learntolearn

Learn: what…why…how…you and…

Continuing with Models of Learning: Concept-Based Learning

I am working on the two remaining Models of Learning that have significantly influenced my thinking on learning in general and Executive Function in particular.

Concept-Based Learning:

Concept-Based Learning is one of those models and is reflected in the work of H. Lynn Erickson’s book Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction for the Thinking Classroom.  Below is an excerpt from By Anna Murphy, Rubicon International

https://www.rubicon.com/concept-based-learning-curriculum/

Here are a few short excerpts from Murphy’s article:

Concept-based curriculum (CBC) is an approach to curriculum design that moves away from subject-specific content and instead emphasizes “big ideas” that span multiple subject areas or disciplines. For example, in a CBC classroom, students may study the big idea of “change” in a variety of areas, from patterns in mathematics, to civilizations in social studies, to life cycles in science.”…

” “Conceptual thinking requires the ability to critically examine factual information; relate to prior knowledge; see patterns and connections; draw out significant understandings at the conceptual level; evaluate the truth of the understandings across time or situations; and, often, use the conceptual understanding to creatively solve a problem or create a new product, process, or idea.”…

“CBC contrasts more traditional approaches to teaching and learning, which can be more surface level, with stronger emphasis on rote memorization of facts and concepts rather than their application. In a more traditional classroom, a teacher may teach a specific war by focusing on key facts and individuals, and require students to write a paper and take a test to demonstrate understanding. Conversely, CBC is a 3-dimensional approach that melds what students will KNOW, DO, and UNDERSTAND.”…

“Erickson offers an example of how the CBC structure of knowledge works in tandem with Bloom’s Taxonomy:”

 

 

No Comments »

“Winning at Learning” 2.0

An Earlier Version of “Winning at Learning” provided a brief introduction.

This upcoming version will expand the ideas, provide multiple links, and suggestion classroom and home-based activities.  It will offer “mini” workshops.

It will focus on Executive Function Skills and suggest ways to extend those skills to learning to read!

Image result for children clipart winning

No Comments »

AGENCY as an Over-Arching Concept to Address both Cognitive/Learning Voice & Social/Emotional Voice

AGENCY

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/nqsplp/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/NQS_PLP_E-Newsletter_No64.pdf

Having a voice

When children have a say in what is going on around them, they start to develop the sense that their ideas and opinions matter.  As educators we can encourage children’s sense of agency by

welcoming and responding thoughtfully and respectfully to their questions and ideas and, where possible, incorporating their ideas and suggestions when we plan and implement experiences. Allowing children a voice in what goes on means sharing some of our power and control, but it also helps to promote a more positive, open and cooperative dynamic between adults and children.           

 Vital ways of listening to and honouring children’s voices include using children’s interests as the basis for our programs; responding to children’s criticisms or comments; and allowing children to help make decisions that affect them.

 However, this listening can happen in more subtle ways as well. As educators we have a responsibility to respond to what children are telling us—both directly and through their behaviour and actions.

Reading children’s cues and responding to them is an important skill for educators to have. This is especially the case with very young children who may not be able to communicate their needs and wishes verbally.

…….”

No Comments »

“…but all kids have a voice and they deserve to express it.” Michelle Hammond

 

Excerpts from CASEL post received  on July 18, 2018–just I was planning an Executive Function post on “Student Voices”  

https://casel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/SEL-Trends-Youth-Voice.pdf

”TRENDS CASEL • Empowering Youth Voice 5 Empowering Youth Voice Washoe County: Even Kindergartners Have a Voice This year, Washoe County School District (WCSD) has worked to utilize student voice at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. “We know that the best information we have about supports and obstacles in our system often comes straight from the students.” says Laura Davidson, the district’s director of research and evaluation.

”Student voice looks different at the elementary level, but it’s equally important,” says Michelle Hammond, student voice coordinator. While high school students tend to focus on issues like bullying and school climate, elementary students look at issues close to their classrooms. They’re helping change school rules to reduce behavior problems in the cafeteria. In one elementary school the Student Advisory Council addressed equity concerns by changing the gift policy for teacher appreciation week so that all students had something to give. “A lot of what we see in our student voice work is geared toward high school students, so we are exploring what student voice in elementary schools can look like. We know student voice fosters social and emotional learning, so let’s start early in life to lay positive groundwork,” says Hammond.

A unique feature of Washoe County’s work is the Strength in Voices Symposium, now in its fourth year. Attendance has grown to 400 participants attending the Spring 2018 event. Elementary, middle, and high school students lead all breakout sessions, which focus on a variety of topics like equity, assessments, analyzing results from climate surveys, and the challenges that issues like poverty present to students. In each session, students provide recommendations for change, and adults are present to capture that input.

“One of the best things about this event is that we work to ensure a representative sample of students so we have all voices at the table. We provide schools with a randomly selected list of 15 students from which eight are selected to participate,” says Hammond. “When it comes to leadership opportunities, we often default to students perceived to fit certain criteria, but all kids have a voice and they deserve to express it. If we’re really trying to drive change and improve, we must have students with diverse experiences at the table.” That’s one of the implementation challenges the district is addressing. Getting educators on board isn’t always easy because they have so much on their plates. “We are working with teachers to embed student voice into their existing practices, including SEL, so it is not seen as one more thing,” says Trish Shaffer, the district’s MTSS/SEL coordinator. …”

 

 

 

 

 

No Comments »

Executive Function: Beginning with a Definition, Moving to Challenges and Interventions

Here is a series of posts on Executive Function from Understood

https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/executive-functioning-issues/understanding-executive-functioning-issues

For example–excerpts:

“Executive functioning issues are weaknesses in a set of important mental skills that are key to learning. Kids with executive functioning issues often struggle with working memory, flexible thinking and self-control.

What are executive functioning issues? They’re not a learning disability on their own. Instead, they’re weaknesses in a set of important mental skills that are key to learning.

Executive functioning challenges are complex. This overview can answer your basic questions about challenges with executive function, and show you what you can do to help your child. It can also lead you to the more in-depth information you’ll need throughout your journey. You’ll find expert tips and strategies to help your child, plus the latest research and guidance on how to work with your child’s school.

If you think your child might have executive functioning issues, here are steps you can take. If you recently learned your child struggles with these executive skills, find out what to do next.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYi2EzPkErs  A 3 minute video

In this video, Stephanie M. Carlson, Ph.D., professor and director of research at the Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, explains what you need to know about executive function skills. Learn why some kids struggle with executive functions and what you can do to help nurture your child’s executive function skills”

No Comments »

Metacognition: A 28 Minute Video from The Annenberg Learner Site

From Annenberg Learner

Thinking About Thinking – Metacognition.  Understanding the Concept of Metacognition (Executive Function)  This is a wonderful resource!

https://www.learner.org/courses/learningclassroom/session_overviews/metacog_home9.html

9. Thinking About Thinking – Metacognition
“We can teach children to think about their thinking in ways that help them understand what they know and what they don’t know and what they’d like to learn, and to help them reflect on their learning and to evaluate their work against a continuum that they’re on. All of those kinds of thinking actually make the learning process more powerful.”
Linda Darling-Hammond

 

Key Questions:

  • How can people learn by reflecting on what they know and do?
  • How can teachers help students think about their own thinking?

Learning Objectives:

  1. Defining metacognition – Teachers will understand what metacognition is and how it improves learning. They will become familiar with two aspects of metacognition: reflection and self-regulation.
  2. Developing metacognitive skills – Teachers will understand what it means to develop a culture of metacognition in the classroom. Teachers will become familiar with strategies for helping students regulate, monitor, and guide their learning.

Video Program  28 minutes

This episode explores how thinking about thinking helps students to better manage their own learning and to learn difficult concepts deeply. The episode features two teachers – Kendra Hearn, who teaches senior English at West Bloomfield High School, West Bloomfield, Michigan, and Kathleen Hayes-Parvin, who teaches sixth grade at Birney Middle School, Southfield, Michigan. University of Michigan professor Annemarie Sullivan Palincsar and Lee S. Shulman, President of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching provide their insights for teache

“All material on this site has been made available for educational purposes and is intended for personal, non-commercial use.”

No Comments »

Executive Function and Designing Your Own Learning

 

What if young people designed their own learning?

 From: Conversation”

https://theconversation.com/what-if-young-people-designed-their-own-learning-59153

A few short “excerpts”…that reflect a model that emphasizes Context-Based Instruction, that Begins with a Plan to Understand and Collaborate with Individual Children

Why schools need to change

“The current system is clearly not working for a large number of students. Levels of disengagement within schools are high and increase as students pass through secondary school.

To carry on batching children into year groups and teaching them the same content partly explains why there are high levels of disengagement, stress and underachievement.

Schools recognise that today’s complex world needs students who are capable in different ways” …..

CUREE found that independent learning could improve academic performance, motivation and confidence. Studies showed some students in particular, such as those with special learning needs and socially excluded children, felt more engaged in their learning.

However, learning needed to be scaffolded with support and feedback. Teachers played a key role in facilitating students’ independence. Further empirical evidence would strengthen understanding of the size of the effect…..”

  • Read more in the series here.

 

No Comments »

One Path to Facilitating a Child’s Executive Function Learning

What Path Can We Follow to Facilitate a Child’s Executive Function Learning?

Here’s one pathway to follow:

Begin with a Tentative Definition.

Understand Normal Development of Cognitive/Social/Emotional Learning.

Exploring Models of Executive Function, including models that address, for example, Self-Management, Self-Direction, Self-Regulation.  These “Self-“ models often address the same attitudes, skills and behavior.

Translating the most promising model for your situation into Context-Based Instruction

*Begin with a Plan to Understand and Collaborate with Individual Children

*Choose Instructional Principles

*Sequence Goals and Objectives

*Engage in Diagnostic Teaching

*Monitor Progress

*Work toward Generalization

Apply to A Domain and then Across Domains

Continue to Grow By Following the Literature (Reference List)

 

 

No Comments »

My First Venture into Creating a Model of Executive Function/Metacognition

As part of my Online Course in 2010, I created the following slide share “model” of Executive Functioning/Metacognition.  My “model” continues as a work in progress:

Kids as executive learners from Fran Toomey

 

No Comments »

Beginning of the “Learning How to Learn” Blog–Part 2

In the summer of 2010, I ventured into an online course to learn how to create a wiki.  It was a one week online crash course….morning to midnight.  It was exciting and challenging.  There was always the threat that if you didn’t complete an assignment, you were out.  As a tech novice, I was always on the edge of failing.  But I made it and created my first wiki:  http://explorience1.pbworks.com/w/page/52643140/My%20Story.  The focus of that wiki was Learning How to Learn–Executive Function/Metacognition./Self-Directed Learning.

After that step, in 2011 I vaulted into creating a blog titled “want to learn.”  Here is the first entry I made:

On the Road to Learning: I am a learner, too!

All of the beginning tech work  as well as this blog was based on a course I taught from 1981 to 2006 at St. Michael’s College in the Special Education/Learning Disabilities Graduate Program, after completing a Ph.D. in Development and Learning at the University of Vermont.  I had an opportunity to teach that course (Development and Learning) once again in 2016 in a summer marathon.  It was quite a challenge, but helped me to update my knowledge base on Executive Function (E.F.), Metacognition, and Self-Directed Learning as well as Social Emotional Development and Learning.

As I restart this blog in 2018, I will focus on Executive Function/Metacogntion in relation to Literacy Learning, with a special emphasis on learning to read especially for children in K-12 who are dyslexic and/or economically disadvantaged.

The first few entries in this blog focused on essential questions about E.F. and Defining E.F.

No Comments »

Skip to toolbar