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Me: How do you best learn?

Abi: I best learn by getting involved in some activity. It is the easiest way for me to remember

Me: Has this always been the case or did you discover it at some point?

Abi: I can' t remember but I think I read about it in a book.

Me: If a tutor was to help you find out about your unique style earlier, what do you think s/he should have done?

Abi: I think by varying their teaching style, allowing us to try different means of learning may have helped.

Me: Do you find some material easier to grasp than others

Abi: I think everybody does. Math is difficult to get.

Me: Why? What about Math makes it difficult? Have you thought about that?

Abi: I can't tell. Its just hard to get.

Me: Can you remember any math class you enjoyed and another you did not, what was the difference?

Abi: Change of subject was cool for me. Geometry was harder.

Me: They all got rules actually.

Abi: Yh, I think the rules keep changing for geometry. I mean there are too many different scenarios.

Me: What about some activity to help you remember the changing rules?

Abi: Well....maybe!

Me: That's fine. We will come back to that.

Me: Do you think your sense of self and identity have anything to do with your level of achievement?

Abi: I am not sure I get the question.

Me: I mean to say do you think that you'd do better in a space where your experiences and narratives are important than in a place where they are not?

Abi: I think the answer is obvious. lol. But of course yes!

Me: Why?

Abi: Erm. I am not sure. Maybe it is about expectation. If people think your opinions and narrative is important it communicates also that a lot is expected of you. I naturally want to prove that right.

Me: Can you share some experience in this regard?

Abi: Yhp. When I was younger my teacher told us that some cattle needed to get their horns chopped off not just because they could hurt other cattle and people but sometimes themselves. I had seen a cow with her horns growing inwards back into her head and the teacher invited me to share. The whole class listened. I felt important. I still remember that class!

Me: Thank you Abi

Abi: Welcome!

Nhyira Sam,
Teach for Ghana.

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me: how do you learn best? (Both are 12 years old)
Student 1: I need my paper, pens and I also need my books. At home or during our study time, I write down some sentences or a text about it and then I try to memorize it.
Me: and you?
Student 2: I learn from the books at home.
Me: are you talking in your head or loudly?
Student 2: I talk to my mother.
Student 1: first in my head and then to my parents.
Me: are you explaining difficult stuff to friends?
Both students: Yes!
Student 1: if friends don’t understand you can help them.
Student 2: Yes.
Me: do you want to share an advice about learning?
Student 1: Yes, if you can’t study by yourself you should meet friends at home or at the park and learn with them .
Student 2: or with your parents.
Me: thank you!

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Interview with students (german):

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Short interview with students (german)

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Over the past few weeks I have been reflecting on my own teaching and students' learning practice. Two weeks ago, with the help from my colleague, we interviewed a few students on what kind of element in my teaching that they find interesting/ transformational. Here's a 5 minutes video on their reflection. They mentioned a few strong elements. Through listening on their feedback to how they learn in my lessons, I continue to reflect on my own learning.

Quick summary: They learn best when the materials in the class are engaging and exciting, the materials are those that they can connect and allowing them to pursue their own creative curiosity.

In addition, they also need teachers to explain step by step and to always show personal interest in their works and their views. Though, I am not sure if that's the right way for me in a longer term (my fourth year of teaching). The short of connection to cultural competence and engaging students for critical authentic hope in classroom also a big concern for myself after participating in this virtual learning course. I will continue to reflect on that.

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Teaching-learning in the classroom

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Thinking about Thinking

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Terezia Hochmuthova -Teach for Slovakia 

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Terezia Hochmuthova -Teach for Slovakia 

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Here students are driving their own learning - they'd like to understand lyrics of the song played before so they've chosen to work with dictionaries (instead of computer or teacher's help) to translate some words.

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Q. How do you best learn?
A. I best learn by listening. I think i can remember the words better.

Q. When did you feel that you best learning by listening?
A. When i listen something, i think about it and become more curious about it. I think why is that the way it is?

Q. What does learning in that way mean to you?
A. Listening to new insights and perspectives makes me so happy. I feel good and enjoy my time when i listen to the people. I think i can connect with the words they say and interpret the learning in my life.

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Tower metaphor of constructivist learing - Elisabet Barbero

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Tower metaphor of constructivist learing - Elisabet Barbero

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Cristina (Chilean teacher) Adult learner

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Cristina (Chilean teacher) Adult learner

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Cristina is elementary school teacher and she works at a reintegration school for minors who have dropped out of the formal education system. She is studying a Master in Cognitive Development -where I met her- and I asked her recently about what metacognitive practices she has been using as a adult learner and why these strategies are relevant for her own learning.

Q. Cristina, tell us who you are?

A. I am Cristina, a teacher of elementary education, for Language and Communication, and today I am attending my first class of a master in cognitive development.

Q. When you study, what strategies do you use to make that learning better?

A. The strategy I use the most is to try to "decant" the information which comes from the process of receiving it. I am simultaneously assimilating it with my past experience and information that I already knew, from my professional practice, my own experience as a human being, as an apprentice, of course. From there, I make connections through concept maps.

Q. And related to everything you tell us, why are these strategies very relevant to your own learning process?

A. I feel that this is the only way to "fix" that learning. It allows me an exercise to internalize what I am learning. If I do not do that "decanting" process, I forget it.

I highlighted the concepts Cristina used to refer her metacognitive strategies. It is so interesting how, especially for a adult learner, the connection between new knowledge and past experience supports her learning process.

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- Interview with another TFV fellow -
Phuong: What is the best way for you to learn?

Vy: I observe people. I interact and watch closely on how to speak, how and why they think in a certain way. It takes time for me, a lot of time, but that is the best way for me to know how to work well with people around me.

Phuong: How did you come up with that learning style?

Vy: I do a lot of training for all types of ages, from elementary schoolers to college students. I realize each person has his or her own story that shapes the way they think and behave. In the position of a trainer or an educator, I want to make my students better people, right? In order to do so, I have to "learn" about them, to understand the context, the drivers, the triggers for everything about one person. That is the only way I can really help my students.

Phuong: Does your learning get better throughout time?

Vy: It does, a lot. The point is learning is a constant process, and even if my learning is learning how to teach others, I grow in my personally life, too. I empathize more because I understand more. I am more mindful and more aware because I know the stories behind.

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This is a video of a science lesson about the different methods to separate mixtures of substances. Here, student leaders are in charge of each station and they teach, demonstrate and facilitate hands-on activities with their peers to enhance the learning experience. When they conduct peer teaching like this, they do a lot of reflection about how they could best enable their peers to understand what they are delivering. On the other hand, the students learning from their peers can relate better to their friends of the same culture and age range.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiE2xdxWxHg&index=5&list=UUXZcF6djrLTPwqteOAwyMFw

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I interviewed one of my students in grade 7.

Me:How do you best learn?
Magaret: It depends on the subject. With Maths, I write my own notes as the teacher teaches in class. With English, I dont actually read the notes at all I only read story books to perk up my interest in English and it works fine for me. I'm able to remember what I learn in class. Subjects that involve a lot of definitions are those that I make effort to memorize. Sometimes I invent my own way of memorizing. For example with science, I have abbreviated the first 20 elements into a poem to help me remember them at all times.

Me: Really? That's a smart move can you recite it?
Margaret: Laughs. Yes. (She recites the first 20 elements in science impeccably!)

Me: That's brilliant! So have you taught any of your friends how to recite the elements this way?
Magaret: No
Me: why?
Magaret: Some are just not serious about studies.

Me: O I see. But I bet you know a few that are serious about studies and could use a bit of your help right?
Magaret: yes

Me: Do these ways of learning work for you at all times.
Magaret:Yes. Unless I do not want to study. But I mostly do and it helps.

Me: Thanks Magaret. See you around.
Magaret: Ok

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I would like to share a method I recently used with my students (11th grade) - now I know that I helped them to grow their awareness and metacognition.

1) After the test that I had already examined I let my students to answer these questions:
- what do you know about the topic
- what do you understand in this topic
- what can you do (what are you skills) in this topic
- what you don't know about the topic
- what you don't undestand yet
- what you can't do (what skills are insufficient)

2) after oral examination I asked a student what is the mark that he/she is worth to have for the exam. He/she had to give a good reason why this mark is the best award.

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Teaching/ Enseña por Argentina Pamela Esteve

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Teaching/ Enseña por Argentina Pamela Esteve

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https://youtu.be/gaT7_v5HmAw

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Yohann TFB : Interview of Amélie TFB coach about mental management and métacognition

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Yohann TFB : Interview of Amélie TFB coach about mental management and métacognition

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Mental Management (elaborated by Antoine de la Garanderie) explores, describes and studies the mental processes in their diversity. Amélie, my great collegue, made a training on that a weeks ago for the team, but also at the last training week-end. You can listen to her (in french) or read her interview's translation in english :
We can connect mental management and metacognition, on certains aspects of metacognition. In metacognition, people needs to know who they are to learn, people needs to know how to learn, and at least to realise when the thing is learned. So it's possible to connect metacognition and evocation (or recall) in mental management. Recall is to make mentally exist , to make the study subject (what we want to learn) materialised in people's mind. What is interesting, recall is not memorisation. It is not with recal that we know when we learned, but all the mental management process including recall can show how he learns. About who i am, it will also help, because there is different learning profiles, we can finally discover his own profile, so we know what helps us to learn. I'm back on recall : recall makes exist mentally the study object , and we can see about the who i am, that everyone will learn differently, we talk then  about a mental image. In evocation/recall, you make it exist in your head, and when you do that, people do it differently : some are visual, auditory, tactile, memory of smell or real memory, some people will be in imaginary world, there is a lot of kind of mental image who can be created. At that moment, when i learned, in mental management, you can do it and work on the memorisation. Finally mental management  and metacognition will also be linked on an helping environement, because when you use it, it will helps to make this kind of environment.

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Option 1: (I am not allowed to film girls out of conservative issues) I believe one of the main strategies raised in classes around the world is Relevancy. Relevancy here refers to having relevant contents for students; concepts and world views that they can relate to.  The teaching/ learning process should be adapted and connected to the students’ environment, history, traditions and who they are, something that can incredibly engage them in classrooms and in the society as a whole. If classes are not ‘relevant’ to the students’ world views, this can lead them to feel in a way like ‘outsiders’ because classrooms do not create a space for their authentic identities.

In the past two weeks in my English classes, creating a connection between reading comprehension texts and the students’ world views and traditions is fundamental for engaging them and providing them with the opportunity to celebrate their diversity, identity and religion. When practicing a reading comprehension text like “Fake or Artificial Meat”, for instance, many students find it hard to visualize this whole new concept of artificial meat. This stems from the fact that in my students’ community, eating meat can be considered Halal and a typical food.

The sense of awareness was developed in a sequence of events: First, exposure to the reading comprehension text itself (+ visuals). Second, students were requested to write an assignment on the following topic: “Imagine there are protests in your village against using Halal meat claiming that your community must use artificial meat as an alternative.” Students are encouraged to bring supporting ideas based on religion and traditions that can foster their claims. Third, they are asked to reflect on the issue of who they are compared with other communities in the world (thinking of similarities/ differences). Finally, students have a class Model United Nations in which they are dealing with this topic –artificial meat versus real meat (Halal)- trying to reach out a shared conclusion at the end.

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Interview with a Student, Grade 6 from Syria, in Germany

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Interview with a Student, Grade 6 from Syria, in Germany

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Q: How do you learn best?

Student: I learn best by lying on the floor at home with my books. Later I need someone who asks me about the stuff.

Q: Has it always been like that or did you discover it at some point?

Student: First I tried it like in school – sitting at table and everything. But one day the table was full with stuff of my family so I sat down on the floor and enjoyed it very much. Since then I study like that.

Q: Is there a special way you learn when you lie or sit on the floor at home?

Student: I start to read, sometimes I paint something on a paper to get it better, and later my mother or my brother ask me question abou it.

Q: Do you like to learn like that? Are there things you would like to change or improve?

Student: It’s okay for me….. I am not a big fan of learning you know… But I like it more on the floor or sometimes in bed. I think I could learn better if I could stay or sit on the floor in school too.

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How do you best learn?

I learn best when the content is being tought by someone who has experiencied what he/she is teaching me. I consider myself a good listener and I best learn when I listen to someone inspiring.

How was your experience as a student?

In school, there were rare ocasions in which that teaching/learning method happened. I had a lot of difficulty specially in the subjects related to math because I could not the the application of that content in my life. I need as many concret examples as possible for me to understand something and also to be able to connect that subject to my life experience.

How does this reflect on your classroom?

In my classroom I am always observing my students and paying attention to the things they like to do. Therefore, I know what they like and I adapt the contents to their reality. One example of this practice was when I decided to teach one particular portuguese content by turning it into a “funk” song, because “funk” is a extremelly popular musical type among my students.

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Interview with grade 9 students.
Student 1- Omar.
Me: How do you learn the best?
Omar: I learn the best through songs and videos.

Me: how did you discover that this is the best way for you to learn?
Omar: Recently I noticed that the information that I remember the most are the ones I learn through songs or videos.

Me: Can you give an example of one time you learned something through videos or songs?
Omar: this year when you showed us a video about trisomy 21. how it happens and about its symptoms.

Student 2- Abedallah

Me: Abedallah, how do you learn the best?
Abdallah: I like to write write things down and taking notes. it helps memorize information and reflect on them.
I also learn fast during activities.

Me: How did you discover this about yourself?
Abdallah: I always knew this. I really enjoy activities and they help me analyse the information when they are given in various ways.

Me: how do you like to study?
Abdallah: I like to sit alone on table in a calm place and write things down.

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Farah Abou Maita-Interview with a year-one Fellow

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Farah Abou Maita-Interview with a year-one Fellow

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1-      How do you best learn? What strategies makes learning easier for you?

I learn best when I speak the ideas out loud and combine words with visuals. This strategy helps me retrieve information and learn faster.

2-      Is this strategy still good for you?

Yes it is. I have been combining it with other strategies as well like coming up with concrete examples for abstract ideas.

3-      What subjects are easier for you to grasp? Why?

Scientific subjects. Those subjects where you have to experiment and bring up theories and then back them up with practical evidences. They are easier because I enjoy them.

4-      Are you an independent learner? How did this affect your learning process?

I wasn't at first an independent learner until I was taught by my teachers some strategies that helped along the way. Now, whenever I am presented with a new material I honestly don't wait. I do my research and watch videos to understand and learn more. Being independent, fed my curiosity. It made my learning become easier.

5-      What things in the learning process would you like to change?

If I am to change something, it would be the time given for us to research. Students process information differently, and they need to be guided and taught about the different strategies they can use and feel comfortable with.

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Farah Abou Maita- Interview with grade 6 student.

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Farah Abou Maita- Interview with grade 6 student.