How To Remember What You Read

Here's a clip I found on youtube that I thought was very interesting and relates to what we learnt in class about ho to remember things... here's another way to remember what you read. ENJOY the clip =)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVrGNn6IBu4

SQ4R

The SQ4R was new to me today. I've never heard of it before and now I'm wondering why none of my teachers taught me it in high school. It probably one of the greatest things ever thought up. When it comes to reading I get bored after the first two pages and start thinking about something else and have no idea what I just read. The SQ4R breaks reading comprehension up into simple steps: Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Relate, and Review. Breaking this up into parts helps me understand the concept a little better. I feel that if I use this technique the next time I have to read a chapter, I'll actually understand what the chapter is about. Let's face it, textbooks are probably the most boring piece of material to read. I would rather read a poster in a bathroom stall than read a chapter in any textbook. The SQ4R brings a new meaning to reading comprehension. It allows me to understand that I can actually think while reading, but thinking about the book not about another topic.

I feel if I use this concept in my future classroom the students will be able to understand the readings in the textbook. I want all my students to have a fair chance in the class and if reading something is not their learning style, the SQ4R will give them a bit of a push to understand what is being read. This concept will definitely be put into play in my classroom!

Cognative Information-Processing Approach

The cognative information-processing approach is an interesting way of relating how we learn. I have to agree with the fact that our minds are somewhat like a computer. We take in new information everyday, some gets stored and some comes in but goes right back out; it's not saved. When we do tests or assignments the information that was stored is then retrieved. Our minds are identical to computers! It's up to you if you want to save or just open the information that you receive. I believe this concept should we told to all students of every age. I feel they will actually try to study the material for tests and you might just receive several good marks from your students. Comparing their knowledge to something they probably use everyday could definitely encourage them to start studying for tests/quizzes. I hope I remember this concept so I can inform my future students about it and even put a poster up in the classroom saying"learning, storage, retrieve" to remind the students everyday what they must to do succeed.

Ideas Grasped from Albert Bandura

The main idea in class today was based on a theorist named Albert Bandura. He was an observational theorist who believed that children learn through observation. I have to agree with his reciprocal determinism model of learning, where everything in the model affects one another. It's true that ones actions affects their behaviour which affects the people surrounding them. For example, which was given by two young ladies in class today, Bill Gates came up with the idea of Microsoft which created word processing which benefited a lot of people. This created a much fast for efficient way of writing which leads to less time anxiety and an increase in a persons behaviour.
His idea of observational learning is one thing I believe mostly about. The only way I truly learn something is if I actually see it happen. For example, my parents told me that when I was younger not to play up on the counters because it's dangerous. Apparently I didn't grasp the idea until one day I actually fell of the counter and ended up with a goose egg on my head. I still laugh today when I see the picture of me at a wedding with a big goose egg. Another example is that I slow down in winter while driving. I use to do fish tails with my friends all the time until one day I was riding with my friend and we fished tailed and the passenger side of the car ran into a welding truck. Scariest time of my life! Even though I wasn't driving I observed what happens when fish tailing.
So in conclusion I believe Bandura's ideas are a powerful way of explaining a way of learning.

A Functional Approach

The other day in class I learned that a functional approach is somewhat connected with operant conditioning. Operant conditioning is a powerful set of ideas for controlling behavior in the classroom while a functional approach  looks more at the behavior and asks why are they behaving like that? I think that using a functional approach will show the students that you respect and understand them. Giving a student detention or some kind of punishment without knowing the story behind the behavior, will not fix the issues that arise in the classroom.
I also learned that there are 5 strategies to using a functional approach. I feel that using strategy #3,"create predictable routines in the classroom", will help control most misbehavior in the class without you even doing anything. For example, if you had a routine that they read 15mins at the begining of class, most students will come in sit down and start reading their books without being asked. You may have to tell a few to start reading but its better than trying to tell the hope class to settle down and open their books.
I will definitely be using functional approach in my future classroom due to the fact that I think it's a great strategy to controlling a classroom. I believe it's a great strategy because I hated getting told not to talk when I was just the listener and my friend was talking to me. I would much rather the teacher realize that the issue is and whose actually in fault in situations. I like to treat others the way I'd like to be treated so with that said I will be the understanding teacher who finds out the problem before giving the punishment.

Classroom Management Thoughts

Personally I am freaked right out about control a classroom especially when I first become a substitute teacher. I remember the things we use to do to subs in high school and it made me realize that those things may happen to me when I'm a sub. We all know what goes through a students mind when they find out they have a sub, either they don't come to class or they act out during class.

The one method that I would use the most out of the four we spoke about in class would be the positive reinforcement. I believe that giving students something for good behaviour is the best way to keep them on the right track. The out of control students might see what they are missing out on and might even change their behavioural ways to be able to gain that reward as well. I think that giving a student something for good behaviour is better than taking something away from them if they are misbehaving. Positive attitudes in my classroom is what I'm going to strive towards. I remember having teachers that just punished students all the time and never gave rewards to the behaved students. Without a reward do you think that many students will want to behave?Personally I don' think they will. So with all this said, positive reinforcement is my mainstream goal for classroom management.

Inclusive Classrooms

The decision of creating inclusive clasrooms, personally, is a bad idea. I don't think it will benifit the learning disabled students besides socialization which that can be done breaks or recess. Putting anyone in an environment in which they don't feel as smart as anyone else will create anxiety and the that person will not want to be there anymore. I've had that feeling and it's not so great I would rather be with my friends and the people I know are at the same level as me. I believe that the learning disabled students will have a very tough time in a regular classroom, the teacher as well. The teacher will need to learn how to teach a learning disabled student and be able to teach the other 30 some students ontop of that. Stress levels for everyone will raise. The regular students might not get as much attention and help they had before because the teacher will be trying to help the learning disabled students. Personally I strongly believe that they should can that idea before it is put into play.