Think about a powerful learning experience you have had in your life. It could be something you learned in school, e.g. when you got an ahha that multiplication tables were really patterns of numbers/groups, or outside of the classroom, e.g. when you learned to drive, or their grandmother taught you how to make tortillas. Do a Quick Write on your powerful learning experience and in the explanation also consider…what helped you to learn? Did you become an expert? If yes, how? What made it a powerful learning experience?
I am a visual and kinesthetic learner. I need to be shown how to do something using examples, pictures, or written directions to make more sense. Then I need to be able to do it myself, multiple times especially to feel like an expert. I still believe that practice makes perfect and you keep getting better at something. You never stop learning. A powerful learning moment for me was when I learned how to make lasagna. I was 13 years old. My mother's friend talked me through the steps as she did it and I watched. Then another time she had me do it while I followed the recipe and she watched coaching me. Then I kept doing it myself on other occasions for my own mother and siblings. To this day my family still loves for me to make lasagna and they say it is better than the restaurant. I think I am able to do it fast and well now because of all my practice.
In reading your powerful learning moment, it makes me think that these times involve making and doing. My grandmother taught me to make pie crust, and I still try to make the perfect crust.
I was helping someone make squash blossom empanadas (turnovers) and the person explaining to me was verbally, "explaining" it to me and only showed me how to start it. It wasn't enough to understand so I asked the person to "show" me how to do it completely and a couple times. It was powerful because, I learned I was a visual learner and I needed some repetition to process it throughly. And that I had to ask for more "teaching! Assumptions can easily be made about how much teaching is needed. When you explain what you know it's easy to understand yourself, but not so to someone new. I can't say I was an expert when I started but maybe with practice.
Ha. I knew we'd both have something to do with food! We sure love to eat but our cooking skills take time and practice!! I think you need to go practice and make me some. :)
I want to eat squash blossom empanadas and lasagne right now! When someone showed us how to learn or we insisted they show us and let us, our learning sticks to us, and we remember them sometimes more than any other education.
Learning is constant and we decide if we want to be a product of it. We can add knowledge daily by just listening attentively. For instant, I often complain about my husband watching tv but I've come to a realization that its too late to change him but just learn to work with him; therefore when I sit with him infront of the tv, I'll note down (iphone) the new vocabulary from tv dialogs.
When I was a junior at Stagg, we were studying the American Revolution. Instead simply reading a text book, the teachers designed a special social studies activity. The assumption was that there was not a revolutionary war, instead a court case decided the outcome of the war. There were lawyers for the British and lawyers for the Americans. Each lawyer stated their case as to why or why not the American colonies should be allowed to be free. Of course witnesses were called, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, King George, etc. The result was I learned more about the American Revolution, the people involved, and the causes then I would have learned from reading a textbook. And more importantly, 40 years later, it is still memorable. Oh, and I was the lawyer for the British and we won our case!
I agree, it's hard work to work with people when there is something we want them to change. I have a student who is very egocentric and it's almost impossible for him to blurt out his thinking (he is very intelligent). So I paired him with students who need constant reminders to stay on task. He is constantly talking to them about doing what they are suppose to be doing. If he's going to talk, minus well have him talking to other students about what they are suppose to be doing. This week we progressed to whispering, I didn't know why I didn't ask him before!! I should of asked him to whisper instead of "be silent or stop talking." Slowly but surely!
When I was in third grade I did not know how to work with fractions. My teacher was frustrated with me and she said to my mom she did not know how to help me. My mom took me to the flea market and asked me to find the price of half ,third and fourth of a kilogram of tomatoes. She told me that I have to be very accurate otherwise I have to pay more than I have to. I really learned the importance of the applied knowledge in real life. Specially The math knowledge.
Think about a powerful learning experience you have had in your life. It could be something you learned in school, e.g. when you got an ahha that multiplication tables were really patterns of numbers/groups, or outside of the classroom, e.g. when you learned to drive, or their grandmother taught you how to make tortillas. Do a Quick Write on your powerful learning experience and in the explanation also consider…what helped you to learn? Did you become an expert? If yes, how? What made it a powerful learning experience?
ReplyDeleteshowing, give an example, engaged/acting out
DeleteI am a visual and kinesthetic learner. I need to be shown how to do something using examples, pictures, or written directions to make more sense. Then I need to be able to do it myself, multiple times especially to feel like an expert. I still believe that practice makes perfect and you keep getting better at something. You never stop learning. A powerful learning moment for me was when I learned how to make lasagna. I was 13 years old. My mother's friend talked me through the steps as she did it and I watched. Then another time she had me do it while I followed the recipe and she watched coaching me. Then I kept doing it myself on other occasions for my own mother and siblings. To this day my family still loves for me to make lasagna and they say it is better than the restaurant. I think I am able to do it fast and well now because of all my practice.
ReplyDeleteOur learning experiences were very similar!!
DeleteIn reading your powerful learning moment, it makes me think that these times involve making and doing. My grandmother taught me to make pie crust, and I still try to make the perfect crust.
DeleteHard as we try... I don't think we can beat the grandmother's touch!
DeleteI was helping someone make squash blossom empanadas (turnovers) and the person explaining to me was verbally, "explaining" it to me and only showed me how to start it. It wasn't enough to understand so I asked the person to "show" me how to do it completely and a couple times. It was powerful because, I learned I was a visual learner and I needed some repetition to process it throughly. And that I had to ask for more "teaching! Assumptions can easily be made about how much teaching is needed. When you explain what you know it's easy to understand yourself, but not so to someone new. I can't say I was an expert when I started but maybe with practice.
ReplyDeleteHa. I knew we'd both have something to do with food! We sure love to eat but our cooking skills take time and practice!! I think you need to go practice and make me some. :)
DeleteThis is the same reason why we (teachers) would often have students explain or share reasonings. Sometimes we just don't speak the same language.
DeleteI want to eat squash blossom empanadas and lasagne right now! When someone showed us how to learn or we insisted they show us and let us, our learning sticks to us, and we remember them sometimes more than any other education.
DeleteLet's have a potluck our last day of class!
DeleteLearning is constant and we decide if we want to be a product of it. We can add knowledge daily by just listening attentively. For instant, I often complain about my husband watching tv but I've come to a realization that its too late to change him but just learn to work with him; therefore when I sit with him infront of the tv, I'll note down (iphone) the new vocabulary from tv dialogs.
ReplyDeleteThat is so nice that you have learned to accept him and what he does and you share with him. Everyone wins and is happy!
ReplyDeleteHello is it working?
ReplyDeleteYes, it is. Nice to meet you!
DeleteWe're learning something new with blogging and making it work :0)
Delete...you mentioned learning all about Google Drive from your child and that was an empowering experience. We can learn from our students too!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a junior at Stagg, we were studying the American Revolution. Instead simply reading a text book, the teachers designed a special social studies activity. The assumption was that there was not a revolutionary war, instead a court case decided the outcome of the war. There were lawyers for the British and lawyers for the Americans. Each lawyer stated their case as to why or why not the American colonies should be allowed to be free. Of course witnesses were called, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, King George, etc. The result was I learned more about the American Revolution, the people involved, and the causes then I would have learned from reading a textbook. And more importantly, 40 years later, it is still memorable. Oh, and I was the lawyer for the British and we won our case!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like so much fun! I need to do more fun activities with my social studies class so they will learn and remember like you did.
DeleteI agree, it's hard work to work with people when there is something we want them to change. I have a student who is very egocentric and it's almost impossible for him to blurt out his thinking (he is very intelligent). So I paired him with students who need constant reminders to stay on task. He is constantly talking to them about doing what they are suppose to be doing. If he's going to talk, minus well have him talking to other students about what they are suppose to be doing. This week we progressed to whispering, I didn't know why I didn't ask him before!! I should of asked him to whisper instead of "be silent or stop talking." Slowly but surely!
ReplyDeleteShowing, give an example, acting out/being engaged
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in third grade I did not know how to work with fractions. My teacher was frustrated with me and she said to my mom she did not know how to help me. My mom took me to the flea market and asked me to find the price of half ,third and fourth of a kilogram of tomatoes. She told me that I have to be very accurate otherwise I have to pay more than I have to. I really learned the importance of the applied knowledge in real life. Specially The math knowledge.
ReplyDelete"Project"BL
ReplyDeleteResearch and Refine of Expectations and Rubrics
Authentic Peer Self Assessment
Relationships x relevance = Rigorous