1. How does this topic fit into what I have learned already in this course?
The topic of language employs many of the cognitive features we have already learned. Through language, we are using active processes that are "remarkably efficient and accurate" -Theme 2. In addition, the concept (theme 3) that humans respond more effectively to positive information than negative connects the Pollyanna Principle for Memory, the Confirming hypothesis theory for problem solving, and this weeks reading features of Negative sentence structure.
Reading requires us to recognize letters (ch 2), use eye movement- either top down and bottom up processing to read and fully understand given information (ch 3), employ working memory to retain information we are reading (ch 4) and recall information stored in long term memory (ch 5/6). We use meta comprehension to think and check our reading (ch 6), as well as using mental imagery to further comprehend the reading (ch 7). We also use semantic memory (ch 8) to understand whole paragraphs.
2. What am I still not clear on in this week's reading(s)?
I would like to know more about reading and working memory-specifically how students who have large memory spans can read more efficiently and have left over attention to remember context clues to guess unknown words. So if students do not have large working memories, what can be done so that they can still recall the context clues in addition to the information from the story?
3. Under what conditions would I apply this material to my own teaching/work?
I am currently working with a student with learning disabilities, trying to improve his reading comprehension and vocab. He has a poor working memory, so we have been trying to improve that though cognitive tasks! This chapter gave alot of background knowledge (most of which I was already aware of) that related to my tutoring experiences. I hope that the following chapters will begin to answer and provide more info so that I can continue to help this student become a more successful reader.
Also, I just wanted to say, that as teachers, it is our job to correct the essays using our human abilities and training- we really don't need some artificial intelligence to do it for us. Sometimes I am annoyed that we are trying to find ways to get out of our basic human functions.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
I don't know, you decide...
1. How does this topic fit into what I have learned already in this course?
Ch 12 was all about deductive reasoning and decision making. Four major principles discussed in this chapter- 1. belief bias effect 2. confirmation bias 3. illusory correlation 4. anchoring and adjustment heuristic, all rely on top down processing. However, each bias has underlying factors or principles from previous chapters that effect the results. The confirmation bias uses the concept from chapter three that people prefer to recall positive stimuli rather than negative, thus the desire to confirm a prediction rather than disprove it. In addition, it is clear that these two concepts: deductive reasoning and decision making, clearly relate and impact one another.
2. What am I still not clear on in this week's reading(s)?
I don't know what my problem is, but I have read and reread the confirmation bias example multiple times and I still don't believe that the 7 card is "just as valuable as the information on the other side of the E card". I agree that the 7 card can disprove the theory, but it can also not do anything for the theory if there is a consonant on the other side of the card. Therefore, I think that if you could only turn one card over, then the E card would have to be it because it is either going to accept or reject the rule.
Another thing, I dont believe in the law of numbers... I think that 60% of the children born at any give hospital will be boys, regardless if there are 500 people at one and 20 at another. If we are looking at random occurrences, the number should not change the probability. We don't say that there is a better chance that if we flip a coin 20 times, 10 will be heads than if we were just to flip it once and receive heads. Either way our probability is 1/2!
3. Under what conditions would I apply this material to my own teaching/work?
Well, a big part of education is teaching children to solve problems and make decisions- in math, geography, and science. Teaching the reasoning behind the method enables students to control their thoughts and predictions, rather than just go on "instincts". It also provides students with better opportunities to think about the outside factors impacting the situation rather than just what is presented in the curriculum. If all of these factors, bias, and heuristics are truly effecting our decision making, I think it is best to confront and think about them rather than ignore and silently let them distort our ideas and perceptions!
Ch 12 was all about deductive reasoning and decision making. Four major principles discussed in this chapter- 1. belief bias effect 2. confirmation bias 3. illusory correlation 4. anchoring and adjustment heuristic, all rely on top down processing. However, each bias has underlying factors or principles from previous chapters that effect the results. The confirmation bias uses the concept from chapter three that people prefer to recall positive stimuli rather than negative, thus the desire to confirm a prediction rather than disprove it. In addition, it is clear that these two concepts: deductive reasoning and decision making, clearly relate and impact one another.
2. What am I still not clear on in this week's reading(s)?
I don't know what my problem is, but I have read and reread the confirmation bias example multiple times and I still don't believe that the 7 card is "just as valuable as the information on the other side of the E card". I agree that the 7 card can disprove the theory, but it can also not do anything for the theory if there is a consonant on the other side of the card. Therefore, I think that if you could only turn one card over, then the E card would have to be it because it is either going to accept or reject the rule.
Another thing, I dont believe in the law of numbers... I think that 60% of the children born at any give hospital will be boys, regardless if there are 500 people at one and 20 at another. If we are looking at random occurrences, the number should not change the probability. We don't say that there is a better chance that if we flip a coin 20 times, 10 will be heads than if we were just to flip it once and receive heads. Either way our probability is 1/2!
3. Under what conditions would I apply this material to my own teaching/work?
Well, a big part of education is teaching children to solve problems and make decisions- in math, geography, and science. Teaching the reasoning behind the method enables students to control their thoughts and predictions, rather than just go on "instincts". It also provides students with better opportunities to think about the outside factors impacting the situation rather than just what is presented in the curriculum. If all of these factors, bias, and heuristics are truly effecting our decision making, I think it is best to confront and think about them rather than ignore and silently let them distort our ideas and perceptions!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
week 10
Chapter 11- Problem Solving and Creativity
1. How does this topic fit into what I have learned already in this course?
The first step for problem solving is to select which information is relevant, which employs attention, memory, and decision making which are part of our cognitive processes. Problem solving is influenced by many factors that we have previously studied in the text, including: bottom-up processing; top-down processing; expertise impacting working memory, long term memory, and concepts; preconceived schema; and their ability to self monitor.
2. What am I still not clear on in this week's reading(s)?
I would like to know if the nature of stereotype threat affects all forms of minorities (race/ economics/ sex) besides the ones they conducted on females. Do males produce the same elevated blood pressure? How do the tester's make the testee's aware of their classification prior to testing? Also, I would be interested to see if student's could improve their scores based on positive stereotypes- does an asian male perform higher if he reminded that he is very good in math?
3. Under what conditions would I apply this material to my own teaching/work?
I think that this information is really good to consider when planing lessons, because as teachers we provide the problems, situations, steps, and answers. By recognizing that students take different approaches to solving problems, we can analyze their progress and not just their ends. Furthermore, how we provide and how much we provide can inhibit their potential and creativity to challenge themselves and find solutions without step by step directions. This chapter also helps to remind me that everyone has their own learning style and that we should allow them to learn and work through problems the way they feel comfortable, which may mean that we provide only the basics and then back off! Sometimes acting as a resource is the best way to let them learn on their own.
1. How does this topic fit into what I have learned already in this course?
The first step for problem solving is to select which information is relevant, which employs attention, memory, and decision making which are part of our cognitive processes. Problem solving is influenced by many factors that we have previously studied in the text, including: bottom-up processing; top-down processing; expertise impacting working memory, long term memory, and concepts; preconceived schema; and their ability to self monitor.
2. What am I still not clear on in this week's reading(s)?
I would like to know if the nature of stereotype threat affects all forms of minorities (race/ economics/ sex) besides the ones they conducted on females. Do males produce the same elevated blood pressure? How do the tester's make the testee's aware of their classification prior to testing? Also, I would be interested to see if student's could improve their scores based on positive stereotypes- does an asian male perform higher if he reminded that he is very good in math?
3. Under what conditions would I apply this material to my own teaching/work?
I think that this information is really good to consider when planing lessons, because as teachers we provide the problems, situations, steps, and answers. By recognizing that students take different approaches to solving problems, we can analyze their progress and not just their ends. Furthermore, how we provide and how much we provide can inhibit their potential and creativity to challenge themselves and find solutions without step by step directions. This chapter also helps to remind me that everyone has their own learning style and that we should allow them to learn and work through problems the way they feel comfortable, which may mean that we provide only the basics and then back off! Sometimes acting as a resource is the best way to let them learn on their own.
Monday, March 2, 2009
chapter 8
1. How can I summarize this reading in a few sentences?
This chapter is about our general knowledge broken into the two sections of structure of semantic memory and schemas and scripts. In semantic memory, there are 4 possible approaches or models that we use to classify and connect a new stimulus to our past knowledge. In the section on schemas and scripts, it was explained how information is selected (when we apply more than what is given), abstracted (how we remember verbatim in whole context vs summarizing the gist of the info) inferred (how stereotypes and persuasion effect our understanding) and integration (delayed recall and limited memory capacity).
2. How does it fit into what I have learned already in this course?
Semantic memory and Schemas build on the concepts of:
ch. 2- senses gather stimuli from outside world and we are left to interpret this
ch. 3- attention difficulties and assigning order of importance
ch. 4-7 - working memory, long term memory, information organization, and rotation/spatial representation of information all effects our semantic memory.
3. What am I still not clear on?
I would like to know how levels of categorization (superordinate, basic, and subordinate) affect students recall rate and accuracy in answering classification questions. Are their negative to being more specific in classifications?
4. How would apply this to my own teaching/work?
We are constantly using scaffolding to build prior knowledge, which in essence employs the semantic memory approaches as well as taking into account student's schema and ways of processing the information into their memory.
5. What proof does the author offer that makes me believe this is valid? Do I believe it? Why?
I believe most of what the author is describing through the examples and my own past experiences. However, when he says: "Once sentences are fused in memory, we cannot untangle them into their original component and recall those components verbatim". I don't believe this is true because in the case of a play, actors recall specific dialogs and scenes verbatim without reciting the entire play. I think that different memories work in different ways and that this sentence is not an accurate portrayal of this possibility.
6. Why is this important? What does it help improve or explain or predict?
This helps to explain how physical use of graphic organizer can mentally help students sort out classification in their semantic memory! It also provided me with a greater understanding of why students may take longer to classify certain categorical information based on the amount of nodes they have acquired and the approach they are using. The information on script also helps to explain why certain reading questions trick students because of the expected vs unexpected information.
7. When would I actually use this – under what kind of circumstances and for what kind of students?
I would take this information into consideration for my whole class, but specifically work on exercises that focus on semantic processing with students with learning and attention disorders to strengthen the links in their webbing or listing processes.
8. Are there other ways to accomplish the same thing that are faster, cheaper, and/or better?
For semantic memory, you could physically make classification systems, but this would not be faster/cheaper/ or better. However, if you were not sure about the classification of a certain stimuli, you could make a semantic chart to identify if the stimuli meets to pro typical image and or qualification listed. Although this process takes longer, it is a more accurate way of answering the question if their is not a preconceived web or list already derived in your head.
This chapter is about our general knowledge broken into the two sections of structure of semantic memory and schemas and scripts. In semantic memory, there are 4 possible approaches or models that we use to classify and connect a new stimulus to our past knowledge. In the section on schemas and scripts, it was explained how information is selected (when we apply more than what is given), abstracted (how we remember verbatim in whole context vs summarizing the gist of the info) inferred (how stereotypes and persuasion effect our understanding) and integration (delayed recall and limited memory capacity).
2. How does it fit into what I have learned already in this course?
Semantic memory and Schemas build on the concepts of:
ch. 2- senses gather stimuli from outside world and we are left to interpret this
ch. 3- attention difficulties and assigning order of importance
ch. 4-7 - working memory, long term memory, information organization, and rotation/spatial representation of information all effects our semantic memory.
3. What am I still not clear on?
I would like to know how levels of categorization (superordinate, basic, and subordinate) affect students recall rate and accuracy in answering classification questions. Are their negative to being more specific in classifications?
4. How would apply this to my own teaching/work?
We are constantly using scaffolding to build prior knowledge, which in essence employs the semantic memory approaches as well as taking into account student's schema and ways of processing the information into their memory.
5. What proof does the author offer that makes me believe this is valid? Do I believe it? Why?
I believe most of what the author is describing through the examples and my own past experiences. However, when he says: "Once sentences are fused in memory, we cannot untangle them into their original component and recall those components verbatim". I don't believe this is true because in the case of a play, actors recall specific dialogs and scenes verbatim without reciting the entire play. I think that different memories work in different ways and that this sentence is not an accurate portrayal of this possibility.
6. Why is this important? What does it help improve or explain or predict?
This helps to explain how physical use of graphic organizer can mentally help students sort out classification in their semantic memory! It also provided me with a greater understanding of why students may take longer to classify certain categorical information based on the amount of nodes they have acquired and the approach they are using. The information on script also helps to explain why certain reading questions trick students because of the expected vs unexpected information.
7. When would I actually use this – under what kind of circumstances and for what kind of students?
I would take this information into consideration for my whole class, but specifically work on exercises that focus on semantic processing with students with learning and attention disorders to strengthen the links in their webbing or listing processes.
8. Are there other ways to accomplish the same thing that are faster, cheaper, and/or better?
For semantic memory, you could physically make classification systems, but this would not be faster/cheaper/ or better. However, if you were not sure about the classification of a certain stimuli, you could make a semantic chart to identify if the stimuli meets to pro typical image and or qualification listed. Although this process takes longer, it is a more accurate way of answering the question if their is not a preconceived web or list already derived in your head.
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