Last evening we had a nice informative and interactive presentation on spiral teaching and curriculum. Preet and Neet introduced us to Jerome Bruner and explained his tremendous impact on education as a whole. Bruner was a very important figure in what the education world terms the “cognitive revolution’. One of the most important points that was brought up and discussed in this idea of spiral curriculum is readiness for learning. I believe that this is a key facet of Bruner’s ideas and theory regarding education and curriculum development. Bruner argued that often times we as teachers and schools waste so much time postponing the teaching of very important concepts or ideas because we feel they may be too difficult for our students. This is one of the major ideas of spiral curriculum. We need to be daring enough to introduce the basic concepts and foundational skills naturally expecting that some students will get it and some may not, but through spiral teaching and curriculum planning we will continually revisit the basic foundational ideas each year and build on them therefore constantly reinforcing the basic while adding more and more structure and meat so to speak as we move on through consecutive years. I feel very strongly that this is extremely important and essential to help successful learning take place. There is so much more we could say about this topic, but it would take books to cover it all. Thank you Neet and Preet for the presentation, and thank you Dr. Andy for the helpful and constructive feedback for all of us.
1. We simply cannot assume that all students are not ready for a certain topic or concept. We need to introduce the basics early and continually revisit them from year to year as we build upon them throughout the years. This directly impacts our curriculum planning and structure.
2. We can’t just focus on rote memorization of facts and figures so to speak. We need to as Bruner put it focus on the teaching and learning of structure. Students need to be able to relate to the curriculum and the way it is taught so they see and experience its impact on the real world especially their world. This again greatly impacts our curriculum planning and strategies for delivering that curriculum.
3. I could say so much about Bruner and his spiral curriculum but I also feel that Dr. Andy’s feedback was very helpful and directly related in many ways to what Neet and Preet shared with us. I would like to share some of those things. First we need to provide opportunities for feedback, discussion, and digestion. We need smooth transitions from one activity to another. We need to be careful about our questioning strategies. We need to be careful that our questions set people up for success. Props or manipulatives should match the activity and relate to the topic. These are some of the suggestions made that apply to both our presentations and to our teaching in our classrooms.
If you look at David's reflection above, which is very insightful, by the way(!) you will notice it is broken up into two portions. Be alert to the fact that if you are doing a longer post, as David discovered, you may run into a limit on the size or number of characters allowed for a comment. So far this has not happened to me, so I am guessing it may be related to the computer interface being used, rather than any limitations with the blogging service. What I suggest, is that if you are doing a longer post, you may want to put it in word first, try it as a whole post, then -if it does not work- post two portions as David has above. Great work David, and thanks for pointing this out to me. Dr. Andy
This week we discussed about “Spiral Curriculum.” Basically spiral curriculum presents a wide range of topics to students each year with the hope that students will get the concept every time they are exposed. From Neet and Preet’s presentation I learned that readiness to learn is the key idea of a spiral curriculum. As David also mentioned in his reflection, school wasted a great deal of students’ time because they assume the topics are “too difficult” for them. Children are capable of learning more difficult concepts at a younger age than we expect. I was first introduced to a spiral curriculum in Math when I was student teaching. At first I was not convinced of the benefits of a spiral curriculum. The school district I was student teaching just implemented a new curriculum, and within a few weeks there were complaints from parents that the teachers moved on too fast before students got the idea. My supervising teacher had a hard time explaining to the parents that students would get it next time we spiraled around the topic. I also had a difficult time as a student teacher because I knew the students had not grasped the concept yet, and we moved on another topic. I thought there was only one way of teaching approach:_ we don’t move on to the next topic until we have mastered the prerequisites. However when I started my first year of teaching, I appreciate the idea of spiral curriculum as students are exposed to the same idea from different point of view over and over again. For example: for Math textbook, symmetry was introduced to Grade 1 students and the topic was introduced 4 different times through out the textbook; therefore students don’t need to wait until Grade 2 to learn about symmetry again. Some students who are “not ready” to learn the concept first time catch up with the topic next time we spiral around the same topic. Applications: 1) Visit the same topic in a variety of ways so that students learn and understand the concept from many different applications and be able to use in a real world situation. For example: We introduce the concept of symmetry in our first lesson. Next time we visit the topic we will talk about symmetry in nature. When we look at the topic next time, we will try to find the lines of symmetry in every day situations. 2) Spiral curriculums support the idea that children are processing at the different levels so make sure we use differentiation in our lessons. 3) All the teachers should sit down together and discuss about all the topics we teach when we do our curriculum mapping so the topics are continually renewed and challenged each year.
After getting feedback on my presentation today on 'Spiral Curriculum' I feel that I could have done alot more better but I guess due to nervousness and the fact about going in first to present do srew things up a little.
Me and Neet together had done quite alot of research and took the time to get into the topic and understanding it before we could present. The challenge as mentioned by Dr. Andy was with speed and time and also our use of the language. At times the transition of different topics and activities didnt go very well.
Another thing that Dr. Andy mentioned was about the negative statements made which could turn learners off. Also, at times, I had asked difficult application questions before making sure that the students / listeners understood the idea in question. By doing this, it turns off or de-motivate students / listeners.
Even though my presentation didnt go as well as expected, I still feel that most of the people in class did actually get what I was trying to convey to them. From the reflections above I feel quite satisfied and happy that it went well.
My 3 applications are based on the things I can improve in future. (AS I am not currently teaching) I hope to learn alot from my classmates.
1. I should prepare the resources or tools used during activities way before and see if works out or not.
2. I will try to make sure that I would minimize the use of negative statements during class. Even if I do, I would correct it right away.
3. Make my powerpoint presentation more interesting and catchy, by putting only keywords and not whole sentences on the slides.
Manpreet: If you have had a chance to check the e-mail, rubric, grading and feedback I sent you right after class, you will certainly discover that it is reflective of a decent effort and that the areas of strengh you mention are all in there. I also mentioned these strengths in class, though possibly you did not notice that, either. Further, I was clearly more generous with the grading than I will be with others, because this was a first effort, as you point out. I said I would take that into account, and I did. Please try to remember that you presented for only 45 minutes of a 90 minute presentation! I would also suggest that reflections are best used for learning related to content and processes rather than discussing grades and assesements, which should be a private matter between student and instructor. I am not comfortable answering your points, above, publicly, however since you have chosen to raise them in this manner, then I need to answer them likewise. Best Wishes, Dr. Andy
Dr Andy, I am really sorry to put this up as it has offended you but yes I did get a chance to check the e-mail, rubric, grading and feedback that you sent right after class. I am thankful that you were generous with the grading, and I totally understand it, because this was a first effort, as you point out. You said you would take that into account, and you did. I am really sorry for getting this up out here but I thought that if I could reflect on the feedback you had given would be good. but a good idea :( .
It seems I took it the wrong way, Manpreet, and it appears also that an apology on my part is in order. I am sorry and I do appreciate you voicing your views and concerns openly. God Bless, Andy
Last Tuesday night we learned about one of the most effective teaching strategies called 'Spiral Curriculum' and how to design and use it. In order to implement spiral curriculum in our classroom, we have to ponder four major themes which are readiness, structure, sequence and motives. According to Jerome Bruner, we must not teach the subject for the only purpose of students' passing the exam but rather to get students to think, to relate with other matters in their surrounding and to take part in the process of knowledge-getting. Applications. 1. By using spiral curriculum, we should teach students the basic ideas of subject matters repeatedly until they completely comprehend.
2. We, as teachers, need to teach subject matters not only for the purpose of students' academic success but also to enhance their cognitive development and critical thinking skill.
3. One thing that we. as teachers, should not forget is providing timely feedback and reinforcement after students' great performances or activities.
The modern style of curriculum by Bruner that I learned last week was interested because through this method, teachers help students love to study. Step by step to develop students’ understand, to guide students to gain what they are learning at higher and higher level, and this is the way that enhances students’ excitement of learning more deeper and deeper.
Their presentation not only gave me a chance to know that useful method, it also recalled what you have taught in the class. I convinced that the ability of students’ learning, knowing and understanding what teachers have taught and guided them very powerful. They said about the readiness, structure, sequence and motives, those were great and she mentioned the intrinsic. The intrinsic encourages students love to learn and strengthens teachers love to teach.
Then your feedback, Dr. Andy, explained more in detail and noted the positive and negative elements with specific examples such as: negative statements caused bad result, be aware of what you are talking and doing and the art of apology when you make mistakes or hurt students. Those are very meaningful lessons which I have learned from my Professor and classmates.
Application:
1.Enactive, iconic and symbol using brings abundant outcome. I am applying to warm-up students and to lead them go forward to gain knowledge.
2.To give students various chances to improve their knowledge with the help and my careful guidance.
Last Tuesday I listened with great interest as Manpreet and Neet not only explained the spiral curriculum, but also gave great applications how it can be used. I had no prior knowledge of the theory so it was really useful so thank you. Last week I said how I feel frustrated teaching the same material however by using the spiral curriculum approach I will be able to ensure more students understand each time round and teach a deeper knowledge. With the knowledge Manpreet and Neet gave us I'm sure many of us are motivated to do our own research on the spiral curriculum.
My applications are: 1. To be a better learner. My failure to investigate what a spiral curriculum was before the presentation did hinder my learning possibilities. I’m looking forward to Gaye’s & Micah’s presentation on Creativity in curriculum and I intend to look for ideas on the web for myself before Tuesday.
2. I loved the effectiveness of the Lego activity. Had Manpreet just asked me to find x I wouldn’t have been able to follow her. The Lego was an effective activity because I felt my brain change gears and I was less daunted by the task. I found it was great to ease the student as well as motivating them.
3.Dr. Andrew’s timing of feedback was very useful for all of us. Getting feedback while the activity is fresh in everybody’s minds meant it was relevant and insightful. If students work hard and present good work they deserve enforcement and recognition by the teacher which I feel Dr. Andrew did very well.
I am not familiar with different curricula since it is my first term that’s why I am very enthusiastic about our Tuesday classes. Yesterday we began with our presentations; Manpreet and Neet were confident enough to be the first one jumping in the water. Thanks to them not only I’ve learned a great deal but also I am keen on reading more on the topic. Spiral curriculum; to my understanding is a terrific tool for so many different types of learners; the idea of revisiting every now and again a subject in more depth is interesting. In a traditional approach students might think it is time to learn this subject now and we can forget it later. With the spiral approach, and if the introduction is well done, students will recall prior knowledge and that will enable a better organisation of the old and new information.
Applications 1)Having a good and clear view of the topics that will be taught using the spiral curriculum to break them down into several lessons. Communication with other teachers is very important. 2)Great idea to have us, students teaching different topics; Dr. Andy could have done that but having other learners presenting is more beneficial for me. Different people with different techniques. 3)I agree with Ben that the Lego activity was a great idea. I am not that good at algebra and it is not easy to gain my attention on the topic. Well they did ;o)
From the above comments, the interactive activity with the lego was a real winner, which is not really surprising, since it provided a concrete illustration of the ideas that was fun and engaging. It was a solid example of a good activity. Also, I commend to you the idea of reading ahead on the topic each week, as with Ben's suggestion. Good work with the reflections, keep it up, Dr. Andy
Here as another from Evan...
Hi everyone. Again, we learned a lot about "Spiral Curriculum", and I bet everyone would agree that it would help our students in a way that it will expose them to a wide variety of ideas in a circular pattern from topic to topic, like the examples in Math that Manpreet and Preet had in the class. I think that it will lessen the difficulty level of some students because of the connection it creates. Sometimes, we have some students who are not yet ready for a certain lesson, but with this spiral curriculum, there will be a chance for them to revisit the lesson once again. In addition,this is an advantage to both slow learners and fast learners. Slow learners will be given the chance to go back to the lesson and re-study it again, and for the fast learners, to experience confidence (increasing their self-esteem) and mastery of the lesson. Using spiral curriculum, a teacher can pair fast (strong) students with slow (weak) students, or even cooperative learning in the classroom. My applications: 1) I'll always stay positive in everything that I do in the classroom and focus on the readiness of the child to learn the subject matter. 2) As a student (graduate studies) and teacher, I will make use of the knowledge and opportunities that our professors are giving us. 3) Complex type of lessons will take longer time for the students to grasp,different process will take place. Building knowledge will not be an easy thing to do, I need to be keen on this. As a teacher, I must use examples which are simple enough for the students to digest and understand, it should also be interesting, and motivating.
The lesson of last week, we had the first presentation in that class.Ms.Manpreet and Neet showed a very interested course to us. They were make the class so fun and professional.They showed the PPT and i think they real made it intersted, and they found an example to inporve their viewpoint.And they let everyone to experiment by ourselves.I learned from the funny experiment a lot.Caused of i haven't many experiences of education and i konw have a lot of things to learn.But in my opinion,"spiral curriculum" is to build the knowledge gradual and make all of the knowledge contact,and make they to a round system. We are getting ready for our presentation too.So i think we can use many thing for their reference. Applications: 1.When we have the presentation we have to make the topic clear and professional.And at the came time don't forget make the fun in the class,and keep communication. 2.Looking and listening carefully to other classmate's presentation,because we can learn a lout of things for others. 3.I was think about the "Spiral curriculum", i think it means when we using the spiral curriculum,we must teach the student basic knowledge first,and help them to build a whole system.
Hi All, looking forward to seeing you in class, here is Chie's reflection, take care, Dr. Andy...
Reflection 3 From the presentation by Neet and Preet, I found the idea of the spiral curriculum quite useful and essential for teachers and others who are involved in curriculum development. It is really important to revisit the basic ideas repeatedly so that students can build knowledge upon the prior knowledge and that they can learn more in depth toward the mastery of the knowledge. I did not know about the spiral curriculum before, and I found the presentation quite interesting. Thanks, Neet and Preet. I learned a lot from your presentation
3 applications 1) When using the spiral curriculum, I would like to make sure materials I am presenting and my instructions match my students’ cognitive abilities and developmental level. As shown in the presentation, students’ learning modes moves from enactive, iconic, to symbolic. In the spiral curriculum, the same concept will be revisited, but I do need to make sure the way I teach is different and suitable for each level of students. Also, the topic should be taught more in depth and in a creative way to interest students each time. 2) In the spiral curriculum, a teacher becomes a facilitator of student learning. I would like to make sure that my students have an active role in their own learning. I will try to interact with each student providing feedback and help them reflect on their own learning. 3) I also need to consider students’ readiness for learning. I have to be careful not to think “this is too difficult for them. ” Even if my students’ level of Japanese is at the beginner level, they may be able to learn the difficult material If I change the way I teach. Also, challenging concepts should be revisited repeatedly. For example, I found honorific forms of Japanese language (which are introduced in the 2nd year) need to be revisited again and again in 3rd and 4th year for my students to really understand the idea and concept and be able to properly use them.
Reflection #4 When we choose the topic spiral curriculum for our presentation we had no clue what it meant. However, after researching and a few readings the concept was easy to understand and convey, the application however needed a little more work. Spiral curriculum is great for mathematics teachers but can also be applied for other areas. I really appreciate the quick feedback from dr.andy regarding our presentation :)
- I would always try to use appropriate activites to grab student's attention and increase their motivation. Thanks to ben and oliveir for the positive feedback regarding Lego activity. - I would not assume my student's wouldnt be able to understand a topic instead i would slowly give them information to prepare them for later. Spiral curriculum has indeed changed my point of view regarding student's readiness. - I get really nervous when it comes to presentations, i hope to improve on this and i will try to put in more effort before each presenation.
The real of the spiral teaching is using the class to be a lab for teaching and training the students’ thinking, it meaning teacher should change the traditional teaching to be a activity learning. In fact, it is a new way to promote interaction between teachers and students happening “resonance”. Teaching process should be spiral. With this kind of teaching,teacher must study the book carefully first. Because teacher should know how to give students the question, how ti solve the question, and how many kind of methods to solve the question. When it comes to be the content, important concepts and methods should appear at various levels in the class, repeatedly. The spiral teaching is a new way. It will never separate the exercise class from the traditional teaching class. The new class includes the teaching, excising and discussing. Students will get the exercise or discussing topic at any time. The process is ： Teaching--giving examples—asking the stimulating questions—doing the excise—discussing—giving the summary—doing the exam--reflection We should pay our attentions to the stimulating questions. It would make most of students be mistaking with their habitual thinking. At that time, teacher should lead students to come back to the definition. ^_^ I have so much to say, but I have no more chance. I hope everybody like my work.
Last evening we had a nice informative and interactive presentation on spiral teaching and curriculum. Preet and Neet introduced us to Jerome Bruner and explained his tremendous impact on education as a whole. Bruner was a very important figure in what the education world terms the “cognitive revolution’. One of the most important points that was brought up and discussed in this idea of spiral curriculum is readiness for learning. I believe that this is a key facet of Bruner’s ideas and theory regarding education and curriculum development. Bruner argued that often times we as teachers and schools waste so much time postponing the teaching of very important concepts or ideas because we feel they may be too difficult for our students. This is one of the major ideas of spiral curriculum. We need to be daring enough to introduce the basic concepts and foundational skills naturally expecting that some students will get it and some may not, but through spiral teaching and curriculum planning we will continually revisit the basic foundational ideas each year and build on them therefore constantly reinforcing the basic while adding more and more structure and meat so to speak as we move on through consecutive years. I feel very strongly that this is extremely important and essential to help successful learning take place. There is so much more we could say about this topic, but it would take books to cover it all. Thank you Neet and Preet for the presentation, and thank you Dr. Andy for the helpful and constructive feedback for all of us.
ReplyDeleteDavid Maksel Part I
Application: Part II
ReplyDelete1. We simply cannot assume that all students are not ready for a certain topic or concept. We need to introduce the basics early and continually revisit them from year to year as we build upon them throughout the years. This directly impacts our curriculum planning and structure.
2. We can’t just focus on rote memorization of facts and figures so to speak. We need to as Bruner put it focus on the teaching and learning of structure. Students need to be able to relate to the curriculum and the way it is taught so they see and experience its impact on the real world especially their world. This again greatly impacts our curriculum planning and strategies for delivering that curriculum.
3. I could say so much about Bruner and his spiral curriculum but I also feel that Dr. Andy’s feedback was very helpful and directly related in many ways to what Neet and Preet shared with us. I would like to share some of those things. First we need to provide opportunities for feedback, discussion, and digestion. We need smooth transitions from one activity to another. We need to be careful about our questioning strategies. We need to be careful that our questions set people up for success. Props or manipulatives should match the activity and relate to the topic. These are some of the suggestions made that apply to both our presentations and to our teaching in our classrooms.
Thanks everyone.
David Maksel
If you look at David's reflection above, which is very insightful, by the way(!) you will notice it is broken up into two portions. Be alert to the fact that if you are doing a longer post, as David discovered, you may run into a limit on the size or number of characters allowed for a comment. So far this has not happened to me, so I am guessing it may be related to the computer interface being used, rather than any limitations with the blogging service. What I suggest, is that if you are doing a longer post, you may want to put it in word first, try it as a whole post, then -if it does not work- post two portions as David has above. Great work David, and thanks for pointing this out to me. Dr. Andy
ReplyDeleteThis week we discussed about “Spiral Curriculum.” Basically spiral curriculum presents a wide range of topics to students each year with the hope that students will get the concept every time they are exposed. From Neet and Preet’s presentation I learned that readiness to learn is the key idea of a spiral curriculum. As David also mentioned in his reflection, school wasted a great deal of students’ time because they assume the topics are “too difficult” for them. Children are capable of learning more difficult concepts at a younger age than we expect.
ReplyDeleteI was first introduced to a spiral curriculum in Math when I was student teaching. At first I was not convinced of the benefits of a spiral curriculum. The school district I was student teaching just implemented a new curriculum, and within a few weeks there were complaints from parents that the teachers moved on too fast before students got the idea. My supervising teacher had a hard time explaining to the parents that students would get it next time we spiraled around the topic. I also had a difficult time as a student teacher because I knew the students had not grasped the concept yet, and we moved on another topic. I thought there was only one way of teaching approach:_ we don’t move on to the next topic until we have mastered the prerequisites.
However when I started my first year of teaching, I appreciate the idea of spiral curriculum as students are exposed to the same idea from different point of view over and over again. For example: for Math textbook, symmetry was introduced to Grade 1 students and the topic was introduced 4 different times through out the textbook; therefore students don’t need to wait until Grade 2 to learn about symmetry again. Some students who are “not ready” to learn the concept first time catch up with the topic next time we spiral around the same topic.
Applications:
1) Visit the same topic in a variety of ways so that students learn and understand the concept from many different applications and be able to use in a real world situation. For example: We introduce the concept of symmetry in our first lesson. Next time we visit the topic we will talk about symmetry in nature. When we look at the topic next time, we will try to find the lines of symmetry in every day situations.
2) Spiral curriculums support the idea that children are processing at the different levels so make sure we use differentiation in our lessons.
3) All the teachers should sit down together and discuss about all the topics we teach when we do our curriculum mapping so the topics are continually renewed and challenged each year.
Zarni Lwin
Reflection No. 4.
ReplyDeleteAfter getting feedback on my presentation today on 'Spiral Curriculum' I feel that I could have done alot more better but I guess due to nervousness and the fact about going in first to present do srew things up a little.
Me and Neet together had done quite alot of research and took the time to get into the topic and understanding it before we could present. The challenge as mentioned by Dr. Andy was with speed and time and also our use of the language. At times the transition of different topics and activities didnt go very well.
Another thing that Dr. Andy mentioned was about the negative statements made which could turn learners off. Also, at times, I had asked difficult application questions before making sure that the students / listeners understood the idea in question. By doing this, it turns off or de-motivate students / listeners.
Even though my presentation didnt go as well as expected, I still feel that most of the people in class did actually get what I was trying to convey to them. From the reflections above I feel quite satisfied and happy that it went well.
My 3 applications are based on the things I can improve in future. (AS I am not currently teaching) I hope to learn alot from my classmates.
1. I should prepare the resources or tools used during activities way before and see if works out or not.
2. I will try to make sure that I would minimize the use of negative statements during class. Even if I do, I would correct it right away.
3. Make my powerpoint presentation more interesting and catchy, by putting only keywords and not whole sentences on the slides.
Manpreet Singhrakthai
Manpreet: If you have had a chance to check the e-mail, rubric, grading and feedback I sent you right after class, you will certainly discover that it is reflective of a decent effort and that the areas of strengh you mention are all in there. I also mentioned these strengths in class, though possibly you did not notice that, either. Further, I was clearly more generous with the grading than I will be with others, because this was a first effort, as you point out. I said I would take that into account, and I did. Please try to remember that you presented for only 45 minutes of a 90 minute presentation! I would also suggest that reflections are best used for learning related to content and processes rather than discussing grades and assesements, which should be a private matter between student and instructor. I am not comfortable answering your points, above, publicly, however since you have chosen to raise them in this manner, then I need to answer them likewise. Best Wishes, Dr. Andy
ReplyDeleteDr Andy, I am really sorry to put this up as it has offended you but yes I did get a chance to check the e-mail, rubric, grading and feedback that you sent right after class. I am thankful that you were generous with the grading, and I totally understand it, because this was a first effort, as you point out. You said you would take that into account, and you did. I am really sorry for getting this up out here but I thought that if I could reflect on the feedback you had given would be good. but a good idea :( .
ReplyDeleteIt seems I took it the wrong way, Manpreet, and it appears also that an apology on my part is in order. I am sorry and I do appreciate you voicing your views and concerns openly. God Bless, Andy
ReplyDeleteLast Tuesday night we learned about one of the most effective teaching strategies called 'Spiral Curriculum' and how to design and use it. In order to implement spiral curriculum in our classroom, we have to ponder four major themes which are readiness, structure, sequence and motives. According to Jerome Bruner, we must not teach the subject for the only purpose of students' passing the exam but rather to get students to think, to relate with other matters in their surrounding and to take part in the process of knowledge-getting.
ReplyDeleteApplications.
1. By using spiral curriculum, we should teach students the basic ideas of subject matters repeatedly until they completely comprehend.
2. We, as teachers, need to teach subject matters not only for the purpose of students' academic success but also to enhance their cognitive development and critical thinking skill.
3. One thing that we. as teachers, should not forget is providing timely feedback and reinforcement after students' great performances or activities.
Dear Dr. Andy
ReplyDeleteThe modern style of curriculum by Bruner that I learned last week was interested because through this method, teachers help students love to study. Step by step to develop students’ understand, to guide students to gain what they are learning at higher and higher level, and this is the way that enhances students’ excitement of learning more deeper and deeper.
Their presentation not only gave me a chance to know that useful method, it also recalled what you have taught in the class. I convinced that the ability of students’ learning, knowing and understanding what teachers have taught and guided them very powerful. They said about the readiness, structure, sequence and motives, those were great and she mentioned the intrinsic. The intrinsic encourages students love to learn and strengthens teachers love to teach.
Then your feedback, Dr. Andy, explained more in detail and noted the positive and negative elements with specific examples such as: negative statements caused bad result, be aware of what you are talking and doing and the art of apology when you make mistakes or hurt students. Those are very meaningful lessons which I have learned from my Professor and classmates.
Application:
1.Enactive, iconic and symbol using brings abundant outcome. I am applying to warm-up students and to lead them go forward to gain knowledge.
2.To give students various chances to improve their knowledge with the help and my careful guidance.
Thank so much for your reading,
VU DO ANH KHOA
Last Tuesday I listened with great interest as Manpreet and Neet not only explained the spiral curriculum, but also gave great applications how it can be used. I had no prior knowledge of the theory so it was really useful so thank you. Last week I said how I feel frustrated teaching the same material however by using the spiral curriculum approach I will be able to ensure more students understand each time round and teach a deeper knowledge. With the knowledge Manpreet and Neet gave us I'm sure many of us are motivated to do our own research on the spiral curriculum.
ReplyDeleteMy applications are:
1. To be a better learner. My failure to investigate what a spiral curriculum was before the presentation did hinder my learning possibilities. I’m looking forward to Gaye’s & Micah’s presentation on Creativity in curriculum and I intend to look for ideas on the web for myself before Tuesday.
2. I loved the effectiveness of the Lego activity. Had Manpreet just asked me to find x I wouldn’t have been able to follow her. The Lego was an effective activity because I felt my brain change gears and I was less daunted by the task. I found it was great to ease the student as well as motivating them.
3.Dr. Andrew’s timing of feedback was very useful for all of us. Getting feedback while the activity is fresh in everybody’s minds meant it was relevant and insightful. If students work hard and present good work they deserve enforcement and recognition by the teacher which I feel Dr. Andrew did very well.
Thanks Ben
I am not familiar with different curricula since it is my first term that’s why I am very enthusiastic about our Tuesday classes. Yesterday we began with our presentations; Manpreet and Neet were confident enough to be the first one jumping in the water. Thanks to them not only I’ve learned a great deal but also I am keen on reading more on the topic.
ReplyDeleteSpiral curriculum; to my understanding is a terrific tool for so many different types of learners; the idea of revisiting every now and again a subject in more depth is interesting. In a traditional approach students might think it is time to learn this subject now and we can forget it later. With the spiral approach, and if the introduction is well done, students will recall prior knowledge and that will enable a better organisation of the old and new information.
Applications
1)Having a good and clear view of the topics that will be taught using the spiral curriculum to break them down into several lessons. Communication with other teachers is very important.
2)Great idea to have us, students teaching different topics; Dr. Andy could have done that but having other learners presenting is more beneficial for me. Different people with different techniques.
3)I agree with Ben that the Lego activity was a great idea. I am not that good at algebra and it is not easy to gain my attention on the topic. Well they did ;o)
Thanks Olivier
From the above comments, the interactive activity with the lego was a real winner, which is not really surprising, since it provided a concrete illustration of the ideas that was fun and engaging. It was a solid example of a good activity. Also, I commend to you the idea of reading ahead on the topic each week, as with Ben's suggestion. Good work with the reflections, keep it up, Dr. Andy
ReplyDeleteHere as another from Evan...
Hi everyone. Again, we learned a lot about "Spiral Curriculum", and I bet everyone would agree that it would help our students in a way that it will expose them to a wide variety of ideas in a circular pattern from topic to topic, like the examples in Math that Manpreet and Preet had in the class. I think that it will lessen the difficulty level of some students because of the connection it creates. Sometimes, we have some students who are not yet ready for a certain lesson, but with this spiral curriculum, there will be a chance for them to revisit the lesson once again. In addition,this is an advantage to both slow learners and fast learners. Slow learners will be given the chance to go back to the lesson and re-study it again, and for the fast learners, to experience confidence (increasing their self-esteem) and mastery of the lesson. Using spiral curriculum, a teacher can pair fast (strong) students with slow (weak) students, or even cooperative learning in the classroom.
My applications:
1) I'll always stay positive in everything that I do in the classroom and focus on the readiness of the child to learn the subject matter.
2) As a student (graduate studies) and teacher, I will make use of the knowledge and opportunities that our professors are giving us.
3) Complex type of lessons will take longer time for the students to grasp,different process will take place. Building knowledge will not be an easy thing to do, I need to be keen on this. As a teacher, I must use examples which are simple enough for the students to digest and understand, it should also be interesting, and motivating.
Thanks,
Evan
The lesson of last week, we had the first presentation in that class.Ms.Manpreet and Neet showed a very interested course to us. They were make the class so fun and professional.They showed the PPT and i think they real made it intersted, and they found an example to inporve their viewpoint.And they let everyone to experiment by ourselves.I learned from the funny experiment a lot.Caused of i haven't many experiences of education and i konw have a lot of things to learn.But in my opinion,"spiral curriculum" is to build the knowledge gradual and make all of the knowledge contact,and make they to a round system.
ReplyDeleteWe are getting ready for our presentation too.So i think we can use many thing for their reference.
Applications:
1.When we have the presentation we have to make the topic clear and professional.And at the came time don't forget make the fun in the class,and keep communication.
2.Looking and listening carefully to other classmate's presentation,because we can learn a lout of things for others.
3.I was think about the "Spiral curriculum", i think it means when we using the spiral curriculum,we must teach the student basic knowledge first,and help them to build a whole system.
Hi All, looking forward to seeing you in class, here is Chie's reflection, take care, Dr. Andy...
ReplyDeleteReflection 3
From the presentation by Neet and Preet, I found the idea of the spiral curriculum quite useful and essential for teachers and others who are involved in curriculum development. It is really important to revisit the basic ideas repeatedly so that students can build knowledge upon the prior knowledge and that they can learn more in depth toward the mastery of the knowledge. I did not know about the spiral curriculum before, and I found the presentation quite interesting. Thanks, Neet and Preet. I learned a lot from your presentation
3 applications
1) When using the spiral curriculum, I would like to make sure materials I am presenting and my instructions match my students’ cognitive abilities and developmental level. As shown in the presentation, students’ learning modes moves from enactive, iconic, to symbolic. In the spiral curriculum, the same concept will be revisited, but I do need to make sure the way I teach is different and suitable for each level of students. Also, the topic should be taught more in depth and in a creative way to interest students each time.
2) In the spiral curriculum, a teacher becomes a facilitator of student learning. I would like to make sure that my students have an active role in their own learning. I will try to interact with each student providing feedback and help them reflect on their own learning.
3) I also need to consider students’ readiness for learning. I have to be careful not to think “this is too difficult for them. ” Even if my students’ level of Japanese is at the beginner level, they may be able to learn the difficult material If I change the way I teach. Also, challenging concepts should be revisited repeatedly. For example, I found honorific forms of Japanese language (which are introduced in the 2nd year) need to be revisited again and again in 3rd and 4th year for my students to really understand the idea and concept and be able to properly use them.
Thank you,
Chie Katsuda
Reflection #4
ReplyDeleteWhen we choose the topic spiral curriculum for our presentation we had no clue what it meant. However, after researching and a few readings the concept was easy to understand and convey, the application however needed a little more work. Spiral curriculum is great for mathematics teachers but can also be applied for other areas.
I really appreciate the quick feedback from dr.andy regarding our presentation :)
- I would always try to use appropriate activites to grab student's attention and increase their motivation. Thanks to ben and oliveir for the positive feedback regarding Lego activity.
- I would not assume my student's wouldnt be able to understand a topic instead i would slowly give them information to prepare them for later. Spiral curriculum has indeed changed my point of view regarding student's readiness.
- I get really nervous when it comes to presentations, i hope to improve on this and i will try to put in more effort before each presenation.
Navnita Charucharoen
From ChiWei...
ReplyDeleteThe real of the spiral teaching is using the class to be a lab for teaching and training the students’ thinking, it meaning teacher should change the traditional teaching to be a activity learning. In fact, it is a new way to promote interaction between teachers and students happening “resonance”. Teaching process should be spiral.
With this kind of teaching,teacher must study the book carefully first. Because teacher should know how to give students the question, how ti solve the question, and how many kind of methods to solve the question.
When it comes to be the content, important concepts and methods should appear at various levels in the class, repeatedly. The spiral teaching is a new way. It will never separate the exercise class from the traditional teaching class. The new class includes the teaching, excising and discussing. Students will get the exercise or discussing topic at any time. The process is ：
Teaching--giving examples—asking the stimulating questions—doing the excise—discussing—giving the summary—doing the exam--reflection
We should pay our attentions to the stimulating questions. It would make most of students be mistaking with their habitual thinking. At that time, teacher should lead students to come back to the definition.
^_^
I have so much to say, but I have no more chance. I hope everybody like my work.