EXAM ED 1720 INTRO TO TEACHING AND THE CURRICULUM

ED 1720: INTRODUCTION TO TEACHING AND THE CURRICULUM

LECTURER'S NAME: PROFESSOR ALLAN COMAN


SECTION A

QUESTION 1

Describe five of the Habits of Mind described by Arthur Costa

The Habits of Mind describe what is needed to respond intelligently to questions/problems.

1.One of the Habits of Mind is: Persisting

Problems take TIME to solve...Persistence is needed.
There is no use saying I can't do it, it's too hard... Need to make a strategy. If this strategy doesn't work, then need to make a new one. Try, try and try again.

2.Managing Impulsivity
Thinking before acting. Effectively plan before rushing off and beginning something that hasn't properly been thought through or understood. Take time to respond- to think things through, before giving hasty answers.

3.Listening to Others
It is very important to be able to listen to others. Listening shows respect and intelligence. Listening to what others have to say and taking time to evaluate it and analyze how it fits into your own understanding rather than quickly judging and rejecting. Very important to be able to suspend your own reactions, opinions and jusgements, so as to make room for the understanding of another.

4.Taking Responsible Risks
Holding back from risks means missed opportunities. To succeed we must risk failure. In a classroom this is especially pertinent as students are so worried about what others will think of them. If you try it you might be wrong and look stupid; alternatively if you don't try you'll never know.

5.Learning Continuously
Being excited that we don't know. Being open to look at things in a different way, to grow, to look at problems as valuable opportunities to learn.


QUESTION 2:

Howard Gardener has identified nine types of intelligences that people have in varying degrees. Following are descriptions of five of these:

1.Linguistic: an ability for language, spoken word, writing, reading and listening

2.Musical: an ability for musical expression.

3.Interpersonal: concerned with understanding the intentions, motivation and desires of others. Likes being with people

4.Naturalist: an ability for understanding and relating with the natural environment and the creatures therein.

5.Existentialist: ability for reflective thought and philosophising. Is deeply interested in the ultimate issues.


Question 3:

Piaget's fundamental contribution to the theory of how children learn is that children construct their own knowledgethrough interaction with their environment...This process of cognition has been termed constructivism.
Piaget has identified four major stages of development in children. These are:

1. Sensorimotor stage.(Infancy)The infant constructs understanding through touch and movement. There is a progression from reflexive action to the beginnings of symbolic thought(language).

2. Pre-operational stage.(Toddler and early childhood) Language, memory and imagination developing. Words and images reflect greater symbolic thinking.

3. Concrete operational stage.(7-11y.o.)Child can now reason logically about concrete events and classify objects into different sets.

4. Formal operational stage.(adolescence and adulthood)Reasoning in abstract, idealistic and logical ways.

The significance of the understanding of these developmental stages is that we as teachers (and parents) offer learning opportunities for children that are appropriate for their level of development. The presentation of material too advanced is meaningless to the learner, as there is nothing to grow it from. An analogy may be to try and build the second story of a house without first building a ground floor. This is impossible. Just so, crawling must precede walking and the act of painting a picture with colours must precede understanding colour theory.


Question 4:

Vygotsky's most significant contribution to the understanding of how children learn is: Knowledge is situatued among people and communities as well as language,tools and books. Learning takes place through interactions with parents, family members and the wider community. Learning takes place in a social context.

The concept of the Zone of Proximal Development refers to the range of tasks that are too difficult for the learner to manage alone, but that can be done with the guidance of adults/teachers/more experiencedor knowledgable peers. The lower level of the Zone of Proximal Development is where a set task can be mastered by a student on their own. The highest level of the zpd is a level of understanding acheivable with the guidance of one/those with more understanding and experience.



SECTION B

QUESTION ONE:

The qualities listed by John Hattie that describe an "Expert" teacher are:

They really know their subject, and are able to present these lessons to a class so that a deeper understanding of the subject may be gained...They are able to be flexible with their lessons and incorporate the individual needs of students. They can explain their classes in context with a wider school curriculum.

Quality teachers use problem-solving in their classes. They are able to make use of events and ideas that come up in the natural course of a lesson by making them an example within the lesson. This flexibility and imaginative 'withitness'; the ability to be in the present moment and know what will capture the hearts and minds of students- AND be able to pull it off ....certainly sounds a lot more appealing than the didactic adherance to a lesson plan. It allows for flow and very importantly student contribution. The class becomes more of an exchange than a presentation- though expertly facilitated by the teacher.

The other side to this is that expert teachers are able to balance student driven discussion with teaching content and acheiving outcomes... This requires the ability to make decisions and leadership. This depicts a teacher who is stable and trustworthy (to the students)..They would have respect for and feel safe with a teacher they know is fun, but also not prone to flights of fancy. Who is going to be very interesting- but also academically responsible.

Expert teachers have a good feeling in their classrooms. They know their students and their abilities and backgrounds. They encourage relevant questions. They keep an eye on everything and everyone at all times and know exactly what's going on. Classrooms are managed masterfully, which means that the whole class can be devoted to learning rather than managing disruptive and other challenging behaviour.

Expert teachers are very good at evaluating levels of understanding within the class, and at giving feedback. They are also good at telling (and they care) if students are bored or not keeping up with what's going on. They are also very insightful when there are learning difficlties, and are able to implement instructional strategies to help overcome these. It is sometimes the case that students just don't get it. For a teacher to patiently (and with committment) strategise and implement alternatives is paramount...This shows the students that they really are cared for- and being successful supports self esteem, as well as providing reinforcement of the students faith in their own intelligence. (Very important in attribution theory)

Expert teachers are respectful of their students and really care about them..They really make a difference in the lives of students by encouraging and nurturing self esteem and deep learning, and masterful learning strategies. All this is so important...for teachers to understand that self-esteem is vital for learning with confidence, that a love of learning is imparted to students rather than the feeling that it is boring and a waste of time- what a gift to have a teacher like that!!

It is hard for me to say which i think the most important quality is. They are all important. As a teacher you can know your subject matter inside out but it's not going to be much use to the students if you do not have the means to convey it in ways that are meaningful; though i do think a deep grounding and interest is necessary.

I am drawn to think that the most important aspect is being fexible in your ability to incorporate input from students with your lesson objectives; and to have a high level of relevance and context in a class. I figure this is a good starting point. If respect and caring are your bottom line along with committment- you have a great foundation to build from with growing experience.


SECTION B

QUESTION 2

There are many potential differences in a classroom.

There would be the different learning styles Gardener describes.
There may be differences in gender, cultural background, race, religion, general experience, confidence, ability- both physical and intellectual, sexuality. There may also be students with a range of learning difficulties.

Methods i would use to cater for individual differences in the classroom are:

Create an atmosphere that is inclusive and respectful of difference.
Use the different experience within the group to enhance learning. Vygotsky relates how knowledge is stored in communities and individuals. Make full use of this possible knowledge exchange using groupwork.

Make it my business to know the students and their different backgrounds in detail.

Look for commonality. Everyone has favourite foods/places/role models/tv shows. Incorporate this into lessons...for example, write a description of your favourite place, or discuss in small groups what your favourite movie is and why. (Go on to analyse what made the movie appealing to you)

Allow for different learning styles by varying instructional techniques and classwork. For example: For the naturalist let some classes be outside or be about the natural environment. For the 'interpersonal'types have plenty of group work and focus on what makes people tick. For the visual, do collagework or design projects.

For those with learning difficulties there are a many different scenarios and possible methods for supporting learning. Assessing what the difficulties are is most important. In general, having a fairly set routine and as little distraction as possible is supportive of students staying focused on work. Also is important to have times in the day where there is ample opportunity for physical activity. If lessons are long this may need consideration. Also 'settling in'time at beginning of class such as reading a really interesting book to ground distractable students.
Teach methods of how to stay focused such as looking at the person who is talking; as well as learning and memory strategies.



SECTION C

QUESTION 1:

Materials provided by the Board of Studies to guide teaching in the area of Visual Arts Years 7-10 and Years 11-12 are:

Advice on Planning and Assessment, and the various Visual Arts Syllabuses (Years K-6, 7-10 and 11-12).

These are available at the following URL http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_sc/

They can otherwise be found by going to the New South Wales Board of Studies website which is: http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/ and click on "HSC Syllabuses"on the left-hand side of the homepage.

The Syllabus defines the basic aims and objectives of the Visual Arts Syllabus.

It also defines the Outcomes for each stage (Stages 4-5 are applied in years 7-10, and stage 6 in years 11 and 12) in relation to the particular areas of content

The Syllabus defines what the essential content of mandatory courses and elective courses must be to meet Board objectives for each Stage. They also offer additional content for both.

Recommendations regarding time refer to such issues as how much time should be dedicated to different pursuits such as artmaking, critical and historical studies and student directed interests in both mandatory and elective courses.

Suggestions for the kind of artworks to be made, whether 2D, 3D, or 4D- dependent on resources and expertise.

Detailed guidelines are given for how students are to keep a visul arts diary. Safe working practices are also delivered.

Also included is how to provide for students with special needs.

There is also a section on assessment that describes standards, and assessment for learning.

The Visual Arts Years 7-10 Advice on Programming and Assessment is designed to help teachers understand and implement the Syllabus. It shows how the Syllabus can be incorporated into teaching and learning programs and how these programs are underpinned by the principles of assessment for learning.

The document also provides advice about how to construct a program that will cover the scope of a certain stage. It describes a process for planning and sequencing units of work, and developing activities.

There are also samples of programs for all the stages- units of work that illustrate how teachers can construct programs to ensure coverage of the scope of the syllabus.



How I would use these resources for preparing a series of lessons:

Following the advice of the Visual Arts Years 7-10 Advice on Programming and Assessment, i would follow the advice given on page 22 titled: Programming Units of Work.

Step 1 Select outcomes
Outcomes in the Visual Arts Years 7–10 Syllabus are organised around the areas of content. A manageable number of outcomes should be selected to form the focus of the unit of work. Typically, some outcomes will play a more important role in each unit. Teachers should map the units across the stage to ensure an adequate coverage of all syllabus outcomes.

Step 2 Decide on the subject matter or focus of the unit of work
Once the outcomes have been selected the focus of the unit of work should be selected. For example, is this a unit that foregrounds the structural frame and relationships between the artist and the audience, or does the unit foreground an artist’s practice and the postmodern frame? It is important to consider how this unit relates to past and future learning experiences to ensure that teaching and learning activities build on and deepen students’ understanding of syllabus content. This will guide the anticipated evidence of learning and selection of relevant syllabus content.

Step 3 Decide on the evidence of learning
As the outcomes form the focus of the unit, it is necessary to identify the specific evidence of learning to be observed through the teaching, learning and assessment activities. This evidence will enable judgements to be made on student achievement in relation to the outcomes and identified content.

Step 4 Select the relevant syllabus content
Identify what students will ‘learn about’
Specific content from the ‘learn about’ sections of the syllabus should be selected as a focus for the unit. This will be further enhanced by referring to the specific details supplied in the syllabus that unpack these statements in terms of practice, the conceptual framework and the frames.

Identify what students will ‘learn to do’
In the Visual Arts Years 7–10 Syllabus each ‘learn to’ statement has a direct relationship with a corresponding ‘learn about’ statement.

Step 5 Plan the teaching, learning and assessment activities
Assessment for learning activities occurs as a normal part of the teaching process. Teachers plan the most suitable teaching, learning and assessment activities for the selected content, ensuring that they will provide the desired evidence of learning determined in Step 3. Teaching, learning and assessment activities should reflect students’ needs, experiences and interests, and should be student-centred and promote the development of knowledge, understanding and skills. Teachers are encouraged to include a variety of teaching approaches across a range of forms, artists and artworks. Concepts may be strengthened and deepened over time, and may be revisited over one or more stages to build on previous knowledge, understanding and skills.

Step 6 Feedback
Feedback provides students with the necessary information and direction to advance their learning and occurs normally though good teaching practice, mostly in an informal manner. However, when planning units of work, teachers should consider how to maximise feedback in the context of the teaching, learning and assessment activities and how the feedback contributes to students’ learning.

Step 7 Reflection and evaluation
As teachers progress through the programming process, it is important to reflect on previous steps and evaluate the degree to which the unit has remained focused on the outcomes. Identifying the evidence of learning early in the process will assist them in this. After the unit has been implemented, it is also necessary to evaluate the degree to which students have progressed as a result of the experiences and what should be done next to assist them in their learning.




SECTION C

QUESTION 2:

Planning is of the utmost importance!! An unplanned lesson (or worse series of lessons) is very likely to end up in chaos - particularly if the teacher is inexperienced.

For me the core objectives of being a teacher are: TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE! To ensure that mastery is aimed for; to ensure that syllabus outcomes are acheived; to inspire love of learning; to nurture self-esteem; to create an environment of respect for self and others; to teach how to learn effectively; to help students become aware of their potential and express their greatness.

The above objectives do not just happen by themselves with a lot of good wishes and intentions, they do need to be planned for.


Factors to consider in prior learning and background are:

where are each of the individual students in your class at with their understanding of a particular subject, or a range of subjects? What have they covered in previous classes? What is their current level of acheivement? What are their records of acheivment? Are they confident learners or doubtful of their own abilities? If in year 9 or above, what are their electives? What are their interests outside school? Have there been past problems with focus and attention, behaviour or drugs?

What is their group dynamic? Are they a cohesive group able to communicate well and respect each others differing values and opinions? Or are they cliquey or even hostile? Could their levels of emotional intelligence be improved upon?

Are there particular ethnic/cultural/religious/spiritual/racial backgrounds to be aware of?

To make a difference as a teacher, it is crucial to have detailed knowledge of each individual student, so that their strengths can be encouraged, their fears overcome, their weaknesses adressed; and the tone of the classroom lifted to a deep level of respect, co-operation and support.


Different strategies for gaining students'attention are: waiting until everyone is quiet, clapping hands, playing music, blowing a whistle, singing a song, do something out of the ordinary. These would all be possible ways of gaining attention at the beginning of a class.

Once the class is started, there needs to be a more lasting motive for paying attention. The best way of doing this is to pique the iterest of the students...to make them very curious. Ask a stimulating question that requires thought to answer. You could also present a popular topic to work on. These methods all inspire intrinsic motivation. Explain dry material in shocking wasys such as the teacher in Stand and Deliver who halved an apple with a sword to demonstrate fractions.

Different assignment strategies that enable you to learn/measure what students have learnt. One way is to set students the assignment of self- assessment. This forces students to think/ observe/ analyse and evaluate their own work. As well as giving the teacher valuable information that could otherwise possibly not have been detected; the student develops skills in metacognition...That is, thinking about how we think, an invaluable learning tool.

Assignment strategies that enable the measuring of what students have learnt is to define what outcomes are being reached for; and allow students to come up with their own assignments and learning strategies, as well as criteria for assessment. These can be made with guidance and agreement from the teaacer. This maximises students motivation and almost certainly guarantees success.

Other forms of assessment that enable the measuring of what students have learnt is to use Blooms'Taxonomy questions to establish the depth of learning acquired. These may start with simple definition questions and move up the hierarchy to analytical, synthesis and evaluation questions.