What is Learning and how can Teachers Help you Learn? November 2nd
I like the new theory we studied this week about cased based learning and how we draw upon past experiences to solve current problems. I feel that through experiences we have in our life we learn certain unique principles that we can later draw on to correct current situations.
For example I recall when I was a student in 7th grade and in my science class I recall how difficult it was to remember the different cell parts and functions. I remember the concept seemed very foreign and difficult to me until we had a little activity where we drew pictures that depicted each part of the cell as parts of a building. I remember the cell wall was the structure or walls of the building and the lysosomes were the trash cans for the building and so on and so forth.
Now fast forward 15 years and I am teaching science to middle school students. I remember my past experience of how learning was difficult and so I try to help students by showing them how I learned concepts at their age. Essentially as a teacher I am showing my students how to learn concepts based upon my past experience/story. Sometimes my students learn best this way, sometimes they do not. I remember the first student that came up to me after this activity and told me I still don’t get it. For me as a teacher I experienced expectation failure. I expected that since this learning style had worked for me I believed that it would work for everybody. Because I experienced this failure I had to adapt this lesson and other lessons to include a multitude of learning styles/methods.
So for me this week learning is based upon past experiences and outcomes. Learning is also based upon failure and figuring out alternative solutions when we fail. As teachers we need to teach students how to rely on past experiences and overcoming moments of failure so that they can succeed.
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Submitted by Michael Archibald on Mon, 11/02/2009 - 7:32am
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Any opinions expressed here, except as specifically noted, are those of the individual authors or commenters and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the Department of Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences, the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services, or Utah State University.
I think you make a very
I think you make a very interesting point when you say, "Essentially as a teacher I am showing my students how to learn concepts based upon my past experience/story." I hadn't really thought of it this way before, but it is certainly true. Our past experiences/stories are certainly influential in our teaching. Also, I think we have all experienced expectation failure. For me, the difference between now and earlier in my teaching career, is that I understand expectation failure can be a positive thing. When we learn from such failures, we can become much better teachers. I now realize that there is no single perfect way to approach teaching, and that to excel in this field, we must be willing to learn from our mistakes and continually look for a better way to do things. This challenge is what makes teaching so exciting.
Case-Based Learning
I was glad to read your
I was glad to read your example of sharing your past experiences to help the students make connections. I found that this was the most natural fit of case-based learning for my instruction, too. I wasn't able to see how I could write many of these studies into my lesson plans but they are often used as I try to encourage my students or motivate them. They occur naturally as we proceed throughout our day, or are meant to inspire, but I don't use them much for formal parts of my instruction.
I like the last line of your post where you mention that we need to help students learn from their past experiences and overcome failure to reach success. If this really is the purpose of case-based learning, I'm all for it!
Michael- I appreciate your
Michael- I appreciate your discussion of the importance of failure. I know exactly what you mean when you say "expectation failure". During my student teaching I was in charge of introducing the concept of long division to fourth graders. Ahhhh! What an experience. I thought I had covered all my bases, I finished the lesson and asked if anyone had any questions (BAD idea). Almost every hand went up and so started my meltdown. I quickly realized that crystal clear to me didn't necessarily work for everyone. I now love allowing students to show ways that they have of solving problems so that students can get a feel for what works best for them. At the beginning I took that as a personal assault, now I try to think of it as a different teaching method.
When I read your story about
When I read your story about parts of the cell I was actually really interested in learning more! What were the vacuoles? What were the Mitochondria? I guess that is because I have an interest in the subject and there in lies the challenge. If our students don't have that initial interest in what we are about to tell them how do we know and how do we spark that interest? It is also possibly more important to help our students understand that failure is a part of life and it's not something to get discouraged by but rather learn from.
Case-Based Learning Response
I really liked your example of teacher expectation failure. It is so true, we learn and improve through our failures and experiences. I had not thought of it through the eyes of a teacher. We too, have to reteach and modify our instruction if students are going to learn. The whole idea of learning through failure could be an incredible teaching tool if we took the time to reflect and reteach in our classrooms. How incredible it would be if our students saw it that way or if our educational system promoted learning by experimentation and failure. I think your ideas are spot on.Thanks for sharing.
well, not all methods will