PLE #6 Ch 7

In order for my students to fully master the content of my lesson, which is Vocabulary, they will need to do more than just memorize the definitions. This will not stay in their long term memory and they won't learn how to use the words in sentences. So, I will need to give the students activities that require them to dig deeper and to see the meanings of the words, how they are used, and when they are used.

I will provide my students with newspapers and magazines that contain these words. They will have to search for the words and will see how the words are used in real life and why they are important to know and recognize. They will cut out what they find, such as the words themselves, picture, synonyms, etc. and glue them on a poster board. This is an example of students individually constructing their ideas. When they are finished, each student will present their poster to the class so everyone can see how the words have been used. The students will also have to use their own words when discussing vocabulary words, and this helps them stay away from rote memorization.

Another activity my students will do is charades. This is a fun, interactive game that will allow me to see if my students really understand the meanings of the words. The students will be entertained and will not even know they are learning what the words mean. This is an example of group construction because they are coming up with their own ways to describe/act out the words and their peers have to guess what the word is.

Making learning active and based on the real world will help the students fully understand the meanings of the vocabulary words. They will come up with their own ways to describe their words, and will be able to remember the words better because of this.


You can explore this website to see more ways to use constructivism in the classroom.

PLE Ch 6

 How might your knowledge of the memory processes guide your instructional decisions?

Knowing how the mind works when it comes to memory processes is very important when it comes to my instructional decisions. If students make a connection with existing knowledge or with a variety of contexts, he/she will understand and remember. For example, when teaching a concept in math, it would be wise to relate it to a previously learned concept. When teaching multiplication, if we are learning: 3x4=12, then I would write on the board: 3+3+3+3=12 so they can see it in a way they already know.
When teaching history, having students relate current events to past events will help them make the concept more concrete. It can be hard for them to understand something that happened centuries ago, so making it more present can help. Also, personal relationships to subjects studied can help them remember and learn. An example from class was to relate Romeo and Juliet to their own life experiences, such as disagreeing with parents or wanting to do something that is not allowed.


To prevent information from decaying, it is important to post vocabulary words and math concepts on the wall in my classroom so students can see these words everyday. I will want to refer to these words/concepts as often as possible and will connect them to new ideas so the information won't weaken in their minds.

If students are emotionally involved with their learning, they are more likely to remember it. If we are learning about something sad, like the Holocaust or Pearl Harbor, they will be able to recall more. If there is a sense of excitement with a new concept, students will be involved and want to learn. If an activity is engaging and fun, students will be unlikely to forget what they learned.

This blog has some tips and ideas from a teacher on how to get your students engaged so they can remember more.

PLE Chapter 6

What are the essential skills and/or learning outcomes you want your students to know and be able to do that relate to cognitive learning? 

In my classroom, I want my students to be able to think about subject matter in ways that will help them remember. Asking them to provide examples allows each child to come up with their own example, and this will help them remember. I also want my students to be able to pick out the most important things to learn and to understand why they are important. Obviously, a student cannot remember everything he/she reads or hears, so picking out important things is important. I could give them guiding questions when they read a story so they can see what kind of questions will help them find the main ideas. Eventually, I want my students to be able to come up with their own questions.

Students need to make sense of the concepts I am teaching. Relating such concepts to their experience will help them make more sense of it. Having group discussions allows for the students to discuss and express their ideas/experiences. They will also learn a lot from each other. 

I want my students to recognize their attention span and to realize when they are zoning out. This is difficult to do, but it is important for the learner to commit as much time as possible to a concept in order to learn it. I want my students to be able to catch themselves when they get off task and be able to get back on task. 

Last, I want students to come to conclusions on their own. I don't want to teach at them; I want to teach with them. If I force ideas on them and make them spit back certain answers, they will not learn. They need to construct ideas in their head and come up with solutions on their own. They will be able to do this throughout their lives and will be able to learn a great deal more. 

This is a video of a professor from the University of Sydney talking about deep learning and how if we throw too much information at students they won't learn it. It's not the most exciting video because it's a video of one of his lectures, but if you listen to what he says you will learn a lot for your classroom! :)
Deep Learning

PLE #4: Ch 14: Assessment

In the 4th grade class I am observing in Elementary Education 351, the students are learning about using context clues in stories to figure out the meaning of an unknown word. They are also learning about comparing and contrasting.
I would begin the lesson by perhaps giving a pretest involving context clues to see if students know how to use them. I would also have them list similarities and differences of two animals, such as a cow and a horse. This way I know where to begin with my lesson.

Throughout the unit, I would use informal assessments, such as observations of who is participating and who seems distracted. I would randomly call on students so I can see if they are understanding how to use context clues and similarities/differences. This is a simple way to evaluate who needs help and who understands.

I believe working in small groups is very effective. I would assign the students to read certain passages together and to come up with definitions of certain unfamiliar words. I can go to each group for a few minutes and have discussions about the passage and see how they are doing. Afterwards, we can come back as a class and discuss the meanings of the unknown words and how we used clues to figure them out.

Creating visuals was always important to me when I was in school, so I will try to implement this in my classroom. I would have each student create a Venn diagram to compare two objects. In the 4th grade classroom I visited today, they were learning about creatures that live in tide pools. So for this example, I would have students compare and contrast two creatures that are found in tide pools.This way they can see how they are related and how they are different. I can use these visuals to assess who understands how to make Venn diagrams.

An end of the unit test is important so I can see who has mastered the lesson. I would create a test that does not require rote memorization, but rather requires my students to use the knowledge they have gained in the lesson and apply it. This end of the unit test will allow me to see who is ready to move on and who still needs to work on the material.

This is a link to a website called Teacher Vision. It contains sources and links to other websites that have tips for students on study skills and how to prepare for a test. This would be a good idea to look at and create a tip sheet for your students (kind of like what Sarah and Colbi did in class on Tuesday.)