Wilhelm’s “A
Theory of Teaching” tackles the question, “how will we ever know if students
are actually learning the information
we are attempting to convey (specifically through text)?” As professionals and
experts in our field of study it is easy for us to know what we want students
to learn, but how will we know if they are actually learning it? Wilhelm does a
great job proposing strategies and techniques. Towards the end of chapter two,
on page 54, he shares the “Six Methods for Teaching Reading Strategies.”
The first couple
of chapters spoke extensively about terms/strategies/people we have learned
about previously such as: scaffolding, learning-centered teaching, social
speech, the zone of actual development (ZAD), the zone of proximal development
(ZPD), psychologists Lev Vygotsky and Jean Piaget, Hillock’s “environmental
teaching,” (etc.)
One important
strategy and type of reflective technique I found interesting was the idea of
“wide-awake teaching.” This was the first time I have ever heard of this type
of teaching. I like it because it seems as though it is reflective. Wilhelm
spoke about this strategy on page 5 of his article. The idea is to ask, “Is
this working? How do we know? Are we happy with our orientation? How can we
change things (Wilhelm, 5)?” It is important that we reflect on these aspects
of our lessons and make changes when necessary for success in the future.
I must admit
that I became frustrated with this article numerous times, almost leading me to
believe that it was beyond my zone of proximal development. However, I was able
to connect with the text and make meaning (a portion was actually about
creating meaning while reading!), as it brought back vivid memories.
One connection I
can make between my own experiences and this reading was the direct instruction
lesson we taught last semester in 406. Direct instruction follows a specific
sequence: main idea, example, group practice and individual practice. I
couldn’t help but make the connection that this pattern is learning-centered
teaching, which was spoken about extensively in the article. The idea of “I do,
you watch/help” serving as the example portion. The idea of “you do I help”
serving as the group practice, and “you do I watch” as the individual practice.
And… here is a
second connection: Throughout my last three years of college, I have noticed
that almost all of my science classes require you to learn material on your
own. Year after year, I find myself sitting down trying to force myself to
understand the material from the text. Sometimes I can read a chapter twice,
still without much luck. The problem is, I have never seen the material before
and cannot be expected to pull out the most important information from the
text. This is how I felt taking Human Anatomy my freshman year at URI. This
class was HORRIBLE. Everyday, I was working beyond my zone of proximal
development. The professor would purposely cancel class so we could stay in and
teach ourselves. Once I learned every bone in the body, I had to learn every
muscle in the body… oh and let’s throw in the origin, action and insertion of
each and every muscle you just learned. Yes, it was difficult. It was not fun. And so, Vygostky would not approve
of this style of teaching.
It was obvious
that my professor has never heard of/never been a fan of Vygotskian theory.
Vygotsky did not
believe that the mind grows naturally or without assistance (Wilhelm, 15). Anything
that is learned must be actively taught. If it is not being taught in the first place, we should not
expect it to be learned. This is
important to keep in mind as future educators!
Hey Alisha,
ReplyDeleteI connected with your blog because I have had similar experiences in my own science classes. I have taken classes science since my freshman year and every class was a struggle. It seemed the professors would spit random information and expect you to absorb it like a sponge; I don’t do that very well. There was one class, cell and molecular biology, that forced me to work extra and that was when I realized that I did not know how to study before. I took this with Organic Chem II and Microbiology so I really needed to spend my time wisely. Reading the chapter before the lecture and then reviewing the key ideas section after worked really well for me and I got a B- in cell and molecular biology, which was one of the higher grades among my friends and me.
Many students come to college from high school believing they can continue studying the way they had been in high school, and still pass their classes. However, nobody really tells them they can’t or what changes they might benefit from. This can be applied to any classroom. A seventh grade biology teacher should tell their students some methods of studying that could yield positive results. Vygotsky would agree with this because he believed that whatever you learned, you learned it because somebody taught it to you. If nobody taught you how to study, you will most likely not know how to study. Most teachers want their students to learn, so spending a class on ways to study might not be such a bad idea.
Hi Alisha. Your description of the anatomy course is just what anatomy courses amount to. My brother is in med school and and his lecture classes are just info dumps of epic proportions. Memorizing everything about the body, the procedures to assess it, and the ways to treat it is all there is. These classes have a place as preparation for practicing medicine, but there is nothing engaging about them, and none of the higher levels of learning take place. They are just a necessary evil to give you a baseline knowledge that can be used in a clinical or lab environment where higher level learning can take place.
ReplyDeleteI had also not thought consciously about wide-awake teaching but I suppose it is something we have been doing with the reflection portion of the lesson plans. That said, I suspect a number of teachers I have had in the past did very little of this kind of self-assessment and the classes suffered for it.