I appreciated all of your sound efforts tonight as we examined some of the holistic approaches to teaching that we can use to improve learning. Please post reflections here. Thanks! Dr. Andy
Last night’s main focus was on holistic approaches in teaching. It was once again very interesting and I particularly enjoyed the discussion on Dr. Virginia Rojas’ 10 myths of language study. We are teaching at various types of schools, while our general views are roughly the same our conclusions may differ.
With holistic approaches there are a lot of factors to consider; the learner is seen as a whole with his emotions and how he interacts with society; therefore the teaching techniques are wide. Dr. Andy presented a few; understanding learning, thematic teaching, curriculum mapping, team teaching and instruction to fit student; here are my applications;
1) On the 10 myths of language study; a few of the myths/facts are comforting to me in the way my wife and I are educating our young child. To some extent I can use this in my teachings (speeding up the learning process, classes with different language abilities…etc).
2) Instruction to fit the student; I will apply this more in my computer classes by choosing themes representing Thai culture; I have found that Thai students are very attached to their traditions.
3) Curriculum mapping; I have never done this but the example brought up yesterday with regards to Dr. Jesus Chavez research demonstrated how powerful this technique is and I should give it a try.
Last night class was about holistic approaches. The myth and truth we discussed in class was very interesting. Our group discussed about wheather or not we should seperate students with different language abilities. Our group agreed to keep different abilities student in the same classroom, as they can help each other. Peer learning is very important in classroom as the weaker students can learn from the more advanced students and the brighter students within that specific class and build their confidence by teaching their fellow peers.
- The myths and truth discussion in class involved all students participation and i would use there discussion in classrooms so that all students can share their ideas with each other. - Another interesting topic we discussed in class was to fit instuction according to students. It is always good to adapt to the environments and learn our students culture and respect them. - I would also try to incorporate the Thematic approach to teaching in my classroom whenever it is possible with the cooperation with other teachers.
What I took home from last night's discussion was the thing about the 10 myths of second language learning. I team teach English to K3 and K4 students in a Japanese kindergarten and the teachers there get comments all the time like this, "My son's been going to your school for a year, how come he cannot speak English yet?" or "Why did you move my daughter to the class where all the new students are? Won't his English skills decline?". What I think parents who make those kinds of comments fail to understand is that their kids have different levels of learning PLUS their kids speak Japanese as their first language. To add to that, parents have also asked me, "When I speak English to my son, he tells me, 'Mommy DON'T speak english! I think he cannot speak english." Which last nights discussion really hit home, because parents also have to consider that it's weird if your mom all of a sudden speaks to you in a language that you're not used to hearing from them. Personally, I have experienced the reverse. My mom is Filipina and my dad is a Singaporean chinese to each other they spoke english as they did to me. The never spoke to me in their mother tongues while I was growing up and even now. Everytime my mom speaks to me in Tagalog, its weird and I don't udnerstand it. Now I can start to make out what people might be saying in Tagalog, but honestly I have no idea. So enough rant.
What I'm trying to say is parents and teachers have to consider the students learning levels when it concerns their education. We have to approach them holistically with their levels in account, in other words we have to think about our student as a whole person with thoughts, feelings, strengths, and weaknesses. My application of this thought is as follows.
1. Consider the student's learning ability when instructing or helping a student.
2. Help parents understand their child's learning ability and progress by keeping contact with them.
3. Keep the 10 myths about learning a second language, maybe print it out and post it somewhere so I can remind myself about it. To at least keep in mind that there's so much more to learning than just the lesson.
Last night was very interesting as we talked about Holistic approaches in teaching. There are a lot of factors to consider in this approach; the learner is seen as a whole with various behaviors, therefore there are a variety of teaching techniques. Last night Dr. Andy presented an activity on Dr. Virginia Rojas’ 10 myths of language study. Our group discussed on whether or not we should separate students with different language abilities. Our group agreed to keep different abilities student in the same classroom, as they can help each other and encourage weaker students to participate and grow.
3 Application:
1.Consider the student's learning ability before engaging them in different activities or classwork.
2. Incorporate the Thematic teaching, if I get the corporation of the fellow teachers and try to encourage it in my future lessons to be taught.
3. Instruction to fit the student;it will help students feel more comfortable as I adapt the lessons to the environment and not keep students wondering on what the other words and what do they mean.
Reflection #3 Dr. Andy started the class with discussing about Holistic approaches in teaching. One of the holistic approaches is thematic teaching, and it integrates all the different subjects (Math, Science, Social Studies, Language Arts, Music, and Art) with the exploration of a theme. I believe that thematic learning can help students connect what they are learning to the real world. We also discussed in the class the drawbacks of thematic units. I personally find that sometimes it is hard to get enough resources to cover every aspect of the topic. Some topics will be repetitive in different subject classes and some students may lose interest and might not participate because of low motivation.
Three applications: 1) Thematic instructions are often project-oriented so it will keep students engaged and create a learning environment in class. It is also a powerful tool for teaching a concept which can be “boring” to students. 2) We can also incorporate Multiple Intelligence concepts while planning the unit and lessons. For example: if the students can’t pay attention in science class, they will probably learn something in Art or Music class and since all the lessons are focused on the overall theme, students will eventually get something out of a thematic unit. 3) Instruction to fit the students: I need to design our instruction to the fit the student’s strengths and weakness, and their learning styles.
Great reflections, it is really useful to see where these ideas may apply personally, as both Micah and Olivier did (above). Solid job everybody! Dr. Andy
Hi everyone! Some key points in last week's lesson: -Holistic approach -Thematic teaching -cooperative teaching or cooperative learning, zigzag, jigsaw -big /small picture thing -overview of the upcoming presentation of students- basic knowledge -sometimes you don't need to go into detail because they don't necessarily fit -differentiating Instruction -Reviewing materials -Class discussion -Understanding learners- 4 ideas -Educators/Theorists/Psychologist- Piaget, Erickson,Bruner, etc. -motivational speaker: You can take those ideas and use them as a way to understand -Holistic program teachers -"Understanding learners is a lifelong journey" -ESLRs- Expected Schoolwide learning Results -Lifelong learners: inculcate-means get student take to themselves the ideas, not just when they're in school, at home, etc. Example: By Virginia Roxas -reaching and asking questions -Field of Psychology has thousand of ideas Example: Isaac Newton and the discovery of gravity "Sometimes, I feel like I'm playing in the sand (few grains or little pieces of pictures)- and then, there is this great ocean of truth" -adventure- that there's so much out there that we could pick up from -struggling students (last semester Foundation class- tried some of the ideas, some of them worked out -There are lots of pressures in Education ...But once you know the heart, you know the techniques Example:athletes- atheletes earn millions of dollars, like for example, Beacon- as soon as he put on his uniform and play, he will say to himself, "I'm going to be better". In teaching even if you're 95 years old, as long as you can stand and teach, you will still get better until the day you die. -Thematic Teaching: You use one theme and integrate it with different subjects (language, science, social studies, arts, etc.) -Curriculum mapping- Reminder: read it to make sense -Team teach (why?): specialist *Kids who are having trouble and struggling with the subject -In this aspect, teacher would be helping (co-teaching)to help the students (but it also depends on the cooperation of other teachers working with you) -Special needs (students):Students who are having learning disabilities Examples: *ADD- Attention Deficit Disorder (Example of which are students fidgeting around) *ADHD- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Characteristics (ADHD): Hyperactivity disorder, different brain chemistry, issues of dyslexia -many kinds of team teaching- what you can do is to organize your own and just do it. Example: One teacher is assigned to teach Religion and the other- Values Education -Why team teach?- It creates a better service to the students -In team teaching- look at each other's lesson plan and study it very carefully- to be sure (even teacher-made test and books have mistakes). -We have to adopt what you're doing -different "pacing" in teaching -differentiate your teaching techniques (you become stale if you don't, students get bored) -Group Activity (brainstorming-Myths and Truths by Virginia Torres) -we have thousand of rules -Dr. Andy gave examples before the presentation of each group Cheers, Evan
My Applications: As a teacher, I must know and understand my students, or the learners, to be able to reach out to their needs so that they would gain greater knowledge and take to themselves the ideas, not only at school but wherever they go. It's just like having something in their pocket all the time.In addition, I'll be attentive to those students whom I think are suffering from ADHD/ADD, etc (I truly believed that I have lots in my class).This is not an easy thing to do, but as a teacher,it is a commitment, it is our job to do everything we can, to help our students and be fair with everyone. Also,using different/varied instructions which fit the students (according to their level of understanding). It would be very useful to study and apply the theory that I am learning right now and take these ideas and use them to understand the learners. When it comes to applying rules in teaching language- There are thousands of them,I have nothing against them. People have different taste, likes, dislikes, and so forth, that is our nature, but I will choose those rules which would be beneficial to my students. I'm very interested with Thematic Teaching,but careful planning should be made, those concerned should cooperate, each one of the teachers should know what's going on in each other's classroom, just like mapping, they should be familiar with each other's curriculum.It would guide and inform them of what would be the concepts, objectives,even assignments given to the students , on how they will assess the students and work together as a team. By using this approach, my students will be more interested/motivated, they will remember and understand and learn the lesson faster, increase in class participation is also expected. According to Heidi Hayes Jacobs (Mapping the Big Picture), "Curriculum planning amplifies the possibilities for long-range planning, short term preparation, and clear communication",very true and very well said.
This week's class learned new knowledge about Holistic approaches:Learning for all students, knowledge that is accessible and success driven. The myth and truth we discussed in class was very interesting.Our group discussed about younger children are only better at pronunciation.Older childern are better at both vocabulary and grammer.We discuss it is correct or not.Some people disagree this opinion,and other people agree this opinion.Everyone sharing their idea. I really like the form of group discussions to learn new knowledge.Group discussion can let me know about the opinions of others,exchange views,to learn more updated knowledge.I think I can learn many different things from not only Dr. Andy but also the other classmates.
My Applications: 1.Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, even if you don't agree his point of view, also want to patient listen to his point of view.
2.Everything has two sides we need to use a different point of view to see things.
3.Group discussion will help us to imagination, to understand the views of different people, from the experience of others were inspired.
The class on holistic teaching was very interesting and I discovered that I had some misconceptions about the curriculum and how students learn. The results of Dr. Jesus Chavez curriculum mapping was very interesting because the results were the exact opposite of what I expected. I thought students were leaving high school because they were bored of learning topics they had already covered which appears to be the case for the students learning English at my school.
The three applications I took from the class are: 1. I have taught the grades 7 to 9 and the majority of the topics appear to be the same. At the end of the year I intend to map the English curriculum from grade 7 to 9 and where necessary remove any redundancy. While I appreciate some topics are required to be reviewed and taught in more depth much of what I 'taught' this year is identical to what the students have previously learnt. Some students are obviously less motivated when they already know what is being taught.
2. The myths and truth were very enlightening and I learnt a lot from each group's opinions on their myth. It was an effective activity and provided great feedback and I'll definitely try it with my students.
3. After listening to the advantages of thematic teaching I'm definitely going to try and use this technique with my students.
The topic “Holistic Approaches” was worthy of note. The discussions especially about understanding learning, with 10 myths and truths by Dr. Virginia Rojas, was very interesting and all the groups gave their enlightening views and opinions. Our group was assigned to reflect on the myth ‘that most mistakes are due to interference by the first language’ and the assumed truth ‘that only some mistakes, such as pronunciation, are due to interference by the first language’. Everybody in our group has agreed but only to some extent. Other mistakes which we have noted were sentence construction and direct translation of words, and each of us has encountered and experienced these with our students and non-native English speaking friends. Other sub-topics which were discussed, like thematic teaching, curriculum mapping, team teaching and instruction to fit students, were all valuable and helpful in improving teaching skills.
My applications are as follows. 1. Instruction to fit students - I will employ a variety of techniques to accommodate different backgrounds and learning styles of my students. I will do more research on this aspect to complement my existing teaching methods. 2. Curriculum mapping – I will initiate for the review of the current math curriculum in our school using this method. 3. Team teaching – We are already doing but only to some extent. There are some teachers, and I am one of those, who are teaching weak students during lunch breaks. We are doing this to help the students understand better the topics learned during their regular classes. Maybe, if we will have enough teacher complement, then we can actually do the real team teaching, where two teachers can do the teaching at the same time in one class.
In week three, we learned about holistic approaches and how is instruction approached holistically? According to Dr. Virginia Rojas, we can approach instruction holistically by understanding learning, thematic teaching, curriculum mapping, team teaching and instruction to fit students.we also discussed about the 10 myths of language study and it was really interesting. As Dr. Andy told us that curriculum mapping is very important because the purpose of the map is to reveal what is actually going on in the curriculum, so the design of the map should reflect such themes.
Applications. 1. As teachers, we should carefully design curriculum map in our school because students need us to know what's really going on in their daily classes and give credence to their great work from year to year.
2. As teachers, we should create team teaching in our classroom atmosphere because it is also one of the most effective teachings for slow students.
3. As effective teachers, we should delve into students background knowledge levels and apply the most appropriate instruction.
This weed we discussed about “Holistic approaches”, which includes: Understanding learning from Dr. Virginia Rojas’ 10 MYTHS OF LANGUAGE STUDY, Thematic Teaching, Curriculum Mapping, Team Teaching, and Instruction to fit Student. Again, 10 MYTHS OF LANGUAGE STUDY is a very interesting topic, and we have a very enthusiastic discussion in class. Of course most of us might face different situations which are quite different from Dr. Virginia Rojas’ theory, I must say Dr. Virginia Rojas’ theory may not a 100% truth, thus we have different opinions included the oppose opinions. I would like to share my experience: Taiwanese (is a dialect in Taiwan) and English Language Learning may bring different results according to the environment (includes school strategies) and parents’ cognition. Thus “It takes five years to become fully bilingual” may takes place depends on different situation.
My Applications are: 1.We have to setting learning objective and identify learning outcomes, and adjust duly by the assessment of students’ performance. 2.Environment and guide is very important, we better have a atmosphere to attract students for learning. 3.Group work is also a good way, students can share what they have learned and resupply with each other. In another hand, we can also put a well-learned student groups with a non-well-learned, so the well-learned student can reviews his or her study and teach the non-well-learned student at the same time.
Lots of different ideas here, very well written and thought out, also lots of potential for confusion, so if that's you, please ask! Evan, did we really cover all that?! Coya, yes, important to try and distinguish fact from opinion. Emil, good your group noticed, as did others, the limits to application of some of these ideas. Ben, I think what the Chavez study was focusing on was totally new material, not just repetition. So, if you are studying fractions then move into percentages, in math, for example, then that would not really be new because it is for the most part an extension. But if you go into a totally new area like algebra, then I think that is the type of material that would be considered 'new' in the Chavez study. However I don't know this for sure as I was not privy to the actual parameters of his study. Some of this will make more sense when we get into the material Neet and Preet are going to talk about with spiral curriculum. Cheers, Dr. Andy
Here's another great reflection, From Chie Katsuda:
Reflection 2 This week, we have learned and discussed holistic approaches in educational settings. There seems to be a number of ways in holistic teaching, and Dr. Andy presented us some useful ideas in holistic approaches. Thematic teaching, in which the same theme/topic is taught in different subjects over a period of time in order for students to make a connection among different subjects, is one of the ways in holistic teaching. By curriculum mapping, teachers can cooperate each other to understand the whole picture of how and what students learn at school. This will help improve the curriculum, and teachers and students will be able to teach and learn more efficiently and effectively. Team teaching also helps teachers meet each student needs and help those students who need more support in the class. Also, teachers can help each other to do lesson planning and share ideas to make a class better.
3 applications 1) Thematic teaching: For my students (Japanese major students at university), they study Japanese in most of the courses they take. However, I think still the idea of thematic teaching can be applied in my situation. For example, business writing and business conversation classes, we could teach the same topic. I can teach how to make a business appointment by email, and my colleague can teach how to make an appointment on the phone. Also composition class and reading class can present the same topic in the same week. 2) Curriculum mapping: I believe this is very helpful for teachers to really understand how students progress in our own curriculum. This mapping can be applied in university setting as well. At university, instructors are often concerned about the courses they are responsible for teaching, and they don’t really care about what students do in other courses. Even in our Japanese section, although we are all teaching Japanese, we don’t really openly discuss what we teach in different courses. I think mapping will be useful when we revise the curriculum every 5 years. 3) Team teaching: I have done team teaching before. There are lots of advantages, but I also found it sometimes difficult to find a common ground between teachers when assessing students. Nevertheless, I believe it is really helpful. I would like to try team teaching again in the research paper course. With a partner teacher, we could give more diverse advices on topics, divide the work, share materials prepared for classes, exchange opinions on student work, and help each other to make our class better.
It was so exciting and useful to step forward with the lesson 'Holistic approaches' that made me think so much about '10 myths of language study' because it offered me the variety of teaching ways. Sharing of my friends what they have experienced in real situations, coped with the difference of students, and practiced in their teaching given me a large view either teaching and understanding students with the help of '10 myths of language study'. Dr. Andy made more explanation such as: in your class there are some students don't understand, give more extra time to teach that group with many supporting material, students have a process of stimulate. Or, each one has talent so help students to find out what each one's talent is.
Through the lesson and Dr. Andy's presentation are the various ways to help students engage learning that a teacher can improve and apply to his or her career. Beside, on the process of teaching teachers find out the different styles of students but each one is unique. Teachers also help parents of students understand their child and ready cooperate with teachers in educating child.
My application: 1. To prepare each lesson with different presenting ways with the help of colleagues or based on my past experience.
2. Dr.Andy said: "learning is a long journey'. I help students step each step, day by day, and teach them how to learn, how to make a right question through each lesson in class, then even out class.
3. Spend more time to study and apply '10 myths of language study' to my teaching, because I either understand students and ask for help from their parents.
We have been introduced with many valuable methods, approaches, and ideas this week that would be very helpful to our teaching strategies. I am overwhelmed to see such many. I guess that will give us choices to tryout different ways that will best fit with the kinds of students we have in our environment. For example, once in awhile that I have an ADHD (Hyperactive disorder) students or special need students in my classes. With the knowledge that we've learned this week, it is very helpful for me to know how to handle when situation occur.
We've talked a lot about TEAM TEACHING, at least the last three weeks. At my school, teachers have many opportunities to do this regularly. I guess it become easier for them, not as impossible like we have discuss in class. As for me I don't get to do "team teaching" as often, but I do try to listen to what they're working on and applied to wherever I can. Recently, the value and the religion departments are planning to do "TEAM TEACHING" as we're preparing our grade 5 students to go out to the neighboring school to do Community Service. Our team of four, plan together and teach students according to the subject areas that we're good at (for example: drama, dance, arts and crafts...). Our students are also dividing up into teams of three to go into kindergarten classes to share as well. There are small groups as well as large group activities.
Yes, I believe that we are all "lifelong learner". There are a "great ocean of truth" that we can learn from each and everyday of our life, little by little like the grain of sand, will become a great castle. That's prove what Beacon's, the successful athlete believes that "I'm going to be better," in saying that he had already gone half the way to successful already.
My Applications: 1. I try to apply the "team teaching" as often as I could because I believe that I can always learn from others. Team teaching will help me reach the goal of "lifelong learner" better.
2. I am open to learn and try new methods and approaches that will benefit my work as a teacher and a learner.
3. I learn to be focus and be positive in what I do like Beacon. Building my good character little by little. If I know that I continue to persist to be better, I will reach my goal.
At last lesson,I learned a lot of the Education.The first thing is Dr. Andy make the class so fun,and we can understood many things in this fun.In my opinion,the important thing is make the education to be interested in the course of the education.And Dr. Andy give many examples for us. How about put the knowladge into the course and make it fun, i think i understand many things than before.The second thing is i understood how to be a humorous teacher like the Dr.Andy.I think to be a humorous teacher will very useful to education.But how to bring up the sense of humor i will learn from Dr.Andy in the after courses.
--I should do more practices and study hardly in this major,especially how to improve myself ability. --I should learn more and more professional knowledge and know how to put to use. --I should read many famous writting and imformations about the Curriculum and Instruction.
Last week's topic "Holistic Approaches" was basically covering the methods that can help us to look at the big picture in our teaching concept, rather than looking from a particular point of view.I personally think that this can be very helpful to improve our teaching or to see the points that needs to be changed and improved in our teaching system. Sometimes we,the teachers, are so much into our routine and concerned about specific issues that we may not be able to realize the actions to be taken as an overall result. So these holistic approaches helps us to look at the big picture and leads us to have an integrated and complemented work.
My Applications:
1)I already have co-teachers to work with me in my classes, but till now I must admit that I wasn't able to work with them effectively as a team. What I am planning now is to create a structure which will get them take care of the weaker students so that will enable me to teach in a faster pace as a whole class.
2)At least once a year, me and my colleagues can easily do a thematic unit. For example while I am teaching the topic "plants" in Science, English teacher can go through a story about plants and enrich their vocabulary, while the art teacher get them make model trees and etc.
3)Curriculum mapping is one of the best ways to see our educational system as a big picture and to have the chance to see the points that are not going in the right way. Of course it needs some time to spend on but the advantages of the outcomes make worth doing it. It gives all the information about the whole school's curriculum and provides valuable information especially for the new teachers.
The main focus of our week three class was holistic education and how we can apply holistic education through our instructional practices particularly our teaching strategies. In my mind holistic education has to do with the whole child and the entirety of their learning experiences inside and outside of school. We learned that holistic education must be education that motivates the child and stimulates our students to learn. It must be something our students can directly relate to and something that has an impact on real life experiences. Another words it must be real to our students. It must also be geared and tailored to meet the vast variety of learning needs of all of our students. This is of course never an easy task. We analyzed one great example by Dr. Virginia Rojas regarding language study and language acquisition and this very activity that we all participated in was actually a great exercise and practice in holistic teaching strategies as we all got directly involved in the learning process and therefore were all engaged as active learners.
Application:
1. We can team teach. This means getting teachers to plan together, teach together, and assess together. It is most certainly a holistic approach to teaching and has great benefits. It utilizes a wide variety of talents, differing personalities, and numerous strategies to reach the whole child cooperatively.
2. We need instruction that fits the students. This is instruction that meets at least some of the needs of every child in our classes. This is also holistic in nature. We must be careful not to teach too high or too low but learned that we must aim to reach the average child or middle level of our class so that everyone can get involved. Mixed ability group cooperative learning is a great strategy to use for this.
3. We can also introduce thematic teaching where different teachers of different subjects work together on a particular theme such as our solar system. The aim is to accommodate many individual interests and differing abilities and to create an atmosphere of teamwork and cooperation through activity-based, highly engaging, learning projects.
the 3week ,we talk about Holistic Approaches. there are many approaches were covered :understanding learning ;thematic teaching ;curriculum mapping ;team teaching ;instruction to fit students .The most interesting is the discussion of 10 myths of language study .I have some experience of Chinese language teaching at the Chinese language institute .learners are different age ,different educated background in same classroom ,different profession .There are primary students ,secondary students ,factory works ,teachers ,company managers ,mother ..etc .mostly ,at the basic level , students’ and language teacher’s pronunciation better than other profession learner .because students also learn Thai and English language at their school. They can grasp the pronunciation rule fast .Other point is older people are afraid make mistake more than younger people ,they don’t like read loudly ,but younger people they do . When they rise to intermediate level class ,there are more grammar was required to study .Enduring this time ,company manager and secondary students ,especially language teachers have excellent performance .so ,in the class ,I ask students help each other ,Thai people are kind and enthusiasm ,they are pleasure to help each other .It’s a useful way . application : 1,Team teaching is a good method in the process of instruction ,t especially for big size class .Teacher’s partner can be a teacher ,a assistant ,a tutor .They can help students get more understanding point that we teach . peer tutor also a good helper . Divide students to many group according to they true situation ,aim is to they can teach each other . 2 ,Curriculum mapping is significant for education .They require all level teachers have whole year curriculum plan .and the content in their plan ,must scientific .for example ,this year we teach grade 4,when we make whole year curriculum plan ,we must to communicate to grade 3 and grade 5 teachers to know what students learned in grade 3 and what they will learner in the grade 5.And then make sure what we will teach ,what knowledge we need to transfer to students . 3, Instruction to fit students. Students is educational center ,educational goals .A good teacher not engage in his/her work ,but engage in the students .
Dear everyong, I think it was very interesting as we talked about Holistic approaches in teaching last week. I am very intersted in the topic culture effect the study, and more young more easy in the language learning. I tought in a Thai school before. You know Thai students are very lazy. It is not their mistake, it is Thai culture. Thai people support comfotable life, so anything difficultly are gave up. And everybody said Chinese is most difficult language all of the world. So if they meet a little bit problem, they choose to give up certainly. Secondly, kindergarten's kids are more easy to teach than primary's kids. Because so young kid do not know what the mother language is. So he or she just study it like a mother language. I mean they using the Chinese think. It make he or she getting right grammar so easy. Thirdly, team studying is a good idea in teaching. but I can not use it so good. Because my students are using the different books in the same class, I mean they are in the different level but same age. It is a very big problem. I should pay half time for one team, and then, pay other times for another team. It is another kind of team teaching. However, if you can, please tell me how I should do.
Week three, we talked about holistic approaches. 1. Thematic Teaching----make discussion around the theme topic or around theme to teaching, through core content extend to the others, developing divergent thinking of students and imagination. 2.Team teaching----there is useful approach on teaching, but it required teachers had sufficient preparation, otherwise, a lot problem will come out, such as when the main teacher teaching, another one nothing to do or different teaching method, teaching style or teaching step etc. will impact on teaching outcome, and the students will get confuse. 3. Curriculum Mapping-----obviously, clarity curriculum mapping help teacher knows teach process and requirement, that's a big picture for instruction.
Application: -thematic teaching is the most popular way adopted by teachers. After three or four unit instruction, I teach student summary and classify relevance content among the unit, after a certain extend learned, I will guide the student to discuss or make activities around a topic or theme.
-I had try used team teaching approach but taught effectiveness doesn't alike expected. Because when the main teacher was teaching and the other one doing whatever something else always arouse students interested. But I going to improve methods and try again.
-we also discussed 10 myths/truths of language study in class. That's great discussion and shared ideas. I believe that persist in and enough diligent would be to success no matter how old start learn the other language.
Hi, continuing with the great work and ideas, not that I necessarily agree with all of it, but differences can be valuable as well as they help us not only to learn but to think critically. Here is another one from Gina:
Hi everyone. Last week we have learned about how instruction is approached holistically and there were 5 crucial ways to be discussed;
-Understanding learning -Thematic teaching -Curriculum mapping -Team teaching -Instruction to fit student
It made me realize how important of student centric is. If teacher’s goals are focused on student development then the teacher should leverage the student learning process by holistic approaches, to help students be the most that they can be and they can associate whatever they learn to their surrounding and their real life.
My applications;
1) To reframe my attitude about training style; I used to conduct training classes with using only one style (my style) but when I have learned holistic approach I do believe that holistic approach will be a practical tool for teaching, training or even facilitating meetings so when I have training class I’ll start by understanding audiences first and design which workshops should be used, what is appropriate sequence of the instruction.
2) I am thinking about applying thematic teaching in selling skill training; for example if the theme is Christmas festival and allow audiences to integrate this theme to selling model; Step 1: opening statement with Christmas theme to engage customer Step 2: demonstrate product key messages which will be beneficial for customer to save their time at work then they will have more time to enjoy Christmas festival with family Step 3: closing statement to summarize key messages and create customer impression with the presented product.
3) I think team teaching is very interesting teaching method. In the same example of number 2 of my application if I conduct selling skill training classes, one of an important topic is how to set a call objective I would apply the team teaching method by working together with an expert of sales force effectiveness and invite him to teach audiences how to target customer, what is the right segmentation. This integration would enhance the audience understanding and meet higher achievement.
Last week, an interesting session was conducted and whichever technique was discussed about, many of them indirectly emphasize on student centered approaches to teaching. Things I found useful:
1) Thematic units: I find this very useful especially when new concepts are being taught in class for students who don't have thorough understanding of those concepts. However students who do not like the concept, the whole thematic style can show its disadvantages
2)Team teaching is really good for students who need extra coaching in a few academic areas. Like this, students get to learn concepts in the way more suitable to them as well.
3) Instruction to fit students: This can be linked with the second idea, as teachers need to be flexible to match their teaching styles to the students. It is a tough task no doubt but is required if one wants to make sure every student learns.
Dear all,
ReplyDeleteLast night’s main focus was on holistic approaches in teaching. It was once again very interesting and I particularly enjoyed the discussion on Dr. Virginia Rojas’ 10 myths of language study. We are teaching at various types of schools, while our general views are roughly the same our conclusions may differ.
With holistic approaches there are a lot of factors to consider; the learner is seen as a whole with his emotions and how he interacts with society; therefore the teaching techniques are wide. Dr. Andy presented a few; understanding learning, thematic teaching, curriculum mapping, team teaching and instruction to fit student; here are my applications;
1) On the 10 myths of language study; a few of the myths/facts are comforting to me in the way my wife and I are educating our young child. To some extent I can use this in my teachings (speeding up the learning process, classes with different language abilities…etc).
2) Instruction to fit the student; I will apply this more in my computer classes by choosing themes representing Thai culture; I have found that Thai students are very attached to their traditions.
3) Curriculum mapping; I have never done this but the example brought up yesterday with regards to Dr. Jesus Chavez research demonstrated how powerful this technique is and I should give it a try.
Thanks and see you next week.
Olivier Destree
Reflection #3
ReplyDeleteLast night class was about holistic approaches. The myth and truth we discussed in class was very interesting. Our group discussed about wheather or not we should seperate students with different language abilities. Our group agreed to keep different abilities student in the same classroom, as they can help each other.
Peer learning is very important in classroom as the weaker students can learn from the more advanced students and the brighter students within that specific class and build their confidence by teaching their fellow peers.
- The myths and truth discussion in class involved all students participation and i would use there discussion in classrooms so that all students can share their ideas with each other.
- Another interesting topic we discussed in class was to fit instuction according to students. It is always good to adapt to the environments and learn our students culture and respect them.
- I would also try to incorporate the Thematic approach to teaching in my classroom whenever it is possible with the cooperation with other teachers.
Navnita Charucharoen
Week 3 Reflections:
ReplyDeleteWhat I took home from last night's discussion was the thing about the 10 myths of second language learning. I team teach English to K3 and K4 students in a Japanese kindergarten and the teachers there get comments all the time like this, "My son's been going to your school for a year, how come he cannot speak English yet?" or "Why did you move my daughter to the class where all the new students are? Won't his English skills decline?". What I think parents who make those kinds of comments fail to understand is that their kids have different levels of learning PLUS their kids speak Japanese as their first language. To add to that, parents have also asked me, "When I speak English to my son, he tells me, 'Mommy DON'T speak english! I think he cannot speak english." Which last nights discussion really hit home, because parents also have to consider that it's weird if your mom all of a sudden speaks to you in a language that you're not used to hearing from them. Personally, I have experienced the reverse. My mom is Filipina and my dad is a Singaporean chinese to each other they spoke english as they did to me. The never spoke to me in their mother tongues while I was growing up and even now. Everytime my mom speaks to me in Tagalog, its weird and I don't udnerstand it. Now I can start to make out what people might be saying in Tagalog, but honestly I have no idea. So enough rant.
What I'm trying to say is parents and teachers have to consider the students learning levels when it concerns their education. We have to approach them holistically with their levels in account, in other words we have to think about our student as a whole person with thoughts, feelings, strengths, and weaknesses. My application of this thought is as follows.
1. Consider the student's learning ability when instructing or helping a student.
2. Help parents understand their child's learning ability and progress by keeping contact with them.
3. Keep the 10 myths about learning a second language, maybe print it out and post it somewhere so I can remind myself about it. To at least keep in mind that there's so much more to learning than just the lesson.
Thanks.
-Micah
Reflection # 3
ReplyDeleteLast night was very interesting as we talked about Holistic approaches in teaching. There are a lot of factors to consider in this approach; the learner is seen as a whole with various behaviors, therefore there are a variety of teaching techniques. Last night Dr. Andy presented an activity on Dr. Virginia Rojas’ 10 myths of language study. Our group discussed on whether or not we should separate students with different language abilities. Our group agreed to keep different abilities student in the same classroom, as they can help each other and encourage weaker students to participate and grow.
3 Application:
1.Consider the student's learning ability before engaging them in different activities or classwork.
2. Incorporate the Thematic teaching, if I get the corporation of the fellow teachers and try to encourage it in my future lessons to be taught.
3. Instruction to fit the student;it will help students feel more comfortable as I adapt the lessons to the environment and not keep students wondering on what the other words and what do they mean.
Manpreet.
Micah...
ReplyDeleteI really loved your reflection ...!!
Reflection #3
ReplyDeleteDr. Andy started the class with discussing about Holistic approaches in teaching. One of the holistic approaches is thematic teaching, and it integrates all the different subjects (Math, Science, Social Studies, Language Arts, Music, and Art) with the exploration of a theme. I believe that thematic learning can help students connect what they are learning to the real world. We also discussed in the class the drawbacks of thematic units. I personally find that sometimes it is hard to get enough resources to cover every aspect of the topic. Some topics will be repetitive in different subject classes and some students may lose interest and might not participate because of low motivation.
Three applications:
1) Thematic instructions are often project-oriented so it will keep students engaged and create a learning environment in class. It is also a powerful tool for teaching a concept which can be “boring” to students.
2) We can also incorporate Multiple Intelligence concepts while planning the unit and lessons. For example: if the students can’t pay attention in science class, they will probably learn something in Art or Music class and since all the lessons are focused on the overall theme, students will eventually get something out of a thematic unit.
3) Instruction to fit the students: I need to design our instruction to the fit the student’s strengths and weakness, and their learning styles.
Zarni Lwin
Great reflections, it is really useful to see where these ideas may apply personally, as both Micah and Olivier did (above). Solid job everybody! Dr. Andy
ReplyDeleteHi everyone! Some key points in last week's lesson:
ReplyDelete-Holistic approach
-Thematic teaching
-cooperative teaching or cooperative learning,
zigzag, jigsaw
-big /small picture thing
-overview of the upcoming presentation of students- basic knowledge
-sometimes you don't need to go into detail because they don't necessarily fit
-differentiating Instruction
-Reviewing materials
-Class discussion
-Understanding learners- 4 ideas
-Educators/Theorists/Psychologist- Piaget, Erickson,Bruner, etc.
-motivational speaker: You can take those ideas and use them as a way to understand
-Holistic program teachers
-"Understanding learners is a lifelong journey"
-ESLRs- Expected Schoolwide learning Results
-Lifelong learners: inculcate-means get student take to themselves the ideas, not just when they're in school, at home, etc.
Example: By Virginia Roxas
-reaching and asking questions
-Field of Psychology has thousand of ideas
Example: Isaac Newton and the discovery of
gravity
"Sometimes, I feel like I'm playing in the sand (few grains or little pieces of pictures)- and then, there is this great ocean of truth"
-adventure- that there's so much out there that we could pick up from
-struggling students (last semester Foundation class- tried some of the ideas, some of them worked out
-There are lots of pressures in Education
...But once you know the heart, you know the techniques
Example:athletes- atheletes earn millions of dollars, like for example, Beacon- as soon as he put on his uniform and play, he will say to himself, "I'm going to be better".
In teaching even if you're 95 years old, as long as you can stand and teach, you will still get better until the day you die.
-Thematic Teaching: You use one theme and integrate it with different subjects (language, science, social studies, arts, etc.)
-Curriculum mapping- Reminder: read it to make sense
-Team teach (why?): specialist
*Kids who are having trouble and struggling with the subject
-In this aspect, teacher would be helping (co-teaching)to help the students (but it also depends on the cooperation of other teachers working with you)
-Special needs (students):Students who are having learning disabilities
Examples: *ADD- Attention Deficit Disorder (Example of which are students fidgeting around)
*ADHD- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder
Characteristics (ADHD): Hyperactivity disorder, different brain chemistry, issues of dyslexia
-many kinds of team teaching- what you can do is to organize your own and just do it. Example: One teacher is assigned to teach Religion and the other- Values Education
-Why team teach?- It creates a better service to the students
-In team teaching- look at each other's lesson plan and study it very carefully- to be sure (even teacher-made test and books have mistakes).
-We have to adopt what you're doing
-different "pacing" in teaching
-differentiate your teaching techniques (you become stale if you don't, students get bored)
-Group Activity (brainstorming-Myths and Truths by Virginia Torres)
-we have thousand of rules
-Dr. Andy gave examples before the presentation of each group
Cheers,
Evan
-
My Applications:
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher, I must know and understand my students, or the learners, to be able to reach out to their needs so that they would gain greater knowledge and take to themselves the ideas, not only at school but wherever they go. It's just like having something in their pocket all the time.In addition, I'll be attentive to those students whom I think are suffering from ADHD/ADD, etc (I truly believed that I have lots in my class).This is not an easy thing to do, but as a teacher,it is a commitment, it is our job to do everything we can, to help our students and be fair with everyone. Also,using different/varied instructions which fit the students (according to their level of understanding). It would be very useful to study and apply the theory that I am learning right now and take these ideas and use them to understand the learners.
When it comes to applying rules in teaching language- There are thousands of them,I have nothing against them. People have different taste, likes, dislikes, and so forth, that is our nature, but I will choose those rules which would be beneficial to my students.
I'm very interested with Thematic Teaching,but careful planning should be made, those concerned should cooperate, each one of the teachers should know what's going on in each other's classroom, just like mapping, they should be familiar with each other's curriculum.It would guide and inform them of what would be the concepts, objectives,even assignments given to the students , on how they will assess the students and work together as a team. By using this approach, my students will be more interested/motivated, they will remember and understand and learn the lesson faster, increase in class participation is also expected. According to Heidi Hayes Jacobs (Mapping the Big Picture), "Curriculum planning amplifies the possibilities for long-range planning, short term preparation, and clear communication",very true and very well said.
Thanks,
Evan
This week's class learned new knowledge about Holistic approaches:Learning for all students, knowledge that is accessible and success driven.
ReplyDeleteThe myth and truth we discussed in class was very interesting.Our group discussed about younger children are only better at pronunciation.Older childern are better at both vocabulary and grammer.We discuss it is correct or not.Some people disagree this opinion,and other people agree this opinion.Everyone sharing their idea. I really like the form of group discussions to learn new knowledge.Group discussion can let me know about the opinions of others,exchange views,to learn more updated knowledge.I think I can learn many different things from not only Dr. Andy but also the other classmates.
My Applications:
1.Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, even if you don't agree his point of view, also want to patient listen to his point of view.
2.Everything has two sides we need to use a different point of view to see things.
3.Group discussion will help us to imagination, to understand the views of different people, from the experience of others were inspired.
tina
zhaoyi wei(5329529)
The class on holistic teaching was very interesting and I discovered that I had some misconceptions about the curriculum and how students learn. The results of Dr. Jesus Chavez curriculum mapping was very interesting because the results were the exact opposite of what I expected. I thought students were leaving high school because they were bored of learning topics they had already covered which appears to be the case for the students learning English at my school.
ReplyDeleteThe three applications I took from the class are:
1. I have taught the grades 7 to 9 and the majority of the topics appear to be the same. At the end of the year I intend to map the English curriculum from grade 7 to 9 and where necessary remove any redundancy. While I appreciate some topics are required to be reviewed and taught in more depth much of what I 'taught' this year is identical to what the students have previously learnt. Some students are obviously less motivated when they already know what is being taught.
2. The myths and truth were very enlightening and I learnt a lot from each group's opinions on their myth. It was an effective activity and provided great feedback and I'll definitely try it with my students.
3. After listening to the advantages of thematic teaching I'm definitely going to try and use this technique with my students.
Thanks for more great insights in teaching.
Ben.
The topic “Holistic Approaches” was worthy of note. The discussions especially about understanding learning, with 10 myths and truths by Dr. Virginia Rojas, was very interesting and all the groups gave their enlightening views and opinions. Our group was assigned to reflect on the myth ‘that most mistakes are due to interference by the first language’ and the assumed truth ‘that only some mistakes, such as pronunciation, are due to interference by the first language’. Everybody in our group has agreed but only to some extent. Other mistakes which we have noted were sentence construction and direct translation of words, and each of us has encountered and experienced these with our students and non-native English speaking friends. Other sub-topics which were discussed, like thematic teaching, curriculum mapping, team teaching and instruction to fit students, were all valuable and helpful in improving teaching skills.
ReplyDeleteMy applications are as follows.
1. Instruction to fit students - I will employ a variety of techniques to accommodate different backgrounds and learning styles of my students. I will do more research on this aspect to complement my existing teaching methods.
2. Curriculum mapping – I will initiate for the review of the current math curriculum in our school using this method.
3. Team teaching – We are already doing but only to some extent. There are some teachers, and I am one of those, who are teaching weak students during lunch breaks. We are doing this to help the students understand better the topics learned during their regular classes. Maybe, if we will have enough teacher complement, then we can actually do the real team teaching, where two teachers can do the teaching at the same time in one class.
Thanks,
Emi
In week three, we learned about holistic approaches and how is instruction approached holistically? According to Dr. Virginia Rojas, we can approach instruction holistically by understanding learning, thematic teaching, curriculum mapping, team teaching and instruction to fit students.we also discussed about the 10 myths of language study and it was really interesting. As Dr. Andy told us that curriculum mapping is very important because the purpose of the map is to reveal what is actually going on in the curriculum, so the design of the map should reflect such themes.
ReplyDeleteApplications.
1. As teachers, we should carefully design curriculum map in our school because students need us to know what's really going on in their daily classes and give credence to their great work from year to year.
2. As teachers, we should create team teaching in our classroom atmosphere because it is also one of the most effective teachings for slow students.
3. As effective teachers, we should delve into students background knowledge levels and apply the most appropriate instruction.
This weed we discussed about “Holistic approaches”, which includes: Understanding learning from Dr. Virginia Rojas’ 10 MYTHS OF LANGUAGE STUDY, Thematic Teaching, Curriculum Mapping, Team Teaching, and Instruction to fit Student.
ReplyDeleteAgain, 10 MYTHS OF LANGUAGE STUDY is a very interesting topic, and we have a very enthusiastic discussion in class. Of course most of us might face different situations which are quite different from Dr. Virginia Rojas’ theory, I must say Dr. Virginia Rojas’ theory may not a 100% truth, thus we have different opinions included the oppose opinions.
I would like to share my experience: Taiwanese (is a dialect in Taiwan) and English Language Learning may bring different results according to the environment (includes school strategies) and parents’ cognition. Thus “It takes five years to become fully bilingual” may takes place depends on different situation.
My Applications are:
1.We have to setting learning objective and identify learning outcomes, and adjust duly by the assessment of students’ performance.
2.Environment and guide is very important, we better have a atmosphere to attract students for learning.
3.Group work is also a good way, students can share what they have learned and resupply with each other. In another hand, we can also put a well-learned student groups with a non-well-learned, so the well-learned student can reviews his or her study and teach the non-well-learned student at the same time.
-Fang Chao, Yang
Lots of different ideas here, very well written and thought out, also lots of potential for confusion, so if that's you, please ask! Evan, did we really cover all that?! Coya, yes, important to try and distinguish fact from opinion. Emil, good your group noticed, as did others, the limits to application of some of these ideas. Ben, I think what the Chavez study was focusing on was totally new material, not just repetition. So, if you are studying fractions then move into percentages, in math, for example, then that would not really be new because it is for the most part an extension. But if you go into a totally new area like algebra, then I think that is the type of material that would be considered 'new' in the Chavez study. However I don't know this for sure as I was not privy to the actual parameters of his study. Some of this will make more sense when we get into the material Neet and Preet are going to talk about with spiral curriculum. Cheers, Dr. Andy
ReplyDeleteHere's another great reflection, From Chie Katsuda:
Reflection 2
This week, we have learned and discussed holistic approaches in educational settings. There seems to be a number of ways in holistic teaching, and Dr. Andy presented us some useful ideas in holistic approaches. Thematic teaching, in which the same theme/topic is taught in different subjects over a period of time in order for students to make a connection among different subjects, is one of the ways in holistic teaching. By curriculum mapping, teachers can cooperate each other to understand the whole picture of how and what students learn at school. This will help improve the curriculum, and teachers and students will be able to teach and learn more efficiently and effectively. Team teaching also helps teachers meet each student needs and help those students who need more support in the class. Also, teachers can help each other to do lesson planning and share ideas to make a class better.
3 applications
1) Thematic teaching: For my students (Japanese major students at university), they study Japanese in most of the courses they take. However, I think still the idea of thematic teaching can be applied in my situation. For example, business writing and business conversation classes, we could teach the same topic. I can teach how to make a business appointment by email, and my colleague can teach how to make an appointment on the phone. Also composition class and reading class can present the same topic in the same week.
2) Curriculum mapping: I believe this is very helpful for teachers to really understand how students progress in our own curriculum. This mapping can be applied in university setting as well. At university, instructors are often concerned about the courses they are responsible for teaching, and they don’t really care about what students do in other courses. Even in our Japanese section, although we are all teaching Japanese, we don’t really openly discuss what we teach in different courses. I think mapping will be useful when we revise the curriculum every 5 years.
3) Team teaching: I have done team teaching before. There are lots of advantages, but I also found it sometimes difficult to find a common ground between teachers when assessing students. Nevertheless, I believe it is really helpful. I would like to try team teaching again in the research paper course. With a partner teacher, we could give more diverse advices on topics, divide the work, share materials prepared for classes, exchange opinions on student work, and help each other to make our class better.
Thanks,
Chie Katsuda
It was so exciting and useful to step forward with the lesson 'Holistic approaches' that made me think so much about '10 myths of language study' because it offered me the variety of teaching ways. Sharing of my friends what they have experienced in real situations, coped with the difference of students, and practiced in their teaching given me a large view either teaching and understanding students with the help of '10 myths of language study'. Dr. Andy made more explanation such as: in your class there are some students don't understand, give more extra time to teach that group with many supporting material, students have a process of stimulate. Or, each one has talent so help students to find out what each one's talent is.
ReplyDeleteThrough the lesson and Dr. Andy's presentation are the various ways to help students engage learning that a teacher can improve and apply to his or her career. Beside, on the process of teaching teachers find out the different styles of students but each one is unique. Teachers also help parents of students understand their child and ready cooperate with teachers in educating child.
My application:
1. To prepare each lesson with different presenting ways with the help of colleagues or based on my past experience.
2. Dr.Andy said: "learning is a long journey'. I help students step each step, day by day, and teach them how to learn, how to make a right question through each lesson in class, then even out class.
3. Spend more time to study and apply '10 myths of language study' to my teaching, because I either understand students and ask for help from their parents.
Thanks for reading,
VU DO ANH KHOA
Yes, Dr. Andy...We covered all of those...I have the video...
ReplyDeleteWe have been introduced with many valuable methods, approaches, and ideas this week that would be very helpful to our teaching strategies. I am overwhelmed to see such many. I guess that will give us choices to tryout different ways that will best fit with the kinds of students we have in our environment. For example, once in awhile that I have an ADHD (Hyperactive disorder) students or special need students in my classes. With the knowledge that we've learned this week, it is very helpful for me to know how to handle when situation occur.
ReplyDeleteWe've talked a lot about TEAM TEACHING, at least the last three weeks. At my school, teachers have many opportunities to do this regularly. I guess it become easier for them, not as impossible like we have discuss in class. As for me I don't get to do "team teaching" as often, but I do try to listen to what they're working on and applied to wherever I can. Recently, the value and the religion departments are planning to do "TEAM TEACHING" as we're preparing our grade 5 students to go out to the neighboring school to do Community Service. Our team of four, plan together and teach students according to the subject areas that we're good at (for example: drama, dance, arts and crafts...). Our students are also dividing up into teams of three to go into kindergarten classes to share as well. There are small groups as well as large group activities.
Yes, I believe that we are all "lifelong learner". There are a "great ocean of truth" that we can learn from each and everyday of our life, little by little like the grain of sand, will become a great castle. That's prove what Beacon's, the successful athlete believes that "I'm going to be better," in saying that he had already gone half the way to successful already.
My Applications:
1. I try to apply the "team teaching" as often as I could because I believe that I can always learn from others. Team teaching will help me reach the goal of "lifelong learner" better.
2. I am open to learn and try new methods and approaches that will benefit my work as a teacher and a learner.
3. I learn to be focus and be positive in what I do like Beacon. Building my good character little by little. If I know that I continue to persist to be better, I will reach my goal.
PEACE, SR MARY ROSE
At last lesson,I learned a lot of the Education.The first thing is Dr. Andy make the class so fun,and we can understood many things in this fun.In my opinion,the important thing is make the education to be interested in the course of the education.And Dr. Andy give many examples for us. How about put the knowladge into the course and make it fun, i think i understand many things than before.The second thing is i understood how to be a humorous teacher like the Dr.Andy.I think to be a humorous teacher will very useful to education.But how to bring up the sense of humor i will learn from Dr.Andy in the after courses.
ReplyDelete--I should do more practices and study hardly in this major,especially how to improve myself ability.
--I should learn more and more professional knowledge and know how to put to use.
--I should read many famous writting and imformations about the Curriculum and Instruction.
Last week's topic "Holistic Approaches" was basically covering the methods that can help us to look at the big picture in our teaching concept, rather than looking from a particular point of view.I personally think that this can be very helpful to improve our teaching or to see the points that needs to be changed and improved in our teaching system. Sometimes we,the teachers, are so much into our routine and concerned about specific issues that we may not be able to realize the actions to be taken as an overall result.
ReplyDeleteSo these holistic approaches helps us to look at the big picture and leads us to have an integrated and complemented work.
My Applications:
1)I already have co-teachers to work with me in my classes, but till now I must admit that I wasn't able to work with them effectively as a team. What I am planning now is to create a structure which will get them take care of the weaker students so that will enable me to teach in a faster pace as a whole class.
2)At least once a year, me and my colleagues can easily do a thematic unit. For example while I am teaching the topic "plants" in Science, English teacher can go through a story about plants and enrich their vocabulary, while the art teacher get them make model trees and etc.
3)Curriculum mapping is one of the best ways to see our educational system as a big picture and to have the chance to see the points that are not going in the right way. Of course it needs some time to spend on but the advantages of the outcomes make worth doing it. It gives all the information about the whole school's curriculum and provides valuable information especially for the new teachers.
Thank you
Gaye Sadic
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe main focus of our week three class was holistic education and how we can apply holistic education through our instructional practices particularly our teaching strategies. In my mind holistic education has to do with the whole child and the entirety of their learning experiences inside and outside of school. We learned that holistic education must be education that motivates the child and stimulates our students to learn. It must be something our students can directly relate to and something that has an impact on real life experiences. Another words it must be real to our students. It must also be geared and tailored to meet the vast variety of learning needs of all of our students. This is of course never an easy task. We analyzed one great example by Dr. Virginia Rojas regarding language study and language acquisition and this very activity that we all participated in was actually a great exercise and practice in holistic teaching strategies as we all got directly involved in the learning process and therefore were all engaged as active learners.
ReplyDeleteApplication:
1. We can team teach. This means getting teachers to plan together, teach together, and assess together. It is most certainly a holistic approach to teaching and has great benefits. It utilizes a wide variety of talents, differing personalities, and numerous strategies to reach the whole child cooperatively.
2. We need instruction that fits the students. This is instruction that meets at least some of the needs of every child in our classes. This is also holistic in nature. We must be careful not to teach too high or too low but learned that we must aim to reach the average child or middle level of our class so that everyone can get involved. Mixed ability group cooperative learning is a great strategy to use for this.
3. We can also introduce thematic teaching where different teachers of different subjects work together on a particular theme such as our solar system. The aim is to accommodate many individual interests and differing abilities and to create an atmosphere of teamwork and cooperation through activity-based, highly engaging, learning projects.
Thank you.
Mr. David Maksel
the 3week ,we talk about Holistic Approaches. there are many approaches were covered :understanding learning ;thematic teaching ;curriculum mapping ;team teaching ;instruction to fit students .The most interesting is the discussion of 10 myths of language study .I have some experience of Chinese language teaching at the Chinese language institute .learners are different age ,different educated background in same classroom ,different profession .There are primary students ,secondary students ,factory works ,teachers ,company managers ,mother ..etc .mostly ,at the basic level , students’ and language teacher’s pronunciation better than other profession learner .because students also learn Thai and English language at their school. They can grasp the pronunciation rule fast .Other point is older people are afraid make mistake more than younger people ,they don’t like read loudly ,but younger people they do . When they rise to intermediate level class ,there are more grammar was required to study .Enduring this time ,company manager and secondary students ,especially language teachers have excellent performance .so ,in the class ,I ask students help each other ,Thai people are kind and enthusiasm ,they are pleasure to help each other .It’s a useful way .
ReplyDeleteapplication :
1,Team teaching is a good method in the process of instruction ,t especially for big size class .Teacher’s partner can be a teacher ,a assistant ,a tutor .They can help students get more understanding point that we teach . peer tutor also a good helper .
Divide students to many group according to they true situation ,aim is to they can teach each other .
2 ,Curriculum mapping is significant for education .They require all level teachers have whole year curriculum plan .and the content in their plan ,must scientific .for example ,this year we teach grade 4,when we make whole year curriculum plan ,we must to communicate to grade 3 and grade 5 teachers to know what students learned in grade 3 and what they will learner in the grade 5.And then make sure what we will teach ,what knowledge we need to transfer to students .
3, Instruction to fit students. Students is educational center ,educational goals .A good teacher not engage in his/her work ,but engage in the students .
Dear everyong,
ReplyDeleteI think it was very interesting as we talked about Holistic approaches in teaching last week.
I am very intersted in the topic culture effect the study, and more young more easy in the language learning.
I tought in a Thai school before. You know Thai students are very lazy. It is not their mistake, it is Thai culture. Thai people support comfotable life, so anything difficultly are gave up. And everybody said Chinese is most difficult language all of the world. So if they meet a little bit problem, they choose to give up certainly.
Secondly, kindergarten's kids are more easy to teach than primary's kids. Because so young kid do not know what the mother language is. So he or she just study it like a mother language. I mean they using the Chinese think. It make he or she getting right grammar so easy.
Thirdly, team studying is a good idea in teaching. but I can not use it so good. Because my students are using the different books in the same class, I mean they are in the different level but same age. It is a very big problem. I should pay half time for one team, and then, pay other times for another team. It is another kind of team teaching.
However, if you can, please tell me how I should do.
From, Chi Wei (CI 532-9533)
Week three, we talked about holistic approaches.
ReplyDelete1. Thematic Teaching----make discussion around the theme topic or around theme to teaching, through core content extend to the others, developing divergent thinking of students and imagination.
2.Team teaching----there is useful approach on teaching, but it required teachers had sufficient preparation, otherwise, a lot problem will come out, such as when the main teacher teaching, another one nothing to do or different teaching method, teaching style or teaching step etc. will impact on teaching outcome, and the students will get confuse.
3. Curriculum Mapping-----obviously, clarity curriculum mapping help teacher knows teach process and requirement, that's a big picture for instruction.
Application:
-thematic teaching is the most popular way adopted by teachers. After three or four unit instruction, I teach student summary and classify relevance content among the unit, after a certain extend learned, I will guide the student to discuss or make activities around a topic or theme.
-I had try used team teaching approach but taught effectiveness doesn't alike expected. Because when the main teacher was teaching and the other one doing whatever something else always arouse students interested. But I going to improve methods and try again.
-we also discussed 10 myths/truths of language study in class. That's great discussion and shared ideas. I believe that persist in and enough diligent would be to success no matter how old start learn the other language.
Eva
Hi, continuing with the great work and ideas, not that I necessarily agree with all of it, but differences can be valuable as well as they help us not only to learn but to think critically. Here is another one from Gina:
ReplyDeleteHi everyone. Last week we have learned about how instruction is approached holistically and there were 5 crucial ways to be discussed;
-Understanding learning
-Thematic teaching
-Curriculum mapping
-Team teaching
-Instruction to fit student
It made me realize how important of student centric is. If teacher’s goals are focused on student development then the teacher should leverage the student learning process by holistic approaches, to help students be the most that they can be and they can associate whatever they learn to their surrounding and their real life.
My applications;
1) To reframe my attitude about training style; I used to conduct training classes with using only one style (my style) but when I have learned holistic approach I do believe that holistic approach will be a practical tool for teaching, training or even facilitating meetings so when I have training class I’ll start by understanding audiences first and design which workshops should be used, what is appropriate sequence of the instruction.
2) I am thinking about applying thematic teaching in selling skill training; for example if the theme is Christmas festival and allow audiences to integrate this theme to selling model;
Step 1: opening statement with Christmas theme to engage customer
Step 2: demonstrate product key messages which will be beneficial for customer to save their time at work then they will have more time to enjoy Christmas festival with family
Step 3: closing statement to summarize key messages and create customer impression with the presented product.
3) I think team teaching is very interesting teaching method. In the same example of number 2 of my application if I conduct selling skill training classes, one of an important topic is how to set a call objective I would apply the team teaching method by working together with an expert of sales force effectiveness and invite him to teach audiences how to target customer, what is the right segmentation. This integration would enhance the audience understanding and meet higher achievement.
Thanks,
Gina
November 22, 2010 11:08 PM
Last week, an interesting session was conducted and whichever technique was discussed about, many of them indirectly emphasize on student centered approaches to teaching. Things I found useful:
ReplyDelete1) Thematic units: I find this very useful especially when new concepts are being taught in class for students who don't have thorough understanding of those concepts. However students who do not like the concept, the whole thematic style can show its disadvantages
2)Team teaching is really good for students who need extra coaching in a few academic areas. Like this, students get to learn concepts in the way more suitable to them as well.
3) Instruction to fit students: This can be linked with the second idea, as teachers need to be flexible to match their teaching styles to the students. It is a tough task no doubt but is required if one wants to make sure every student learns.
-Laxshmi S.