Ofsted 2012: Questioning to promote learning — From Good to Outstanding Have you ever noticed that often, when someone is being interviewed, they say “That’s a good question.”? It’s usually when it’s a question they can’t answer quickly and easily. Indeed, “good” questions are ones that generally need thinking about. Inspectors must consider whether: “teachers use questioning and discussion to assess the effectiveness of their teaching and promote pupils’ learning” School inspection handbook from September 2012 Notice, in this instance it does not say “ASSESS” learning, although clearly this is undeniably a major purpose for questioning. Questions that are easy to answer don’t move learning on; they might indicate that learning has happened, or that at least something has been noticed, thought about or memorised, but they don’t promote learning. How do questions promote learning? Questioning can fail because: Questioning succeeds when: What kinds of questions do you routinely ask, and how do you ask them ? E.g. E.g. T: How might you describe a hexagon? E.g. Applying
Description of Transactional Analysis and Games by Dr. Eric Berne MD The following is an introductory description of Transactional Analysis. It is designed to be understood by the layperson, written with approximately the same level of complexity that Berne used for Games People Play. Psychoanalysis before Eric Berne While there were many theories purporting to explain human behavior before Eric Berne, the most frequently cited and known is the work of Sigmund Freud. But perhaps Freud’s greatest contribution (and the one that influenced Berne) was the fact that the human personality is multi-faceted. Another scientist whose contributions impacted Dr. Penfield carried out these and similar experiments for many years. The human brain acts in many ways like a camcorder, vividly recording events. These contributions by Penfield and Freud, as well as many others, were used by Berne as he developed his theories on Transactional Analysis and games. Transactions Defined “The unit of social intercourse is called a transaction. With this definition, Dr. “Wow. Strokes
How your brain likes to be treated at revision time If you're a student, you rely on one brain function above all others: memory. These days, we understand more about the structure of memory than we ever have before, so we can find the best techniques for training your brain to hang on to as much information as possible. The process depends on the brain's neuroplasticity, its ability to reorganise itself throughout your life by breaking and forming new connections between its billions of cells. How does it work? Your hippocampus is forced to store many new patterns every day. So what's the best way to revise? Forget about initial letters Teachers often urge students to make up mnemonics – sentences based on the initial letters of items you're trying to remember. The mnemonic is providing you with a cue but, if you haven't memorised the names, the information you want to recall is not there. Repeat yourself Pathways between neurons can be strengthened over time. Use science to help you retrieve info Take regular breaks Avoid distractions
Home | Global Digital Citizen Foundation 5 Common Misconceptions About Bloom's Taxonomy 5 Common Misconceptions About Bloom’s Taxonomy by Grant Wiggins, Authentic Education Admit it–you only read the list of the six levels of the Taxonomy, not the whole book that explains each level and the rationale behind the Taxonomy. Not to worry, you are not alone: this is true for most educators. But that efficiency comes with a price. 1. This is false. The essential behavior in interpretation is that when given a communication the student can identify and comprehend the major ideas which are included in it as well as understand their interrelationships. Not only is this higher-order thinking – summary, main idea, conditional and cautious reasoning, etc. – it is a level not reached by half of our students in reading, as I noted in my recent post on the sad results in literacy assessment over the past decades. And by the way: the phrases “lower-order” and “higher-order” appear nowhere in the Taxonomy. 2. This is not true, a misreading of the word “apply”, as the text makes clear. 3. 4.
Praise versus Encouragement Most of us believe that we need to praise our children more. However, there is some controversy regarding this point. If we always reward a child with praise after a task is completed, then the child comes to expect it. However, if praise is not forthcoming, then its absence may be interpreted by the child as failure. One of the main differences between praise and encouragement is that praise often comes paired with a judgment or evaluation, such as "best" or "highest" in these examples. According to Bolton (1979, pg 181): Evaluative praise is the expression of favorable judgment about another person or his behaviors: "Eric, you are such a good boy." According to Ginott (1965): Evaluative praise.....creates anxiety, invites dependency, and evokes defensiveness. According to Taylor (1979): A real life experience, illustrating these principles, was provided by the well know cellist, Gregor Piatigorsky (1965). "Mr. "Bravo! "Splendid! Bewildered, I left the house. Sam: It's scary. Mr. Mr. Mr.
Mnemonic Dictionary - Fun and easy way to build your vocabulary! Vygotsky's constructivism Chad Galloway The University of Georgia Vygotsky's Theories The work of Lev Vygotsky and other developmental psychologists has become the foundation of much research and theory in developmental cognition over the past several decades, particularly of what has become known as social development theory. The MKO In order to gain an understanding of Vygotsky's theories on cognitive development, one must understand two of the main principles of Vygotsky's work: the More Knowledgeable Other (MKO) and the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). In fact, the MKO need not be a person at all. Caption: This animation depicts Vygotsky's principles of More Knowledgeable Others (MKOs) and the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). The ZPD The concept of the More Knowledgeable Other is integrally related to the second important principle of Vygotsky's work, the Zone of Proximal Development. Caption: In the animation, a bar with many divisions is presented. Example of ZPD References Wertsch, J. Vygotsky, L.
How being called smart can actually make you stupid | Neurobonkers A few months ago I posted a piece which has become my most popular blog post by quite a landslide. The post covered various techniques for learning and looked at the empirical evidence for and against their efficacy based on recent research. This post is my follow up, in which I look at the case for one tip for learning that it seems really could have a big impact. A growing body of evidence from the last two decades suggests that our attitude towards our own potential for intelligence has a considerable impact on our lives, furthermore we are incredibly vulnerable to having this attitude or "mindset" moulded for better or worse, by how people praise us in a way that is both shocking and problematic. Counterintuitively, it has been repeatedly demonstrated that praising people for their intelligence rather than their effort can actually make people perform drastically worse over time, avoid future challenges and form negative attitudes to learning and towards themselves. References:
Augmented Reality in English Language learning | ELT MATERIALS I recently attended Interfacing with Public Space: Embodied language learning with mobile technologies a workshop delivered by Paul Driver who is an educational technologist and co-author of Language Learning with Digital Video series. During the workshop I got introduced with a free augmented reality application Aurasma and how it is used to create and design learning materials for classes. Augmented Reality (AR) is defined as ”a variation of Virtual Environments (VE), which allows the user to see the real world, with virtual objects superimposed upon or composited with the real world.” AR-based mobile learning material helps engage learners in numerous learning activities. The students were asked to introduce their campus. ( The above picture is taken from Liu & Tsai study: shows the AR application) He et al. (2014) designed and used augmented reality application to promote pre-schools efl kids vocabulary. You can check what Paul Driver did with AR in his classroom. References
Group Development Using the Class Group Groups take time to develop. How long, of course, is impossible to specify. It depends on size, frequency of interaction, structural features, and so on. However, one of the best-known bits of literature on groups is Tuckman's model of group development, based on a meta-analysis of the complex models which had previously been developed. It has the virtue of being memorable, but the limitation of being rather rigid. Forming: in which the group is just coming together. Storming: in which, having been established, there is a period of jockeying for position, authority and influence among the members. Norming: having sorted out its internal structure, there is then the issue of what the group stands for. Performing: after all that, the group can begin to get some work done, on the basis of a relatively stable structure. The diagram is non-standard in that it shows this process not as a linear sequence, but as a cycle, after the initial forming. The importance of Storming
Teaching Expert Learners Harrisburg Presentation Resources Here are some resources from my presentation in Harrisburg. Defining and Exploring Gamification from Karl Kapp Here is some additional information. Continue Reading → 2014 DOE Symposium Conference Resources Here are my resources for the 2014 DOE Symposium Conference. Continue Reading → Great fun at ITEAA Conference & Introduction of Exciting Game-Based Learning Modules Last week I had a chance to attend the ITEAA Conference which is the conference of the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association. Continue Reading → Instructional Games and Narrative Instructional games work best when there is a narrative that provides the learner with the proper context for the learning that needs to take place. Continue Reading → Animation as an Aid to Learning Here is a quick summary of seven principles for animation indicated in a 2002 article by Richard E. Continue Reading → Posted in: Design, develop Engaging Ideas for Designing Learning Videos
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