In chapter nine, Woolfolk talks about learning strategies. "Learning strategies are a special kind of procedural knowledge-knowing how to do something" (p. 344). There are strategies that can be general and are taught within the school. An example is outlining and summarizing. Then there are those which go with the subject which is being taught. Then there are those strategies that are just unique (p. 344). "Learning strategies can be cognitive (summarizing, identifying the main idea), metacognitive (monitoring comprehension-do I understand?), or behavior (setting a timer to work until time's up) (Cantrell, Almasi, Carter, Rintamaa, & Madden, 2010)" (p. 344). The different kinds of learning tasks are used when the general methods are not working and there needs to be a strategic effort. When someone starts to be able to become a master of the strategies, they will be using less effort. You will be going on auto-pilot when using these strategies. Until you need to create a new one because the old strategy does not work anymore (p. 344-345). Learners, who are skilled, do have a lot of strategies they can implement right away. Strategies that are used for learning and skills for studying are used in high school and college's grade point average. The following are some important principles related to this. First, the teacher needs to teach their students different kinds of learning strategies. Not just the general ones, but the ones that go with the subject (p. 345). "Students should be taught self-regulatory (conditional) knowledge about when, where, and why to use various strategies" (p. 345). Next, the teacher must teach the students the desire to using this strategy. Next, the teacher must teach the student they are capable of being taught a different strategy. Lastly, the student needs to give background knowledge and schemas which are useful for the subject being taught.
During my job, we do try to teach our students about the different strategies they could use. In cooking, we teach them how we can get the right amount of flour in the cup every time. We also teach them how they can put some of the flour back without making a mess. Either by getting a plastic knife and scraping the top flour off or having them shake it. In math when they are not able to do the problems in their heads, we give them counting blocks or a calculator. If a student does not know how to figure out what a word is, we either show them a strategy to figure it out so they have independence. Even in PE, we give the students different strategies to use. An example is shooting a basketball. We would tell them to reach your arm up high, and they use the other hand to help support the ball. They do a flick.
In chapter ten, Woolfolk talked about technology. "One review concluded that using computer tutorial programs appeared to improve achievement test scores for K-12 students, but simulations and enrichment programs had few effects-perhaps another example that when you reach and test specific skills, children learn the skills" (p. 410). The achievement will increase by using computers if computers are supporting the simple direction that ends up leading to learning. These are active engagement, talk about the feedback, have a real and true world connection, and do well in group work. With teaching the different reading processes, a teacher could use a computer. Computers could be used to teach word decoding, phonological awareness or number sense which is basic. The reason computers can do this is because of the different software which is out there. This software can give students quick feedback, motivate them, and also move at the pace of the student. Great programs can also help will listening and reading comprehension. The only thing is computers are a great resource, but they need to be used in a great way to be a great resource. The teacher should also keep in mind, academic achievement will not happen automatically because the student is using the computer (p. 410).
We use technology all the time at my school. We either have the students do the math on IXL or give them different reading programs. These do tend to give them feedback right away. For most of my students, though they tend to really only us their chrome books for YouTube. We sometimes do allow them to watch shows like Austin and Ally on Disney Channel, but most of the time we do try to find something on YouTube which is more educational. Some of my students do go to a general lesson classroom, and the teacher has different software they can use. In a musical sense, there are programs I do teach with that does give the student feedback while they are playing. One of those websites is Essential Elements. This website allows the student to pick a piece from the book and then they record themselves playing it. If a student does not understand a rhythm, they can hear the piece being played on their instrument and they can also play along with it. I know there is also another music software out there that has you playing with the software and it will tell you what rhythms or notes you got wrong.
Woolfolk talks about elements of observational learning in chapter eleven. "Through observational learning, we discover not only how to perform a behavior but also what will happen to us in specific situations if we perform it" (p. 430). When we compare to what the child is doing through a model, we can improve the outcome. For someone to be taught a new behavior or improve current ones, Bandura said that someone needs to have the four different kinds of observational learning. These four are attent, retention, production, and motivation and reinforcement (p. 430). To be able to observe and learn through this, the observer has to be paying attention (p. 430). "This includes both selective attention (paying attention to the correct cues and information) as well as sustained attention (maintaining focus)" (p. 430). The teacher has to make sure the students are aware of the important points of the lesson by making these points clear and highlighting important information. When you are showing the students a new skill, you might want them to be right on top of your shoulder to see what you are doing. A student being able to see the skill in the right position will help the student know which features to do and make observing it a little bit easier (p. 430). For someone to be able to copy the movement, the student must first be able to remember each step. You might have to model the behavior or say the steps verbally or you might have to do both. A student can remember the steps by either picturing each step in their head or be actually practicing the behavior (p. 430). When someone does know the behavior and can do all of the steps, they still need someone's feedback. The last observational learning is motivation and reinforcement. We might not do the skill or behavior until someone encourages us to do it. Bandura does tell us there are three different types of reinforcement: direct, vicarious, and self-reinforcement (p. 430-431).
We other do hand over hand with my student to learn the skill we are trying to teach them so they know how they are supposed to feel when they are doing the skill. We then have them doing the skill by themselves. We then do provide feedback, and then motivate the student to practice the skill. One of these skills is hanging a coat in the closet. We first face the student in the direction they should be facing and first teach the student how do you put a coat on the hanger. We then have the student do it. We tell them our feedback. We then teach them how to put it in the closet and continue with the same steps. Every day or every other day we have the student do this skill. We do it until we know the student has mastered it. Another skill we sometimes do have to teach students is how to hold a fork. We teach them how to hold it facing the direction they will be facing, then have them do it, provide our feedback, and then have the student keep practicing that skill.
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