Monday, March 28, 2011
Learning
I love the way, and this is sarcasm, I learn how to do something after I have done it. I really enjoyed making the podcast for this week and learned so much as I was doing it. Of course I went to school today and learned how to do everything I couldn't figure out how to do on my own. It is probably like that for our students as well. I remember a debriefing that one of my fellow teachers held at the end of the school year. I was teaching science at the time and had had my students write two research papers, one right after the other. The other teacher was not happy that I had had the students write two papers and was very surprised when one of the students said they had really liked writing the second paper because they could enjoy it now that they had learned how. I think that is something we should remember when we teach something. We need to let our students do something more than once. I don't know how many times I have tried something once, only to not have it work as I anticipated. At that point, I have two choices. I can give up, or I can try again. Trying again has never failed me! The more I do anything, the better I get. If you think about it, the old adage, "If at first you don't succeed, try try again", is an old adage for a reason!
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Couldn't agree more! I think we always need to do something at least a couple of times to figure out if we like it or not. I learn by doing, even if it takes a couple of times!
ReplyDeleteI certainly had my chance to "try try again" while trying to post my podcast. It didn't work the way I wanted it to, but I plan on figuring this out and finishing my project. This is a good example for your students; if at first you don't succeed, don't be afraid to repeat what you did in order to improve. When you finally get it right, it feels good to know that you worked hard and finally DID have that success. Students should know there is no harm in not doing things perfectly the first time, because it shows them just how hard they must work to make it work the second,or third time around.
ReplyDeleteInteresting - we often have one culminating paper or project for a class, which means that whatever kids learn in that process, they don't have the opportunity to practice it again right away. Hmm....
ReplyDeleteI did my podcast several times. The first time I did not like the tone and sound of my voice- it sounded too academic. I am not sure I achieved the friendly tone, but the practice helped me understand the podcast process. Each time I did it I learned a new nuance. I know I need to practice many times especially the technology. I am doing many tasks, and the practice helps inform me in the method when I am trying to multi-task.
ReplyDeleteWe all get busy and doing something a second time sometimes feels like a "waste of time," but I am like you--I really like that opportunity to be able to get something right. If I learn something by doing it the first time, I always find myself saying something like, "If I ever did it again, I would...". Well, if that second time never comes, you never get a chance to prove your mastery. I think that is where kids are at, too. They might actually learn something by messing it up the first time around, but if they have no chance to get it right, they feel beaten down and frustrated, and...like a failure. We don't want that. (By the way, I like your blog's background!)
ReplyDeleteWhen we are discussing technology, I think you can't really learn it until you try it on your own. I presented a lesson on using a Smart Board to a class at UMF a couple of weeks ago, and I was suprised at how few people volunteered to come up and try using the Smart Board. I find that I really get to learn a new technology when I have had the time to explore and use it myself. In that particular class, I wondered what it was that was a drawback for each student. I am sure that they all have their reasons why they didn't run right up there and try it out. Until you are able to put into practice what you have learned, it makes the learning part a struggle. I liked how you had the two papers and how one student commented on how much fun the second one was once they knew how to right it. As I continue my work with this class, the professor is going to have me work in small groups with the students to give them that time to learn about using the Smart Board to help them out in an assignment she has created that incoporate the use of the Smart Board. I look forward to seeing how the students all take to this assignment, and wehther or not their opinion/reaction to the Smart Board changes.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you! Lab reports is what came to mind as I read your post. The first one is always challenging for my students, but if you look at the progression of most students lab reports over the course of the school year they improve so much. It's always great to see the look on a student's face when they open their lap notebook and see that they finally earned that "A" that they've been trying so hard to achieve.
ReplyDeleteI really like this thread about "do-overs". Absolutely agree that we are always in a huge rush to get done...the first time. My podcasts are almost always second or third timers. Students often regard doing something a second time as punishment...and don't see it as an opportunity to learn from the first time. How can we avoid that?
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