How important are rational explanations given by educational theories for you and your professional practices?
As you mentioned in your text, "As an educator, you must have encountered so many different types of theories"(p8). In my short experience as an educator I have been exposed to a number of educational theories. One particular theory that comes to mind right now is Vygotsky's 'zone of proximal development'. In my opinion this theory has a rational explanation, being that learning occurs by incrementally building on prior knowledge. And because I believe this rational explanation I have focused on trying to apply this concept during my student teaching. On the other hand theories that do not, in my opinion, have a rational explanation I am less likely to try to implement in the classroom. So to answer the question I think it is important for theories to have a rational explanation because that makes it easier and more likely that I will be able to effectively use these theories and strategies in my classroom. While thinking through this question I realized that this mindset is very limiting, and I am potentially discounting theories because I am not able to fully comprehend them or their effectiveness.
Should educators be following academic theories? What could be the possible alternative relationships with academic theories?
I think educators should be attentive to what academic theories say but not necessarily slavishly follow them. Because academic theories are the result of careful and focused studies, they can have great value for an educator who might not have the time, resources, or training to conduct such a study himself. Thus, through reading and thinking about academic theories, educators can gain a greater insight into how they could go about teaching their students. When I think of educators interacting with academic theories, I see it as being similar to tasting wine. One does not simply consume wine but rather examines it and tastes it and, in doing so, explores its complex palate using his previous knowledge and experience. For example the wine taster uses his previous experience with food (and non-food items) to describe features of the wine such as the “hints of vanilla” or in describing the “cob-web feeling” a really dry wine might provide. Similarly, when one encounters an academic theory, he should not simply accept it as THE way to teach but rather consider how it relates to one’s previous experiences. Has the educator experienced situations that might support this theory? How might this theory relate to or impact what one already knows about education? Additionally, the educator should think about how useful or relevant that theory might be for the learning needs of his students.
Study Question: Can you state any of your personal theories that function to guide your educational practices? Could you name the personal theories?
My personal theory that stems from my gut feeling is that participation in sports can highly affect a student's willingness to cooperate with others and instill the method of practicing one's craft. Through my own personal experience, I believe that my willingness to go the extra mile to achieve a goal and cooperating with teammates in the process were discovered while playing sports. When I see students constantly trying to solve a math problem or submitting rough draft after brought draft for a paper, I get the impression that they have participated in recreational sports in which they have been taught to strive for perfection. Even when it comes to a student who obeys and listens to a teacher, I believe that they learned through sports that their coach is their to help and any piece of advice should be cherished. My name for this theory would be Team Discipline Theory. I full heartedly believe that this theory positively influences a student's academic drive and achievements.
Study Question: Have you ever experienced any kind of death or re-birth of your personal theory? How did it happen, and how did you overcome this challenge?
I have experienced the death and re-birth of my own personal theories multiple times, and each has felt just as defeating as the time before. Although I hold many personal theories, I will write about the first experience that led me to have this sort of revelation. Growing up, my family placed a very high value on education. I went to private schools my whole life, I received tutoring if I was struggling, and I was always pushed to succeed and live up to my parents standards. At the age of 16 I started working at a private Montessori school, where I still work. These students also had similar experiences to my own, and to this day there is high parent involvement in all aspects of schooling. These instances shaped my biases and made me create a personal theory that all parents are at least encouraging of their children’s success in school. I did not think that all parents had these exact same values, but I did believe that for the most part, students would come to school and be expected to perform well. This past year, my theories have changed due to personal experiences both at my practicum and at work. I recognized quickly, that my personal theory that all students receive support from home, and are instilled with a respect for education is not always the case. Sometimes students have much greater problems to focus on than school. This year I had students cry to me because their parents aren’t home at night to help them with their homework, or that their parents simply do not care how they do in school. I recognized that this, for some students, causes them to not take school seriously. This past year, I had to change my mindset and change my personal theory to find ways to motivate these students in the classroom. I realized that theories only go so far, and that the most important thing is to follow your jikkan. I recognized that I made the biggest impact on students behavior and academics when I took the time to form relationships with them and find what works best for the individual.
Study Question: What would be the best method to reflect on your personal theories? How could it be done to Benefit your educational practice?
Reflecting on my personal theories will not only help me understand and be in touch with my own beliefs and experiences but it will also open up the idea that we all have personal theories that differ and lead us to do certain things. Reflecting on yourself as a teacher and how your experiences influence your decision making is extremely important. It will help me be open to different perspectives and remember that my colleagues, and my students make decisions based on their personal theories that they have acquired over time through their experiences. I think that a good way to reflect on my personal theories would to be to constantly ask myself questions like, why did I react like that in this situation? What lead me to make that decision? Etc. This will call for me to think about the underlying idea or belief that lead me to react in a certain way or make certain decisions. Knowing my beliefs and feelings that have lead me to create personal theories will help me to better understand how I go about working with students. Reflecting on this will help me to see what my personal theories are and understand that they might not always be right or rationalized. It is important to remember this because like you mentioned in your book, “… you might be misled by these theories if you stick to these theories rigidly in all circumstances.” Reflecting will also help me become aware of some of the personal theories that I have acquired that I am not necessarily aware of. I believe that personal theories are a very important part of being an educator and being able to reflect on them is even more important. Overall constantly thinking about the personal theories I have developed from my own life experiences is important because my experiences could be extremely different from the next person and knowing that will help me be more flexible and understand that many students will deviate from my personal theories. Reflecting will also help me see how my personal theories change overtime as I encounter new experiences.
My favorite study question from chapter one was on page 18, asking if I had experienced any "kizuki", or revelatory moments in my life as a teacher. I liked this question because I actually experienced this feeling not too long ago, when I was first decided to start on my journey as an educator. After I had graduated college with a history degree many people inquired if I would go on to pursue teaching, as job options for liberal arts majors aren’t exactly falling from the sky. For many years I resisted the idea of being a teacher just because it seemed a little too ordinary, what people would expect me to do with such a degree. However, in February 2015 my friend from college, a 3rd grade teacher in Washington was talking about her stress creating a unit on Pioneers for her students. I jumped at the opportunity to talk about history with her, and one point I thought to myself “I sure wish I could teach a history class…wait a minute…” That was my moment of kizuki, it was in that moment I realized that I should rethink my stance on being a teacher, and here I am!
What would be the best method to reflect on your personal theories? How could it be done to benefit your educational practice?
A method that has helped me gain deeper insight from self-reflection has simply been actively observing my surroundings along with the decisions I make (both inside and outside of the classroom) and asking myself, “why” about everything. Why did the students have so much trouble dividing into groups? Perhaps my initial thought would be that the students were at fault for not listening. However, the truth could be that my tone was expressing frustration without my knowledge and therefore affected the students’ emotional response. I obviously don’t remember to do this all the time, and it is difficult in the moment, but taking the time to reflect about my decisions after the fact helps me to be more aware and present the next time I do something. I have decided I am going to start keeping an educational reflection journal about my experiences in order to reflect more deeply and explore my omoi.
Study Question: What is the jikkan that you felt about your educational practices recently? Is there anything wrong with following your jikkan in your practice?
In the final few weeks of my practicum, I noticed a student display disruptive and disrespectful behavior toward her teachers (myself included) and her peers. This was extremely out of character for this student. There were moments when she ignored everyone and everything and stared at the ground to “purposely” not pay attention. My master teacher’s jikkan was to send this child out of class every time she displayed unwanted behavior. My jikkan told me that there was something deeper occurring for this student to act out “for no reason.” I knew there must be a source that was driving this new behavior. The teacher continued to send the child out of class and asked her reflect on her behavior through apology letters. I believed this approach was ineffective and I asked her if she had talked to the parents about the student’s odd behavior. Two weeks later my master teacher told me what the parents had said to her. They said that their child is experiencing mild seizures that last about 10-20 seconds and is now receiving medication for the seizures. That explained her defiant behavior when she was “ignoring” everyone. Without knowing it, this student was having a seizure and then sent out by the teacher to reflect on her disrespectful behavior. My jikkan was correct.
I believe that following your jikkan can benefit your teaching practices. However, it should not be the only force that drives decision making. I believe following your jikkan is a good starting point. From there, educators should self reflect to understand the source of the jikkan and find ways to measure if the jikkan is benefiting their practice.
Can you state any of your personal theories that function to guide your educational practices?Could you name the personal theories?
Personal theories have a great effect on shaping the way teachers use techniques in and out of the classroom. My personal theories help me decide which techniques I use. One personal theory I have is that students need constant repetition and reinforcement to fully understand and grasp the concept of something they are trying to learn. If I am trying to teach vocabulary or multiplying correctly I try to go over and give the students as much practice as possible. I also like to assign homework so that they have a chance to practice at home. With a little help from the student’s parents they can be fully engulfed in learning. This will give them the chance to master whatever it is that they are trying to learn. Once they have the knowledge it allows the students to build or move on to more advanced subjects of learning.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs serves as a baseline learning theory/model that I refer to often before making pedagogical decisions regarding individual students. For example, when I notice a student is displaying undesired behavior or academic performance, I use this model to rule out any possibility a student’s basic needs aren’t being; which as Maslow argued, must be met first in order for a student to perform academically, physically, and social/emotionally in school. I think this theory is often overlooked when educators are searching for reasons for why a student is not performing as desired, and should always be one of the first system of checks and balances teachers refer to. The next learning theories I feel most connect to my personal teaching philosophy are those of John Dewey and Maria Montessori. I support Dewewy’s rejection of rote memorization and repetitive teaching and believe it should be replaced with a constructivist approach. I also strongly agree that students have a natural sense of exploration and should be allowed with appropriate scaffolding to experience the world around them.
Q (p. 17): Have you experienced any kind of death and re-birth of your personal theory? How did it happen, and how did you overcome the challenge?
When I started the MCC1 program, I had a naive view on education. I was so eager to learn that I willingly soaked up every expert’s theory. I realized by spending more time in the classroom that it was impossible for me to employ such a hodgepodge of theories. I could not relate many of them to my own practice, so they couldn’t guide me, and remained as raw information. I had to let go of the information that did not fit with my personal style and beliefs, and let the ones that did work for me grow. In this way, I experienced a kind of death and re-birth in my personal theory.
What would be the best method to reflect on your personal theories? How could it be done to Benefit your educational practice?
Through completing action research I learned many valuable ways to reflect on my teaching and on student comprehension. One way to reflect on my own teaching methods/philosophy is by keeping a reflective journal. Just by writing a few key sentences a day, this allows me to go back and look at what worked for the students and what didn't. Taking note on your successes and failures in the classroom is a very effective way at learning how to adapt and alter your philosophy based on the needs of the students. For this reason, it is important to be as perceptive as you can and develop a deep understanding for how your teaching is impacting your students. Being observed by colleagues is another effective way to reflect on your teaching. Having someone critique your own methods will help bring light to ideas and thoughts that you might never have.
What would be the best method to reflect on your personal theories? How could it be done to Benefit your educational practice?
Through completing action research I learned many valuable ways to reflect on my teaching and on student comprehension. One way to reflect on my own teaching methods/philosophy is by keeping a reflective journal. Just by writing a few key sentences a day, this allows me to go back and look at what worked for the students and what didn't. Taking note on your successes and failures in the classroom is a very effective way at learning how to adapt and alter your philosophy based on the needs of the students. For this reason, it is important to be as perceptive as you can and develop a deep understanding for how your teaching is impacting your students. Being observed by colleagues is another effective way to reflect on your teaching. Having someone critique your own methods will help bring light to ideas and thoughts that you might never have.
How important are rational explanations given by educational theories for you and your professional practices?
ReplyDeleteAs you mentioned in your text, "As an educator, you must have encountered so many different types of theories"(p8). In my short experience as an educator I have been exposed to a number of educational theories.
One particular theory that comes to mind right now is Vygotsky's 'zone of proximal development'. In my opinion this theory has a rational explanation, being that learning occurs by incrementally building on prior knowledge. And because I believe this rational explanation I have focused on trying to apply this concept during my student teaching.
On the other hand theories that do not, in my opinion, have a rational explanation I am less likely to try to implement in the classroom. So to answer the question I think it is important for theories to have a rational explanation because that makes it easier and more likely that I will be able to effectively use these theories and strategies in my classroom.
While thinking through this question I realized that this mindset is very limiting, and I am potentially discounting theories because I am not able to fully comprehend them or their effectiveness.
Should educators be following academic theories? What could be the possible alternative relationships with academic theories?
ReplyDeleteI think educators should be attentive to what academic theories say but not necessarily slavishly follow them. Because academic theories are the result of careful and focused studies, they can have great value for an educator who might not have the time, resources, or training to conduct such a study himself. Thus, through reading and thinking about academic theories, educators can gain a greater insight into how they could go about teaching their students.
When I think of educators interacting with academic theories, I see it as being similar to tasting wine. One does not simply consume wine but rather examines it and tastes it and, in doing so, explores its complex palate using his previous knowledge and experience. For example the wine taster uses his previous experience with food (and non-food items) to describe features of the wine such as the “hints of vanilla” or in describing the “cob-web feeling” a really dry wine might provide. Similarly, when one encounters an academic theory, he should not simply accept it as THE way to teach but rather consider how it relates to one’s previous experiences. Has the educator experienced situations that might support this theory? How might this theory relate to or impact what one already knows about education? Additionally, the educator should think about how useful or relevant that theory might be for the learning needs of his students.
Study Question: Can you state any of your personal theories that function to guide your educational practices? Could you name the personal theories?
ReplyDeleteMy personal theory that stems from my gut feeling is that participation in sports can highly affect a student's willingness to cooperate with others and instill the method of practicing one's craft. Through my own personal experience, I believe that my willingness to go the extra mile to achieve a goal and cooperating with teammates in the process were discovered while playing sports. When I see students constantly trying to solve a math problem or submitting rough draft after brought draft for a paper, I get the impression that they have participated in recreational sports in which they have been taught to strive for perfection. Even when it comes to a student who obeys and listens to a teacher, I believe that they learned through sports that their coach is their to help and any piece of advice should be cherished. My name for this theory would be Team Discipline Theory. I full heartedly believe that this theory positively influences a student's academic drive and achievements.
Study Question: Have you ever experienced any kind of death or re-birth of your personal theory? How did it happen, and how did you overcome this challenge?
ReplyDeleteI have experienced the death and re-birth of my own personal theories multiple times, and each has felt just as defeating as the time before. Although I hold many personal theories, I will write about the first experience that led me to have this sort of revelation. Growing up, my family placed a very high value on education. I went to private schools my whole life, I received tutoring if I was struggling, and I was always pushed to succeed and live up to my parents standards. At the age of 16 I started working at a private Montessori school, where I still work. These students also had similar experiences to my own, and to this day there is high parent involvement in all aspects of schooling. These instances shaped my biases and made me create a personal theory that all parents are at least encouraging of their children’s success in school. I did not think that all parents had these exact same values, but I did believe that for the most part, students would come to school and be expected to perform well. This past year, my theories have changed due to personal experiences both at my practicum and at work. I recognized quickly, that my personal theory that all students receive support from home, and are instilled with a respect for education is not always the case. Sometimes students have much greater problems to focus on than school. This year I had students cry to me because their parents aren’t home at night to help them with their homework, or that their parents simply do not care how they do in school. I recognized that this, for some students, causes them to not take school seriously. This past year, I had to change my mindset and change my personal theory to find ways to motivate these students in the classroom. I realized that theories only go so far, and that the most important thing is to follow your jikkan. I recognized that I made the biggest impact on students behavior and academics when I took the time to form relationships with them and find what works best for the individual.
Study Question: What would be the best method to reflect on your personal theories? How could it be done to Benefit your educational practice?
ReplyDeleteReflecting on my personal theories will not only help me understand and be in touch with my own beliefs and experiences but it will also open up the idea that we all have personal theories that differ and lead us to do certain things. Reflecting on yourself as a teacher and how your experiences influence your decision making is extremely important. It will help me be open to different perspectives and remember that my colleagues, and my students make decisions based on their personal theories that they have acquired over time through their experiences. I think that a good way to reflect on my personal theories would to be to constantly ask myself questions like, why did I react like that in this situation? What lead me to make that decision? Etc. This will call for me to think about the underlying idea or belief that lead me to react in a certain way or make certain decisions. Knowing my beliefs and feelings that have lead me to create personal theories will help me to better understand how I go about working with students. Reflecting on this will help me to see what my personal theories are and understand that they might not always be right or rationalized. It is important to remember this because like you mentioned in your book, “… you might be misled by these theories if you stick to these theories rigidly in all circumstances.” Reflecting will also help me become aware of some of the personal theories that I have acquired that I am not necessarily aware of. I believe that personal theories are a very important part of being an educator and being able to reflect on them is even more important. Overall constantly thinking about the personal theories I have developed from my own life experiences is important because my experiences could be extremely different from the next person and knowing that will help me be more flexible and understand that many students will deviate from my personal theories. Reflecting will also help me see how my personal theories change overtime as I encounter new experiences.
My favorite study question from chapter one was on page 18, asking if I had experienced any "kizuki", or revelatory moments in my life as a teacher. I liked this question because I actually experienced this feeling not too long ago, when I was first decided to start on my journey as an educator. After I had graduated college with a history degree many people inquired if I would go on to pursue teaching, as job options for liberal arts majors aren’t exactly falling from the sky. For many years I resisted the idea of being a teacher just because it seemed a little too ordinary, what people would expect me to do with such a degree. However, in February 2015 my friend from college, a 3rd grade teacher in Washington was talking about her stress creating a unit on Pioneers for her students. I jumped at the opportunity to talk about history with her, and one point I thought to myself “I sure wish I could teach a history class…wait a minute…” That was my moment of kizuki, it was in that moment I realized that I should rethink my stance on being a teacher, and here I am!
ReplyDeleteWhat would be the best method to reflect on your personal theories? How could it be done to benefit your educational practice?
ReplyDeleteA method that has helped me gain deeper insight from self-reflection has simply been actively observing my surroundings along with the decisions I make (both inside and outside of the classroom) and asking myself, “why” about everything. Why did the students have so much trouble dividing into groups? Perhaps my initial thought would be that the students were at fault for not listening. However, the truth could be that my tone was expressing frustration without my knowledge and therefore affected the students’ emotional response. I obviously don’t remember to do this all the time, and it is difficult in the moment, but taking the time to reflect about my decisions after the fact helps me to be more aware and present the next time I do something. I have decided I am going to start keeping an educational reflection journal about my experiences in order to reflect more deeply and explore my omoi.
Study Question: What is the jikkan that you felt about your educational practices recently? Is there anything wrong with following your jikkan in your practice?
ReplyDeleteIn the final few weeks of my practicum, I noticed a student display disruptive and disrespectful behavior toward her teachers (myself included) and her peers. This was extremely out of character for this student. There were moments when she ignored everyone and everything and stared at the ground to “purposely” not pay attention. My master teacher’s jikkan was to send this child out of class every time she displayed unwanted behavior. My jikkan told me that there was something deeper occurring for this student to act out “for no reason.” I knew there must be a source that was driving this new behavior. The teacher continued to send the child out of class and asked her reflect on her behavior through apology letters. I believed this approach was ineffective and I asked her if she had talked to the parents about the student’s odd behavior. Two weeks later my master teacher told me what the parents had said to her. They said that their child is experiencing mild seizures that last about 10-20 seconds and is now receiving medication for the seizures. That explained her defiant behavior when she was “ignoring” everyone. Without knowing it, this student was having a seizure and then sent out by the teacher to reflect on her disrespectful behavior. My jikkan was correct.
I believe that following your jikkan can benefit your teaching practices. However, it should not be the only force that drives decision making. I believe following your jikkan is a good starting point. From there, educators should self reflect to understand the source of the jikkan and find ways to measure if the jikkan is benefiting their practice.
Can you state any of your personal theories that function to guide your educational practices?Could you name the personal theories?
ReplyDeletePersonal theories have a great effect on shaping the way teachers use techniques in and out of the classroom. My personal theories help me decide which techniques I use. One personal theory I have is that students need constant repetition and reinforcement to fully understand and grasp the concept of something they are trying to learn. If I am trying to teach vocabulary or multiplying correctly I try to go over and give the students as much practice as possible. I also like to assign homework so that they have a chance to practice at home. With a little help from the student’s parents they can be fully engulfed in learning. This will give them the chance to master whatever it is that they are trying to learn. Once they have the knowledge it allows the students to build or move on to more advanced subjects of learning.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs serves as a baseline learning theory/model that I refer to often before making pedagogical decisions regarding individual students. For example, when I notice a student is displaying undesired behavior or academic performance, I use this model to rule out any possibility a student’s basic needs aren’t being; which as Maslow argued, must be met first in order for a student to perform academically, physically, and social/emotionally in school. I think this theory is often overlooked when educators are searching for reasons for why a student is not performing as desired, and should always be one of the first system of checks and balances teachers refer to. The next learning theories I feel most connect to my personal teaching philosophy are those of John Dewey and Maria Montessori. I support Dewewy’s rejection of rote memorization and repetitive teaching and believe it should be replaced with a constructivist approach. I also strongly agree that students have a natural sense of exploration and should be allowed with appropriate scaffolding to experience the world around them.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Grant
ReplyDeleteQ (p. 17): Have you experienced any kind of death and re-birth of your personal theory? How did it happen, and how did you overcome the challenge?
When I started the MCC1 program, I had a naive view on education. I was so eager to learn that I willingly soaked up every expert’s theory. I realized by spending more time in the classroom that it was impossible for me to employ such a hodgepodge of theories. I could not relate many of them to my own practice, so they couldn’t guide me, and remained as raw information. I had to let go of the information that did not fit with my personal style and beliefs, and let the ones that did work for me grow. In this way, I experienced a kind of death and re-birth in my personal theory.
What would be the best method to reflect on your personal theories? How could it be done to Benefit your educational practice?
ReplyDeleteThrough completing action research I learned many valuable ways to reflect on my teaching and on student comprehension. One way to reflect on my own teaching methods/philosophy is by keeping a reflective journal. Just by writing a few key sentences a day, this allows me to go back and look at what worked for the students and what didn't. Taking note on your successes and failures in the classroom is a very effective way at learning how to adapt and alter your philosophy based on the needs of the students. For this reason, it is important to be as perceptive as you can and develop a deep understanding for how your teaching is impacting your students. Being observed by colleagues is another effective way to reflect on your teaching. Having someone critique your own methods will help bring light to ideas and thoughts that you might never have.
What would be the best method to reflect on your personal theories? How could it be done to Benefit your educational practice?
ReplyDeleteThrough completing action research I learned many valuable ways to reflect on my teaching and on student comprehension. One way to reflect on my own teaching methods/philosophy is by keeping a reflective journal. Just by writing a few key sentences a day, this allows me to go back and look at what worked for the students and what didn't. Taking note on your successes and failures in the classroom is a very effective way at learning how to adapt and alter your philosophy based on the needs of the students. For this reason, it is important to be as perceptive as you can and develop a deep understanding for how your teaching is impacting your students. Being observed by colleagues is another effective way to reflect on your teaching. Having someone critique your own methods will help bring light to ideas and thoughts that you might never have.