Basically a digital brain dump

I found that I learn really well when I share info this way. This blog won't make sense to anyone outside my brain

[salomjanam]

How to persuade

Okay so in social psychology we learnt a couple of tactics people and companies use to convince people to do and buy things. These all work so be careful when and where you use them:

Door in the face (these are the real names) - when someone makes a large unreasonable request which they know they’re not going to get, then they ask for something less extreme, and you’ll most likely say yes. “Mum can i get a lip piercing? NO. Okay can I get my ears pierced then? Ok sure”

Principle of Reciprocity - you do something nice for someone, they feel more inclined/pressured to return the favour. Clean dad’s car, then ask for money, he’ll more likely say yes than if you’d just asked without doing anything nice first.

Principle of Scarcity - when something is in shortage or if its gunna run out soon, we always feel like we need to buy it. We see this A LOT in shops, saying “closing down sale”, or “for a limited time only”.

Lowball - This is when hidden costs are revealed after the initial agreement. So say you went to buy a car and you said okay i’ll take that Holden! And then the sales guy says, okay well here’s a list of 10 other things you have to pay for, you’ll give in and pay for them all because you feel like you’ve committed yourself and you can’t turn back.

Principle of Flattery - When someone flatters us we begin to like them so then we do what they say. Legit, even if we know they’re only doing it to get us to say yes to them, we still like it. Even if we know specifically that they’re lying, like someone says to you “wow you look dashing with your black hair”, and you have blonde hair, you’ll still like it.

My lecturer said to us at the beginning of the class, I’m not teaching you these so you can go and use them for all the wrong reasons, but so you realise when they are being used against you :)

Toodles

[ielaflearns]

Perihelion

noun ASTRONOMY

perihelion; plural noun: perihelia; plural noun: perihelions

the point in the orbit of a planet, asteroid, or comet at which it is closest to the sun.

[ielaflearns]

Learning from country

ATSI

Keep things local and teach from local country!

Country is what connects people, animals, plants, water and land to each other

Dont talk about ATSI people in past tense

Dont talk about ATSI people who live far away from here

there is no substitute for students learning from local community members and elders

Implement by: including ATSI people in books etc

Implement by: making explicit references to ATSI people

Implement by: designing a major project such as a school mural or a bush tucker garden

the best implementation is one that is part of an ongoing program that extends over a period of weeks

show that ATSI people living in the city also have a strong relationship with country

School based gardens

sbg teach children about healthy food and engage those children who might not be engaged in reading/writing lessons

engagement in sbg leads to improved student behaviour/attitudes, greater appreciation and respect for nature and improved nutritional knowledge

[ielaflearns]

Assessment:NESA

The purpose of assessment is to gather valid, reliable and useful information about student learning in order to:

monitor student achievement in relation to outcomes

guide future teaching and learning opportunities

provide ongoing feedback to students to improve learning

To decide which type of assessment activity to use depends on:

which outcomes you want to assess

what kind of evidence you need to gather

the context

students’ learning needs

Whichever assessment you use, make sure activities are accessible to all students. Assessment needs to be ongoing and take different forms.

Assessment strategies of a reflective nature:

teachers observations (teacher/student discussion, student participation, strategic questioning, student manipulation of materials, response tasks)

peer and self assessment (what has been completed, strengths, suggestions, oral, written, digital)

collaborative activities (team assignments/investigations, group presentations, paired tasks, think pair share, student question/answer sets)

Assessment strategies that include inquiry-based research and hands on activities:

presentations prepared, impromptu, ICT, web publicstion, storyboard, poster, drawing, mindmaps)

practical activities (discussion, debate, role play, hypothetical scenarios, problem solving activities, scriptwriting, filming)

inquiry based research activities (inquiry and design, explanations, comparing and contrasting, game based learning)

collections of student work (diaries, journals, student self reflection/evaluation, drafts, visual representation, research, pen and paper tests, written activities, open book tests)

[ielaflearns]

Place: Geography Syllabus

The concept of place is about the significance of places and what they are like. An understanding of the concept of place may be developed in the following ways: 

Places are parts of the Earth’s surface that are identified and given meaning by people. They may be perceived, experienced, understood and valued differently. They range in size from a part of a room or garden to a major world region. They can be described by their location, shape, boundaries, features and environmental and human characteristics. Some characteristics are tangible, for example, landforms and people, while others are intangible, for example, scenic quality and culture.

Places are important to our security, identity and sense of belonging, and they provide us with the services and facilities needed to support and enhance our lives. Where people live can influence their wellbeing and opportunities.

The environmental characteristics of a place are influenced by human actions and the actions of environmental processes over short to long time periods.

The human characteristics of a place are influenced by its environmental characteristics and resources, relative location, connections with other places, the culture of its population, the economy of a country, and the decisions and actions of people and organisations over time and at different scales. 

The places in which we live are created, changed and managed by people. 

Each place is unique in its characteristics. As a consequence, the outcomes of similar environmental and socioeconomic processes vary in different places, and similar problems may require different strategies in different places. 

The sustainability of places may be threatened by a range of factors, for example, natural hazards; climate change; economic, social and technological change; government decisions; conflict; exhaustion of a resource; and environmental degradation.

- NSW Geo K-10 syllabus

[ielaflearns]

Components of the Geography syllabus

Concepts

The big ideas

Place

space

scale

environment

interconnection

change

sustainability

Inquiry Skills

How will they know?

acquiring

processing

communicating

Tools

What will they need?

maps

fieldwork

spatial technology

visual representation

graphs & statistics

[ielaflearns]

Aim of the Geography syllabus

“The aim of Geography in Years K–10 is to stimulate students’ interest in and engagement with the world. Through geographical inquiry they develop an understanding of the interactions between people, places and environments across a range of scales in order to become informed, responsible and active citizens.”

[ielaflearns]

How to teach about other cultures without generalising?

choose good books e.g. my two blankets, mirror (jeanie baker), whoever you are (mem fox), the red tree, shaun tan the arrival

have a positive attitude/language when talking about other cultures

bring representatives of that culture to do the talking

you can use a narrative of someone else’s life to access their perspective and experiences

To teach children empathy:

show them stories about people their age

discuss people’s emotions

/my story/ goes from present to past

[ielaflearns]

Global education: values-based/action-based teaching

[ielaflearns]

Global education: Emphasising thinking skills

[ielaflearns]

Teaching in community

[ielaflearns]

Building global awareness

[ielaflearns]

Global Education

In NSW, the Global Perspectives says that globally competent individuals are empowered to, identify, understand, and act on global issues of significance in a positive way and contribute to a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world at a local, national, and international level. 

Issues: 

We need to stop acting like we have to teach poorer countries to be more like us and realise that we have a lot to learn from them too

We can’t just have connections with countries that economic and security ties. We need to involve everyone.

skills-based approach: we need global education so that our children can compete economically with other children in the world

critical approach: GE is vital for developing citizens commited to social justice and human rights advocacy 

An attainable global perspective: Hanvey

perspective consciousness - appreciating the fact that your view of the world and someone elses’ will not always be the same

state of the planet awareness - a need for students to explore world developments and conditions, including conflicts, resources, and environmental issues

cross cultural awareness - awareness of the diversity of ideas and practices found in human society

knowledge of global dynamics - knowledge of mechanisms of global systems that directly impact how the world changes

Awareness of human choices - 

[ielaflearns]

Legal + safety

Important terms:

Duty of care - teacher obligation to protect students from harm

Negligence - a proven breach of duty of care causing negative consequences to students

Foreseeability - preempting the extent to which an incident was predictable/avoidable

Causation - a link between breach of duty of care and negligence

In loco parentis - acting in place of a parent

If you know the excursion will make it difficult, bring parents and check the place out before taking the children there

Litigation - civil suits against teachers are rare, normally the school system gets sued

Reasonable duty of care:

be where you are supposed to be

think ahead to anticipate potential risks

evaluate likelihood of risks

decide whether the educational value of an activity justifies the associated risks

take risk management actions in advance

be aware of school protocol

consent forms do not remove duty of care

Teachers are obliged to ensure their classrooms are safe places

Teachers are owed a safe work environment

Excursions and Camps

Planning

carrying out risk assessment

identification of ways to remove/minimize risk

know the area (read reviews, check safety equipment)

supervision and student/teacher ratios

medical histories and consent to administer meds

consent form

take a mobile phone with numbers of all relevant emergency services

Health care and first aid. You need:

a basic first aid kit for most excursions

at least 1 adult with first aid training (for excursions involving physical activity/remote locations)

an adult capable of doing resuscitation if students are swimming

to check that all students eat adequately during long camps that involve much physical activity

Clothing and weather:

all students must have proper clothing, footwear, sun protection

in case of heavy rain, check possibility of flooding

It is not illegal to transport students in your own care but you must ensure:

the school knows and accepts

the parents have been given informed consent

the car is roadworthy

you won’t be alone with 1 students in the car

there is adequate supervision (depending on age/maturity of students)

[ielaflearns]

Elicit

verb (used with object)

1.to draw or bring out or forth; educe; evoke:to elicit the truth; to elicit a response with a question.

[ielaflearns]

Sidereal

adjective 

1. of, relating to, or involving the stars

2.determined with reference to one or more stars: the sidereal day

Word Origin C17: from Latin sīdereus, from sīdus a star, a constellation

[ielaflearns]

Teaching Science: Space

Eliciting students’ ideas about space

be aware of students’ ideas so that you can challenge or progress their thinking

the more we know about our students’ ideas the more we can use appropriate techniques and strategies to try to help them move their ideas towards those which are more scientifically acceptable

give students open-ended responses as this will provide a more accurate representation of their thinking

Year 3 example - give students the words sun, moon, stars, space, and earth and ask them to write down everything they knew about these words. At the end of the unit have students repeat the activity and reflect on their progress

other elicitation (drawing out) techniques: drawings, concept cartoons, use of concrete materials (modelling), concept maps, discussions (in line with social constructivist theory)

How students’ ideas about space develop

prescientific - a view of the universe with humanity at its centre and the universe as a flat infinite space

geocentric (earth centred) - the universe is seen as having changes in the vicinity of the earth, which is surrounded by a finite sky with heavenly bodies around it

heliocentric (sun-centred) - the sun is seen as surrounded by the earth, moon, planets and stars, and these are thought to be in the centre of the universe, which is fixed and unchanging except in our solar system

sidereal (star centred) - our solar system is only one of many in the universe, which is constantly changing with various suns, moons, earths, planets, red giants, white dwarfs, galaxies, black holes, neutron stars, and other bodies

Inquiry-based learning

get students to ask questions that interest them about the earth, sun, moon, planets and stars. possibly introduce question boxes

Constructivist approach

orienting students to a topic and engaging their interest is the first step in sequencing lessons for constructivist learning

Engaging students’ interest in space:

link with visual art KLA - mural of the solar system, an artistic view on how it would be like to travel through space

link with numeracy KLA- concept of shapes

link with literacy KLA - students market a planet using persuasive skills, writing a media story about the discovery of a new planet

relating space events to everyday life - stuff in the news

field trips to a planetarium 

linking with the community in person or electronically, or even talking to astronauts 

using children’s fiction/nonfiction literature (be wary of accuracy)

organising space week at school

watching space related films and commenting on the validity

reenacting historical events (such as galileo getting jailed for talking about earth revolving around the sun)

There are prerequisites for the development of explanatory models of the solar system. young learners should be exposed to sufficient experiential concepts before or in conjunction with explanatory concepts and models. experiential concepts are those that learners can directly experience.

Examples of experiential tasks

shadow stick observations

observing and recording the sun’s movement across the sky

a record of the moon’s shape over the period of a month

observable differences between planets and stars

Questions about space that could lead to investigations and or observations

~ an investigable question is one which requires students to take observations and or use hands on materials in order to find an answer ~

what path does the moon take across the sky?

how does the moon change its position in relation to the sun?

do the stars move?

are the stars in the same place from night to night?

do all stars look the same? how are they different?

which patterns can you see in the stars?

can direction be found using the stars?

is it possible to see planets with the naked eye?

a concept cartoon on this topic: will grandma stay in the shade all afternoon under the tree or will the children need to wake her up and move her at some point? devise a hands on way to investigate the problem

a monthly shadow journal for older children will engage them to find out why their shadow changed

Physical models 

when taking students to a planetarium, speak to the staff so they cover relevant topics and not speak about things that are beyond students’ understanding. Also, the visit should be integrated with in school experiences before and after.

use physical and virtual models that depict or represent the 3D nature of astronomy

physical models are a way of representing a concept or understanding, and having children create their own helps them develop their conceptual understanding.

astronomy role playing - various planets revolving around the sun, zodiac star patterns, eclipses, moon rotations, etc.

Beware of 3 things when using physical models:

do not replace hands on experiences for second hand ones (like the model)

be critical when choosing the model

explicitly point out the aspects you are trying to help them learn

Multimodal representations

student learning is enhanced if new ideas are encoded in multiple ways. this can be done if teachers use and encourage students to use different modalities to represent phenomena, for example movement (kinaesthetic), touch (haptic), visual, and auditory.

Hubber and Haslam’s principles to guide the use of multiple representations using different modes:

teachers should identify the main concepts underpinning a topic and the most common alternative conceptions primary students may hold

Get the students to critique each representations to see that they are limited

insist that students manipulate their models - for example, varying the variables and reasoning out the effects

Learning occurs from the inside out (from where the students’ thinking is), rather than from the outside in (imposed by the teacher).

First hand and second hand experiences in astronomy 

4 teaching principals have been emphasized about the types of strategies to use when teaching about space:

the importance of taking first hand observations and planning and conducting hands on or field based investigations (even if it be via models and simulations)

where possible, using the students’ own ideas as the stimulus for the investigations and other means of learning

the need to explicitly connect experiential and explanatory concepts, when the learning outcome is the latter

incorporating multiple and multi modal representational learning into the tasks

Learning outside implies that science does not just occur indoors

Second hand experiences should not replace first hand observations or hands on activities, except when phenomena is inaccessible in other ways.

helpful links:

http://nineplanets.org

http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/

www.stellarium.org

http://space.jpl.nasa.gov

http://www.scootle.edy.au/ec/p/home>science>earthandspace>universe

www.abc.net.au/science/askanexpert/

activity examples:

construction of scale models of planets and the distances between them

creating a book

creating a space dictionary

diagram labelling 

text completion

use realtime images from NASA taken at intervals to show students that the earth moves (yr 2)

students speaking directly to astronauts through NASA link up program

communicating via email with scientists 

blogs + wikis

slow motion animation

5E Sequence - Solar System

Engage - seek student’s written responses about what a model is and what scientists use them for. Also how did scientists develop a model of the solar system? give students images of an accurate and an inaccurate model of the SS and give them criteria, which they will use to mark the model and compare.

Explore - students construct a sentence strip model of the solar system and compare it with other models

Explain - have a class discussion where students compare their models with other models and discuss any problems with the sentence strup model. 

Elaborate - if students are mathematically capable, they could create a sentence strip to scale (optional)

Evaluate - ask students what they have learnt about creating scientific models as well as about the solar system