Concept maps

Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences


Learning Styles

The use of powerpoint as a learning and instructional tool

In this digital age, it will be naive to expect to engage students without the use of digital technology. Powerpoints are only one of the many technological tools we can use in organizing instructions or information.

The use of powerpoints for facilitating instructions allows main points to be emphasized and the presentation can be enhanced by music, animation and sound. Text on a powerpoint is much more easier to read than text written on a overhead projector or a white board. With the use of hyperlinks, students can also navigate pages quicker or recover information in a easy way.




Student interest can be evoked by the use of graphics and comics. In the modelling lesson where students' participation is minimal, stimulating visuals and audio can work together to sustain interest. This is applicable to today's era of images-bombarded generation of children and even more so for special needs like autism as such children are marked with a high vision orientation.



Powerpoint helps to organize information in many interfaces. If I had made a powerpoint on famous Australians and presenting it, I can be interactive with the audience and ask:" What type of famous Australians should we explore first?" The audience answers:" Musicians." I click on the the hyperlink- Musicians and I will immediately go to the section of famous Australian musicians.

With the size of each powerpoint slide, there is a limit to the number of words and thus the learning manager is conscious of keeping words within a limit. This, in a way, protects the text from being too long and thus losing the audience.

The use of bullets transitions, animations and audio allow the presenter/learning manager to focus on the main points and when they should be presented in sequence to each other to create the scaffolding process we understand in creating learning shifts.


The concrete examples of using powerpoints int he classroom could include:

1. Creating field trip slide shows: Students could work together or individually to create a slideshow of their field trip that represents what they have seen and learnt.

2. Projects. Students working on the project "Mini-beasts" can break into groups and investigate and explore a certain part of the topic and use powerpoints to consolidate information and present.

3. Literacy: Students can create a powerpoint that includes different parts of speech and add on to the list as they learn more. This can become their archive of words or text types.

4. Numeracy: Step by Step Maths processes and concepts can be organized and presented in a sequential order in a powerpoint.

5. Science presentations: With the use of diagrams, the process of science with hyperlinked explanations or use of organization charts to classify and re-classify will allow for enhanced information processing.

Wikis and Blogs X-rays

This concept map encapsulates the Dimensions of Learning Framework by Marzano et al., 1997 by organizing the 5 dimensions headings. It is a useful concept map to refer to when you consider the overview of the learning process.


I have also created my own concept map of Dimension 3 and 4 for easy reference in my planning when I need to challenge the students to extend and refine knowledge and use knowledge meaningfully.








Dimension 4 which runs along with the framework from productive pedagogies- higher-order thinking which requires students analyse, explain, hypothesise the knowledge to arrive at a conclusion or interpretation- transformation of knowledge.

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Blogging and X-Rays

What is the difference between a wiki and a blog? When do we use a wiki or a blog? First we have to understand the difference functions of a wiki and a blog. This link will bring you to a short and very comprehensive video that will illustrate the use of a wiki. http://www.ibritt.com/resources/wp_blogs.htm#wiki_videolink

Blog

A blog is an abbreviation for a web log and thus the term blog is coined. A log as defined by a Web Dictionary as a written record of messages sent or received or a written record of events on a voyage (usually on a ship or plane). As such, a blog is individually owned, dependent on timeline and is updated whenever the author desires. Blog posts are usually one person's opinions, followed optionally by comments.

As such, blogs are effective when used as a reflective tool or for the pursuit of an individual project. With reflection and input from others in a blog, a person can construct his/her from the present level to a higher level. In this way, his/her learning is scaffolded to a new level and thus this falls in line with learning theory of constructivism. Piaget theory's of accommodation and assimiliation supports this learning theory with present knowledge being accommodated to assimiliate new knowledge.

Wikis

A wiki allows multiple users to create, modify and organize webpage content in a collaborative manner. It has mutiple authors and are usually edited by a group or team and contains links to other wiki pages. It is continuously changing anf growing rapidly. A wiki can host a blog but no vice versa.

Wikis with its open-ended nature where members can modify, create and add on content is an effective tool for social constructivism. Vygotsky's theory of social learning advocates that learning does not take place in a vacuum but is always embedded in a social and cultural context. Another term to describe this learning theory is connectivism where the connectiveness of the community allows for effective learning. An example of this can be wikis where a mentor, usually a person who is well versed in that subject, say for example an artist in an Art wiki who can post comments and bring the learning to a new level.



Options for instructors using blogs and wikis include:


1. Content-related blog as professional practice

2. Networking and personal knowledge sharing

3. Instructional tips for students

4. Course annoucements and readings

5. Annotated links

6. Knowledge management

Options for students using blogs and wikis include:

1. Reflective or writting journals

2. Knowledge management

3. Assignment submission and review

4. Dialogue for groupwork

5. E-Portfolios




How would I use wikis in my classroom?


1. Group work: Students can use wikis to collaboratively engage in a project, for example- History lesson- The Vietnam War.

2. Reflective/writing journals: Students can produce an essay/story or a journal of a learning experience, for example, English- rewriting a play.

3. E-Portfolios: Visual Art Diary

4. Discussion with students and teachers: A Maths wiki for students to work out Maths formulas

Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences

Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences gives a compartmentalized and specific description of the many intelligences a person can have. His theory suggests that we all have multiple intelligences but due to our genetic make-up and dispositions, some intelligences are more pronounced than others.

While this may give us a clear-cut way to categorise our children according to their strengths, I am skeptical about intelligences being so well-defined. Interests and motivation can be born of social and cultural environments, for example, a child can become musically inclined when born into a musical family. However, it is a useful template to refer to when you are designing a learning journey for a curriculum. For example, if you had a class who were more kinaesthetically inclined, you may make sure to include many games to teach mathematical concepts.

THe Multiple Intelligences also gives you a overview of the different human intelligences. Whilst planning the curriculum, the learning manager can use the multiple intelligences theory to ensure that all learning styles have been catered for in the delivery of the learning journey.

With the questionanire, children can discover their own learning styles and thus understand their learning process better- leading to enhanced meta-cognition. Students will be able to monitor their own thinking and be aware of how and what they are thinking as stated in productive habits of mind as self regulated thinking. (DOL Dimension 5). For example, a child who understands that they are more visual spatial smart will know now to configure all their newly learnt knowledge into a concept map.

My Memletic Learning Styles Graph

These are the results of the online learning styles inventory test I have taken online. This graph displays a graphical representation of my learning styles. The scores are out of 20 for each style. To get a score of 20 or close to 20 means you use that style of learning often.

Style Scores

Visual -11

Social- 19

Physical-14

Aural-13

Verbal-19

Solitary- 15

Logical-10

My Reflections

I am surprised to discover that I am not very much a visual learner (scoring 11) as I was never able to distinguish a word when spelt out to me orally but need to see the visual word to be able to read it. I have also prided myself to be a person of solid logic and it comes as a eye-opener to see that I only have 10 for logic!

I do agree that I am very much a social learner as I do enjoy having stimulating conversations where ideas are bounced off each other and another's refreshing perspective gives you a totally new way of looking at the same issue. I remember the term- 'paradigm shift' (meaning a shift from previous conception to form a new way of thinking) - term coined by Thomas Kuhn in 1962 in his book- "The Structure of scientific Revolution". One's pre-existing assumption or perception is challenged when there is an exchange of ideas and thoughts. Therefore I personally live by "Vygotsky's theory of social learning (1896-1934) where a social context is conducive for optimal learning.

My thinking process works best when my hands are working out on something or I am physically engaged. For example, the best ideas usually come to me during my morning jog. I also find it impossible to visualize , say a "Do-It-Yourself project" just be reading instructions. I have to get hands-on to figure it out.

Therefore, as a sum-up, looking at the graph, it appears that my learning styles are spread out, and I do not have a particularly pronounced strength in any areas, except for verbal. I do agree, that I have to read out loud to hear it before I can engage with the knowledge. However, with my work with young children as a teacher, I discover that learning is much more enhanced when what is spoken is matched with an image, a visual.

That is why ICT will fit the mode for today's highly visual learners. Young children born in this e-generation are exposed to many images from young. From my personal observation, it is almost impossible to hold a child's attention unless you have quick changing visuals.

You can find more about learning styles in the following link. http://www.learning-styles-online.com/overview/