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.