree in Recreation (to help children/parents achieve their physical goals of maintaining a healthy lifestyle). Woolfolk quotes "Play is particularly important for both children’s happiness and their social and cognitive development (Hopkins, Dore, & Lillard,  2015; Lillard et al., 2013) (pg.77). I would agree this isn't for only children, but adults as well. This is quite important in today's society with COVID-19. Having to deal with 4,000 students daily I was also drawn to Woolfolks section on Urie Bronfenbrenner and his bioecological model. When he explains how we develop in our "ecosystems", I couldn't agree more. I truly believe we are a product of our environment and how we are brought up. 

Cognitive Development

Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is the area between the child’s current performance (the problems the child can solve independently without any support) and the level of performance that the child could achieve with adult guidance or by working with “a more fully developed child” (p. 202) (pg 61). When I was growing up our school district had a program that high school and middle school students would join a few different elementary classrooms and do different activities (sports, reading, writing, homework help, etc.) Being on both ends of this program I can see how it correlates back to Vygotsky's ZPD. The extra guidance that I received as a small child from a high schooler really showed me that I could achieve certain goals that I could not before and the flip side of being the older student showed me what I wanted to do in life was to help children/adults achieve their goals.