We all use strategies throughout our day to remember the variety of facts and ideas we need to retain. It is valuable for teachers, therapists, and parents to understand the memory process in order to become better equipped to help our students understand and use strategies.
Think about how you remember something:
We all use strategies throughout our day to remember the variety of facts and ideas we need to retain. Strategy use forms a critical part of our learning experience. Strategies help us organize information into patterns and encourage purposeful learning. Our brains are selective. Brains tend to remember information that forms a memorable pattern.
It is valuable for us, as teachers, therapists, and parents, to have a basic understanding of how we remember information so we better appreciate the need for strategies. As we understand the purpose, we become better equipped to help our students understand and use strategies.
Memory is a highly complex process involving multiple components working simultaneously. Our description of isolated components is only a representation because in reality our brains process information in an integrated fashion.
Everything begins as sensory input from our environment. Using our sensory systems, we see, taste, hear, or feel a sensation or stimuli. We have a mechanism to filter out and discard irrelevant or unnecessary data, such as the feel of the carpet as we walk or the sound of the air conditioner. This same filtering mechanism organizes relevant data into meaningful patterns. In figure 1, the funnel and the filter represent these processes: sensory input and sensory memory.
Information "grabbed," or made meaningful, moves on to short-term memory. Our brains are programmed to pay attention to the unusual - something different. Incorporating novelty such as humor, movement, or music, into strategies helps the information attract our attention.
The use of strategies plays a very critical role in structuring input to help it move into long-term memory in a meaningful and memorable format. To establish a more durable memory, we need to prevent incoming information from being "dumped." We accomplish this by associating it meaningfully with knowledge that already exists.
If the information is important and is rehearsed, it moves to another part of the brain to be coded and then is eventually stored in long-term memory. In figure 1, a file cabinet represents long-term memory. The entire memory is not filed intact in a location, rather, the specific components of the experience are each stored as individual files.
In thinking about how memory works, it is critical to realize that each individual has a different way of processing and remembering. There is more than one way to store a given memory, just as there are often multiple routes to drive to a destination. One person may choose to go to the grocery store by route A whereas another person may prefer route B. Either is appropriate. Similarly with memory: One person may prefer to remember a list by singing it whereas another person may prefer to visualize an association. There is no one correct way.
This article presents a variety of strategy suggestions. We need to pay attention to our student's reactions to the strategies and help each child select and use strategies that are comfortable and most closely match his or her preferred learning style.
This toolbox contains the three key strategies to help memory: repetition, imagery, andpatterns (RIP). Many students believe that just reading something is enough. Often, that is not sufficient. We remember something best when it is organized and rehearsed.
Imagine if we as teachers, therapists, and parents reinforced students for their use of concrete strategies in organizing their information. Pediatrician, Dr. Mel Levine suggests: I thought that before a test, kids ought to be asked to hand in a memory plan. The same way a pilot would hand in a flight plan. In other words, how are you going to go about getting stuff into and out of your memory? And students ought to be graded on the plan as much as they are on their test (Levine and Meltzer, 1998).
The following two strategies are general reminders to encourage students to use a process when working to remember information. Each strategy is represented by a word or phrase wherein each letter represents one of the steps.
| R SOW V | TRAP | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| R | Relax & Concentrate People who are tense and under stress are prone to memory lapses |
T | Translate Translate the information or ideas into your own words |
| S | Slowdown Rushing or being impulsive reduces attention to the information or task |
R | Repeat Rehearse the information immediately and relate the new to the old ideas |
| O | Organize Organize the information or organize locations; keep important items in a designated place |
A | A picture A picture is worth 1000 words; visualize the information |
| W | Write down or repeat A small notebook, calendar, tape recorder or PDA can be very useful |
P | Practice The more information is practiced, the better will be the recall |
| V | Visualize Associate an image with the information to recall |
||
Select the strategy you feel is appropriate for your students. Teach each step, one at a time. Be sure they understand each step and its meaning before moving on to the next. Then show the steps in sequence and explain how to use the mnemonic or keyword to help recall the steps.
An important criterion to keep in mind is, "don't pack and stack." This means to progress slowly and not stack too many new things on top of each other. Provide each student with time to process and consolidate one thing before moving on.
Several years ago, a FarSide cartoon was published showing a classroom situation. The student raised his hand and asked to be excused because his "brain was full." This highlights an important caution to remember in using strategies: go slowly. Too many strategies at once may confuse the student rather than help.
In figure 2, a child is jumping on a small trampoline, reviewing associations. He is also tossing the ball with each item.
Repetition and rehearsal of information enhance a process called consolidation, the process by which memories are moved from temporary storage in the hippocampus (a small structure within the brain) to more permanent storage in the cortex (the outer layer of the brain) (Richards, 2003, p. 24).
Multiple repetitions of the information provides rehearsal, but doing so may bore students. When bored, the brain can go into a pattern similar to the "screen saver" mode on your computer monitor. The student may not pay attention to what he is repeating. Therefore, using strategies with humor, movement, songs, and other forms of novelty are critical in enhancing the value of the repetition.
As an example, consider the task of learning five state capitals. Following are several different activities to use in memorizing the associations. (Richards, 2003, p. 191).
There are many kinds of imagery, and all forms are valuable to the memory process. When thinking about imagery, most people think of the visual image. However, images can also be a motor image, sometimes called "muscle memory," or an auditory image.
A visual picture can cue a strategy or represent a concept. For example, suppose your student needs to remember that our First Amendment rights are free speech, religion, the press, and the right of assembly. Since it is the First Amendment and one rhymes with sun, use a sun as a visual cue. Draw a happy sun with legs and arms, singing. Place the word RAPS in a talk bubble, as shown in figure 3. RAPS is a mnemonic to remember the freedoms of Religion, Assembly, Press, and Speech. (Richards, 2003, p. 198).
Because brains remember information that forms a memorable pattern, visual organizers are extremely useful. There are many different types of visual organizers. Some are descriptive: the main idea of a chapter section is placed in the center. Lines extend, with each representing a major concept. The representations may use pictures, icons, or keywords. The example organizer below was developed in preplanning a paragraph on dogs (Richards, 2001, p. 34).
There are many uses for visual organizers. They can emphasize cause-and-effect, the sequence of an event or episode, or create a summary of what was read. Visual organizers are also useful in planning for a paragraph or report and in studying for a test.
Categorization is a critical skill for students because it forms the basis for critical thinking and inferential comprehension when reading. A Venn diagram is a valuable organizer that visually emphasizes comparisons and contrasts. A Venn diagram comparing characteristics of mammals and reptiles was presented in the article The Writing Road.
Other uses for Venn diagrams include comparing two characters in a story or two different events in history. Two overlapping circles are drawn and characteristics of one item or event are listed in the left side of the circle if they differ from the other item. The characteristics of the second item are listed in the right side of the circle if they differ from the first item. Characteristics that are common to both items are placed in the middle. Figure five shows an example of a Venn diagram that comparing and contrasting volcanoesto revolutions. This information was assembled by having students brainstorm what they knew about each item.
Initially, it may appear that the concepts of a volcano and a revolution are different. Actually, there are many similarities. Suppose your student has studied volcanoes and understands the characteristics. She may then compare this knowledge to characteristics of a revolution. Doing so forms a pattern comparing new ideas to ideas already learned. Thus, your student elaborates her understanding of each concept as she connects knowledge about volcanoes to another eruption, a revolution (Richards, 2003, p. 50).
Neurons that fire together, wire together.
To understand a motor image, think about struggling to remember a phone number. You may move your fingers in the pattern of the phone number as if dialing it and find that this helps you recall the number.
Repetition and practice trigger neurons (brain cells). When a set of neurons fire together, they develop a "habit" of firing together again. Habits as well as academic learning occur this way. Use multisensory strategies so your child simultaneously sees, hears, and touches or moves with the information.
Did you ride a bicycle when younger? Did you learn to ride your bicycle by reading a book about it? No, you needed to actually practice riding. With enough repetition, you retained a motor image of the procedure. Would you be able to now get on a bicycle and ride with relative ease? Most people will answer yes to this question. Why is that? Our muscles remember information or procedures that were practiced many times. Muscle memory is a powerful learning tool!
As an example, students may use motor images of the direction of the letters b and d by using a hand pattern or "Fonzie fists" (named after the character Fonzie in "Happy Days"). Have your child hold his hands facing his body and make a fist with each thumb sticking straight up (figure 6). The left-hand is similar to a b and the right hand is similar to d. Your child can recall the sequence by saying the alphabet "a, b, c, d" (Richards, 2001, p. 86).
Practicing letter form or spelling words is enhanced by using air writing, another technique to create a motor image for the student (Richards, 1999, p. 163). Air writing (figure 7) involves writing the letters in the air (creating a motor image) while also imagining seeing the letters (creating a visual image). The student should simultaneously say the letter as she writes it in the air (creating an auditory image).
Other motor image examples for spelling words are also easy to incorporate into a homework session: fist tapping and arm tapping. In fisting, the student taps each syllable of the word to be spelled using the side of her fists. She then spells the word syllable by syllable, this time tapping their fist to each sound within the syllable as she spells it. In arm tapping, the student follows the same procedure of first identifying each syllable and then identifying every sound within each syllable. This time the student uses two fingers of one hand to tap on the forearm of the other hand. These simple strategies involve muscle memory while also helping the student proceed systematically. These two aspects create a very powerful memory enhancer.
The brain seeks meaning through patterns. As we receive information from our senses, we need prior knowledge and a system for organizing the information so we may assign meaning to it. When information comes in, our brain searches around for existing knowledge. If the new information is something that activates a previously used neural network, then there's a match. This is referred to as pattern recognition and is of tremendous value in enhancing memory.
The strategies discussed above all help create patterns. Additionally, the use of music and rhyming creates a pattern or organization for the information. Using music to review concepts can be very powerful. Music also supports relaxation, creativity, and motivation. Students can create their own songs or raps, or they may use existing songs to review concepts and facts. Some songs that relate to specific time periods in history are "The Ballad of David Crockett," lyrics by Tom Blackburn; "The Battle Of New Orleans," lyrics by Johnny Horton; or "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again," lyrics by Patrick S. Gilmore.
It is also fun to change the words to a common song. In the example below, the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" is used to sing about the importance of paying attention to a period at the end of a sentence (Richards, 2003, p. 186).
Stop, stop, stop the words
With a little dot.
Use a period at the end,
So they'll know to stop.
Songs that reinforce academic concepts are also available commercially, such as Science Explosion, Sing The Science Standards and Best of Schoolhouse Rock.
Humor and silliness are valuable to use along with other strategies because our brains prefer to remember unusual information. A short sentence or a sequence of letters can be used to aid in the memory, with or without pictures or actual items. Remember, it is critical that your student understands and knows the information prior to using these mnemonics, the purpose of which is to serve as a trigger to bring up information. Following are examples of useful mnemonics.
| The mnemonic | The first letter of each word helps recall: |
|---|---|
| My Very Easy Method JustSpeeds Up Naming Planets | The planets in order: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars,Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto |
| My Very Eager Mother JustServed Us Nine Pizzas | The planets in order: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars,Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto |
| Arat in the house might eat theice cream | The spelling of the word arithmetic |
| Dear Miss Sally Brown | The main steps in long division: divide, multiply,subtract, bring down |
| Does McDonald's Sell CheeseBurgers | The main steps in long division: divide, multiply,subtract, compare, bring down |
| Roy G. Biv | The colors of the rainbow in order: red, orange,yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet |
| Never Eat Shredded Wheat | The sequence of directions, going clockwise: North,East, South, West |
Henry Winkler has written several books describing his experiences as a student. This series of children's novels are called Hank Zipzer: The Mostly True Confessions of the World's Best Underachiever. The books are available on audio tape, and students who struggle gain much by listening to the tapes. Hearing someone else, especially a famous person, describe frustrations with learning helps to validate students' own experiences. The books also describe lead character Hank Zipzer's many strengths and gifts. Students who struggle with reading benefit much more from listening to books such as this than from reading them.
Hank doesn't need to hit his head. He needs someone to explain to him how memory works and why he is struggling. He needs demystification. For example, someone might say to him, "Your memory is like a closet with a sticking door. It's hard for you to remember things in school because the door keeps getting stuck. We have to figure out how to make the door open more easily!"
The way to help Hank, and other students facing a similar challenge, open the door to his closet is by using the tools in the RIP Toolbox.
Another book for students that describes learning challenges and the confusing mix of gifts and struggles is Eli, The Boy Who Hated to Write: Understanding Dysgraphia. In the conclusion, Eli ponders,
Maybe I'm not so different after all. I realize that everyone was different in his or her own way. I finally understand what it meant when people tell me, 'We have all kinds of minds.' We're not all the same.
I begin to agree. Yep, it is good to have all kinds of minds - because we really are all different. It keeps life interesting.
Texto original: http://bit.ly/1H3OpYi
Estas tres herramientas pueden ser un tesoro invaluable para que los niños del mundo gocen de su derecho a la educación.
El día del niño no sólo es una fiesta en el que celebramos a los pequeños, también es un recordatorio de que los niños del mundo no siempre pueden ejercer sus derechos. La tecnología puede significar un gran aporte en este terreno. En términos de educación, por ejemplo, las herramientas adecuadas pueden generar impactos positivos en la manera en que los niños aprenden en nuestros días.
Existen muchas ventajas en el e-learning para niños. No sólo se trata de aplicaciones que pretenden ser sumamente accesibles, también quieren construir conocimiento significativo y valioso para los pequeños. En un mundo cada día más digitaizado, el aprendizaje en línea se convierte en significativo porque ayuda a los infantes a relacionar la información que aprenden con su entorno, es decir con las herramientas digitales que encuentran a su alrededor.
Aquí te presentamos tres excelentes opciones para hacer accesible el conocimiento de calidad para los niños. Impulsar los derechos de los infantes es tarea de todos, y quizá con alguna de estas herramientas podremos acercalos a la educación que merecen.
Se trata de una fundación sin fines de lucro que desde 2004 trata de llevar contenidos de calidad en plataformas probadas a los niños del mundo. Enfocado a pequeños de entre 5 y 12 años, cuenta con cursos interactivos de ciencias, lengua, matemáticas, habilidades del ambiente, etc. La mayoría de los cursos están en inglés, pero algunos de ellos ya han sido traducidos al español.
Adicionalmente, E-learning for kids aspira a crear una comunidad de enseñanza y aprendizaje en línea. Es decir, pone en contacto a los padres de familia con los expertos detrás de los cursos para construir puentes con el único fin de hacer que la educación en línea para los niños sea lo más exitosa posible.
Sus vistosos cursos, diseñados por expertos en cada una de las ramas que abarca, permitirán que los infantes aprendan de la manera más lúdica posible.
La educación en línea para niños no pretende prescindir de los maestros y del contacto con otros seres humanos. Más aún, le interesa potenciarlo con herramientas digitales que permitan un mejor contacto entre maestros y alumnos y un proceso de aprendizaje más efectivo.
Con eso en mente, Educaplay es una plataforma interactiva para que los maestros de todo el mundo puedan generar, compartir y mejorar cursos o herramientas en línea con el fin de formar de mejor manera a sus niños. Abierta a nueve idiomas diferentes (incluido el español) y dividida en áreas temáticas como Mapa, Adivinanza, Completar, Crucigrama, Diálogo, Dictado, Ordenar letras, Ordenar palabras, Relacionar, Sopa, Test y Colección; esta plataforma está interesada en recoger la experiencia docente y apoyarla. De manera que los maestros del mundo podrán evaluar y ejercitar actividades con sus alumnos con alguna de las opciones que esta plataforma gratuita ofrece.
Por si fuera poco, es posible compartir y acceder a contenidos de otros maestros. Lo que se traduce en una forma de echar un vistazo a los que los maestros del mundo hacen y cómo esto podría ayudarnos a mejorar nuestras propias prácticas educativas.
No podemos pasar por alto el inmenso sector de móviles en el terreno de la educación infantil. Tanto las tablets como los smartphones pueden ser portales al conocimiento, siempre y cuando les perdamos el miedo e impulsemos a nuestros niños para que los usen responsablemente. Aquí te recomendamos algunas apps que pueden convertir los ratos de ocio en aprendizaje significativo.
¿Recuerdas cómo aprendiste tus primeras matemáticas, los nombres de los colores y las formas? Seguro en tus primeros días en la escuela los libros de actividades te ayudaron a comenzar tu camino por el mundo del aprendizaje. Los iCuadernos son la versión electrónica y actualizada de esos viejos libros. Disponibles para iOS y Android, estos cuadernos hacen del aprendizaje interactivo un reto, como si de un juego se tratara, e incluye un tutor electrónico que ayudará a los niños en todo su proceso.
Una de las tareas más importantes y más difíciles en la educación actual es acercar a los niños a la ciencia. BioMio pretende alcanzar este objetivo con ilustraciones de calidad y ambientes exuberantes. En lugar de los aburridos libros de texto, los niños aprenderán y se sensibilizarán respecto a la vida en nuestro planeta con una herramienta que les enseñará no sólo que la ciencia es importante, sino también muy divertida y estimulante. Disponible en Android y iOS.
Durante años, los videojuegos han mostrado su increíble capacidad para interesar a los niños y para dejarles mensajes perdurables. Una aplicación construida como un juego estratégico puede ejercitar el pensamiento lógico de los niños y estimular su memoria. Thinkrolls ayuda a los pequeños a construir su propio pensamiento estratégico de manera sencilla y divertida. Con un diseño excepcional y dos niveles de dificultad, esta app hará que los pequeños jugadores desarrollen sus mentes. También disponibla tanto para Android, como para iOS.
Como seres humanos tenemos una responsabilidad con nuestros niños. No sólo tenemos la obligación de garantizar que cada uno de los nuevos seres accedan a todo el conocimiento que quieran, también debemos velar por sus derechos. Hace falta mucho para lograr esos objetivos y no es mala idea aprovechar todos los aliados tecnológicos que podamos conseguir.
Texto original: http://bit.ly/1P6om7k
Llegó la hora de la verdad. Los exámenes finales están a la vuelta de la esquina y en las próximas semanas te juegas gran parte del curso.
Sin embargo, para asegurarte que obtienes los mejores resultados, la forma de afrontar estos exámenes debe ser diferente a cómo afrontas los exámenes parciales o los trabajos y proyectos que se suceden durante el curso.
A continuación te ofrecemos 6 consejos para que salgas victorioso en esta difícil batalla.
#1 Planificar
Los exámenes finales vienen condensados en pocas semanas. Una vez que empiezas, es difícil encontrar el tiempo necesario para prepararse. Por tanto, es crucial que tengamos un horario de estudio planificado previamente, teniendo en cuenta el tiempo que tenemos disponible así como las asignaturas que tenemos que estudiar.
#2 No Especular
No te pongas a pensar en la nota mínima que debes sacar para hacer media con el resto de exámenes del curso y así aprobar con un 5. Cuando sales a empatar, tienes muchas posibilidades de perder y que tus cuentas no salgan. Por ello, te recomendamos que pongas toda la carne en el asador y que vayas a por la máxima nota. El curso depende de ello.
#3 Repasar
No te estudies únicamente los últimos temas. Los exámenes finales suelen incluir preguntas relacionadas con toda la asignatura en su conjunto para así evaluar la comprensión global del alumno.
Por tanto, es importante que repases los primeros temas. No es necesario que te lo estudies todo de nuevo pero sí que realices una lectura comprensiva para ir avanzado. Esto es especialmente importante en asignaturas como matemáticas o físicas en la que es necesario dominar las bases para poder avanzar.
#4 Reducir
Si tienes que volver a estudiar temas anteriores, además de los nuevos, te preguntarás de dónde vas a sacar el tiempo. La clave está en reducir. Sí, has oído bien, reducir. Pero, espera, esto no consiste en eliminar temas y párrafos aleatoriamente. Consiste en reducir el volumen de lo que debes estudiar sin que por ello tu nivel de conocimiento se vea perjudicado.
La clave para ello son los mapas mentales. El truco está en incluir únicamente palabras clave y relacionarlas de manera lógica para que, con simplemente mirarlas, tu cerebro sea capaz de desarrollar el resto. Por tanto, a partir de cada nodo o palabra clave, tu cerebro debería de ser capaz de desarrollar un párrafo con sentido.
¿Quieres poner esta técnica en práctica? La herramienta de creación de mapas mentales de GoConqr te permite crear mapas mentales personalizados con elementos visuales de manera sencilla.
#5 Practicar
Desgraciadamente, cuando se trata de los exámenes finales, no es suficiente con saberse el temario. El tipo de examen puede jugar un papel fundamental en tus resultados. Por tanto, debes conocer qué formato y estructura seguirá cada uno de tus exámenes para así adaptar tu estudio a estas circunstancias.
Por ejemplo, no es lo mismo un examen en el que has de desarrollar preguntas que uno tipo test.
Además de estudiar de manera diferente, deberás practicar con modelos de exámenes y controlar el tiempo. Esto es especialmente relevante si el examen es tipo test.
#6 Leer
En muchas ocasiones, los nervios nos juegan una mala pasada y leemos mal el enunciado de las preguntas, lo que nos lleva a contestar erróneamente.
Esta situación, que puede quedarse en una anécdota graciosa en los exámenes parciales, puede causarnos muchos quebraderos de cabeza en los exámenes finales. De hecho, leer mal el enunciado puede marcar la diferencia entre aprobar o no una asignatura y lo peor de todo es que, probablemente, ¡te sabías la respuesta correcta!
Por tanto, te recomendamos que te tomes unos minutos al principio del examen para leer detenidamente todas las preguntas.
También suele dar muy buenos resultados si, antes de empezar a responder, tomas apuntes. De esta forma tendrás la estructura de tu respuesta clara y evitarás ponerte nervioso por la posibilidad de olvidar datos clave.
Texto original: http://bit.ly/1JQHoLt
Through explicit instruction and modeling, students can come to recognize the importance of taking charge of their executive functioning in their academic endeavors and later in their careers.
Executive functions can be defined as the awareness and directive capacities of the mind. By wielding these skills and abilities, students decide where to focus their attention and which tasks to undertake. As a general rule of thumb, when students of any age have difficulty completing developmentally appropriate academic tasks on their own, executive functioning may be at the root of the problem.
In the human brain, executive functions are primarily regulated by the prefrontal regions (just behind the forehead) of the frontal lobes. Neuroscientists and psychologists have made significant gains in understanding the brain's executive functioning over the past several decades.
An appropriate metaphor that often helps students and educators alike understand the role of executive functioning in thinking and behavior is to imagine an orchestra conductor. The conductor chooses what work the orchestra will perform, decides how to interpret that work, sets the tempo for the performance, and directs each section of musicians to contribute at the appropriate time. In the same way, executive functioning allows us to:
Students can and should be taught to develop their executive functioning as a path to self-directed learning and self-determined living.
We have found that educators today are more interested than ever in teaching students to wield powerful learning and thinking tools. In other blog posts and articles we have written with Edutopia and elsewhere, we have shared popular, practical strategies for increasing students' executive functioning by teaching them how and when to employ cognitive assets,metacognition, working memory, and selective attention. All of these learning tools come together under the umbrella of executive functioning.
Incorporating instruction on executive functions into content lessons emphasizes that:
Teaching students that they are the "conductors of their own brains" conveys the need to master a wide range of thinking and learning tools for use across core academic subjects, in their personal lives, and later in their college years and careers. Success in the 21st century demands self-directed learners and independent, creative thinkers.
From elementary through high school and into adulthood, students will benefit from these opportunities to understand and develop their executive functioning:
1. Introduce the concept of executive functions and refer to these learning tools explicitly and often.
Define executive functioning, and lead discussions on how being aware of their thinking and taking control of their learning can help students achieve success in school and other aspects of their lives. A key message is that using executive functions often and effectively doesn't just happen -- we all have to work toward developing these abilities. Apply metaphors of executive functioning (the brains conductor or air traffic controller, for example), and invite students to share examples of how they can use executive functioning in their lessons and activities outside of school. How do adults use executive functioning in their jobs? How do the actions of characters in stories demonstrate executive functioning?
2. Provide student-centered opportunities to put executive functioning to work.
Include students in setting learning goals for lessons, and let them choose their own books for independent reading and subjects for classroom projects. Giving students choices enhances motivation by giving them a chance to think about subjects that interest them, and also underscores that they are in charge of their learning.
3. Be the "prefrontal cortex" for your class.
Articulate and model effective thinking practices. For example, clearly state your intent for a learning activity and demonstrate the steps of planning, carrying out, and assessing the outcomes of the activity. Identify up front any thorny problems and tough spots in new lesson content, and talk through possible strategies for identifying and overcoming any learning difficulties that arise. Use cues to remind students when activating their executive functions might be useful.
4. Catch students using executive functions effectively.
Congratulate students who recognize and correct mistakes to emphasize that mistakes are prime learning opportunities. Recognize not just the finished product, but also the hard work and the steps of planning and execution that students accomplished in completing a big project. Especially celebrate the successes of students who've struggled with taking charge of their learning in the past.
5. Clearly state classroom rules that support positive and productive learning interactions.
A well-organized environment with predictable rules allows students to more easily focus on the learning tasks at hand.
How do you approach teaching and encouraging students to develop their executive functioning in your classroom?
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One of the biggest complaints I hear about Common Core is the push toward informational texts. This is often accompanied by the complaint that we are no longer allowing students to read for the sake of reading. Just yesterday, a teacher said to me, "I wish we could read novels. With all these informational texts, kids are losing the love of reading."
Minutes later, I went to Facebook and noticed my friends sharing articles. I hopped on Twitter and noticed the same trend. They weren't just sharing the articles, either. They were geeking out on the ideas. We are naturally inclined to find information fascinating -- to the point that we have to share it out to the world. Nobody on Facebook is getting a grade for it. They're sharing an article because they found it relevant.
As a classroom teacher, I want to see that same level of excitement as students engage with informational texts. The following are eight strategies to make informational reading fun again.
When I first taught reading, I allowed students to choose novels during silent reading time. I made a huge deal out of the genres that were available. I asked students to develop a personal taste. However, I didn't allow students to select their own informational texts. This was odd, given the fact that every student had at least one interest that he or she was passionate about. If I had simply asked, "What information do you want to find?" rather than "What do you want to read?", I would have been able to help students fall in love with informational texts. Now, as a journalism teacher, I begin with student choice and the natural desire to find information.
Often when a student gets frustrated with informational reading, it has less to do with reading and more to do with the work required. When students read one page and answer nine text-dependent questions, they get frustrated by the work. When teachers ask students to practice strategies mentally (such as thinking about clarifying questions rather than actually writing the questions), students spend more time reading. This, in turn, leads to reading endurance.
Close reading isn't a bad thing. However, too often close reading becomes a lockstep procedure rather than a flexible strategy. Students focus on whether they are doing the process correctly instead of thinking about the information in the text. I've seen students stare at a poster worrying about what color they are supposed to use when highlighting a text rather than thinking about the accuracy of information and the bias of the source.
Informational reading becomes more fun when students feel like they are improving as readers. This is why I ask students to look at the standards to identify which areas they have mastered and which areas still require improvement. Before reading, students select two strategies that are strengths and one that is a weakness. Instead of the hurried, frantic race of a pacing guide, students are given the time to practice a reading strategy until they have mastered it.
Outside of the classroom, one of the most common motives for seeking out an informational text is the desire to solve a problem. Too often, though, students are simply answering text-dependent questions that do little more than test comprehension. What if we started informational reading with student inquiry? What if we allowed students to see informational texts as an integrated part of research? When this happens, informational texts become challenging and relevant to an actual context. That, in turn, makes the task of reading fun again.
One of the best parts of teaching photojournalism is that students get a chance to use the information for making something new. This could be research for a podcast, facts for a video, or information for an article and editorial. Similarly, when I taught all subjects in a self-contained class, students often read informational texts as an integrated part of project-based learning. The reading remained fun because it was a vital part of what they were creating.
Too often, students are asked to read informational texts in a way that doesn't reflect the current context of our world. They highlight photocopied articles or take notes on textbook chapters. When teachers embrace technology, students can find more specific informational texts that fit their interests.
Teachers do a disservice to students when they treat information as inherently neutral. Informational reading becomes fun when students see the conflict inherent in any informational text. They should be examining the bias of the language and analyzing the social, political, and economic forces at work in an author's argument. As they think critically about the conflict in a source, students see informational reading as the inherently dangerous act that it is.
There is no guarantee that every student will love every text. However, I have found that these eight strategies have helped students regain the inherent love of informational reading.
How do your students approach informational reading? Please tell us about it below in the comments section.
See original text: http://bit.ly/1ELvPDp
While some college students enjoy working with their peers, others may occasionally struggle to retain civility with their classmates. Regardless, its important to help them discover the best ways to build a dynamic group study or work session. Share these tips with your students for building a synergistic, diverse learning experience.
According to author J. Dan Rothwell in his book, In Mixed Company: Communicating in Small Groups, 9th Edition:
Groups often outperform individuals working alone, and sometimes they produce spectacularly superior results. This group genius is called synergy. Synergy occurs when group performance from joint action of members exceeds expectations based on perceived abilities and skills of individual members (Salazar, 1995). Thus, the whole is not necessarily equal to the sum of its parts. It may be greater than the sum of its individual parts. (43)
Strong synergy is a vital component to successful peer-to-peer learning and group work.
When group members are highly motivated to achieve a common goal, such as grades, synergy is likely to occur. For example, if youre studying for a test with a group, rather than assigning each member to summarize a chapter on their own, try working together to move through the material. Discuss with your group members what it is that you hope to achieve from working together and ensure that youre all on a similar page.
If you have the opportunity to choose your group members, it also helps to build a diverse group. Youll get more from your experience by working with peers with varied backgrounds and insights. Look for group members with diverse task-relevant skills, knowledge, abilities, beliefs, values, perspectives, and problem-solving strategies.
To build strong synergy, you need to have a wide variety of skills and abilities among your group. Rothwell goes on to explain, In a simulation study comparing groups with deep diversity and those without, the groups with deep diversity were synergistic and outperformed even their best individual member. Groups without deep diversity performed much more poorly. (47)
For more insight on working well with groups, visit our recent blog post, Tips for Students: Seven Reasons to Value Group Work.
Reference: Rothwell, J. Dan. 2016. In Mixed Company: Communicating in Small Groups, 9th Ed. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
What are some of the major benefits you see from students peer-to-peer collaboration? Share your ideas below.
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Cada semestre, muchos estudiantes hacen su primera introducción a la vida universitaria. Y cada semestre, estos individuos talentosos consideran: ¿Qué valor me ofrece esta universidad?
La clave para los educadores y las editoriales, es demostrar el valor hacia los estudiantes. En este video el CEO de Cengage Learning, Michael Hansen responde a la pregunta ¿Cómo el tener más opciones mejora la experiencia de aprendizaje desde una perspectiva financiera? Él explica el valor de buscar experiencias de aprendizaje que estén personalizadas a cómo los estudiantes aprenden y cómo los profesores enseñan.
Pienso que la cuestión del costo es un problema real y debemos tomarlo muy seriamente. Tenemos que concentrarnos en que las experiencias personalizadas de aprendizaje sean costeables para los estudiantes y al mismo tiempo, esto será bueno para nosotros ya que los estudiantes las estarán usando.
El salón de clases ya no es una experiencia universal que acomoda a todos los estudiantes. Dos instructores en un departamento de la misma universidad pueden tener preferencias diferentes, así como dos estudiantes en el mismo salón tienen necesidades distintas. Cuando buscas materiales para la lección en tu salón de clases, toma en cuenta que el contenido personalizable puede añadir valor sustancial a tu lección si los estudiantes se encuentran convencidos de comprar y usar los materiales requeridos para la lección y los usan de manera adecuada. Un estudiante más involucrado, se encontrará más preparado para entrar a la fuerza laboral o continuar su educación después de graduarse.
Aprendizaje personalizado
No es extraño que los educadores quieran ver resultados del aprendizaje de sus alumnos. Se sabe que los resultados probados son clave:
Si no se puede probar efectividad, en el tiempo, el uso del producto disminuirá. Porque las personas no continuarán usando un producto si no es efectivo para ellos. ¿Qué significa la efectividad? Hay un gran debate allá afuera. La efectividad necesita ser definida desde la perspectiva de los estudiantes así como de la perspectiva de la facultad. Y después contraponerse: ¿Cuáles son los resultados que queremos lograr para el estudiante y qué clase de materiales queremos que domine?
Si crees que los materiales y métodos que se usan en tu departamento o en tu salón de clases no están siendo tan efectivos como quisieras, tus estudiantes confían en ti para mejorar esta situación. No hay nadie que conozca tu salón y estudiantes como tú.
Para obtener consejos de cómo seleccionar materiales contáctanos.
La educación es una de las mayores preocupaciones de los padres por su impacto en el futuro de sus hijos. ¿Será suficiente con lo que aprenden en el colegio? ¿Se estimulan sus aptitudes? ¿Qué se puede hacer para ayudarlos a mejorar?
El método Kumon propone una alternativa para aquellas personas preocupadas por las notas y el rendimiento de los niños en la escuela.
Kumon es un método de enseñanza que se caracteriza por ofrecer a los niños un sistema de aprendizaje integral. Cuenta con más de 50 años de experiencia en el sector educativo y, a diferencia de otros métodos, además de fomentar el dominio de los contenidos de las materias escolares, dota a los alumnos de una serie de capacidades y herramientas que los hacen más autónomos, responsables y seguros durante toda su vida.
Consta de dos programas: uno de Matemáticas y otro de Lectura. Con ellos, los niños aprenden a resolver ejercicios de estas materias por sí mismos y perciben rápidamente resultados a nivel académico. Así, consiguen una mejora en las notas y comienzan a asimilar y a aprender contenidos por encima de lo que corresponde a su curso escolar, y sin que nadie se los explique. Y es que, si se siguen las pautas del método marcadas por cada docente en su centro educativo, los niños se interesan por los estudios y querrán aprender por su cuenta.
Este método, además, intenta enseñarles el valor del esfuerzo y les demuestra que son capaces de aprender lo que deseen por sí mismos. Esto los ayuda a resolver todo tipo de problemas a lo largo de sus vidas a través de la confianza en sí mismos, la responsabilidad, la perseverancia y la autoestima.
Todo ello es posible gracias a la individualización que proporciona, adaptándose al ritmo y las necesidades de cada alumno, para que aprendan poco a poco a aprender por sí mismos cualquier cosa que se propongan.
Texto original: http://goo.gl/ER3Kj6
During my senior year of college, I taught math to 26 inmates, none of whom had finished high school. What I faced was 26 examples of the failure of American education. What I did not realize is the profound effect this would have on my career as a school leader. After teaching for five years, I became a principal because I felt that I could help underserved kids better in that role. Here are ten ideas I have learned in the 30 years since I became a principal.
If you start making decisions based on avoiding conflict, the students lose. This is what sustained me through one of my most difficult decisions. I asked the school district to let our school health center offer birth control after four girls became pregnant in one semester. For this group of kids, the health center at King was their primary health care provider. Although we offer birth control to our students, we are not the birth control school; we are the school that cares about all of its kids. This decision was the right one, and it cemented for all time the central values of King.
Don't put your vision in your drawer and hope for the best. Every decision must be aligned with that vision. The whole organization is watching when you make a decision, so consistency is crucial.
The secret of managing is to keep the guys who hate you away from those who are still undecided. (That's adapted from Casey Stengel.) Hire people who support your vision, who are bright, and who like kids.
In Outward Bound, you learn that when you are navigating dangerous rapids in a raft, the only way to succeed is for everyone in the boat to sit out on the edge and paddle really hard, even though everyone would rather be sitting in the center, where it's safer. At King, in times of crisis, everyone responds with paddles in the water.
They pay me to worry. It's OK to stare at the wall and think about how to manage change. I have 70 people who work at King. Even the most centered has three bad days each school year. Multiply that by 70 people and that's 210 bad days, which is more than the 180 school days in a year. So, me, I am never going to have a good day -- just get over it.
If the problems in your school or organization lie below you and the solutions lie above you, then you have rendered yourself irrelevant. The genius of school lies within the school. The solutions to problems are almost always right in front of you.
Have very clear expectations. Make sure people have the knowledge, resources, and time to accomplish what you expect. This shows respect. As much as possible, give people the autonomy to manage their own work, budget, time, and curriculum. Autonomy is the goal, though you still have to inspect.
When my son was little, I was going through a lot of turmoil at King, and I did not feel like doing much of anything when I got home. One day, I just decided that whatever he wanted to do, I would do -- play ball, eat ice cream, and so on. I realized the power of yes. It changed our relationship. The only progress you will ever make involves risk: Ideas that teachers have may seem a little unsafe and crazy. Try to think, "How can I make this request into a yes?"
Twenty percent of people will be against anything. When you realize this, you avoid compromising what really should be done because you stop watering things down. If you always try to reach consensus, you are being led by the 20 percent.
If you wait too long to make changes to a school culture, you have already sanctioned mediocre behavior because you're allowing it. That's when change is hard, and you begin making bad deals.
What do you think?
The Now Habit is a book written by Neil Fiore, Ph.D., who is a licensed psychologist, author, and former president of the Northern California Society of Clinical Hypnosis, which explores in depth a topic that teachers are far too familiar with: procrastination. In the book, the author goes into methods that professionals and students alike can use to increase their productivity, stop putting things off, and (the cherry on top) enjoy more guilt-free leisure time.
This article goes into five ways teachers can help their students reduce stress by using the methods learned from The Now Habit to remove procrastination from their vernacular. Show your students how to combine these methods with awesome goal setting skills (the Reverse Engineering Method is a good one) to create the consummate student.
One of the most important and unconventional techniques that the author introduces to the world is a concept he calls the Unschedule. The Unschedule is a tool that will help your students plan all 24 hours of their day.
Normally when setting goals, people first enter their deadlines, appointments, chores, and other required arrangements into their personal planners. After their planner is filled up, they fill up the gaps with fun activities for themselves.
According to Fiore, the traditional method has it all backwards.
Why? Because when people schedule unpleasant work tasks first, the priority is the work, not the fun. In order to correctly manipulate human nature using psychology, it is much more effective to start with the fun. When flipped around, this blankets the week in positivity, a theme that states: My happiness and well-being are more important than work. By rewarding ourselves before we plan the work tasks, we are paying ourselves first.
What are some fun tasks? Here are some examples a student might add to their daily list:
? Exercise
? Hang out with friends
? Watch a movie
? Play board games
? Play basketball
? Travel
In addition to the fun tasks, the Unschedule should also include pre-scheduled tasks, such as meals, sleep, doctors appointments, and showers. After all these tasks have been scheduled, then it is time to fill in the gaps with work.
Fun trumps work in most peoples eyes. By scheduling fun activities before anything else, this does two things:
1. Reward-Based Thinking: First, it gives students a reward to look forward to for the week. This, combined with the consequences of not doing work or not going to school, means that both negative and positive reinforcement are used in conjunction with one another. According to this study associated with the National Institute of Mental Health, this combination of reinforcements increases the chances of compliance.
2. Fun Comes First: Second, as mentioned above, by putting fun activities first, your students will send a subliminal message to themselves that their enjoyment in life is just as important as the work they have to do. They tell themselves subconsciously that they are allowed to have fun and do it guilt-free.
Sometimes, worrying can be helpful, as it helps us prevent screw-ups wherever we are. But when worrying becomes a debilitating habit instead of a productive one, there needs to be some type of change.
This is where the work of worrying comes in.
When students notice themselves worrying about a particular task, such as starting to even do the task in the first place, it is time to write a plan. This plan consists of asking six important questions.
1. What is the worst that could happen? It is important for your students to acknowledge the very bottom, as oftentimes probing a worry more deeply will reveal how little of a concern it should be. It is also important to acknowledge that there is never true failure, only a new starting point.
2. What would I do if the worst really happened? In this step, have your students make a plan of action that addresses the worst-case scenario. Some steps to consider are:
a. Where can I go to get help?
b. What would I do to cope?
c. What would I do after that?
3. How would I lessen the pain and get on with as much happiness as possible if the worst did occur? This step addresses the forward steps your students would take to get into a happy place as soon as possible.
4. What alternatives would I have? Understanding the other options that students have creates a sense of safety Its important to know that there is more than one route that you can take. Life is not perfect.
5. What can I do now to lessen the probability of this dreaded event occurring? Now we move away from the hypothetical situations and address the problem itself. This includes a list of small actions students can take that will get rid of worrying and snowball into bigger actions.
6. Is there anything I can do now to increase my chances of achieving my goal? After addressing the prevention of the worst-case scenario, it is finally time for students to consider the steps to take that will help them move toward their goals.
Using this exercise, students will find that quickly answering these questions will help them build more and more confidence as they move from one question to the next. By the last step, they have addressed all the possible negative events, how to prevent them, and how to move forward.
Oftentimes when starting a new project, the overall venture is overwhelming. It is a mountain to climb and you are at the bottom looking up. Fiore address this stressful factor with the idea of the 30-minute session. I call it a sprint because it is a strong, quick burst of highly focused work.
Essentially, the idea is to adapt a mentality of constantly starting, rather than focusing on the end result. This moves your focus from the big scary project and breaks it down into more manageable steps what you can do to get going every day, or even every hour. By shifting your focus, you lessen the stress of the task. Combining this with the Unschedule technique helps tremendously.
Very simply, when starting a project, you must limit yourself to 30 minutes of quality, focused work time. Fiore strongly emphasizes the importance of guilt-free play, and thus, you are not allowed to work over that 30 minutes. Some people do a 30/30 split, wherein they work for 30 minutes and break for 30 minutes. I personally find this break to be far too long and inefficient, as it slows down the momentum gained from the 30 minute session of work. Instead, I and many other students prefer the Pomodoro Method (I wrote about it here). The only difference is that the pomodoro method employs a shorter break.
Based on psychological principles of human behavior, these strategies are designed to be easy and make sense to the chronic procrastinator. When used together, these three techniques will help your students conquer their procrastination and build good habits that will last a lifetime.
See original text: http://bit.ly/1AFmnjq
Most educators intellectually know the importance of working in teams, departments, or professional learning communities. Most of us want healthy collaboration with colleagues and yearn for the support, understanding, and guidance from others who walk in our shoes.
Yet many team meetings are riddled with ineffective communication dynamics. Perhaps one team member dominates the conversation, or someone else disengages and never participates, or someone derails discussions.
Although there aren't quick-fix solutions to these dynamics, there are many things that we can do -- as team leaders or members of teams -- to turn our team towards healthy communication. In this blog post, I'll offer a few suggestions from my forthcoming book, The Art of Coaching Teams, to support you in this work.
If you are a team leader, you may be able to make decisions that can shift your team's dynamics. If you're a team member, then the more you know about healthy communication, the better you can advocate for a shift. The first step is to reflect on your team's communication patterns. Here are six questions to guide that reflection:
Teams can take a big step toward effective communication by naming what they want to hear and see in group conversations and what they don't want to hear and see. When one team I worked with was in a particularly stormy phase, members created a list of what they wanted to see and hear in group conversations. These included the following:
They also listed what they didn't want to see and hear, which included:
At the opening of each meeting they reviewed their responses, and each member selected a few of the positive attributes that she would focus on demonstrating. Sometimes the team asked a process observer to track what she noticed in terms of their communication and which of these elements they demonstrated.
After several months of close focus on their communication by using this tool, this team's discussions improved dramatically.
Awareness about how your team is currently communicating and how you'd like it to communicate is a critical first step in changing dynamics. Without this reflection and without identifying the direction you're trying to go in, you won't be able to chart a strategic path.
See original text: http://goo.gl/jppWy0
I took a speech class one semester when I was in undergraduate school. For our first assignment we had to give a short speech that the teacher videotaped. Our extended assignment was to watch the recording and critique our performance. That proved to be a very eye-opening experience for me. If you had asked me how I did right after I gave my speech I would have told you I was pleased with my delivery. When I watched the recording, however, I realized I had said um consistently throughout. It became quite clear to me that when I was publicly speaking I was not completely aware of everything I was doing.
My next experience with videotaping myself came when I was working on my masters degree. The school where I did my student teaching was a considerable distance from my college, and it was not always possible for my advisor to make the drive to observe me. Her solution was to have me videotape my lessons. This proved to be a very insightful practice. I not only learned more about myself and how I taught, I also learned more about the students in the class.
These two experiences taught me the value of videotaping myself. Once I started teaching I made it a point to record myself at least once a year if not more. Here are some of the benefits that I have found can come from videotaping yourself in the classroom.
Who am I calling on?
During the lecture portion of my class time I tried to help keep my students engaged by moving around the room and calling on them to answer questions or respond to the comments of others. Although we may think we are being equitable in whom we call on, the video recording may reveal otherwise. Without realizing it we may be inadvertently calling on specific students more frequently than others. The video may also reveal that we tend to call on students seated on one side of the room more so that those seated on the other. Having an unbiased and unblinking eye in the back of the room to record our lecture time can help us ensure we are reaching all of our students.
Am I providing enough wait-time?
In my younger days I was a member of a rock band. When we were in the studio we would record our songs at a certain speed that was usually guided by a click track. One of the things we noticed whenever we watched recordings of our live performances was how much faster we played the songs when we were on stage. Much of that had to do with the excitement of playing live and the energy coming from the crowd. The same can be said for teaching. Sometimes we get caught up in what we are teaching, or we try to cover the material within a certain amount of time. This can cause us to move at a much faster pace than we may have intended. The result is that we may not be giving our students enough time to absorb what we are telling them, nor to answer our questions.Early research found that teachers typically provided .7 to 1.5 seconds of wait-time for students after asking them a question. For many students that is barely enough time to process the question, let alone formulate a thoughtful response. The research also found, however, that providing at lease 3 seconds of wait-time tended to have a positive impact on both the students and the teachers. If you are not sure how much wait-time you are giving your students, the video camera can let you know.
Am I moving?
My first classroom was in a portable building that had a small window A/C unit. Unfortunately that air conditioner only cooled a portion of the room. I confess that during the hot months I tended to roam within that zone of conditioned air. Videotaping yourself may reveal that you tend to stay in a certain area of your room as well. Moving evenly throughout the classroom can help minimize discipline issues as well as maintain student engagement.
What are the students doing?
One of the things revealed by my student teaching videos was that a particular student could not remain seated for even a relatively brief period of time. My cooperating teacher was aware that this student was busy, but neither of us realized to what extent until we watched one of my taped sessions. The video allowed us to see just how much of an impact his inability to stay seated was having on his learning. This revelation allowed us to make more effective accommodations for both him and those around him.
Good teachers, just like good athletes, know there is always room to improve. Athletes watch videos of themselves in order to study their technique and execution. Teachers can benefit from the same practice. Give it a try. You never know what might be revealed by the cameras eye.
La universidad es un gran momento para conocer nuevas personas y experimentar, pero también es un paso clave en tu formación. Considera los siguientes 7 hábitos de estudio claves para triunfar en la universidad.
La universidad es un momento excitante en la vida de todo estudiante y el inicio del camino hacia una carrera exitosa. Sin importar la etapa en la que te encuentres es importante saber la mejor manera de estudiar, de lo contrario puede que desarrolles hábitos contraproducentes que afecten tu habilidad de triunfar en el futuro. Por ello considera estos importantes hábitos de estudio para convertirte en un gran estudiante.
1. Organiza tus tiempos de estudio
Organiza una rutina de estudios y apégate a ella. Puede que parezca difícil incorporar la rutina de estudios al horario de clase y las tareas que te asignen, pero no puedes dejarlo al azar, ya que jamás te dedicarás a ello. Las sesiones constantes te ayudarán a distribuir mejor tus actividades y llegar preparado a los exámenes y pruebas parciales.
2. Dedica más tiempo de estudio a las asignaturas más difíciles
La mayoría de los estudiantes tienen una asignatura a la que temen. En lugar de dejarla para último momento, enfréntala desde el principio y dedica tiempo de estudio a ello. Esto te hará ganar seguridad y tranquilidad y podrás disfrutar de estudiar el resto de las asignaturas que disfrutas.
3. Consigue un compañero de estudios
Si bien estudiar con un amigo puede ser divertido, es mejor elegir a alguien que se tome en serio el estudio y la responsabilidad de estudiar con alguien más. Si es un compañero de clase podrás compartir notas, hacerse preguntas entre ustedes e incluso tener a alguien que te explique lo que no entiendes.
4. Estudia todos los días
Si bien es probable que quieras tener un día libre, si te dedicas a diario a ello tendrás una oportunidad mayor de adquirir el hábito. Además, tus tiempos de estudio serán más cortos de este modo y podrás refrescar los conceptos para las pruebas. Mirar el material a diario te ayudará a recordarlo con más facilidad y a mejorar tu rendimiento en clase.
5. Recompensa tu esfuerzo
Las recompensas son una manera sana de incentivar los hábitos de estudio. Cuando alcanzas tus metas cómprate un helado o algo que disfrutes. También puedes optar por pequeñas recompensas entre las diferentes asignaturas como escuchar una canción o comer una golosina.
6. Evita las distracciones
Muchos se enorgullecen de poder realizar varias actividades simultáneamente, pero el estudio no es el momento para ello. Apaga la televisión y guarda el móvil y cualquier dispositivo que pueda distraerte. Considera ir a estudiar a la biblioteca porque si estás solo te tentarás, mientras que en la biblioteca todo el mundo estará estudiando y las tentaciones serán mucho menores.
7. Consigue un tutor que te ayude a estudiar
Si no logras fomentar hábitos de estudio duraderos considera un tutor. No sólo es útil para estudiar cada asignatura sino que además sueñen proveer nuevas maneras de estudiar o ayudarte a mejorar tu concentración. En general los tutores colocan anuncios en los tablones o paneles de avisos.
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La Universidad Autónoma de Campeche (UAC), informó que dos estudiantes de sus escuelas preparatorias, se beneficiarán con becas académicas para cursar estudios de bachillerato en la provincia de Nova Scotia, Canadá. En un comunicado, el director del Centro de Español y Maya de la Facultad de Humanidades de la UAC, José Aranda Alpuche, indicó que se trata de Natalia Carrera Baltazar y Manuel Tamayo Gómez, de las preparatorias "Lic. Ermilo Sandoval Campos" y "Dr. Nazario Víctor Montejo Godoy".
Señaló que ambos alumnos obtuvieron las becas como resultado de trabajos realizados a través del X Campamento de Liderazgo 2015. Detalló que se trata de becas otorgadas por los representantes de Nova Scotia International Student Program. Dijo que los apoyos permitirán a los campechanos cursar estudios de bachillerato equivalentes al grado que cursan en las preparatorias de la UAC y reforzar sus conocimientos en el idioma inglés, además de adentrarse en las costumbres y cultura de aquella provincia.
Indicó que la beca obtenida por Carrera Baltazar le permitirá cursar un semestre en un distrito escolar de Nova Scotia, incluyendo sus gastos de alojamiento, alimentos, escuela y seguro de gastos médicos, del 2 de septiembre de 2015 al 30 de enero de 2016. Son recursos que los propios estudiantes canadienses entregan al campamento con el propósito de que estudiantes mexicanos tengan la oportunidad de vivir esa experiencia, la cual se sorteó entre 21 jóvenes locales que participaron en las actividades, detalló.
En el caso de Tamayo Gómez, logró adjudicarse la beca "William Lee Scholarship", que otorgan autoridades educativas de aquel país a través de un trabajo audiovisual enfocado al aprendizaje del idioma y a la provincia de Nova Scotia Canadá. Por décimo año consecutivo, la UAC fue anfitriona de las actividades del Campamento de Liderazgo, en el que los jóvenes se involucran en acciones de labor social voluntaria, además de participar en actividades académicas, recreativas, turísticas y sociales.
Texto original: http://bit.ly/1GmMqyz
El ser humano tiene la capacidad de aprender nueva información tanto con intención como sin ella. Estas habilidades son fundamentales en todas las etapas de la vida, desde nuestro paso por la escuela hasta el desempeño de nuestro trabajo, o el manejo de nuevas tecnologías que salen en el mercado, ya que actualizarse también exige aprender.
La importancia del aprendizaje es tal que suscita numerosas investigaciones científicas cuyo objetivo es encontrar la forma de mejorar esta capacidad, aprender más y mejor. Os contamos aquí cuatro trucos derivados de hallazgos científicos recientes para fomentar el aprendizaje:
1. Cultiva tu curiosidad. Es lo que se deriva de la reciente publicación en Neuron (2014) en la que se encontró que las personas que mostraron más curiosidad para averiguar la respuesta a una cuestión concreta, no sólo mejoraron el recuerdo de dicha información sino que también recordaron mejor otra información que se les presentó ante la cual no se sintieron necesariamente atraídos. Y esto incluso 24 horas después. El Dr. Matias Gruber explica que cuando se estimula la curiosidad, se activa el circuito de recompensa en el cerebro y también aumenta la actividad en el hipocampo, una estructura muy relevante para el aprendizaje y la memoria. La interacción entre estos dos sistemas nos prepararía para retener mejor la información.
2. Entrena tus capacidades cognitivas. Tener un cerebro más preparado puede ayudarnos a mejorar nuestra habilidad de aprendizaje y de memoria. Así lo encontraron Peretz y sus colaboradores en un experimento publicado en Neuroepidemiology (2011). Según sus resultados, el grupo de participantes que se sometió a un programa de entrenamiento cognitivo personalizado mejoró en capacidades de atención, memoria, aprendizaje y funciones ejecutivas.
3. Usa el sentido del humor. Según relatan Poirier y Wilhem en un texto publicado en The American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education (2014), el humor puede ser útil cuando las materias son aburridas y difíciles. Es natural pensar que cuando el material a aprender se percibe así, uno tiene cierta tendencia a atenderlo menos, a descentrarse, y entonces el aprendizaje se reduce. Según los autores, además, el humor proporciona un clima en el que se estimula el aprendizaje, la creatividad y el pensamiento crítico.
4. No lamentes tus errores. En un conjunto de curiosos experimentos, Rosalind Potts y David Shanks pidieron a un grupo de personas que aprendieran definiciones de palabras inglesas poco comunes utilizando varias estrategias. Los autores del trabajo publicado en The Journal of Experimental Psychology (2014) pedían que los participantes generaran una definición y luego se les informaba sobre la precisión de su respuesta; leyeran la palabra y su definición; o seleccionaran la definición correcta de entre varias opciones y dándoles feedback después sobre si era o no correcto su ejercicio. Los resultados mostraron que generar errores seguidos de feedback (información sobre lo correcto) fue la mejor forma de recordar las nuevas palabras y sus significados, por encima de todas las demás estrategias, a pesar de que por lo general las personas creen que es una forma poco eficaz de aprender.
Bueno, ahora el primer ejercicio es aprender estas cuatro estrategias y luego ponerlas en práctica en tu día a día. No desesperes, que el aprendizaje también requiere tiempo.
Leer original aquí.
A continuación te compartiremos algunas formas de evitar el plagio en tus clases. ¿De qué va éste texto? Si los estudiantes reconocen y saben lo que significa incurrir en plagio entonces podrán entender las consecuencias y evitarlo, así como pensarlo más de dos veces antes de cometerlo otra vez. Por esta razón, puede ser útil recordarle a tus estudiantes sobre los problemas asociados al plagio y la forma de erradicarlo.
En su libro, Keys for Writers with Assignment Guides, Seventh Edition, Ann Raimes y Susan K Miller-Cochran proveen a los estudiantes con una variedad de pasos que pueden seguir para evitar el plagio en sus trabajos. Hemos parafraseado algunas en este texto. Discute estas estrategias con tus estudiantes:
-Comienza a trabajar con tiempo, no esperes al último momento para ponerte a escribir. Las presiones de tiempo te pueden hacer más susceptible a presentar el trabajo de alguien más como tuyo. Investiga con tiempo y ve definiendo tus ideas.
-Conforme avances tu investigación, escribe toda la información que requiere ser citada. También puedes elaborar un sumario en el cual pongas la información de todas las fuentes que estarás consultando así como tu propio análisis de los contenidos. Es útil que saques fotocopia de la lista de materiales que has usado en caso de que se te llegue a olvidar cuáles fueron todas las fuentes consultadas en tu trabajo.
-Usa un sistema de notas que te ayuden a llevar un registro de las ideas del autor que estás citando así como de las tuyas. Puedes anotar a un lado qué postura tienes respecto a ellas o de qué forma las vas a abordar con algún otro color de pluma o lapicero.
-Otorga crédito a los autores por las ideas o la información que has citado o parafraseado de su trabajo. Cita de manera apropiada, indica cuáles son las ideas de los autores introduciéndolos a tu texto con frases como Smith Jones notaba que
-Usa comillas en todos los lugares donde tengas que anotar preceptos o ideas de otros autores. Como guía, Raimes and Miller-Cochran estipulan que un concepto significativo, o cualquier frase de tres palabras o más tomada por una tercera parte debe ir entre comillas y citada con el estilo que estés usando.
-Recuerda que el diccionario de sinónimos de tu computadora no es una llave maestra para liberarte del plagio. Nunca trates de hacer pasar una idea o un párrafo del trabajo de otra persona como tuyo.
-Aprende a citar en APA, Chicago Style y en MLA, aquí. (En inglés)
Reference: Miller-Cochran, Susan K. and Anne Raimes. 2016. Keys for Writers with Assignment Guides, 7th ed. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Copyright © 2014 by Cengage Learning
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including copying, printing, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Los modelos educativos han evolucionado a lo largo de los años, de tal manera que han podido adaptarse al entorno y situación histórica de los estudiantes, es así como las técnicas y recursos utilizados actualmente en el aula no son los mismos que hace 20 años. Los nuevos descubrimientos, así como los fenómenos sociales y culturales del mundo han sido integrados a los temas de estudio de los diferentes grados escolares; debido a ello, los libros y herramientas de apoyo al aprendizaje se van modificando de manera constante.
La velocidad con la que hoy fluye la información ha impactado en el uso de los libros de texto, que tienen que actualizarse de manera continua para mantenerse vigentes de acuerdo al contexto mundial.
Adicionalmente, la forma de aprender de los estudiantes ha evolucionado gracias, en gran medida, al Internet y las TICs. Hoy en día, los jóvenes están expuestos a una mayor cantidad de estímulos, de los cuales absorben información, por lo que aprovechar esta ventana de oportunidad para atraer la atención de los estudiantes hacia su educación valiéndose de estos estímulos es uno de los principales retos de autoridades educativas y profesores.
La oferta de materiales educativos también ha progresado en relación con el currículum académico, es ahora cuando es necesario cambiar de acuerdo a los requerimientos y preferencias de los alumnos, se trata de detectar sus áreas de interés para encaminar su atención a los tópicos indispensables para su aprendizaje, sin que por ello se elimine la utilización de los libros de texto como herramienta base.
El secreto radica en combinar los métodos y materiales educativos tradicionales, con soluciones digitales innovadoras que enganchen al estudiante y logren comprometerlo en su proceso de aprendizaje. Las tendencias apuntan a la creación de libros de texto que estén acompañados con acceso a plataformas electrónicas específicas, de acuerdo a la edad y temática de la materia, de tal forma que, el contenido del texto esté apoyado por artículos, videos o presentaciones que refuerzan lo adquirido en el aula.
Es indispensable que la utilización de estos recursos digitales esté relacionada y complemente el programa educativo en cuestión, además de contar con respaldo de instituciones académicas o de investigación que garanticen la veracidad de los contenidos.
Actualmente, el catálogo para educación secundaria de textos aprobados por la Secretaría de Educación Pública, cuenta con 450 títulos de las asignaturas de español, matemáticas, química, física y biología, geografía, historia, formación cívica y ética, inglés, para los tres niveles; dentro de dicho listado existen opciones que incorporan en su contenido los accesos a plataformas digitales de apoyo como un valor agregado; lo mismo sucede con la oferta de libros de texto de instituciones privadas, por lo que la labor de seleccionar e implementar estos materiales a los modelos educativos es una tarea conjunta de los profesores y directores, quienes deberán optar por aquellos que mejor se adapten a las necesidades de sus estudiantes.
Por Enrique Fernández
Director General de Cengage Learning México
Acerca de Cengage Learning
Cengage Learning es una compañía líder en el desarrollo de contenidos, tecnologías educativas para los niveles de educación básica y superior, y los mercados profesional y de bibliotecas en todo el mundo. La compañía ofrece contenidos de primera calidad, servicios personalizados y soluciones digitales para cursos que aceleran la participación de los estudiantes y transforman la experiencia de aprendizaje. Cengage Learning tiene su sede en Boston, Massachussetts, y opera en más de 20 países en todo el mundo. Para mayor información, visite www.cengage.com
Contacto de prensa Cengage Learning:
Alma Ortega
Clark, Maauad y Asociados
(52-55) 5574 4244 Ext. 116
[email protected]
1. Aprenden sobre su audiencia
Los profesores necesitan saber qué motiva a sus estudiantes a tomar cursos e-learning en vez de gastar su tiempo en otras actividades. Tienen que saber lo que les gusta a los estudiantes, y lo que no les gusta. La solución más sencilla para encontrar estas respuestas es preguntar.
2. Piensan en los estudiantes como individuos sociales
Pensar en los alumnos como algo más que usuarios de computadoras, pensar en ellos como individuos sociales, es aún más importante en eLearning que en las situaciones de aprendizaje tradicionales debido a la barrera física existente. Los desarrolladores de eLearning exitosos deben ir más allá de la comprensión de las necesidades y requerimientos de los alumnos. Deben asegurarse de que la instrucción está diseñada para adaptarse al contexto en el que ellos aprenden.
3. Consideran que los alumnos tienen lapsos de atención limitados
En casi todos los cursos, los estudiantes quieren que el curso llegue al punto rápidamente, que avance rápido y que termine pronto. Los estudiantes tienen tiempo, energía y atención limitada para gastar en un curso eLearning, y los diseñadores de eLearning exitosos reconocen esto.
4. Diseñan con el cerebro en mente
Los profesionales de eLearning exitosos entienden cómo funciona la memoria y crean sus cursos en consecuencia. El aprendizaje espaciado, por ejemplo, es una estrategia que alinea el aprendizaje con la formación de la memoria, en lugar de forzar la memorización del contenido.
5. Utilizan el "diseño silencioso"
En el diseño silencioso, todo aquello en una pantalla tiene un propósito. Esto reduce el tiempo que los estudiantes pasan lejos de aprender, procesando imágenes innecesarias o tratando de hacer que la interfaz funcione.
Los desarrolladores de eLearning exitosos utilizan adecuadamente el diseño silencioso al reducir la información al mínimo, priorizando los gráficos sobre el texto y colocando un texto explicativo cerca de los elementos visuales para enfatizar que ambos están relacionados. También usan la manera más lógica y concisa para presentar los contenidos, incluso si esto significa la reorganización significativa del diseño actual.
Incluso el color puede enviar un mensaje fuerte, pero el uso excesivo de color puede reducir el rendimiento de los alumnos. Una vez más, ellos usan apenas el color necesario y lo utilizan deliberadamente para dirigir la atención a los elementos más importantes en el momento adecuado.
La investigación ha encontrado que la eliminación de palabras irrelevantes y las imágenes pueden aumentar la capacidad de la audiencia para recordar la información en un 189 por ciento y la capacidad de aplicar la información en un 109 por ciento.
6. Comprenden la mente del principiante
La mente del principiante es un concepto de Zen y se refiere a un estado de la mente libre de prejuicios, de falsa confianza. Es un estado de genuina curiosidad y ganas de aprender.
En otras palabras, tener una mente de principiante se trata de estar cómodo sin saber, de estar abierto a nuevas perspectivas e ideas, y de comprometerse con el aprendizaje continuo en lugar de mirar a cumplir los objetivos específicos. Este último punto es particularmente importante en el eLearning, pues aquellos profesionales que no buscan ampliar constantemente sus conocimientos no desarrollan las habilidades necesarias para un entorno cambiante y pronto se quedan atrás.
7. Piensan más allá del curso
Los profesionales de eLearning exitosos no piensan en el eLearning como un único evento. En lugar de preocuparse por entregar la información a los alumnos a través del curso, los desarrolladores tienen que pensar cómo pueden proporcionar periódicamente contenido para ayudar a los estudiantes a sintetizar la información.
8. Se basan en problemas auténticos y relevantes
Para aumentar la probabilidad de que los estudiantes absorban la información del curso eLearning, los desarrolladores de eLearning tiene claro por qué los estudiantes necesitan este conocimiento y el valor que posee en el mundo real. Saben que cada momento de una experiencia eLearning debe ser valiosa. Ellos presentan la información correcta en el momento adecuado a los alumnos correctos, y empoderan a los estudiantes a decidir qué y dónde quieren aprender.
Se centran en la "aplicación en el mundo real" para el material que van a cubrir. La formación solo es valiosa si los participantes aplican lo que aprenden.
El principio de relevancia se refiere a la visión principal del eLearning; es decir, el aprendizaje donde los alumnos deciden qué, dónde y cómo quieren aprender.
9. Se centran en la calidad
Un curso de eLearning puede ser creado rápidamente, pero para tener resultados a largo plazo tiene que ser de calidad. Siempre hay que contar con un contenido bueno. Contenido de calidad, imágenes de calidad y escritura de calidad. Esto no ocurre simplemente tirando todo el contenido junto.
Incluso el mejor diseño no compensa un contenido pobre; para soportar la prueba del tiempo, los cursos eLearning deben ser de alta calidad, pues, por supuesto, un contenido decorativo y superficial rápidamente pierde audiencia. Los diseñadores de eLearning exitosos ponen esto en práctica al poner más peso al contenido que a la estética y al recordar que la función es mucho más importante que la apariencia.
La creación de contenido de alta calidad significa la creación de valor para mantener a sus estudiantes comprometidos.
El contenido que simplemente es superficial y decorativo no funciona para eLearning. Sabemos que el diseño es importante, pero a largo plazo, ¿sus alumnos van a detenerse o van continuar si ven que el contenido apesta?
10. Tienen una buena base de diseño instruccional
Aunque el diseño gráfico es útil, el diseño instruccional es esencial, ya que se centra en los pequeños detalles, que pueden hacer la diferencia entre un curso de gran éxito y un fracaso total. El diseño instruccional es un aspecto clave de cualquier curso eLearning. Contrariamente a lo que muchos desarrolladores creen, va mucho más allá de la presentación de contenidos, separando la información en lecciones y unidades separadas, y la selección de una serie de temas para hacer un curso. En vez de esto, el diseño instruccional debería incluir:
Estos componentes se combinan para crear una experiencia integral de aprendizaje.
Sin importar la carrera que decidan elegir sus alumnos, en todas requerirán habilidades que les permitan comunicarse de manera efectiva. Debido a que la tecnología facilita la comunicación que en el ambiente laboral actual, el conocimiento digital continua siendo un factor importante en el desempeño de los roles futuros de los estudiantes.
En este video ( http://blog.cengage.com/?top_blog=teaching-students-skills-that-transfer-to-the-workplace) los autores Susie H. VanHuss y Vicky Robertson subrayan la importancia de enseñar a los estudiantes habilidades prácticas como mecanografía. Mientras se discuten algunas de las aplicaciones del mundo real que ese tipo de instrucción puede aportar, usted como educador podría considerar otros modos para ayudar a sus alumnos a prepararse exitosamente en su vida profesional.
¿Cómo incorpora habilidades de comunicación y tecnología en sus cursos? Compártanos sus comentarios.
Publicado en: http://blog.cengage.com/?top_blog=teaching-students-skills-that-transfer-to-the-workplace
