Unit 3 Understanding How We Learn
Books – Choose one to read:
Neuroteach
Kelleher, Ian, and Glenn Whitman. Neuroteach: Brain Science and the Future of Education. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2016.
Google Books
Amazon
Kobo
TIEReads
LOC
Publisher
Five Myths
Brown, Adam M., and Althea Need Kaminske. Five Teaching and Learning Myths—Debunked: A Guide for Teachers. Taylor & Francis, 2018.
Google Books
Amazon
Kobo
LOC
Publisher
Understanding How We Learn
Weinstein, Yana, et al. Understanding How We Learn: A Visual Guide. Taylor & Francis, 2018.
Google Books
Amazon
Kobo
TIEReads
LOC
Publisher
Two books that didn’t make the cut this year but will probably be included in next year’s class (contact me if you would rather choose one of these books)
Miller, Michelle D.. Remembering and Forgetting in the Age of Technology: Teaching, Learning, and the Science of Memory in a Wired World. United States, West Virginia University Press, 2022.
Google
Kobo
Amazon
LOC
Publisher
Lovell, Oliver. Sweller’s Cognitive Load Theory in Action. United Kingdom, John Catt Educational Limited, 2020.
Google
Kobo
Amazon
LOC
Publisher
Author
Read/View
Podcast Learning Scientists: Learning Styles and Dual Coding
Read The Mind’s CEO: Executive Function
Read Educators Moving Away from Seat Time for Mastery-Based Education
Read Showing Students How Metacognition Works
Read Open Stronger — More Open to Inquiry
Read What Do Teachers Need to Know About Memory?
Read Annotation Can Hinder Reading Comprehension
Read Flipped Clasroom
Read AI in the Classroom A Complete AI Classroom Guide
Read Designing Effective Instructional Videos
Read these articles An Integrative Approach to Student Understanding and Learning | Instructional Materials Have Greater Impact When… [Report]
Skim the article: Howard Gardner: ‘Multiple intelligences’ are not ‘learning styles’
Choose one to Listen/read :
Speaking of Psychology: Understanding the teenage brain, with Eva Telzer, PhD or
Speaking of Psychology: The truth about why kids lie, with Victoria Talwar, PhD
View the videos from the activities U3 Choice, U3FoundConcepts, U3Books, and U3Motivation (below):
Activities
U3Choice – Bringing Choice into Instruction
U3FoundConcepts – Personalized Look-Fors and Growth Mindset
U3Books – Neuroteach or Myths or Understanding
U3Motivation – Choice and Autonomy-Supportive
A school district is in the early stages of shifting from traditional toward a personalized environment. You are asked to explain and advocate for educators to embrace foundational pieces (U1Foundation and U3Foundation): learner agency, growth mindset, and the personalized instructional look-fors. Do a video presentation with slides introducing each of these concepts and why teachers should intentionally incorporate them into their instruction (you’ll get a smile from me if you incorporate some Hattie Visible Learning research to support your presentation). Aspects I will be looking for in this presentation:
- Learner Agency & Growth Mindset—Why these are crucial for any personalized /customized program to be successful.
- Instructional Look-Fors—how this tool can help teachers with planning and follow-through of implementing customized practices.
You can use a variety of tools to create this presentation: if your school has Promethean or Smartboard software, LMS tools, or free tools like Screencastify or Screencast-o-matic. [If you have not used tools like this before, contact me and we will work something out.] Five to eight minutes, label it U3Asgmt1-Presentation and be sure to include your name in the name of the file (if it is web-based, put the URL in a Word file and post it as an assignment-be sure I have rights to view the presentation).
?[U3Asgmt2]
Assignment 3
Participate in Live Session 3 — if you miss the live session you will need to view the video and turn in a make-up paper. The paper should summarize the content and discussion that occurred during the live session, including any thoughts that would contribute to the discussion.
?Be sure to note the Final below the book section
?Book Assignment [AsgmtBk]
This next assignment for Unit 2 provides a book choice for you:
Neuroteach
[AsgmtBkNB] After reading Neuroteach, focus on chapters 7-9 (but you can reference other parts of the book). What do the authors say about developing executive functioning skills with Learners? What strategies can educators incorporate to support learners developing metacognition and Learner Agency? What does research say about effective assessment and feedback? How is assessment 360 different than traditional assessment? What does this book have to do with learner agency? Tell me other things the author(s) talked about that were not covered by my questions—what other important ideas or concepts did the author(s) discuss in the book? Be sure to specifically cite elements of the book in your writing, and include elements from at least one article or video from the course readings that relate to the book. Also include integration ideas you have for your classroom setting. Four to five pages – label it AsgmtBkNB – Neuroteach and be sure to include your name in the name of the file.
Five Myths
[AsgmtBk5M] After reading Five Myths, choose 3 of the 5 chapters and for each of these three chapters answer these questions: Describe the myth and why it is a myth. What changes to instruction will you make based on the myth? What learner agency characteristic is impacted by this myth? Tell me other things the author(s) talked about that were not covered by my questions—what other important ideas or concepts did the author(s) discuss in the book? Be sure to specifically cite elements of the book in your writing, and include elements from at least one article or video from the course readings that relate to the book. Also include integration ideas you have for your classroom setting. Four to five pages – label it U3Asgmt2 – Five Myths and be sure to include your name in the name of the file.
Understanding How We Learn
[AsgmtBkUHL] After reading Understanding How We Learn A Visual Guide, In chapter 3-4, the authors describe two major problems that arise from a reliance on intuition and most common misunderstandings about learning and the brain: what examples can you cite within your own teaching experience (or within education in general) that would be hard for you or your school to let go? Are there examples of how you can approach changing instruction based on bottom-up versus top-down processing of information (chapter 5)? What elements from the authors’ explanation of attention, memory, or learner understanding can be helpful for planning instruction? What elements of the authors’ tips and planning learning can you incorporate in your classroom instruction? What does this book have to do with learner agency? Tell me other things the author(s) talked about that were not covered by my questions—what other important ideas or concepts did the author(s) discuss in the book? Be sure to specifically cite elements of the book in your writing, and include elements from at least one article or video from the course readings that relate to the book. Four to five pages – label it AsgmtBkUHL and be sure to include your name in the name of the file.
?Final
Final or AltFinal choice for you:
Final
This course focused on these 5 main areas of the changing roles of the teacher and learner:
- developing learner responsibility/leadership and Learner Agency
- exploring collaboration with peers and learners (relationships)
- rethinking curriculum, delivery of instruction, practice, choice, pace, goals, and deadlines
- examining feedback, assessment, demonstration of mastery, and grading practices
- understanding how cognitive science and motivation contribute to personalized learning
To demonstrate your understanding of personalized learning, there are two settings for the questions:
Current Environment: What changes to current practice can you implement immediately?(Again, I am less interested in current practice, but rather what will change). What barriers in school structures make some of these changes difficult?
An Ideal Personalized Environment: What other changes would you make in a fully supportive personalized environment? How do you envision your own role as teacher/facilitator changing from your current practice? How would the role of learners evolve?
Be sure to address all five areas above and incorporate learnings from the books and also articles/videos/podcasts from all 3 units in this class and how they contribute to your thinking. Be sure to identify elements of the Personalized Framework (U1Framework) into your paper. Be sure to also identify how you will address elements of motivation for learners (Autonomy, Competence/Mastery, Relatedness/Purpose). Feel free to reuse statements from past papers, but don’t wholesale copy large sections. Seven to ten pages – label it Final and be sure to include your name in the name of the file.
Alternative Final
This course focused on these 5 main areas of the changing roles of the teacher and learner:
- developing learner responsibility/leadership and Learner Agency
- exploring collaboration with peers and learners (relationships)
- rethinking curriculum, delivery of instruction, practice, choice, pace, goals, and deadlines
- examining feedback, assessment, demonstration of mastery, and grading practices
- understanding cognitive science and motivation
Develop a professional learning plan to transition the changing role of the teacher from traditional to customized. This can be a personal learning plan or a plan for a building/district that describes the progression of content and skills over 2-3 years. This progression should identify specific elements from the Personalized Framework (U1Framework) and other components you wish to include as the instructional part of the plan. Be sure to also identify how you will address elements of motivation for learners (Autonomy, Competence/Mastery, Relatedness/Purpose). Describe which Instructional Look Fors could be used to “measure” progress toward customization with the previously mentioned elements. Also, what structures does your building/district need to change for each element to be successful? Incorporate learnings from the readings in this class and how they contribute to this plan. Seven to ten pages – label it AltFinal and be sure to include your name in the name of the file.