Blog post 10

Covering Semester

                    In my third year, first semester I learned many things from my CTE 380 course. In this course, I learned how to approach education and its systems. I learned how to behave through students and how to survive in school environment. I learned how to motivate students and how to make them active participation that cares their education.  Actually, the most important thing is that I learned which education type is my favourite and suitable according to my worldview.

Actually, I have never seen teacher in the center of education so far. I am one of the people who cannot learn better in the class. In my life, I have learned many things from internet. Before internet enters my life, I was learning from books. There are many people like me who learn from internet. This is our reality. The world is changing. Before the time that people learn in a class, people were learning where information is. I call this as natural education. For us the important thing is that how information is shown and well prepared in internet.  Actually, this is the thing which teachers have to be in the center.  Looking to the internet to learn something is easy. However, who will prepare instruction for learner in internet. This is definitely work of teacher to prepare learning materials. The education system is going to our old education model which people don’t need any fix place to learn something. Also, the technology is one of the things which attract people in the way of learning anywhere. I mean that we don’t do anything to pass our old and natural education style. This century requires us to make these changes. Actually, when we look to the world, the educators from all countries agree that there is a problem in the education systems which effect people’s education in a bad way. Some of them realised this earlier, and they did something to change their education type. They realised that the education system which direct education is used is not enough anymore. People started memorizing the words which comes from the mouth of teacher but they become unsuccessful when practicing their knowledge in real life. Turkey is one of the countries which still use teacher centered education with direct education model and when we look turkey’s score in the world average, we face with very bad results. I am definitely sure that if the knowledge had been asked in the Pisa examination, turkey would take high scores in the average. However, they asked students how to use their knowledge when thinking. This shows that we are memorizing knowledge and we cannot use it. This shows that the term understanding is different from the term identifying. This is why I definitely support student centered approach in education. Actually, students don’t need teacher to learn knowledge. However, they need teacher to be able to think better. From our childhood we are put in front of a teacher and we think that we cannot learn knowledge by our self. Actually, every people have the ability to memorize. However, they may not know how to practice the knowledge they memorize and their knowledge may not come to the stage of identifying.

If we understand that the teacher centred approach with direct education does not work anymore, let’s focus the approach which students are in the center. According to student center approach, practicing in class is very important. Especially, the Flipt classroom model is my favourite. Students will learn all knowledge wherever they want. They will come to class only for practicing. If teacher realises that students are not developed in the subject in terms of knowledge. This time, teacher can hand learning of students in terms of knowledge. In this way, student will ask question and teacher will guide without directing. Student centred approach follow problem based learning. Students learn from problems. This is our natural learning method. So far, people have invented everything by their problems. For example, Edison found bulb because he had a light problem.  Grahambell found telephone because reaching people who is far away was hard. Problem based learning help students develop their critical thinking. In this method, teacher offer problems to the students and guide them about how to solve problems and which technique they can use to solve them. In problem based learning method, students do not focus problems only from one dimension. I mean they can hand problems both math formulas and social sciences.  For example, when they are working on traffic problem, they can both calculate the speed of cars in term of time and search for the behaviours of drivers. On the other hand, choosing correct questions for students is very important. If teacher chose a question which is over the capacity of the students, this cannot be helpful for student learning. Also, this may decrease motivation of students because they cannot see themselves as qualitative to reach solution. Motivation is very important because it is the tool let people take an action. Also, teacher generally should choose question from real life because real life examples are concrete. When learning subject, students should not ask question by themselves like what is the aim of this problem. How can it be helpful for me and e.g. Also, abstract things is better in learning logically. However, teacher may offer abstract problems for students who achieved basic learning process.  In addition, all students are special. Teacher should not offer limited problems for special students. Problems should be able to being approached from different dimensions. Also, all learning activities should be prepared in terms of respect to the ethnic, cultural, religious worth of the students. For example, teacher should not offer students any problem like ignorance of African socials, when there is an African student in the class.

Finally, student centred education is our reality and natural education type. It makes students free and more responsible people who care their education. However, it is not easy to apply. Both teacher and students should be conscious when applying this method to the education.  

Blog post 9

Student Centered Approaches to Teaching

         

               Students centered approaches aims to make students more active in their education. Actually, nowadays, we are getting educated by Teacher centered education approach with direct educatin model. This approach relays on knowledge based and the instructor directly manages class. The instructor chose subjects that students will learn and prepare curriculum by himself. On the other hand, students centered approach gives an opportunity to the students. Students can chose subject they want to learn. They can describe their education time and limit. They don’t have to be educated on a subject which they dont have any interest and related ability. Also, students use the class more on practicing. They both learn knowledge and how to use it. Also, Problem based learning is one of the opportunity in students centered approach. This model depends on learning by using problems. Especially, real life problems are used in problem based education. To make learning more obvious and to offer it in a logical way for long term memory. Also, the Flipt classroom model is another opportunity coming with student centred approach. Flipt classroom model is the top version of students centered approach for me. Students are really active in their education. They learn all instruction and required knowledge out of the classroom by himself, and they come to the class only for practicing. Their instructer only guides them about how they use their knowledge in examples and how they will use their critical thinking on subjects. Moreover, this helps cooperative learning to develop in class environment because all students work as being groups, and they discuss subjects as a community. When it is necessary, they become peer helper for each of them to help identifying subjects and to go in deeper on subjects.

Blog post 8

Classroom Discussion

Discuss and learn, this is the best way which enables students to invent, create, imagine and dig for deeper meanings. In this way, students and teacher share their ideas to enrich each other. Let’s look why teachers use it in class. Actually, students construct their own meaning and ıt may be correct or not. However, they may not develop it by themselves so they may need ideas coming from their peers and teachers. In this way, they will differentiate their ideas with other, and they will again construct their own meaning by their cognitive process in a logical way. Also, students will improve their effective thinking process in this way because they will do critical thinking when differentiating their ideas and creating them again. Moreover, this is a group activity so communication skills of students will definitely improve when sharing ideas.

Discussion is a concept belonging to questions so it is really important to find or create correct and effective questions to improve discussion. Question types and their aim changes according to required skills. For example, factual question is more suitable for young children because ın their stage, they need mastery of basic understanding. Factual questions are more concrete so they are better for basic understanding. On the other hand, higher cognitive questions are more effective when basic understanding achieved because it is more suitable for students who are independent and have higher level thinking. It is really important that teacher should identify their students stage, and they should not force students to work on questions which are higher than students cognitive level because it may harm student’s motivation. On the side, discussion needs some wait time. People sometimes cannot give direct answers because of their anxiety or lack of information so teachers should give students approximately 3 second wait time for them to collect their ideas and present it. Also, sometimes teacher ask question and wait for a long time. This should not be done. If students have an answer, s/he does not wait for a long time and tell it to escape from that situation and silence in class. Otherwise, it shows that students do not have any idea about subject, so don’t wait for long time. If necessary, talk with students later.

We learned how to create correct discussion way. Now, let’s look how to create correct discussion plan. Firstly, teacher should choose an approach to support discussion and to go on a controlled way. Secondly, teacher should make a plan including objectives, discussion items and question for discussing. Thirdly, setting an arrangement. This includes how students and teacher will sit in the class environment. How effectively chairs should be designed to control interaction with students to teacher and students to students. Also, there should be empty places in class for teacher to reach every student easily. Lastly, teacher should definitely be careful when creating discussion because discussion should be open for all students to make all students active. Teacher should not focus a specific part of the class.

Blog post_7

Problem/project based learning

 

Since a long time, many countries are working to change their education system because they think that their education system does not meet with needs anymore and being inadequate. Actually, all countries have used teacher centered education system so far but some of them changed it with better education system and some of them like turkey still use it. When we look our education system, we can say that we are not so good. Actually, some test like Pisa shows that we are below of average of education quality compared to other countries. I think we force to use this education model but it is obvious that this model is not adequate moreover. What can we do? Should we change our education model? Actually, yes, we should change our education model. We have put teachers on the center so far. It worked for a short time but not anymore. It is the time to put students on the center so let’s focus the Problem Based Learning model which put students on the center of education. Problem based learning consists of presenting students with authentic and meaningful problem situations that can serve as springboards for investigations and inquiry. Students are problem solver and instructors are facilitator. They find activities belonging to problems in daily life and guide students when they work on them. Students approach problems from different dimensions so they can use physics and math formulas when they work on a social problem. They can develop themselves in many subject when working on a problem. Then, let’s see how problem based learning is used. At first, problems which are chosen by facilitator should definitely be real life problems because the aim of education is to make students ready for real life. Also, Problems should require alternative solutions because every child are special and they may focus problems from different dimensions with different solutions. We shouldn’t limit them. 

Also, we should not expect students to solve problems over their intellectual level. Problems should be balanced. On the other hand, we should know how to plan for problem based learning. As we did with teacher centered approach, we also should decide on goals and objectives because the goals and objectives describe the direction to remind where the lesson is going. Also, this education model aims to educate on problem solving so we have to design appropriate problems belonging to real life otherwise we cannot apply it on education. Actually, teachers are guide in this education model but they still have many work to do. They have to be very careful when monitoring and managing students work because they determine how students work on their projects. Moreover, they should be good evaluator because this education model makes students free on their thinking so evaluation rubric should be prepared very carefully.

 Finally, Problem based education offer a chance to be better. However, it requires some challenges to achieve it.

blog post 6

Cooperative learning

"Cooperative learning is a successful teaching strategy in which small teams, each with students of varying abilities use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding on a subject"(Teacher Vision(n.d.)). Cooperative learning gives a chance to students to feel success as a group". Also, it is a method to bring together both high and low achievers to work in same group.  Cooperative learning has many advantages and some of its advantages is really supported when we look theories of some scientists like Piaget and Vygotsky. For example, in cognitive theory Piage sad that people are really active when constructing their own knowledge and cooperative learning give this change to students firstly to create their own knowledge. Also, in socio-cultural theory Vygotsky defend that social interaction affects construction process and how people create meaning out of experience. Constructivist learning is both interrelated with these two theory. Firstly, learners create their own knowledge, and then, by sharing that knowledge with each other, they manipulate their knowledge as stronger. On the other hand, cooperative learning has advantages for students with lesser abilities while they are working with gifted students but some of the researches think that it is not same for the gifted students. Moreover, they think that it is exploitation. Actually, I agree this Word. Gifted students can tutor students with lesser abilities and by teaching to someone, they can repeat their own knowledge and hold it in remembering stage but that is all. I mean that students with lesser abilities will not improve higher thinking of gifted students and will not be helpful for them to manipulate their knowledge and to make it stronger. Even so, this disadvantage definitely cannot Show that cooperative learning is not helpful. Rose even has a thorn. Also, cooperative learning has some technics to make it more helpful. For example, one of them is Stad. In this technic, students are grouped as 4 or 5 member and they help each other to learn materials by tutoring and testing each other. The other one is jigsaw. In this technic, students are again grouped but it is heterogeneous different from Stad. Each student work to learn a specific subject. Each member having same topic from different group comes together to improve that subject and they come back to their group to teach their learned subject with better understanding. The last one is structural approach. Actually, it is what we do with our peers when we help us to understand a particular subject before exam comes. We think the subject and understand it. When our friend asks us about it to learn, we teach it as we are making a daily conversation. Later, while waiting exam, when chatting, we ask some of us who are good at some particular subjects to learn. Also, seating arrangement is important. It should have some proper design while needed. Moreover, it should not be forgotten that every student should have a role in a group. This is important because every student should focus a specific responsibility. This will make them feel like a flywheel in a clock. If it stops the other components of clock will also stop.

teacher division(n.d.)What is cooperative learning and what does it do. Retrieved from: https://www.teachervision.com/cooperative-learning/what-cooperative-learning-what-does-it-do

Blog Post 5

Teacher Centered Approach

Teacher centered approach means “the control of the class is fully in the hand of instructor”. This idea can seem good in some situations. Actually, it seems that the class will being fully controlled by the person who have got education to educate and direct people efficiently. On the other hand, teachers who want to control the class belonging to teacher centered education should pay attention for some important point. Firstly, they have to plan their lesson in terms of its content, construct, and time. They should prepare objectives students will be achieving and work to get information about their students like their grade level and age group. Also, in terms of lesson content, they should not think that more information means more achievement. They should elect information and obtain its simple version to make it clear. However, they should not forget that preparing a direct presentation of content is not enough because it can be insufficient without diagnosing students’ prior knowledge. Teacher may need to add necessary thinks to the presentation content for prior knowledge of students to lead them to construct a relationship with new information. Moreover, when designing this plan, teacher should not ignore the time which will be being consumed and space because it is really important that the prepared content should be equal with the time given for it and students and teacher should not hurry up when presenting the lesson. Furthermore, attention getting is more important in this situation because holding students’ attention is really hard during long presentation.

Moreover, students should be informed by the teacher about what s/he aims for the lesson and expect from it. S/he should inform the students about objectives of the lesson. Also, teacher should be sure that students does not have any problem in terms of understanding the content and should continuously monitor the students to check that they really understand the content actively. Also, the behavior of the students is important in this situation because students understanding has a relationship with the behaviors of students and how those behaviors are controlled by the teacher. Reinforcement occur in this situation.  It is really important that teacher reinforces students as positive or negative. In all situation, teacher wants to increase an expected behavior but they are not same. Teacher always should belong positive reinforcement because it is accepted that positive reinforcement increases the student’s success and motivation more.

Let’s come to the teacher centered education model again. It definitely needs lesson plan but what about students who will be in the center of this system and their behaviors. Will they need any practice for the lesson? Teacher should assign short, meaningful amounts of practice for the students to use their behavioral thinking in their learning because behavioral learning is an important part of the peoples learning process.