Monday, 2 April 2012
Review Five: "Oh Captin, My Captin" & "Rip it Out" - The Dead Poets Society
Okay first of all,
WATCH THE CLIP
above if you have neverwatched The Dead Poets Society.
The Dead Poets Society is one of my all time favorite movies. It is the story of a group of boys struggling with self identification in a school which dictates their lives. The professors tell them what to think and has strict rules on how they should act. John Keating (Robin Williams) goes against the norm and teaches the boys in a way which facinates them. The boys are then enthralled with literature, wanting/ needing to know more. Keatings teaching style was impractical yet it was so memorable and unique that the boys in the society learned far more than expected. they learned about literature, life and who they are.
The difference between an amazing teacher and one who clearly doesnt care is highly noticable. In the scene the boys are being taught by a stern older man who wants them to learn the basics. Keating had the boys jumping around throughout the textbook, not sticking with one subject for too long. In this scene you see the respect the students have for Keating and the lack of respect they have for the stern old man who is dictating that what they should know.
Learning should be a partnership, like that of the Dead Poets Society. They all taught one another, there was no dictatorship in Keatings classroom. This form of interactive unique way of learning proved to be effective for the boys and honestly it just seems fun.
In this clip you can see that the boys are uninterested in the traditional way of learning. Keating then introduces them to a new way of learning. Learning does not have to be dull and boring, it can be fun and vivacious. Keating in the movie The Dead Poets Society proved that.
Review Four: Video Games
This is for all the gentlemen out there who play video games. Ladies, I apologise in advance.
Okay, so I'm sitting at my kitchen table right now watching my roommates playing the old NHL on the old Nintendo. And I had never thought of it before but video games have some educational purposes.
That's right I said it. Educational. My roommates would so proud right now.
The games including shooters enhance eye hand coordination, mental stimulation. "Cognitive ethnography is an apt methodology for the study of learning with games, in virtual worlds, and the study of activity systems, whether they are mediated digitally or not" (vgalt, 2012).The web page that I found to go along with my recent understanding of video games outlines many reasons as to why video games are beneficial.
For the most part the article goes on to justify video games as "a literate practise in an authentic context" (vgalt, 2012). It pretty much says that gaming is more than just a game. It is a form of literature which enhances and teaches valuable skills needed for everyday life.
I am not sure how i feel about this but I will admit, my roommates have better eye hand coordination than I do. i attempted to play Call of Duty a couple of times and I am unable to look around and walk at the same time. I'm not convinced that gaming enhance the abilities mentioned above in the picture from he site but I do believe it can be beneficial.
SO, I may take the articles advice and before I decide where I stand - I will create my own ethnography of gaming... That means I get to take time from studying to play games, right?
Review Three: Encouraging Learning Styles
Hey Guys, Found a website where learning styles are described and ways to encourage that particular style in children.
Here it is:
For visual learners it says that a child will enjoy visual/ picture books at any age. This I disagree with. When I reached a certain age There was no way I would sit down and read a picture book. It seemed so juvenile, and it still does. There are better ways for a visual learner to interpret their lessons. The other ways to teach a child/ encourage them to learn visually are perfectly acceptable in my eyes. Boardgames, visualisation/ analogies, and daydreaming are accessible by all children and have all been proven to help a child retain information taught to them.
Auditory learners can learn through books on tape, listening to their own words on tape, and having someone type up a story the learner dictates to them. These all seem reasonable, especially the books on tape. It all makes sense that a child learns through an auditory lens. Lectures, videos, plays and other verbally represented lessons all enhance a lesson.
The kinaesthetic learner learns through physical touch and movement. I personally do not learn in this way so I find it a little difficult to relate to a student who needs to physically do the lessons or have a hands on experience. The website however lays out some clever ways which a parent can enhance lessons.
Lastly the site outlines what the logical learner. They learn through mathematical problems, puzzles, computers, and patterns. Another learning style that I do not associate with, but it makes sense, mathematically inclined people are more likely to learn in a different way. Science experiments are the best way to help along the logical learner.
I understand that a child will need to learn according to their particular learning style but I can not get out of my head my previously posted video on how there are no learning styles. After reading this site I disagree with the video clip even more now.
Reflection Five: Taking Control of Learning
Critical pedagogy allows a student to comprehend the concepts at hand further and with a deeper understanding. A deeper understanding of scholastic topics can come from many forms. Everyone learns and comprehends topics in certain ways and when it comes down to it analogies and visual enhancements of education further a student understands in ways beyond the norm.
In class we performed a play called “Snakes and Ladders” (Goldstein, 69) in Goldstein’s work, “Snakes and Ladders: A Performed Ethnography” depicting ways students and teachers intend to educate their peers by way of a week-long event. The “performed ethnography”, our presentation of the play is a way of learning itself. Reading alone the play is one way of learning but when you have others read it to you is another. When you combine the acting that we did with the reading of the play you are able to hear and see the play. This alone generates a deeper understanding of the reading. Those who are auditory learners find it easier to have different people play the roles of the characters and the visual learners will see the roles being performed. The “performed ethnography” then becomes a reflection of the students performing the roles and the students interpretation of what is happening. There are many ways the play enhanced the understanding of what is happening within the play itself. An active participation in the lesson forces the students to look deeper into the meaning of context at hand. The message in the play is another form of critical pedagogy. When reading the play by yourself you may not fully grasp all the concepts. When hearing and seeing the play a student may see aspects disregarded in their own interpretation. Needless to say we all benefit from “performed ethnography” in different ways.
I personally believe that new innovative ways of incorporating a lesson into everyday life is the best way for a teacher or professor to teach students. A new way of learning every now and then will only keep the students interested and continually wanting to learn. When they themselves can perform and partake in the presentation of the lesson they then can relate the topic to their own life. This reflection onto everyday life allows for understanding of the topic in ways that are unique and deeper than the intended lesson. Critical pedagogy is a critical outlook on how students are taught and asks us to learn in different ways. And the “performed ethnography” is only one way of introducing new ways into the student’s life.
Students take what they need to from education, just enough to get by. It is not until a teacher or professor is willing to attempt to teach a deeper understanding do the students apply real life situations to school work. Learning does not have to be boring; it can be anything as long as the student takes the lesson and strives for more. This need for more information is places the responsibility of learning upon the students to not only comprehend the lesson but to take control of their learning and apply it. Critical pedagogy can be found in any unconventional way of learning. It includes and surpasses the “performed ethnography”.
Sunday, 1 April 2012
Which learning style are you?
Here is a free test you can take to determine what kind of learner you are:
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