Education for the Educated

[education4theeducated]

Reading Check #3

The main idea of minimalist theory is to reduce to minimum the extent to which instructional materials obstruct learning and focus the design of instruction on activities that support learner-directed activity and accomplishment. Procedures such as data entry, technological tasks (i.e. deleting text, moving the mouse cursor, etc.) These tasks are a good choice because it requires little knowledge of the information used and these tasks can be done with little explanation outside of  linear steps. The original design of the theory was geared towards computer users. Tasks that require knowledge of multiple areas such as designing an ethnographic research study would not be ideal for a minimalist approach. There are depths to the topics involved that the learner would need to understand. .The concept of anthropology, rapport building, note-taking, and many more would have to be understood by the learner to be able to design an effective and efficient ethnographic research study. I believe that in the context I study I would choose to use active learning where the student is introduced to an action for a few minutes (approximately 15-20 mins) and then given approximately 30-45 mins to complete the task and discussion regarding the task for 15-20 minutes in the following class. This gives the students the ability to put into action the information learned much more quickly and is likely to keep them more engaged into the material.

[education4theeducated]

Reflection

In designing the concept and design outline of Anthropology and Education the goal was to express the value that each discipline could offer to one another and the potential benefits it could have on preparing educational curriculum that fits the changing student population of the U.S. The hardest part in the design process in my opinion was choosing which actual activities would be done to provide the students with an active learning component. I felt that the concept was so easily understood to me that as I was preparing the lesson I was not explaining certain aspects at the level of understanding to my learner. My lesson included areas that assumed an advanced or expertise level of understanding when a more novice understanding may be present. I felt that the goal of the concept map was to explain what the topics were and give information necessary to connect the to to be used to reach the original goal of expressing the value each discipline offers the other and benefits this has on creating effective educational curriculum. After getting feedback I felt that it was important to change the map to reflect a more clear understanding of what each subtopic is. So I will add information for knowledge to the arrows and lines connecting the topics to the overall concept. This will allow the students to better understand how the topics connect.

[education4theeducated]

I don’t speak for you...but as for me and my educated self.....

Hello all you amazing educators out there!!

So you have gotten the terminal degree in some educational subfield or you have achieved the level of degreed or certified educator you always sought. You are at the top of your educated game ... you go Kobe!! But guess what the game changes and without practice we get rusty. Our minds are muscles and muscles should be exercised and used or they atrophy. As educators, I believe it is our duty to continuously exercise our minds by learning. Seek current research within your field. Most importantly for innovation read developments in fields other than your own, and decide if and how they can be incorporated into your own for evaluation, application, and improvement. But always seek to learn....we cannot possibly keep up with all the new innovations in every discourse but by continuously exercising our brains we can bridge gaps.

What are you doing to exercise your educational brain muscle? What are you reading? What research or documentary or concepts are you studying? 

Here is a recent documentary  I watched on the power of music therapy with nursing home patients suffering from Alzheimer’s. It is a very visual and innovative way to increase knowledge in Alzheimer’s treatment, cure, and coping. Doesn’t have to relate to what you do or your field. 

http://www.aliveinside.us/#land

JUST USE IT BEFORE YOU LOSE IT!!!

[education4theeducated]

What do we teach? CONCEPTS?!?!

A concept is simply a stored piece of information related to tangible objects, and is developed overtime as knowledge of more tangible objects is defined. Concepts are essentially intangible compilations of knowledge of definitions and attributes of tangible matter. In my own experiences learning concepts I realize that my way of learning a concept is to have it told to me in words then demonstration of its use in at least two different ways visually. Essentially, seeing two different methods of use allows me to create a reference for what can or can’t happen and to negotiate that within the correct context.  The next step for me to move the information from my short-term memory to my long term memory is to read the notes taken over the concept once a day until tested on the concept within a course.  This is obviously the method used in the collegiate setting. In developing instruction I believe that with the knowledge  I have of concept learning I would introduce a concept with a story of its use. I would first instruct the class that I am going to tell them a story or present a scenario. I would then proceed with the story/scenario and once completed I would proceed to probe the class for questions/comments on what was said. Following I would affirm the statements that relate to the concept and provide examples of the concepts use or relevance to a societal expression of culture students could relate to.  I believe that this is a method of culturally responsive teaching of concepts.

[education4theeducated]

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Support services are vital to student retention. Many students struggle with completion once arriving at the collegiate level, but many minority students tend to struggle. Retention rates of these individuals vary for many reasons. Though all minority students are not 1st Generation Students. This research focuses on the sub-demographic which are. It provides a discussion of issues faced by minority individuals seeking a secondary education and more.

[education4theeducated]

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First generation college students face many struggles when they get to college. There are so many programs and schools that exert their energies recruiting these students to schools,but once they arrive... what now? There are so many aspects of negotiating the world created around us and by us that students that fall within this category are not privy to. Support services that target issues 1st gen students face increases their likelyhood for retention, as well as completion. For more info see the post titled “We got you...NOW....how do we keep you?”

[education4theeducated]

What is instructional design?

Instructional design is the process by which methods of learning, sociocultural influences, and desired societal behavior are used to determine the activities necessary to achieve continued desired societal behavior. In more simple words, instructional design refers to the creation of teaching material based on its intended goals and cultural limitations. The term incorporates curriculums on various levels; elementary, collegiate, and even vocational. It is a process with many moving parts that are interrelated, but are necessary to facilitate learning of culturally important information. It includes an understanding of the learning process and the ways in which it is influenced by environmental factors and those factors also affect the way in which encoded information is retrieved and performed by a learner.

Constructivism is the learning theory that equates learning with creating meaning from experience. It is the idea that interacting with a concept makes the student active which in turn aids knowledge and retention. This learning theory is one that I will use more often in my working context, higher education, specifically non-traditional students at community colleges. I believe that if these students can be taught concepts in ways that incorporate their cultural knowledge that it would allow them to apply knowledge more efficiently and remain more interested. I believe that many non-traditional students tend to have many life issues that may prevent them from being completely focused in school. An incorporation of cultural knowledge forces the student to connect this to personal events, giving them the ability to understand or learn better how to effectively retrieve the information and translate it into performance.

After learning more about instructional design and the various moving parts it consists of, there are a few skill sets or bodies of knowledge available to make an individual a success instructional designer. My original disposition was that individuals use a culturally relative set of knowledge when negotiating the world. This culturally relative knowledge informs that way in which individuals receive and interpret environmental stimuli, and affects the retrieval and production of performance by a learner. An understanding of this could provide a way to teach difficult material to students whom are generally viewed as unable to learn.