https://padlet.com/nys_levy/whwhpseg5zry Assignments for the "Teaching and Learning Strategies" Course by Leah en-us 2017-10-17 13:14:01 UTC 2018-01-04 21:20:07 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Apple.png nys_levy https://padlet.com/nys_levy/whwhpseg5zry/wish/197779067 There are many types of people and each learns differently. However, professionals and researchers in the field of Education have classified some different methods of learning that can be generally applied. 
For some students, working in a group is preferable than doing assignments individually because they thrive when their communication and listening skills are put to work. On the contrary, other students will find that they work best when they are alone and can hear their own thoughts, without the distractions that a group of people involve. 
Another categorization is hierarchical and on the opposite spectrum, collaborative learning. The difference between these two methods is the focus of who has the knowledge and who receives it. The classical, or hierarchical method is where the teacher is the provider of knowledge and her students are the passive receivers.
Today this method is not so popular. It is slowly being replaced by the collaborative point of view, where both students and teachers have knowledge to share and the teacher's position is mainly a guide and a mediator. 
As to when people learn best, it is assumed that people's minds are fresh in the morning after waking up and this is the classical approach. But some people claim that their best learning time is during the evenings.
I hope that teachers make a balance between the hierarchical and the modern way of managing a class, and that they make the effort to find out in which way their students thrive best.


]]> 2017-10-17 13:40:27 UTC https://padlet.com/nys_levy/whwhpseg5zry/wish/197779067 nys_levy https://padlet.com/nys_levy/whwhpseg5zry/wish/201474936 The learning theories we discussed in class sum up different perspectives of what is effective education. Some of the theories connect well with what I believe would work in theײ² classroom.ֲ 
The behavioral theory is very much what my elementary school experience was. We were expected to teach what was learned and evolve our behavior. Learning how to read and write is the quintessential example of this theory.ײ²
Additionally, I was very interested to learn aboutײ²ֲ  the Social Cognitive learning theory. To put it in my own words, a person will learn by osmosis in order to adapt and "fit in" into a society: whether a classroom, a group of peers, and so on. This is fascinating for me because being such a natural process of life, I had never really acknowledged it as an actual method of learning.ײ²ֲ 
We can use the natural inclination of our students and adapt it teach them English. An example of using the social cognitive way is to create an atmosphere where students adapt to the exclusive use of English in the classroom..]]> 2017-10-29 10:14:29 UTC https://padlet.com/nys_levy/whwhpseg5zry/wish/201474936 nys_levy https://padlet.com/nys_levy/whwhpseg5zry/wish/207549394 After reflecting on what we learned last day at Leah's lesson, I realize that like a few of my future colleagues in the class, I as well am a bit old-school. NOT because of my age, although definitely a 3 or 4 year gap in age does make a difference in technology-savviness. I find that after going to Practical Work and learning by observing and also giving lessons, for me the best method is still a bit classical. 
For sure I enjoy including technology in my lessons. PowerPoint slideshows are very helpful. Videos are as well. But for me it is not the "meat" of the lesson. Sometimes, when we watch a video in class, I do understand that with the analysis we will do will contribute a lot to our learning, but my conclusions might be this way because I believe that quantifiable work is a great way to learn to. 
I hope to learn more about how to include technology without this factor overwhelming the true essence of the lesson, because like I learned in this week's session, when we use technology in the classroom, it must be really well planned and structured. Otherwise, the students will just loop a learning opportunity and we will loose valuable teaching time.]]> 2017-11-16 08:05:40 UTC https://padlet.com/nys_levy/whwhpseg5zry/wish/207549394 nys_levy https://padlet.com/nys_levy/whwhpseg5zry/wish/209434631 This lesson was about VARK: The theorem of learning styles by Neil Fleming. I took the test and was very excited to know that I'm a read/write type of learner, as I had thought I am.
It's very interesting though, that there are other learning styles in the mix and that in the test I was not 100% one of them. This means for me, that even though people have strengths in particular skills, they CAN learn in different ways. 
Do we really have to address students' best learning style in order for them to learn better? Probably, but it is not essential. Don't get me wrong, I do believe the teacher has to plan her lesson envisioning all the different styles, but I also believe it is important for students to strengthen their skills that are traditionally used in school, because the truth is that they are really important for life in general (read/write). 
On the other hand, teachers have to integrate more kinesthetic, visual, and aural activities in their lessons in order to strengthen those abilities as well, and of course to engage the students who learn better in those ways.
I really enjoyed learning about this theory and thinking about how to integrate it as an English teacher in the future. ]]> 2017-11-22 13:07:06 UTC https://padlet.com/nys_levy/whwhpseg5zry/wish/209434631 nys_levy https://padlet.com/nys_levy/whwhpseg5zry/wish/218853558 The material we learned during class about memory is fascinating. I really appreciate the insights and believe that if I learn how to apply this knowledge, it will make me a better teacher. It will help my students learn better. 
The brain is the tool with which our students learn. Teaching a subject without knowing the basics of how the brain stores material can be compared to working a field but not planting the seeds correctly. In harvest time, we might have defective fruits or maybe, none at all. The students ARE learning, even if it's not the actual material being taught. They learn from connecting different things that go on in the classroom and even in the attitude of the teacher. But the teacher's interest is that the students learn the material. This is why we must know how to plant the seeds correctly, otherwise students will never produce the fruits they were meant to, or maybe won't produce any English knowledge at all.
Retrieval, Spaced and Interleaven learning are three techniques that can be applied when we plan our lessons. If all teachers had the knowledge of this research, would they really not make us of it? Once a teacher knows that students have a better chance of remembering the material for the long term with free retrieval, would she really invest in only using cued retrieval tasks? Of course not. The same goes with spaced learning. If the principals knew more about how necessary it is for students to have useful breaks, would there be a problematic of too many double lessons at schools? Of course not. And lastly, interleaven learning. This is of course the novelty in learning research. There is still a lot to be said about it, whether it's the best method or not we don't yet know, but we can continue learning more and trying to apply it in the classroom to see the results. If it works, it would be a nice addition to curriculums everywhere. ]]> 2018-01-04 20:56:18 UTC https://padlet.com/nys_levy/whwhpseg5zry/wish/218853558