Double Journal Entry #13

Chapter 6: Affinity Spaces

1. Give an example of a "community of practice" in which you are currently participating in.

Being that I am currently enrolled in Fairmont State University’s Teacher Education Program, I have found myself in a “community of practice”, especially during my clinical experience. Throughout my seventy-five hour clinical, I have been working alongside an experienced teacher from whom I have gained experienced and learned a great deal.

2. Why is the term "community" better defined in relation to spaces rather than groups of people?

People are not as simplified as a place. Locations are not a part of a complex system like people are. Because people change and have a variety of interests, values, and beliefs, people become much more difficult to define.

3. What is a "generator"? What is its counterpart in school?

A generator is what the content of space. In school, it refers to the content the students are learning.

4. What is a "content organizer"? What is its counterpart in school?

A content organizer is simply a design. In school, it is the lesson plans created by the teacher.

5. What is a "portal"? What is its counterpart in school?

A portal is referred to as the delivery. In school, it refers to the type of media used to deliver the content.

6. What do people have an "affinity" for in an "affinity space"? How does this inform your understanding of good teaching?

People are brought together in their affinity space based on their common interest, which act as the affinity itself. As a teacher, it is my job to include all students, based on their interest inside and outside of the classroom.

7. How do "affinity spaces" support inclusive classrooms? Choose two characteristics below to make connections between "affinity spaces" and inclusive classrooms.

Affinity spaces bring people together based on their common interests. Bringing affinity spaces into the classroom allows each person in the classroom to participate and for their input to be valued. Modeling co-teaching helps students understand that all teachers are essential to the affinity space.

8. How are traditional classroom different from Affinity Spaces?

Traditional classrooms do not encourage a sense of community because the teacher is viewed as superior to the students. In traditional classrooms the students are not appreciated for their differences, as they would be in an affinity space.

 

Gee, J. (2004). Situated language of learning: a critique of traditional schooling. New York: Routledge.

Double Journal Entry #12

Chapter 5: Learning and Gaming

What is the main argument the author is making in Chapter 5?

The author argues that quality video games offer "deeper and better forms of learning" than that of public schools (Gee, 2004).

What constitutes a theory of learning?
A theory of learning consists of patterns and principles concerning the ways in which people learn.

Why did the author struggle to learn to play Warcarft III? What needs to proceed before good learning principles?
The author struggled to learn to play Warcraft II because he did not believe that he was capable of learning something so difficult. He felt overwhelmed by the vast number of details of the game as well as the real-life online competitive factor. As read in the text, he "failed to engage in a way that fully recruited its solid design and learning principles" (Gee, 2004). It was apparent that because he found the game difficult, he did not fully engage himself in its learning principles –perhaps because of fear of frustration or failure. Learners must be committed to the time it takes for deeper learning to occur.

How would have the author's struggle with learning to play Warcraft III been interpreted in school?
The author’s struggle to play Warcraft III would have been interpreted as a failure.

What kind of learning experience might be better suited for "at risk" students?
Horizontal learning experiences might be better suited for “at risk” students because horizontal learning can prepare them for future learning rather than lead them into a position where failure may override success.

Why does the school-based interpretation of "at risk" lead to bad learning?
School-based interpretation of “at risk” leads to bad learning because the term “at risk” often gets translated to "dumbing-down" (the curriculum) within the school setting.

What do schools need to do to function more like a good game?
Schools need to offer instruction that intrigues students. Students should want to take on new identities and be motivated to fulfill their duties in solving problems. Students should have a key role as they engage in learning.

What is different about how good games and schools assess learners?
In schools, the teachers use the same forms of assessment to assess all learners, whereas good games provide students with the opportunity to assess themselves and make personal adjustments.

What are the attributes of a fish-tank tutorial that make it an effective learning tool? How is it different than school-based learning?
Some attributes of a fish-tank tutorial that make it an effect learning tool include: multimodal information, only necessary information, no areas of complexity; information that reveals basic, important connections, and information that is given for immediate use. School-based learning, however, delivers separate pieces of information that will be recalled at a later date.

 

What is a sand-box tutorial? Why is it effective? How is it different from school-based learning?
A sand-box tutorial is a real, self-paced, self-assessed game at an easy level –as it offers step-by-step instructions. It is effective because the game is played in a “real world” setting, yet the player cannot fail or be harmed. It is different from school-based learning because the skills of the game prepare the player for future learning; in school, children might learn those same skills, but if such skills cannot be mastered, it is considered a failure.

What is a genre? Why is it important for good learning?
A genre is a type of something; the genre reveals to learners what it is they are required to do.

According to the author, what do learning and play have in common?
Real learning and play both produce a feeling of pleasure. According to the text, "Real learning is always associated with pleasure and is ultimately a form of play" (Gee, 2004). Real learning and play often bring a sense of enjoyment to those involved.

How are the skills tests in good games different from skills tests in school?
While playing good games, students decide when and how to self-assess as well as the appropriate adjustments to be made. Good games act as a developmental process whereas in school, adults do the assessing and make decisions concerning the development of the learner. The school learner is told what to do and therefore has no role in his or her learning process.

How does RoN support collaborative learning?
Here, players can challenge each other in online games, converse in chat rooms, read game boards and magazines, etc. By involving one another to create a product or to meet a goal, players are being demonstrating collaborative learning.

Match at least one learning principle of good games (on pg. 74) with each of the following learning theorists you have studied in 3352.
Dewey: They teach basic skills in the context of simplified versions of the real game so that learners can see how these skills fit into the game as a system and how they integrate with each other.

Vygotsky: They ensure that learners at every level of expertise can readily use knowledge that is distributed and dispersed across a great many other people, places, sites, texts, tools, and technologies.They ensure that the learners have and use an affinity space wherein they can interact with peers and masters, near and far, around a shared interest, making use of  distributed and dispersed knowledge.

Piaget: They allow learners to discover the other edge of their competence and to be able to operate just inside that edge. (Equilibration)

Gardner: They give information via several different modes; redundancy.

Bandura: They offer supervised (i.e. guided) fish tank tutorials (simplified versions of the real system).

 

Skinner: They allow learners to practice enough so that they routinize their skills and then challenge them with new problems that force them to re-think these taken-for-granted skills and integrate them with new ones. Repeat.

 

 

Gee, J. (2004). Situated language of learning: a critique of traditional schooling. New York: Routledge.

High Quality Performance Assessment

What is formative assessment?

Formative assessment is a type of assessment that is continuous; it occurs either before, during, or after the lesson and is used best as an evaluation for learning.

What is the CENTRAL purpose of formative assessment?

The central purpose of formative assessment is to act as an evaluation for learning verses an evaluation of learning; struggling students need to be identified and strategies need to be implemented to aid the struggling learners.

Connect a best practice in formative assessment to one research-based strategy.

A formative assessment is best practiced when used as a form of research-based strategy. Using a formative assessment as feedback, for instance, would be an example of connecting a formative assessment to a research-based strategy to enhance its purpose. Feedback is crucial as a teacher needs to examine ways to implement different approaches to improve student achievement.

Give an example of how a specific assessment can be used formatively and summatively.
Using a rubric, for example, as a specific assessment can be used formatively as it identifies the lesson's expectations and summatively as it calculates a grade for the assignment.

Give an example from your field placement related to formative assessment and timing.

While at my clinical, I am usually engaged in multiple math lessons. One portion of the math period is dedicated to Reasoning Minds, and it is there that students have to learn objectives, complete A-B-C level problems, and correct mistakes using the “genie solution”. As the students work at their computers, I circulate the room, paying close attention to what exactly is being written in the journals (where the students show all work), how each student is rating in terms of accuracy, and how far along each student is in completing the various levels of problems. From there, I am able to identify which students are struggling and the concept that is causing the frustration. It is then a series of questioning techniques are implemented, and upon hearing answers, I am able to determine the student’s way of understanding and thinking. I can redirect the student from that point, and then observe as correct steps are demonstrated by the student as he or she solves the problem without error. Observation and questioning go hand in hand as I formally assess the students before, doing, and at the end of the lesson.

What are some strategies to help formative assessment be more effective when providing students with feedback?

To help formative assessment be more effective when providing students with feedback, provide the feedback in a timely manner to increase motivation and the overall success rate.

Name two advantages to high quality formative assessment.

An advantage to high quality formative assessment is that the students become more aware of the quality of their work, and with each success, their confidence increases. With this awareness and confidence, students seem to stay on task quite easier. Additionally, the teacher is able to identify struggling students and implement strategies to aid those students as a result.

What are some challenges to implementing high quality formative assessment?

Some challenges to implementing high quality formative assessment include: using formative assessment with instruction verses as an extension of instruction, the hardships of educators being able to implement these practices, and finding ways to use the assessment to develop strategies that are appropriate for the struggling learner.

NCTE. (2010). Fostering High-Quality Formative Assessment. James R. Squire Office of Policy Research. Retrieved November 1, 2012 from, www.ncte.org

Double Journal Entry #11

Chapter 4: Simulations and Bodies

What does the author mean when he says, "Learning doesn't work well when learners are forced to check their bodies at the school room door like guns in the old west"?
Learning must be related to the students' knowledge and interest outside of the classroom, and when it is not connected, learning is not as productive. According to Mr. Gee, learning is "outside of their contexts of application" (Gee, 2004) when students cannot apply the material that they are learning to scenarios outside of the classroom.

According to the author, what is the best way to acquire a large vocabulary?
According to the author, the best way to acquire a large vocabulary is through actively engaging in conversation. In doing so, children learn the meaning of words and their contexts.

What gives a word a specific meaning?
The meaning of a word is determined by the context in which it is being used. There are a variety of ways that the same word can be used. The author uses the word "work", for example, in several contexts including: "go to work", "working the system," "it won't work, etc.

What does the term "off the hook" mean in these sentences:

• My sister broke up with her fiance, so I'm off the hook for buying her a wedding present.

          Here, it indicates that she is no longer obligated to purchase a gift.

• Them shoes are off the hook, dog.

           In this instance, it is used to infer that the shoes are "really cool".

• Man that cat was fighting 6 people, and he beat them all. Yo, it was "off the hook"; you should have seen it!

          My guess here is that the phrase is being used to show that it was extremely
          exciting or out of control.
      
According to the author what is the "work" of childhood? Do you agree?
According to the author, the "work" of childhood is play. I do agree with the author because when children play together, they are learning how to share, take turns, help others, consider others' wants and needs; follow the rules, and determine what is fair/not fair. All of these tasks involve language, learning, and determining the degree of appropriateness. It is all about gaining new knowledge but building on prior experience and knowledge.

Why is not reading the instructions for how to play a game before playing a game a wise decision?
By not reading the instructions for how to play a game before playing a game, players become familiar with the tasks. As understanding develops, a frame of reference for expected concepts begins to build.

Does knowing the general or literal meaning of a word lead to strong reading skills?
Knowing the general or literal meaning of a word can lead to strong reading skills if the reader is able to discern the context in which it is being used.

What does the author mean by the terms "identify" and "game". Give an example of 3 "identities" or "games" you play.
The author means that they are specific behaviors one must act out in order to be recognized as a reader or some other "identity".

1. As a future educator, I am supposed to mimic the behavior of a professional educator -acting professional at all times.
2. As a friend, I am expected to be a good listener, especially in times of trouble.
3. As a daughter, I am expected to get good grades and be a kind person.

According to the author, what is good learning?
Good learning, according to the author, is "learning the right moves in embodied interactions in the real world, or virtual worlds, moves that get one recognized as.....enacting the right sort of identity for a given situation" (Gee, 2004).

 

How does the understanding that being able to build a mental model and simulations of a real-world experience are closely tied to comprehending written and oral language support or change the way you think children should learn in school?

It supports the way I think children should learn in school: using play to make mental models and simulations of real world experiences. Children continuously learn, and by creating models and engaging in simulations, chlildren can begin translating learning into other areas.

 

Why is peer to peer interaction so important for the language development of young children? How does knowing this support or change the way you think children should learn in school?

Peer interaction is important because it provides an opportunity for children to engage in conversation. They are able to discuss, compare and contrast, evaluate and critique their own perspectives in relationship to that of their peers. This is important in student learning, especially in collaborative learning where students gain a better understanding of the concept from a classmate rather than just receiving a red X from the teacher. 

Gee, J. (2004). Situated language of learning: a critique of traditional schooling. New York: Routledge.