6.1: (Lower level)
Theorist have categorized two distinct ways in which students learn declarative knowledge and commit that knowledge to long-term memory -- rote learning and meaningful learning. What are the differences between these two? Recall a situation in your own educational experience in which you have employed both of these strategies.
6.2: (Higher level)
Meaningful learning has three subcategories (i.e. elaboration, organization, and visual imagery). For each subcategory, describe an activity you could use in your classroom. Be sure the activities are appropriate for your licensure area. Also try to make each activity centered around the same topic (e.g. multiplication, cell structure, the American Civil War).
6.1: (Lower level)
ReplyDeleteRoot learning takes place when the learner attempts to learn/remember the new material without attaching much meaning to it. And meaningful learning takes place when the learner tries to learn/remember the new material by recognizing the relationship between the new material and materials already in his/her long-term memory.
A lot of formulas I had to remember for tests are learned via root learning. I think rote learning is more effective in these cases because there simply isn't enough time during tests for anyone to actually prove all the formulas you need and then apply them. Meaningful learning was also helpful in learning about the reasoning behind formulas in math and science. To understand the proofs, I needed to apply the declarative and procedural knowledge already in my long-term memory to eventually arrive at the new knowledge/formula. Making such connections was useful in helping me learn to solve contextual problems and serves as cues when I need to retrieve the formula (although using the cues to retrieve any complex formulas during a timed test is probably not the best idea).
This lower-level question involves remembering, understanding and applying under the Bloom’s taxonomy. To respond to it, one must recognize the key words (long-term memory, rote learning, meaningful learning, and declarative knowledge) from his/her previous reading of chapter 6 (remember). To answer it, one must understand the difference between root and meaningful learning and think of examples for both learning processes (understand and apply).
6.2: (Higher level)
Suppose I’m teaching a high school algebra class about solving linear inequalities. I would encourage elaboration during direct instruction (teaching the steps to solving linear inequalities) by pointing out what steps are similar to solving linear equalities and what steps are different from solving linear equalities. To promote effective organization, I would ask the students to summarize the steps and then underline the steps that are new to solving linear inequalities (the steps similar to solving linear equalities would remain not underlined). This way, they can refer to this list when they try to do individual practice problems or review for tests. To help the students not confuse < and > signs, I would encourage them to picture the signs as something with an opened and closed ends. The opened end spreads out and takes up greater space so the expression close to the opened end is the greater expression. Similarity, the closed end takes up less space so that the expression close to the closed end is the smaller expression.
This higher-level question involves remembering, understanding, applying and creating. To answer it, one must first recall and understand what elaboration, organization, and visual imagery are from previous reading of chapter 6. Then, one must apply the knowledge to create classroom activities that contribute to meaningful learning.
6.1: Rote learning is when learners attempt to learn and learn information without attaching much meaning to it. In previous history classes, I have attempted to study for exams by memorizing people and places and dates without understanding the sequential order that the events occurred. Rote learning is very difficult for me as a learner because I need to see the big picture before learning the smaller details. I try to make all learning, meaningful learning, which is when learners connect new material to information they have learned in the past. I know what kind of learner I am so I can relate new information to my prior knowledge to help me understand a particular topic. For example, the theories we have reviewed in Chapter 11 dealing with Motivation I am familiar with from my Psychology classes. By relating what I learned in my Psychology courses to teaching and motivation in students, I can better understand each theory.
ReplyDelete6.2: Elaboration adds additional ideas to new information based on what one already knows. During a lesson on magnets in second grade I would elaborate by having the students list more ways that magnets are used in our daily lives. Organization is making connections among various pieces of new information. During the same lesson I could incorporate organization by helping the students realize that their are a north and south pole on Earth just like a bar magnet. Visual imagery is forming a mental picture of something either by actually envisioning it or by envisioning how it might look. I would allow students to play with magnets and magnetic objects to allow them to physical visualize what it looks like to attract or repel.
6.1
ReplyDeleteRote learning is when learners try to commit something to memory without attaching much meaning to it. Meaningful learning is recognizing a relationship between new information and something already stored in long-term memory.
Meaningful learning is the way I learn best. In able to understand new terms and vocabulary in my courses, I have to apply the term to something that I have already learned, while also creating a mental image in my head of what the word means to me. I can recall using rote memory when I am simply just trying to remember information for a test and store it in my short term memory. I usually forget this information very shortly after I use it. When trying to remember historical events I would just look at the date and memorize it if it was of no importance to me in any of my other classes.
6.2
Elaboration: For a lesson in third grade on author's purposes, I would have the children discuss a time when they have written a letter and inform the class what their purpose was.
Organization: I would have the children read around ten short passages over the span of a couple of days, and organize the titles according to the purpose of the author.
Visual Imagery: After reading the aforementioned ten short passages, I would have the children imagining the author standing on a stage reading their story in a way that emphasizes their purpose. For instance, an author whose purpose is to entertain readers with their story would be visualized as the author on stage in a clown suit doing dances while telling their story.