One of the paradigm shifts that has happened within my lifetime has been the shift from the needs of the curriculum to the needs of the learner to be able to acquire the curriculum. With the learners of today, there have been many things that have been found that can affect their ability to acquire knowledge. Whether it is learning styles or prior knowledge, the teacher should tailor their lessons to be able to meet the needs of students to find success in a multiple of ways.
When reading Learning Principles from Carnegie Mellon University, I was somewhat surprised but some of what I saw. I had realized that prior knowledge can help the learner positively if the prior knowledge is appropriate and accurate. However, I hadn't really thought about the fact that "when knowledge is inert, insufficient for the task, activated inappropriately, or inaccurate, it can interfere with or impede new learning." I have seen this in many of my students over the years and had thought of it as a learned behavior where students who show helplessness are enabled by some teachers in order to show some growth. This is not something that will help the child in the long run. However, I am not sure how to combat this. Having a low tolerance police for not trying does not seem to have much effect. However, enabling the negative behaviors also would have negative results. So, I seem to find myself with a problem. Strong feelings and ideas can be dealt with even if not reasoned with, but how can one be made to care? How can one deal with apathy?
Waxman, H.C., Lin, M., & Michko, G. M. (2004) A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of teaching and learning is an interesting examination of the effect of technology and learning. For the most part, it seems that it has a minimal positive effect on learning. Technology also seems to have a minimal negative effect on behaviors. It seems that technology is not the panacea that people are looking for when it comes to today's educational woes. However, the studies did not state that all of the students in the studies were taught by educators who are proficient in technology. This could make a major difference in both learning and behaviors.
I can certainly understand the problem. It reminds me of a scene in the movie "The Blind Side" where a tutor is working with a student who looks at a problem and says, "I don't get it." The tutor responds, "Yet. You don't get it yet."
ReplyDeleteThe Principles of Learning include several points that may help students understand that learning is a process and that it is OK if they don't "get it" right away; things like making connections between pieces of knowledge, acquiring and practicing component skills and goal-directed practice. You are right - you can't make a student care, but perhaps you can mitigate their apathetic attitude by helping them understand the process and not give up so easily.
I think your analysis of prior knowledge is quite correct. Too often students have an idea in science how things work. Unfortunately if they have an incorrect explanation of how that thing works it becomes much more difficult to get the student to abandon their old way of thinking and change their explanation to a correct one unless there is something that prompts a student to do so. You should check out the stuff that ASU is doing for science education. They address prior knowledge by not allowing students to use science terms until they have been formally defined in class. It is pretty awesome stuff and can be found at http://modeling.asu.edu/. This stuff is meant for high school students, but you probably can find some stuff there that your middle schoolers could use.
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