5) Media

Links to relevant sites:

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A blog from a high school biology teacher offering common sense, practical tips for using various media in the classroom.

Tips on using media in the classroom

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An interesting article that highlights misuses of media (just as important as uses) in secondary school (also applicable outside of secondary schools).

The uses (and misuses) of mass media resources in secondary schools

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Rationale

Media

I selected media because it offers many ways of enriching the learning experience, offering a variety of forms to help acquire and maintain the student’s interest, deliver different perspectives, potential extrinsic rewards (if used carefully), and assist in keeping the content fresh and entertaining.

Understanding the wide variety of media available can help me engage students on different levels and offer multiple means of delivering content. As useful as a variety of media can be in a course, it’s equally important to be aware of the potential for misuse – baby-sitting the class, inappropriate material or inappropriate to the lesson, etc.

4) Assessment

Links to relevant sites:

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An article from Michigan State University on assessment.

Student Assessment

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Although not a formal or standard set of rules, a comprehensive paper detailing the idealized benchmarks for assessment.

Principles for Fair Student Assessment Practices for Education in Canada

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Rationale

Assessment

I chose Assessment because I’m in the process of developing a learning department within the organization in which I’m employed. As part of the development work, I have to decide if the courses are to be scored (must the student pass a course before progressing to the next?) and if so, which courses?

I think my (now) broader understanding of assessment will help me to become a better instructor because I can see that assessment isn’t only used as a means of aiding the student to understand how he/she is doing, but can be used to determine if the lesson itself is well structured and understood by the student.

3) Motivational Techniques

Links to relevant sites:

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Simple strategies and techniques to motivate students.

Top Ten Ways to Motivate Your Students

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A laundry list of motivational techniques, with clear, easy to understand explanations.

Smart Teaching

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Rationale

Motivational Techniques

Why I chose Motivation Techniques.

Motivation, like everything else discussed in this course, spills into everyday life; it’s not restricted to the classroom. Motivation encompasses more than making the classroom or the lesson enticing, it involves encouraging the learner, making the learner feel valued, and fostering general self-worth.  This relates to the humanistic side of learning and creating a positive environment.

This should help me be a better teacher by creating motivation using my environment (displays, media, varying locales, inviting classroom, etc) as well as appealing to the affective-domain characteristics (positive reinforcement, rewards, relating the learning to the student, showing value, etc).

2) Creating a positive learning environment

Links to relevant sites:

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The article on the following site was apparently written with younger students in mind but all of the concepts readily apply to adult and the adult environment.

7 strategies for creating a positive learning environment

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A well written article to guide educators in developing a positive learning environment.

A positive classroom climate/environment for learning

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Rationale

Creating a positive learning environment

I chose “Creating a Positive Learning Environment” because it’s so fundamental to humans to feel valued. This relates back to why I related to Humanistic Learning Theory – the goal is the same. People need to feel purpose, feel that they belong and fit within groups and society, and not fear feeling ostracized.

Recognizing the importance of students feeling secure, confident, and feeling like a member of the group will help guide the development of my lessons and the manner in which I interact with the students on a day-to-day basis. This understanding goes beyond day-to-day lessons and guides me in daily interactions with people, not just students.

 

1) Bloom’s Taxonomy

The following is taken from Wikipedia (Wikipedia. Retrieved August 7, 2013, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxonomy)

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Taxonomy may refer to:

• Taxonomy (general), the practice and science (study) of classification of things or concepts, plus the principles that underlie such classification
• Taxonomy (biology), a field of science that encompasses the description, identification, nomenclature, and classification of organisms
  • Biological classification, based on characteristics derived from shared descent from common ancestors
  • Alpha taxonomy, the description and basic classification of new species, subspecies, and other taxa
  • Linnaean taxonomy, Carl von Linne‘s original classification scheme
  • Evolutionary taxonomy, traditional post-Darwinian hierarchical biological classification
  • Phenetics, a system for ordering species based on mathematical similarities
  • Phylogenetics, based on characteristics derived from shared descent from common ancestors

   

• Bloom’s Taxonomy, a standardized categorization of learning objectives in an educational context

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In other words, taxonomy is the way we classify and order things into various categories to help us make better sense of things.

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Links to relevant sites:

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Dr. Olenka Bilash on Bloom’s Taxonomy

Dr. Olenka S.E. Bilash
Professor, Department of Secondary Education
Coordinator of Second Languages and International Education
Former Associate Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research

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Bloom’s Taxonomy: How It Relates to College Exams

The above link is do a Word doc.  If the link is unavailable, download the document here:  Bloom’s Taxonomy and College Exams

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Rationale

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Why Bloom’s Taxonomy?

I can readily recall a variety of learning experiences that draw from each (or combination) of the three characteristics; affective, cognitive, and psychomotor domains.

The chosen domain would be dependent on the course itself and the student(s) in the class.

An exercise program would require a psychomotor skill, as would instruction for how to kayak, rock climb, etc. A highly technical program, such as creating and managing domain security would rely on cognitive skills.

Understanding the different domains and how they relate to a student’s characteristics will help define how I plan any given lesson.