Assignment #3:
How Students Learn:
A Presentations Reflection
Lisa Nevoral - 56909005
ETEC 533 – Technology in the Mathematics and Science Classroom
Course Instructor – Marina Milner-Bolotin
June 12, 2013
How Students Learn – A Synopsis
Introduction
As I started this reflection on what I had learned from this assignment, I realized that
a lot of what was being presented I knew through other ETEC courses. It was good to be
able to review the major themes of how students learn and to also be introduced to new
ideas associated with what I already knew. I guess you could say that my prior knowledge
was activated and although I didn't get to actively participate in each presentation, they
were engaging and I obtained new knowledge. I started this process by creating a concept
map (actually 3) which helped me organize my thoughts, see connections, and reflect on
what I had learned.
RQ#1: What did you already know about this topic and how does it relate to you?
RQ#2: What have you learned from the presentation that you didn't know before?
RQ#3: What would you like to know that wasn't answered by the presentation?
RQ#4: What did you like about the way the presentation was executed and what
would you improve?
NOTE: RQ – Reflection Question
Group 1 – Learning from Speculation to Science
RQ#1
This presentation dealt with the idea that content be taught in such a manner that
students obtain a deeper understanding of information then just memorizing facts. This
helps students create connections and transfer knowledge. Teachers need to realize that
students have prior knowledge and misconceptions that can either help or hinder their
progress in attaining new knowledge. Students need to be actively engaged in their
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How Students Learn – A Synopsis
learning and student metacognition must be developed by teacher-led activities. Student
learning environments (assessment-centered, learner-centered, knowledge-centered, and
community-centered) should allow for many different learning styles.
In my science and math classes, I try to incorporate different learning environments
to reach as many students as I can. I do pre-knowledge activities to gauge how much
each individual knows about the new concept being introduced and I perform formative
and summative assessments. I have been trying to come up with the "big ideas" for each
unit so that students can make connections to real-life and hopefully develop a deeper
understanding of what is being taught.
RQ#2
The one thing that became clearer for me was that formative assessment makes
students' thinking visible to both teachers AND students. Students need to have a clear
understanding of where they are in their learning and to take ownership over it.
RQ#3
I want to know how metacognition is taught by other teachers. I try to put reflection
questions on my assignments, but the quality of the students' output needs to improve.
RQ#4
The voiceover in this presentation was clear and I liked that additional information
than what was exactly typed on each slide was included. The examples helped explain
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How Students Learn – A Synopsis
some of the key ideas and I liked Figure 1.1 (Putting It All Together). A couple of areas for
improvement would be to add more pictures or diagrams, less text per slide page, and
bolding the quotes that were included and then described.
Group 2 – Learning Expertise in Mathematics/Science: From Novices to Experts
RQ#1
This presentation expanded on what was being discussed by Group 1 to include
novice and expert learners. Expert learners have a deeper understanding of the content
and can transfer it to other areas of learning. Student-learning environments should be
engaging for students and include authentic tasks which make content relevant and
meaningful to students.
I try to use problem/project/question-based assignments in my lessons that relates
to real-life as much as possible. To meet the needs of many students, some of them are
open-ended, which allows for differing entry levels, many strategies, and numerous
solutions.
RQ#2
The terminology novice or expert was new to me and I now have a clearer idea of
the differences between the two which includes experts seeing patterns in information,
making connections between things, developing metacognition, and little or no effort to
retrieve knowledge.
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How Students Learn – A Synopsis
RQ#3
I am pretty good at adapting work for students, but I would like to know how others
enrich their content for their "expert" students other than just through
project/problem/question based activities.
RQ#4
I liked that this presentation included three very different sections. I thought both
the "Blockus" and Go Animate portions were engaging and caught my attention. One thing
that could have been improved upon was not saying everything exactly like it was on the
PowerPoint slides, but instead expanding on each point with the voiceover and typing in
only the key points.
Group 3 – Learning Transfer
RQ#1
This presentation dealt with the concept of students being able to transfer
knowledge (or make connections) between a subject's content, other subjects, and real-life
situations.
I teach math and science and find that many times students don't see the relevancy
of what they are learning or connect concepts to real-life. There has been some
discussion at my middle school to team students so that teachers could develop
interdisciplinary projects that would include math, science, English, etc…
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How Students Learn – A Synopsis
RQ#2
Although I understood the concept of transfer, I did not know the different types of
transfers. This presentation helped me take a deeper look on how I can help students
make connections and transfer knowledge to other contents.
RQ#3
I would have liked if there was a deeper explanation on social and cultural aspects
that may hinder student's abilities to transfer knowledge because I don't think teachers
take the time to think specifically about these issues.
RQ#4
I liked that there were different people doing the voiceovers and that the speakers
did not just read off the slides. The group also provided good examples to go with the
main concepts. Two things I would change is the background to the slides (I found it
distracting) and less text per slide as there was sometimes too much information given in
each slide.
Group 4 – Learning Theory from Childhood to Adult in Mathematics/Science
Classroom: Implication of Technology and Beyond
RQ#1
This presentation dealt with the different learning theories that have helped shape
teachers' pedagogy which included theories from Piaget, Vygotsky, Skinner, and Bruner.
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How Students Learn – A Synopsis
Not all learners learn the same way; therefore, teachers must activate prior knowledge,
use different strategies and approaches, as well as help students develop metacognition to
get the best results.
Through my ETEC courses I have read about and discussed the theorists
mentioned above. Through doing this, I have come to have a better understanding of my
own ideology about learning and tend to lean more towards constructivism.
RQ#2
The terminology accomplished learners versus less accomplished learners was new
to me. This relates to Group 2's concept of novice vs. expert.
RQ#3
I have heard about of PBS behavioural systems, but I would like to know more
about what they are and how they are implemented.
RQ#4
I liked that the presentation started off with music and the red/blue flickering
background. As well, this group used some slide transitions and animations which made it
look more like a movie. The first speaker needed to speak a little clearer and it might have
been good to add text to the key points of the voiceovers. I would have also liked to see
the same background throughout the presentation.
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How Students Learn – A Synopsis
Group 5 – Designing Learning Environments for Mathematics/Science Learning: 21st
Century Environment
RQ#1
This presentation touched upon and expanded the definition of the learning
environments that were mentioned in presentation 1. These 21st Century learning
environments are all interconnected, constructivist in nature, and classroom designs may
vary with differing concepts.
I have a pretty clear understanding of what a 21st Century classroom should look
like and try to emanate that as much as possible. It is a slow process and it takes team
work and collaboration from others in my science and math departments to achieve.
RQ#2
Something that I hadn't thought of before was student knowledge attainment in the
terms of mastery or expert status. Unfortunately, in our current educational systems,
students don't always master concepts before teachers move onto another concept.
RQ#3
I have toyed around with the idea of portfolios/e-portfolios for my students, but I
would like to see examples of how other teachers effectively use them that is efficient and
relatively easy for the students to do.
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How Students Learn – A Synopsis
RQ#4
The desk/whiteboard set-up in this Prezi presentation piqued my interest and I loved
that the group delved deeper into each part. The diagrams and YouTube videos included
in this presentation fit with the concepts and information given. One thing that could have
been improved upon was keeping the formatting the same throughout the whole
presentation.
Group 7 - Exploring Science and Mathematics Teacher Education
RQ#1
The focus of this group's presentation was teacher professional development and
pre-service teacher training that helps us implement and deliver deeper content, develop
and administer educational technologies, and help understand changing pedagogies.
I believe to grow as a teacher and to conduct "best practices" we need to attend
professional development, as well as collaborate with others on how to incorporate
technology with pedagogy and content (TPACK).
RQ#2
What became clearer for me during this presentation is the need for change to the
traditional practices of professional development. For example, many professional
development sessions are taught in a transmission style which doesn't encompass the
ideology of a teacher being part of a "student-learning environment".
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How Students Learn – A Synopsis
RQ#3
Some of the things that I would like to delve into more deeply are specific examples
of student misconceptions about science and math, and how we can change current
practices of professional development to mirror what we might try to do in our classrooms.
For example, in an assessment-centered environment, how would we test our knowledge
and receive feedback?
RQ#4
The diagrams and YouTube videos included in this Prezi presentation fit with the
concepts and information given. The song they added fit nicely with their theme, but I did
not hear any voiceovers. Something that could be improved upon was too much text per
slide.
Group 8 - Designing Technology-Enhanced Learning Environments to Support
Mathematics and Science Teaching and Learning
RQ#1
This presentation stressed the importance of TPACK and how it helps build 21st
Century skills, creates interactive and engaging learning environments, and can help in
deeper understanding of concepts. Teachers need time to develop curriculum that is rich
in pedagogy, technology, and content and they need to collaborate with others to ensure
success with their programs.
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How Students Learn – A Synopsis
I have taken my masters in educational technology to help me develop my TPACK
and create learning environments that includes the ideals of this concept.
RQ#2
The terminology TPACK was new to me, although the principles behind TPACK
were not. As well, I hadn't thought of "new technologies" not being transparent in their
numerous functions and capabilities to teachers and students.
RQ#3
I have heard about clickers before, but I have not used them and would like to know
if student achievement actually improves by using them.
RQ#4
I really enjoyed the home-made video at the beginning of this Prezi presentation.
The voiceovers were clear, but the music could have been slightly lower. This group
presented good sites to go to as a Science and Math teacher, as well as some examples
of simulations to use in class. The diagrams and figures included in this presentation fit
with the concepts and information given.
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How Students Learn – A Synopsis
Conclusion
For my conclusion, I have inserted a concept map (found below) of the main themes
that I gathered after watching the presentations.
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