Rebecca Ethington's blog

      What is learning?  Acquiring knowledge and skills.  I had a hard time with this one, as did many others, as I have read lesson plans.  One thing that I hit on and glued to, due to personal preference, is student centered activities and learning.    Students should be actively interested in their own learning.  As strongly as I feel about this, I still tend to tell my students what they should know rather than letting them discover things on their own.  Ah, to break the bad habits!  And to learn how.  This is difficult, I think.  We do the same things over and over because we really need to learn, somehow,  to do it differently.

   What is learning?  Acquiring new information or skills but through activity and a context.  The heart of situated cognition is that the learner readily applies knowledge at it is acquired:  he or she learns by doing.  I agree that school is too often boring, too easy, and unapplicable to life because the kids are simply fed information that has nothing to do with anything.   Example: in Spanish I could certainly give my students worksheets and have them translate sentences but after one sentence of Mario ________ (ir) al Mexico the kids want to pull their hair out, or mine as the case may be.

      As a language teacher I quickly noticed that my students loved using computers for language activities.  However, I also saw that there were effective uses of the computer, internet, and technology for language learning and there were less effective methods.  In this paper I will strive to uncover  the best uses of technology in language learning as supported by research and how they are being used by teachers in public education.  

References:

M. Liu, Z. Moore, L. Graham, S. Lee (2002). A look at the research on computer-based technology use in secondary language learning: review of literature from 1990-2000.  Journal of Research on Technology in Education, Volume 34, Number 3.  Retrieved from jabba.edb.utexas.edu/it/seclangtechrev.pdf

     What is learning?    Acquiring knowledge and skills.    I understand and agree with people exchanging stories as a basis for learning from each other, and using actual situations as a base for learning,  but how on earth does this take place in public education?  I would love it but cannot find the jumping-off point for accomplishing it.      Learning does take place and is meaningful when it is part of a real situation, when current knowledge does not fill a need and so  needs to be updated.  Learning is communicating with other learners and teachers.  For example, in English, students will be required to write a letter to an editor about something they've read in the paper (why and what we are reading still needs to be established, mind you).   Of course, such a letter needs to communicate an idea, have correct grammar, etc.  thus creating a real-life scenario.Click here to read more »

      Learning is acquiring a new skill or knowledge.  As we read this week, the learning is easier when the motivation is right.  I am currently working on losing weight,  If this does not sound like learning to you, give it a shot:  there is a lot of learning!  Anyway, from June through September I was in a weight loss contest as well as being a member of Weight Watchers.  Each competitor put up $10, with a total of 11 members, so $110 bucks.  I am not sure why but I fixated on that prize and I did not let go!  Well, okay, a couple of times I was less than disciplined but for the most part I was determined and I followed my Weight Watchers plan. I was so motivated by that prize! Plus, the weekly accomplishments kept me going in the right direction; they served as reinforcement along the way, keeping me going.  You can guess who won the money,  Oh yeah, it was me!       And I was so happy!Click here to read more »