I found this chapter to be very interesting. I have never taken a psychology class before, so Piaget and Vygotsky's theories of development were new to me. I agreed more with Piaget's theory, but I also see the importance of culture, which Vygotsky stressed.
I thought this sentence from Chapter Two, page thirty-six was a good one to think about: "Real understanding will take place only if students are able to go beyond the superficial use of memorization." It seems like many classes today have become focused too much on memorization. For example, a typical history class. The students memorize all the information from a chapter, take a test on it, then forget it all and memorize the information from the next chapter. I thought the cartoon above tied in well with memorization. The man doesn't remember anything he memorized in class, but he remembers Schoolhouse Rock history, because it taught him the correct way. I tried to think of ways that I can "go beyond" memorization when I become a teacher. I am planning on becoming an elementary school music teacher, so my students won't have to memorize things that often. One way I can "go beyond" memorization is by letting the students use music when they play/sing. This will also help them learn to read music, instead of just memorizing the motions.
A note on the lecture - I understand that we need to make sure all teachers are smart enough to teach others, but I do not agree with requiring teachers to pass the PRAXIS tests. I think that our ACT/SAT scores should prove that we are knowledgeable. The ACT was a lot more difficult than the PRAXIS test, so why should we have to pass a test of lesser difficulty? In my opinion, the PRAXIS test is a waste of time and money. I believe that the PRAXIS test requirement should be replaced with a score of a certain amount on the ACT/SAT.
I thought this sentence from Chapter Two, page thirty-six was a good one to think about: "Real understanding will take place only if students are able to go beyond the superficial use of memorization." It seems like many classes today have become focused too much on memorization. For example, a typical history class. The students memorize all the information from a chapter, take a test on it, then forget it all and memorize the information from the next chapter. I thought the cartoon above tied in well with memorization. The man doesn't remember anything he memorized in class, but he remembers Schoolhouse Rock history, because it taught him the correct way. I tried to think of ways that I can "go beyond" memorization when I become a teacher. I am planning on becoming an elementary school music teacher, so my students won't have to memorize things that often. One way I can "go beyond" memorization is by letting the students use music when they play/sing. This will also help them learn to read music, instead of just memorizing the motions.
A note on the lecture - I understand that we need to make sure all teachers are smart enough to teach others, but I do not agree with requiring teachers to pass the PRAXIS tests. I think that our ACT/SAT scores should prove that we are knowledgeable. The ACT was a lot more difficult than the PRAXIS test, so why should we have to pass a test of lesser difficulty? In my opinion, the PRAXIS test is a waste of time and money. I believe that the PRAXIS test requirement should be replaced with a score of a certain amount on the ACT/SAT.
1 comment:
Thanks for your thoughtful comments on your blog. I like how you are linking Woolfolk with your experience and with your ideas about teaching and learning.
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