This week's practical session we started working on the first three of the C.A.D. worksheets we're using to learn VectorWorks.
In the lecture, Robyn talked about the format we'll need to use for the essay we're to do later on in the semester (Harvard referencing, etc.). After a recap of last week's material (technology as systems and processes rather than just hardware; the drivers of technological development; the dichotomy between science and technology; the situation of technology within a social context) we watched the first part of 2001: A Space Odyssey (the bit with the apes). I'm still not entirely sure what we're supposed to have gained from that other than an appreciation of just how cultish some cult films are and that tools provide an advantage.
Next Robyn talked a bit about ways to communicate with others. Specifically, she discussed a list of "don'ts"; things like judge, criticise people, diagnose, threaten, divert, question, rationalise, etc. Some of these are fairly self explanatory and other took a little more explanation than the single word she started with. Say that we ought not criticise, question, advise or use logic in a discussion didn't make a great deal of sense until she narrowed them to ad hominem criticism, excessive and provocative questioning, giving unwanted or inappropriate advise and rationalising problems and concerns.
After a discussion about these issues to do with communication, we watched part of another video; this time on Philosophy for Children.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Yet Another Blog
I've just started yet another blog: The Education of an Educator. As the title might suggest, this new blog will focus on the classes, discussions, readings and experiences I have during my training as a teacher. All of the relevant posts I've made here are already posted there, as is some new material, so go and have a look.
Update: the new blog has now been deleted and the content (what there was) migrated back here. Wordpress may be nice, but it failed to save drafts and make posts one too many times, especially when compared with Blogger which has not yet failed me once. The only thing that Blogger lacks over Wordpress is categories, and I could emulate those with Technorati or Del.icio.us if I could be bothered.
Update: the new blog has now been deleted and the content (what there was) migrated back here. Wordpress may be nice, but it failed to save drafts and make posts one too many times, especially when compared with Blogger which has not yet failed me once. The only thing that Blogger lacks over Wordpress is categories, and I could emulate those with Technorati or Del.icio.us if I could be bothered.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Development in an Educational Context
This afternoon (though I'm posting this the day after) we had Dr. Marion Myhill give a lecture on development in an educational context, the first lecture in the developmental strand of professional studies.
Dr. Myhill described the reasons that we, as educators, are interested in development (it allows us to understand students as members of a cohort, gives us a way to understand them according to the ranges of capabilities typical of specific age groups, etc.). Developmentalists look beyond individuals to the generalities, to systematic changes and continuities seen across the cohort. This is particularly interesting to teachers as they deal with students as a group more often than with a specific individual.
We can view the development of children as a series of orderly changes. Individual children will have individual capabilities and characteristics (physiological, psychological, emotional and cognitive), but there will be a range within which most of the cohort are situated. We can also examine the rate at which development progresses. The development of an infant is very much faster than that of a late adolescent.
Where once there was a perception that development took us from undeveloped infants to developed adults, we now recognise that it is a life-long process -- deficiencies in early development can be remediated (as opposed to the view that short-comings in early development become insurmountable obstacles). While we now recognise that development is life-long, our potential for change does reduce over time (e.g: it is easier to learn a second language as a child than as an adult).
M talked about the four aspects of development (physical, social, emotional and cognitive) and that these aspects are interrelated. Developments which affect one aspect will often affect the others in some way.
As said above, while development does occur in stages and their are commonalities across cohorts, the each child's development and capabilities are still individual and it is our goal in education to narrow the gap between the best and brightest and the less able in each area. "While not everyone has the potential to be a Cathy Freeman, almost everyone can run a marathon with training."
Dr. Myhill described the reasons that we, as educators, are interested in development (it allows us to understand students as members of a cohort, gives us a way to understand them according to the ranges of capabilities typical of specific age groups, etc.). Developmentalists look beyond individuals to the generalities, to systematic changes and continuities seen across the cohort. This is particularly interesting to teachers as they deal with students as a group more often than with a specific individual.
We can view the development of children as a series of orderly changes. Individual children will have individual capabilities and characteristics (physiological, psychological, emotional and cognitive), but there will be a range within which most of the cohort are situated. We can also examine the rate at which development progresses. The development of an infant is very much faster than that of a late adolescent.
Where once there was a perception that development took us from undeveloped infants to developed adults, we now recognise that it is a life-long process -- deficiencies in early development can be remediated (as opposed to the view that short-comings in early development become insurmountable obstacles). While we now recognise that development is life-long, our potential for change does reduce over time (e.g: it is easier to learn a second language as a child than as an adult).
M talked about the four aspects of development (physical, social, emotional and cognitive) and that these aspects are interrelated. Developments which affect one aspect will often affect the others in some way.
As said above, while development does occur in stages and their are commonalities across cohorts, the each child's development and capabilities are still individual and it is our goal in education to narrow the gap between the best and brightest and the less able in each area. "While not everyone has the potential to be a Cathy Freeman, almost everyone can run a marathon with training."
Professional Studies Tutorial 1
In our first professional studies tutorial, we formed our Professional Learning Teams. The purpose of these teams is to give us a small group (a total of five people) with whom to discuss what happens during our school placements.
My team consists of:
My team consists of:
- T (me) -- secondary IT and Technology and Design;
- P -- English and SOSE;
- K1 -- Primary education;
- C -- Design and Technology (I didn't get C's other specialisation down); and
- K2 -- SOSE and LOTE.
Teacher Identity
This morning's professional studies lecture was about teacher identity. Dr. Cole covered a number of topics beginning with the question: "What is a teacher?" He contrasted the rather anachronistic view of the teacher as authority and disciplinarian whose primary relationship with students is one of power (he drew parallels to similar relationships between Britain and the rest of the Empire) with a stereotype of the "progressive" teacher who is full of enthusiasm, a drive to change the world and is soon run down by the relentless grind. He then described a more realistic view of the teacher as a (small) part of the educational institution: a system whose structure, goals and values are fixed and within which we must work.
Dr. Cole talked about assessment and its role as part of the learning process rather than a separate and distinct thing (undertaken alone in a sterile environment).
He finished by talking about professional development and how we can become more professional:
When we do our professional experience, we will be assessed by teachers from our placement school according to certain criteria (he showed the New Beginning Teacher Criteria from 1996, but I think that we'll be assessed according to different criteria), but we may not have opportunity to demonstrate all of them in our first placement.
Dr. Cole talked about assessment and its role as part of the learning process rather than a separate and distinct thing (undertaken alone in a sterile environment).
He finished by talking about professional development and how we can become more professional:
- Action research -- reflecting on our own practice and the practice of others, and using this to guide our own development (i.e: acting upon research we do).
- Expert status -- most educational systems offer some form of "expert status" certification.
- Student relationships -- we can teach more effectively when we have closer relationships (e.g: empathy) with the students. This can be difficult when we are limited to two periods a week, etc.
- Team teaching -- we are not alone. Working together with our peers and colleague teachers can help us improve.
- Work within the school -- we must locate our own values, goals, etc. within those of the institution.
When we do our professional experience, we will be assessed by teachers from our placement school according to certain criteria (he showed the New Beginning Teacher Criteria from 1996, but I think that we'll be assessed according to different criteria), but we may not have opportunity to demonstrate all of them in our first placement.
Books
On this page I shall provide a partial list of the books required and recommended for my units. Where appropriate I will provide links to the author's, publisher's and book's web site as well as to Amazon.
ESA160 -- Professional Studies 1A
Required:- How to Make a Classroom Management Plan by Robert Cope. (buy)
- Educational Psychology for Learning and Teaching by Kerri-Lee Krause, Sandra Bochner and Sue Duchesne. (buy)
- Case Studies in Teaching and Learning: Australian Perspectives by Nola Purdie and David Smith. (buy)
- Teaching for Understanding by Tina Blythe. (buy)
- Effective Teaching Strategies: Lessons from research and practice by R. Killen. (buy)
- Disability in Australia: Exposing a social apartheid by Gerard Goggin and Christopher Newell. (buy)
ESA166 -- Information Technology 1A
Required:- Guidebook for Developing an Effective Instructional Technology Plan by L. Anderson. PDF 232Kb
- Tasmanian Certificate of Education Information Technology Documents. Online
- Introduction to Information and Communication Technology in Education by D. G. Moursund. PDF 952Kb
- Technology for Teaching by Priscilla Norton and Debra Sprague. (buy)
- Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (2nd) by M.D. Roblyer and Jack Edwards. (buy)
- Learning to Teach ICT in the Secondary School: a companion to school experience by S. Kennewell, J. Parkinson and H. Tanner (eds). (buy)
- Managing School ICT by S. Hackett and B. Kennedy.
- The Java Tutorial. Online
- Australian Educational Computing
ESA184 -- Design and Technology
Recommended reading:- People skills: how to assert yourself, listen to others, and resolve Conflict by Robert Bolton.
- Technology Education for Teachers edited by John Williams and Anthony Williams.
- Technology -- a curriculum profile for Australian schools by Curriculum Corporation.
- The Idea of Design edited by Richard Buchanan and Victor Margolin.
- The Journal of Technology Education.
Friday, March 03, 2006
Week One Roundup
With the first week of classes over, it looks as though I'm going to enjoy this degree: Professional Studies looks like it'll be interesting (especially the school experience aspect); Multi-Literacies won't be too bad; Technology will be an opportunity to do things I haven't really though about before (design in wood, etc.); and it's going to be interesting looking at ways to apply information technology to other curriculum areas in IT as well as the details of teaching IT in its own right.
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