Assignment #6: Complete the 4 part assignment format as you read, reflect, and respond to Chapter 6 – Nonliguistic Representations.
Remember: Although your course packet asks you to post to blog for parts A, B, C, and D…we are asking that you only post part C and D. We’re trying to make the blog easier to read and more user- friendly. Thanks!
A. Self Assessment of Current Beliefs and Practices: This component asks you to reflect on how and why you currently use the instructional strategies of Nonlinguistic Representations in your classroom. The intent of this is to activate your prior knowledge of your strategy use so that you can make comparisons as you read the chapter. Below are the questions to help you complete your self-assessment. After completing your self assessment please post a thought or two as a comment (click on comment link below) to this posting labeled Week Six: Nonlinguistic Respresentions.
• Nonlinguistic representations help us to recall and use information every day. Think of a topic that you understand very well and notice how many images related to this topic you can generate in your head. Now identify a topic with which you are familiar but that you do not understand well. Try to generate images and notice how difficult it is.
• What would be the purpose of representing knowledge in different forms everyday in our classrooms across curriculum areas?
B. Read & Reflect “Research & Theory”: This portion of the assignment asks you to read chapter 6 and reflect briefly on your thinking after reading the “Research and Theory” section for both Nonlinguistic Representations. After completing your chapter reflection, please post it as a comment (click on comment link below) in the posting labeled Week Six: Nonlinguistic Representations.
C. Practice: Choose one of the specific “classroom practice” strategies or techniques shared in this chapter to teach to your students (If you are not currently teaching, you may share how you would use this strategy in your classroom). You may want to consider the bullets below.
• This chapter explains that nonlinguistic representations are powerful ways to learn and recall information but that many classrooms are very linguistically oriented. Think of classroom experiences that are often effective but that are inherently linguistic (e.g., reading the textbook, engaging in a discussion, listening to an explanation). Suggest several specific ways that these linguistic experiences could be even more effective by guiding students to generate and use nonlinguistic representations, such as graphic organizers, multimedia, and role-plays.
• When do you ask students to represent knowledge using forms other than words?
D. Final Strategy Reflection: Use the following sequence of questions/prompts to reflect on what you’ve learned about both the strategies presented in the chapter and what you’ve learned about yourself as both a teacher and a learner.
How has the information you read in this chapter on Nonlinguistic Representations effected your thinking about teaching and learning? What have you learned about yourself as a teacher and learner? Use the following questions to assist you in writing a brief strategy reflection:
• How might I change how use nonlinguistic representation in my classroom?
• What is something you now understand better about nonlinguistic representations?
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11 comments:
Last week I introduced a new format to my first grade reading group. The students in group A were to start with partner reading, which group B was sitting in a circle on the floor receiving direct instruction.
Then in rotation two, group A was to sit in a semicircle for direct instruction, which group B was to work with partner reading.
In rotation three, students were to sit at yet another location, in two lines, next to their peer tutor.
When I first introduced the rotations, students were having a hard time remembering where they needed to sit and when. It was taking me a long time to prompt students, and I was getting frustrated. After the first day, I remembered about creating visuals, and I made drawing to share with the students of where and how the rotations worked. I was amazed by how quickly the students remembered the three rotations when they were able to refer to the drawing.
I have used diagrams for academics in the past, but see that visuals can also speed up the learning of routines, so there is more time to spend on academic content.
In the beginning of the year, I would like to spend some time diagramming my classroom management expectations so speed up the learning of these skills, so more time can be spend on academic learning.
Hi Sacha,
What a great idea...providing your students with a visual to help them learn a new classroom routine. I think this is so important, especially at the more primary level...and you are right, it would free more time up for the academics!
In my fire science class, I had students (at the start of the trimester) answer the following questions:
1. What does wildland fire look like?
2. What types of tools do wildland fire fighters use?
3. What does a wildland fire engine look like?
4. What type of outfit does a wildland fire fighter wear?
They were not allowed to use words to show me what they knew, but rather, had to draw pictures.
Now, at the end of the trimester, I am giving these assignments back to them so they can draw new drawings of what they know, and have a good chuckle (some of them) at how little they understood at the start of the trimester.
I feel that I will definitely be implementing this approach more in the future.
For many students who struggle with word choice and writing in general, I think this will be a good way for them to express their understanding of a topic in a way that might be more comfortable for them.
While I have done graphic representations before (having them create a drawing of the rock cycle, water cycle, earth's layers, the pH scale, etc), I never really stopped and thought about WHY I was doing it.
This chapter helped me see that there is a reason why I am doing this, and that it's a legitimate method of instructing/learning.
Suzie Kabeiseman here.
C. So much of learning on a computer is a strong combination of visual and linguistic skills. In my classroom, the computer lab, I see daily how strong an impact the visual can have on the learning of students. Students see pictures, with words attached to them at every click of the mouse.
What has been nice for me this year is that I have been exposed to the power of a Smart board for the first time. This gives an added punch to what I teach. It's great for directions. For instance, we are always rushing at the end of a class to get out for the next class. Using the visual of Smart Board I am able to get kids logged out quicker than with out it. "Quick Save on the disc icon. Look at the board to see the circled icon to click if you don't know." I am visual and I know I would benefit from this in a learning situation.
D. I took a class at the University of Portland that dealt with this topic on a much higher and more complex level. There was a lot of work on the brain and how information is processed. Some of us are auditory and some visual. It was great to see what had been a very complex class dealt with so simply and clearly in this chapter. Many of us are far more visual than the way our classrooms would lead us to believe. It was such a good reminder that kids need many different ways to see information so that they may learn in the way that's best for their personal style. Whenever kids are not getting a concept I will draw a picture, diagram and model. Ya never know when it's going to click.
C. Practice
After reading this chapter I introduced a new piece to my Chinese New Year's unit. I have traveled to China and love to take this opportunity to teach my students about the culture and geography of the area.
I have taught this unit a number of times and experimented with the way I approached the lessons. This time around I added a new nonlinguistic piece that ended up blowing me away! I had my kids break into groups of two or three and draw a picture to share what they knew about one of our given unit topics. I then had my students use these images to stand up and do a presentation to their reading buddies.
I was so impressed with the way they worked together and learned from each other. The discussions they had while making their images were fascinating to listen to. Students that never would've engaged in whole group discussions were participating in the smaller groups. The level of understanding was so much deeper than I ever expected. I am definitely adding this final conclusion piece to my unit in the future.
D. Reflection
I have used many different forms of nonlinguistic instruction in my classroom. Working with students that are not yet able to read and write it is a natural part of my teaching. I loved hearing from Sacha that she added visuals to her rotations and found that it was successful for her. I certainly do this and I also have found that it really helps to keep my students on task if I also have a picture expectation list of the things I want them to accomplish while they are at that center. This helps them be more self sufficient and gauge their own learning. I highly recommend this in the future for more successful center time. Sometimes these sorts of creations are more work upfront but less work in the long run. I've learned the hard way. :)
Another thing that happens in kindergarten a lot is adding kinesthetic parts to learning new information. When I taught my students how to say happy new year in Chinese I included some motions to help them remember the words and it was funny to see them wishing people a happy new year and using the motion to help them remember the order and pronunciation. These sorts of tricks to teaching are key to retaining information. I had former students stop me in the hall to wish me happy new year and they were still using those motions to remember how to say it. They still remember it from years ago.
I agree with what Henry said in his reflection, these sorts of representations to teaching help reach those students that don't learn from listening or reading. We must use those multiple intelligences.
I have found that when I take the time to put the work in up front that the learning is much deeper and more successful. I try my best to make sure that I am giving my students many different ways to express their learning. It's our jobs as teachers to learn about our students and find out "how" they learn best and then set them up with an environment that allows them to be successful.
C.
A wonderful area of study for Oregon fourth graders is the Oregon Trail. Teachers generally love to teach this unit and students seem to love it. I believe the reason this unit is so loved is due to the fact that linguistic, and nonlinguistic, representations are all used in teaching the history of the Oregon Trail. There are a lot of great teacher guides out on this topic, and different learning styles have been incorporated into the lessons. Now why this is not the case for all units of study, I am not sure. But if you happen to walk into a classroom that is study this unit you may see students dressed as children on the Oregon Trail, models of wagons built from Popsicle sticks, students singing songs about the trail, maps on bulletin boards, students writing in their journals as if they were on the trail, and on and on. This unit fully lends it self to nonlinguistic representations. My wish is that all units were approached in this manner, and with as much excitement.
From chapter six I would definitely add a time sequence pattern organizer into my Oregon Trail unit. It would make a great bulletin board display . We could add the events onto the time line as we learned about them. It would provide a visual for the students, which we could refer to through out the unit.
Even before reading this chapter I thought of Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences. During my second year of teaching I took a course based on the book Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom by Thomas Armstrong. Great book, with a lot of easily adapted ideas. It really motivated me to try and teach to all learning styles as frequently as I could. I think this is so important and truly makes a classroom a place of wonder. Chapter six reminded me, again, how vital it is.
I thought the way Hank used the pre unit drawing with labels, and the post unit drawing was a great idea. What a visual way to let the students notice how much they have learned when they compare their two diagrams. I will definitely be using that idea. Thanks.
D.
I know that as a learner it is easiest for me to see a labeled picture or a graphic organizer as some sort. I am definitely a stronger learner on the nonlinguistic side. Therefore I tend to teach using nonlinguistic representations.
Children love to learn in all different styles. I feel very proud when I see a child getting up and finding manipulatives to use, or drawing a picture, to help them do their math. To me that means they are comfortable using a method of learning that helps them have the most success.
It is our job as teachers to provide the opportunities for different styles of learning, so that students can explore and find out what types of learners they are. So they know where their strengths and weaknesses are.
Chapter six reminded me of all the different teaching/learning styles. After reading this I hope to always stand back and look at my week long lesson plans and take note of the nonlinguistic lessons planned and add some if need be. I feel like I already do a good job in this area, but checking the actual plans would guarantee that I am addressing all learning styles.
I loved both Henry and Carrah's ideas of having student "draw" what they know (that "K" part of a KWL)...and then add to/revise their representations after the unit was completed and they have new understandings about the content...and you're right..it's great to have the research support behind your instructional choices! I also thought it was interesting how effective this strategy was at such different levels of education (Carrah in Kindergarten and Henry in middle school). Like Suzie stated, kids needs to be provided with many different instructional styles...and you never do know which will actually "click" for the student! I also agree with Kay...all of our instruction should take into consideration the different learning styles of our children...and it is a good idea to step back from our plans and evaluate as to whether we've included enough of each in our weekly instruction! Thanks for sharing all of your great thoughts!
C. I use many types of graphic organizers in my classroom, but all of them use words. Since I teach a language, it’s a bit difficult to avoid! Students refer to verb conjugation charts daily and put new verbs into them all the time. The order of the subjects goes from 1st, 2nd, to 3rd person so that they can envision who the subject of the verb is in such a manner. One other tool that I use often is to have students creat books, drawings, or collages representing things they have done in their lives, using the various tenses we are learning and then tell about them in Spanish to their classmates. They are graded on their use of grammar, the effort they put into the finished product as well as fluency and pronunciation.
Another powerful tool I use is class are role-plays. They usually partner up and engage in some sort of role play every few weeks, enabling them to fit the grammar and vocab they are learning into everyday situations.
Recently this week, I had students complete power point presentations representing the things they’ve done in their lives and email them to me. This was a lot more engaging for the students who were watching than the books and posters I used to have them create. For the students who are watching the presentations, the repetition of the grammar structures we are currently working on is quite helpful. If they zone out because they can’t see the pictures or the words on the paper the students are presenting, they get no benefit from viewing the presentations and they are a waste of class time. In this way, making the visual larger and more interactive was a powerful tool in keeping the rest of the class engaged and preparing them for the up-coming test!
D. I have thought a lot about this recently, even before reading this chapter. I’m always looking for new ways to get the point accross without having to use Enlish all the time. I often have to use gestures or miming to get the students to get the point. I like some of the ideas presented in the chapter and feel that the graphic organizers will be helpful in getting students to find new ways to relate to the vocabulary they are learning. I uderstand that nonlinguistic representations are especially powerful when working with language learners because the ultimate goal is to get them to think in the target language, so if we can find more ways to have them just link pictures to words rather than direct translation, this is one step in the right direction!
Thanks for sharing your ideas Karen! I think that your students are very fortunate that you strive to make language learning so visual for your students. Maybe I would have gotten further in my language learning had their been a more visual approach to my instruction!
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