What is intelligence?

I think that intelligence goes beyond mere memorization and passing a test. I feel that intelligence is is the ability to problem solve. Intelligence is also the ability to take in new information, be able to connect it into what you already know, and use that information to solve new problems. Intellect is the ability to problem solve. Wether that be abstract or concrete though, comprehending situations, evaluating situations, and using learned ability. I think that intelligence goes beyond mere memorization and passing a test. I feel there is a difference between knowledge and intellect. For example, being able to answer questions on trivia is knowledge not intellect. One might be able to answer questions, but not be able to comprehend or connect that information into the world. I hope to have students that strive to be intellectual and I know my learning environment will support this idea.

Field trip

Dear utk, autism is my prism not my prison. This is what she wrote at the beginning and that is a strong statement. I feel like people consider her disability as a problem, but she sees it differently. She said that Special needs are all around the world. The world doesn't need autism, but autism needs the world, because autism is a nasty disability but the world can help those with autism. As teachers, we need to help students find out who they are and cater to them. Find their strong suits and focus on them.

"To connect I had to be where he was. Non verbal, be non verbal." As teachers, we do not lose our expertise status from learning from those we teach. Be open to meeting individuals where they are. 

Receptive language based on what the individual loves to do. 

Making me think about my moms charter school. Find what student loves and run with it.

Think inside, laugh outside

Ch. 2 QTC

One of the most cited theories of human development is that of Swiss biologist Jean Piaget.  After reading about Piaget’s basic assumptions (p. 27-32) look with particular attention at the stage of child development you would like to teach.  How might you accommodate those students who have not yet developed to this stage?

The child level I would to teach is around ages 7-9 so that would be the Concrete Operational Stage. Children at this level are more aware of external events, they begin to realize their own thoughts and feelings, and operational thinking. At this age, I believe that lesson activities need to be engaging, but need a follow up in discussion or written accounts. The discussion is important for students to start and visualize their own thinking. Now not all students will be at the same developmental level. Differentiating my lesson to accommodate the students who are behind or head developmentally is important to help keep them engaged in thinking and learning. If a student was behind developmentally, I could accommodate the lesson with simpler instructions and tasks, and maybe harder tasks if they are ahead developmentally. I don't agree that all students hit these stages at these age ranges, but it is important to note the developmental process when educating the students.

Ch. 10 QTC

Which of the learning activities/skills can you think of that lend themselves to learning through modeling?

I think Teacher Projects is one of the activities we do in this classroom that is an extension of learning through modeling, especially when we discuss how they went after the project. The audience watches the presenters and can distinguish what is good and what is bad to do during a Teacher Project. Brian also models the correct way to present lessons to the class. So, through the modeling of students and Brian, we are able to see how Teacher Projects should be presented. Another activity that has learning through modeling is watching our teachers in our school placements. I have the pleasure of observing a teacher at Farragut while she teaches the classroom. I learn, through her modeling, the correct way to interact with students, the right questions to stimulate thinking, and even how to provide engaging activities. Modeling is important because people do it daily so they can behave better. What I mean by behaving better is contributing to society with behaviors that are deemed appropriate. 

How might self-efficacy and self-regulation contribute to the intervention plans you use in your case study?

Self-efficacy and self-regulation are needed in my case study for my students to be productive in the classroom and to exhibit appropriate behaviors. It is imperative for students to excel at both of these concepts, because the students that can self regulate are the students who are more engaged in the learning. We had a discussion in class today about the difference between the two of these concepts, and I agreed that I was a little behind on the difference of these concepts. Self-efficacy is a person’s judgement about being able to perform a certain activity and self-regulation is a person’s ability to regulate their behaviors in certain circumstances. So, the main difference is that self-efficacy is about people thinking if they can accomplish a task and self-regulation is the tools they will use to accomplish the task. Both of these concepts are going to be important with intervention plans for my students. 

Ch. 9 QTC

How would you define successful mastery of your lesson objectives from a behavioral view of learning? 

When thinking like a behavioralist, one must be constantly observing behaviors exhibited by the subject. I will make clear, for each lesson, the lesson objectives. The student needs to understand what is expected of him/her, so that the student can produce the results that correspond to the objective. As a behaviorist, I am purely concerned with the behaviors that my students produce. So, if I give an activity that involves using fractional wooden pieces to show equivalent fractions, I want to see how my student interacts with the objective, if the student can show the equivalent fractions, and how the student interacts with the environment during the lesson activity. One could argue that formative assessment is the main key in Behaviorism  because a behaviorist is constantly observing behaviors to assess the subject (which in this case is the student). To determine if the student has mastery of a concept, I would observe their behaviors and actions when they try to solve a problem. 

Consider your CSEL intervention case study.  Are there tools from a behaviorist view for either encouraging productive behaviors or discouraging undesirable behaviors that you could apply to the case?  What are they?

I feel like there are a good number of tools from a behaviorist view that can encourage or discourage behaviors. Influence of the environment is important, because the teacher must create a classroom that fosters desirable behaviors. If my student is in an environment that promotes constant thinking, my students will exhibit behaviors of constant thinking, which in return, will produce a great sense of learning. Another tool would be having my students focus on observable events. This is imperative for my student to learn, because the student needs to have the tools to identify specific stimuli that may be influencing their behavior. Learning as a behavior change is also important, because I will be able to conclude that learning has occurred when my students exhibit a change in classroom performance. The common theme in these tools is that behavior effects the student's learning, so I must use my knowledge of behaviorism to create the best learning environment to encourage behaviors that will foster thinking and learning. In a case study, one could also argue that conditioning is important for returning appropriate behaviors, but I think we, as teachers, shouldn't rely heavily on conditioning. 

Ch 8 QTC

Consider a lesson plan you might use.  Which metacognitive skills/abilities are involved as students gain facility/knowledge in this domain? Think of an activity or lesson component that explicitly teaches one or more metacognitive and one or more problem solving skills.

My favorite lessons are Math, so I would consider a math lesson plan. One metacognitive skill involved in students gaining math knowledge would be reflecting on the general nature of thinking and learning. When a student participates in reflecting on the information they have just been presented, the process of learning becomes easier because they are already consumed in thinking about that knowledge. Math is usually paired with time limits, for some odd reason, so a student knowing what learning tasks can be realistically accomplished within a certain time period is crucial. The student uses metacognitive skills when he/she thinks about which tasks can be accomplished in a certain time period, because the student is actively engaged in thinking about how they will act on a certain test. Another important metacognitive skill is knowing and applying effective strategies to complete the task. This is important because math can be challenging and thought-provoking, so for the student to be successful, he/she needs to apply different strategies to find the one that is effective. Students must also monitor their own knowledge and comprehension. This metacognitive ability is needed for the student to know when he/she doesn't understand a certain topic or concept. If a student just goes through a task without thinking about if they understand it or not, that student will fall behind the curve (especially in math, because the concepts build on each other!!). A lesson component crucial in teaching metacognitive and problem solving skills would be teaching time management. Especially when it comes to testing, time management is a persistant issue in schools daily. Time management teaches metacognitive skills such as knowing what learning tasks can be accomplished within a time frame and planning an appropriate and effective approach to a learning task. With time management skills, a student can recognize the time required for each step to solve a problem and also find the best, fastest, most accurate strategy to solve that problem.

Ch 7 QTC

Make a list of the sequence of skills necessary for ultimate mastery of the content of your lesson through a constructivist approach

I believe that a sequence of skills necessary for ultimate mastery of content depends on the teacher. Curriculum planning and teacher planning are imperative for students to master content. If the teacher spends time planning and creating great lessons based off the curriculum, the students will have an easier time mastering the content being taught. An evaluation system needs to be in place so the teacher can track how well each student is progressing on his or her learning continuum. This can be used in formative or summative assessments. These assessments are important because the teacher will be able to visualize what students need to further their engagement in the learning and master the content. A support system, like Professional Learning Communities, are imperative for teachers to help students master content. For example, if Mr. Miller has great achievement in math, but low science scores, a learning community with the best science teacher would help Mr. Miller find out ways to help better teach science. There needs to be an environment which is conducive for the teaching and learning of higher-order thinking skills and which could facilitate mindful learning by students. 

Which of these learning activities/skills lend themselves to student’s individual or group construction?  How might you structure learning activities that lead students to discover these skills/these principles?

Evaluation system based on students is a good skill needed to help student construction. A learning activity may include a small group activity working on math manipulatives would be a great activity for a teacher to evaluate his or her students. Another skill needed would be strong planning for teachers for their learning activities. A teacher needs to spend time working on their lesson plan so the students can succeed in mastering content being taught. A strong lesson activity would help students master but also the teacher will be able to plan for assessing student skills. Students need to be constantly discovering so that they can master content.