IDL-7110:

LEARNING IN A DIGITAL WORLD

WEEK 3: Chapters 6, 7, & 8

Chapter 6

Content Summary

The notion or folklore that learners are at a disadvantage if they are not taught using their learning style is still very popular in education. Brown et al. (2014) make the case that learning preferences are important yet not the sole predictor of long-term learning. The key is in the instructional style, not the learning preference of the individual learner. If the teacher matches an art lesson with visualization, the learning is increased. If the instructor is teaching Shakespeare, auditory lessons will be beneficial (Brown et al., 2014).

Bruce Landry was a successful man; however, he was not because of a traditional learning environment. Bruce paid attention to those who were doing what he aspired to become. He took mental notes along the way and adapted the new information with his vast and varied experiences. He built solid structures with new knowledge and former experiences. Bruce started out selling cut up string as a young kid. He ended up becoming a successful businessman, but not in the way most people experience. Bruce learned to make the rules of his own success story. His discrimination skills were honed over his many ventures from selling newspapers to investing in bankrupt railroad cars (Brown et al., 2014).

People with dyslexia are labeled with having a learning disability. The thing that matters most however is how the learner perceives themselves and their potential. Successful people with dyslexia have learned how to build structures of knowledge that is transferred to several areas. The Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity website offers stories of successful artists, entrepreneurs, inventors, etc. Octavia Butler is one of the many featured people. She was an award-winning author of science fiction books. She was a misunderstood youngster at school. She was a slow reader and writer. Determined not to be defined by her differing ability, Octavia though dyslexic, overcame her reading deficits by listening well. She loved audio books and lectures. Mentors saw her unique way of interpreting stories and encouraged her writing abilities. Black female science fiction writers were rare in the 1960’s, yet Octavia loved the genre and was determined to find her way.

Connections to Personal Life and/or Field/Discipline

Multiple intelligences were highlighted at an elementary school I worked at years ago. I remember the theory being taught to the sixth-grade class. In the last quarter of the sixth-grade year each student was responsible for a multimedia project. The research project required each student to use their learning style to create the project. I remember sitting as a judge during their presentations. Students would present with posters (visual-spatial), orate with poems (audio), etc. Each student was responsible for telling the judges which intelligence was their learning style. It would be interesting to follow up with former students to see if their learning preferences changed or expanded over time.

Suggestions for Student Implementation

As a librarian, I would use reader’s advisory to suggest autobiographies and biographies of successful people that overcame difficulties to my students. I would create displays with the books and a brief explanation of what type of learner the subject matter had. Students should practice selecting biographies of potential role models. Students, with support, should consider the many modalities learners must engage in while learning to be successful.

Suggestions for Instructor Implementation

Students will generate questions on a teacher created Padlet (online bulletin board). Each student is responsible for reading material in class. Then, they must generate two questions based on the new learning (Kingore, 2013). The students are responsible for including relevant vocabulary and concepts in their questions. Each student must respond to one peer generated question on the Padlet. The next day, a teacher-led class discussion should take place. Encourage the class to elaborate and give feedback on how to make questions more complex.

Chapter 7

Content Summary

In 1970, young children were placed in a room alone with a single marshmallow on a platter. They were told to delay in eating the treat for fifteen minutes. Only one-third of the six hundred children were able to keep from snacking. Focus and self-discipline were key factors in how the experiment conducted by Walter Mischel played out. Motivation is a powerful predictor of mastery (Brown et al., 2014).

James Patterson is a great example of a self-motivated learner. As a memory athlete, he determined to learn as much as he could about mnemonics, and all the research and practice paid off. He won first place in a competition in the beginner category in the World Memory Championships. James was initially drawn to memory palaces and mnemonics as effective study tools in academics for college. He admits that he later found the concepts and background of information were just as critical as the information itself (Brown et al., 2014). Mnemonics are important building structures but work best with material that is presented and learned.

Expert performance can be achieved with effort and grit. The brain is malleable, and science supports this fact. In 2011, British scientists determined that genes lay the structure of our brain matter; however, the brain’s plasticity can be modified with learning and experience (Brown et al., 2014).

Carol Dweck has done many studies on the brain and growth mindset. Her studies have shown intelligence is more than innate. Effort and intention are important components to achievement in learning tasks. One experiment of merit showed two sets of junior high schoolers that were told about effective study and the brain. One group was shown a presentation about the subject, memory. The other group was told that intelligence is also made up of effort and grit. They were told the brain can be modified with new learning. The two groups were followed for the remainder of the year. The group who received the lesson about the brain and how it can be modified and not fixed were more assertive and successful (Brown et al., 2014). Individuals that do not understand the power of the effort effect can fall prey to the deficit of performance goals rather than the potency of learning goals.

Connections to Personal Life and/or Field/Discipline

Mnemonics are great! I have been practicing using books that I found in my school library and the public library. I plan on purchasing some of the titles that my library does not own. Currently, I am trying the peg method. The peg method allows one to remember more phone numbers and addresses. I found a peg chart online that can help me with number memory from zero to one hundred. I am interested in strengthening my memory using mnemonics instead of medicine.

Suggestions for Student Implementation

Students that struggle to remember what they read while researching and writing a paper can utilize the method that Mary Pat Wenderoth uses (Brown et al., 2014). Create a summary sheet on your topic. For example, a student may select the topic of Genetically Modified Organisms for a Senior Capstone project. Students can draw icons related to Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). Students write down key words that describe what are GMOs, what are the ingredients, any health benefits or concerns; etc. The summary sheet is a nice visual representation of the topic chosen. Students can elaborate on their topics by explaining to their peers new learning bridged with background knowledge. Students creating summary sheets early in the research process can use this tool as the foundation to build upon.

Suggestions for Instructor Implementation

My recommendation to teachers and instructors would be to learn more about growth mindset. The Power of Yet, is the title of the short Ted Talk by Carol Dweck. The talk encourages a shift in perspective when looking at difficulties in learning a subject. Failure in grasping the concept to obtain a high score should unlock the mindset of “not yet.” Teachers and instructors can help their students make this shift in thinking with changing the perspective. The book, Mindset: The new psychology of success, gives educators the science behind effortful learning (Dweck, 2006). Be sure to praise students for their effort and hard work on a project, not their intelligence.

Chapter 8

Content Summary

Brown et al (2014), takes us on a journey of self-discovery. No matter what one age and stage, one can improve their learning. There are experts from all walks of life that have utilized strategies for success. Be it elaboration (teach others what you know), reflection (pondering what is working and not working), generation (struggle through a tough problem), peer feedback (listen to corrective advice), or rehearsal (role-play solving a problem or situation). These experts have found a way to overcome difficulties whether they are desirable or not.

Connections to Personal Life and/or Field/Discipline

I remember returning to school in 2006. I was a married mother of three ready to finally go to graduate school. My mentor had encouraged me to get my Master of Education in Library Media at Wright State University (WSU). I was a little scared but thought that I could excel in graduate school because of my background of working in many libraries. I had illusions of knowing for sure. I was not prepared for the level of academic writing and reading required. My bachelor’s degree is in Illustration from the Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD). I had academic classes there, but not at this level. After my first paper, I realized that I did not know what I thought I knew. I humbly asked for help from the student writing center staff. It was worth admitting and addressing my lack of knowledge in writing. I was able to take the new knowledge and build upon it with the assignments that came next. Now, I am not as intimidated by writing even though it still takes a lot of work. I am also not afraid to ask for help when needed.

Suggestions for Student Implementation

Teach students to role play. For example, students can act out the phases of the water cycle, the food chain, and using math operations in a grocery store during centers. [CB2] This helps students retain material. The brain activates up when you use more than one learning preference. An activity that is composed of all four components (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile) makes for deeper learning (Birsh & Carreker, 2018).

Suggestions for Instructor Implementation

In Powerful teaching: Unleash the science of learning by Agarwal & Bain (2019), suggest using an interleaving game that is low-stakes and fun. It is called the Lightning Round Strategy. The teacher or student writes down a list of former topics covered in the unit on a sheet of paper. Students take turns reading one of the keywords from the list. The class writes or draws as much as they can remember from the word chosen. The teacher gives corrective feedback to students. It is important to remember this game is low-stakes and non-competitive. Students will learn from the retrieval practice and have fun in the process.

References

Agarwal, P. K., & Bain, P. M. (2019). Powerful teaching: Unleash the science of learning (1st ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Birsh, J. R., & Carreker, S. (2018). Multisensory teaching of basic language skills. Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

Brown, P. C., Roediger, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A. (2014). Make it stick: the science of successful learning. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

Dweck, C. The power of believing that you can improve. TED. https://www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve?utm_campaign=tedspread.

Kingore, B. (2013). Rigor and engagement for growing minds. PA Publishing.

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