Week 1 - Activity 1 - Learning experiences

Question 1: Describe in 4-5 sentences a memory you recall from when you were learning something in elementary or middle school.

topic?                                                                              math multiplication tables / spelling dictation 

who was teaching it?                                                     elementary school teacher

how did you learn it?                                                    repetition / memorization

what type of information / skill were you learning?  basic math skills

why were you learning the information / skill?         acquiring basic math / reading skills that would be required first if we were to succeed in learning more advanced math skills

I remember learning my multiplication tables by my elementary school teacher via repetition disguised as competition - likely to motivate us to practice. This would be a basic building block required to learn more advanced math skills in later grades.

Question 2: Describe in 4-5 sentences a memory you recall from when you were learning something in high school or college.

topic?                                                           history learning important dates / events

who was teaching it?                                  specialized topic teacher (history)

how did you learn it?                                 learn the importance of a date through discussion

                                                                     explain the importance of a date in my own words / 

                                                                     apply the importance of an event to something else more recent

what type of information / skill were you learning?     more analytical, transference

why were you learning the information / skill?             practicing critical thinking

I recall in high school being asked to learn important dates and events in old British History from a History teacher. As students we were invited to analyze an event to discuss the most important factors that led up to an event. Then we were each asked to explain the importance of the event in our own words. Occasionally we were asked to apply what we learned to compare this event with other events and then discuss how they were similar . 

Question 3: Describe in 4-5 sentences a memory you recall from when you were learning in a professional for formal (non-school) setting (first job, current career, etc.).

topic?                                                                        formative assessment

who was teaching it?                                                scholars / researchers through their writings

how did you learn it?                                                reading / interpreting / applying / testing

what type of information / skill were you learning? critical inquiry .. basic action research methods

why were you learning the information / skill?        motivated to do so to improve the quality of my instruction

I recall one day being confronted with a professional issue - was the type of feedback that I was giving my students really making a difference? Could it be improved? I then set to work on learning more about formative assessment. I did this by consulting with books, videos, articles and online discussions I set to work on learning it by taking what I learned in books, applying it through piloting, then reviewing it carefully to see if in fact it worked or didn't work then repeating it again with some minor variations. I was learning this to improve my professional practice.