For+Thursday+the+5th

Assignments Due: Zull Part Three: 2 Chapters.

Discussion:
 * Write a reflection in the discussion section that establishes a connection between "differentiated instruction" and any part of what Zull is putting before us.**

In the readings for this class I found the following topics very interesting:
 * "Whether we are an expert or a beginner, our brains sense things the same way. The differentiation lies in the fact that the expert knows which part of the sensory data is important, and which part is not." (141)
 * FOCUS: We exhaust our neurons if we make a constant demand on the same ones for too long.
 * The physical arrangement of the neurons that fire when we see an object is a map of the physical structure of the object itself. (monkey brain and half-wheel image)
 * The visual world is literally and physically mapped in our brains. The networks of neruons that fire when we see something retain the physical relationships that characterize what we see. (144)
 * MIRROR NEURONS!!!!! --- Whoah. The same neurons fire when we see an image of a task AND when we do that task. Mirror neurons fire only when a specific action is observed.
 * The brain is wired to copy what we observe. (195)
 * "Taking ownership of things we have observed involves more than just the process of copying/mimicking them. It requires a decision by our own front cortex." (196)

How do all of these things link up with differentiation? Well, initially it is clear that a student needs to be able to decode information as either important and integral or nonessential to their learning. As educators it is very important to remember to see through the student's eyes, and not our own...we need to remember what it was like to see things for the first time. It is through rich activities and differentiated instruction that a teacher can help a student make connections with their existing neuronal networks (and prior knowledge).

//These are powerful assertions. I think it is not possible to see through student eyes. Therefore, if we believe any of this work, we have to acknowledge the absolute necessity of a participatory classroom where in some way, we have the students put before what they are "seeing" in the world. Remember, "seeing" is part feeling, part perception, part language. cr//

I also was really interested in the mirror neurons and the idea that our visual world is literally and physically mapped in our brains. I wonder how we could use this to help with differentiation? My initial feeling would be to use the same methods as when dealing with prior knowledge. What do you all think? **-LG**

Two themes stuck out to me when reading chapter eight and nine of Zull. Images and language are essential when structuring education, especially the differentiated model. I liked how Zull began with a discussion of how we see things. It was interesting to hear how we process things like individual letters and how details can be jumbled inside of the brain “when we get careless”[139]. This example reminded me of a student struggling with dyslexia and the work I did to help him in my class. With the guidance of a special educator, I was pushed to make activities, lectures, presentations, and homework assignments more explicit and differentiated, not relying completely on language as a medium for teaching. I think that this helped all the students in the class, not just the one I was first directing my attention towards. I was forcing myself to be more explicit with my teaching. This was particularly true when talking about details. Now, I rarely tell my students that the details are the most important part of learning history. I am usually more focused on the “big picture” when it comes to learning and retaining the content. I do not require that they memorize specific dates, but rather the larger purpose of that time period. Therefore, I found the section on details of learning to be particularly interesting. If a teacher deems the details essential learning, they must stress their importance in more than one way. This is one way that differentiation can come into play very clearly. Don’t just say that Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492, but show a map of his journey (visual image), create an activity around it and leave time for reflection about it. The second part of this chapter was really beneficial for my project. It validated what I was doing could help my students think in a different way and, in some cases, an improved way. More from that later…
 * Zull Part 3: Chapter 8 and 9**
 * Greetings from** **Troy****…**

In chapter ten I found his discussion on comprehension to be fascinating. I liked the analysis of the “where” question. Typically, I ask my students to investigate who, what, when, where, why and how a person, place or thing played a role in history. Thinking back, I mostly stress who was involved and why was it important to avoid getting lost in details. His discussion on “where” expanded how I address the topics of study in my class. Where does not need to be a specific location, it can be classified in a variety of ways. “It can mean where in time…a personal relationship…where to place them (characters) in relation to one another…where also helps us understand ourselves.” [159]. I would like to spend some time reflecting “where” I can best incorporate this idea in my classroom. Overall, these two chapters really identified areas where learning can first take place. I would suggest that when time prevails everyone take a chance to read them over. Happy 4th of July everyone! **Tara**

Tara - I read chapter 10 as well. This time through I really dug into some of his more specific language. I am really interested in his distinctions between semantic and episodic memory, especially on top of the power he ascribes to our brains creating actual physical images of our experiences. Again, Zull emphasizes the need to keep the range of new information brief and to find a way to enable learners to connect whatever you are trying to teach them to their own experiences. I'm guilty a lot of overload. I just get so interested in what my own brain is telling me that I want to share it all - feelings and thoughts. I can spot the glazing of course. And then, I have to retract my comments, or at least try to return to more familiar terrain. I agree with you - I think this is a very helpful chapter when we think about teaching new stuff: decide what's important, spread it out over a few days, connect it to what they know, bring in a few relevant stories, maybe get a few from them, connect it to an image or two. I use diagrams a lot. I'm wondering if they are as helpful to others as they are to me. They are a kind of image/icon/picture... . Finally, Zull ends with what he considers to be an absolute must: have students write about what they are doing. This attaches to the effective school research on [|90-90-90] schools. They all put a great deal of emphasis on expository writing. Writing about what you are learning. It's a powerful thing in terms of moving thought through a more concrete reality. cr

Chapter 8: One of the ideas that Zull brings up in chapter 8 is making sure that we "look back and see our subject as it was at first, when it was just sensory input" (141). We have discussed prior knowledge a lot and I think this plays into that. I was not an immediate expert at solving algebraic equations - it took me time and practice. I think that sometimes teachers forget that students may not have seen or heard about a topic at all. We need to look at the topic from their point of view if we can expect them to learn anything; we need to look at their prior knowledge. Zull says, "our concrete experience contains much of the information we need for understanding, because it produces images for our brains to analyze, rearrange, manipulate, and turn into action" (145). Zull goes on to say that our brain will trust the experience since it is sensory input and has a "calming effect on our amygdale... which means clearer thinking" (145). As teachers we can differentiate activities to create a number of concrete experiences for our students, which should lead to clear thought and hopefully learning.

Chapter 11: Chapter 11 was all about active testing of ideas and how students can do that. Zull states that "when we test our ideas, we are changing the abstract into the concrete...the physical nature of this testing is almost always a clarifying process" (208) Zull also says that "the learner is in control...testing must be done by the learner" (213) I think these ideas connect to DI in a couple of ways, one is the idea that the learner has more control and the teacher takes a step back. The learner knows what hypothesis or questions they have and have to be willing to test it. The teacher needs to be willing to let that happen. Zull says that there are a number of ways for active testing to occur such as, "role playing, conversation, group work...asking questions, drawing, writing, taking notes, checking out a reference, taking a test, and reading"(218). We can use these ideas in DI lessons to facilitate active testing and hopefully a lot of learning. HB

Chapter 11: I loved the idea of making learning a physical process. I think that Zull spends a lot of time talking about how we should be presenting materials in different ways in order to appeal to different learning styles and ways, but I really enjoyed that he spent the time breaking it down and looking at the very physical aspect of it all. I loved the visual of turning our mental ideas into physical events, and the thought that "Action forces our mental constructs out of our brains and into the reality of the physical world". I think that this all connects to DI in the idea that it appeals to a new kind of learner, one who needs to work through and really visualize the extent of what is happening.

Chapter 12: Through my new found interest in the idea of ownership, I thought that Chapter 12 brought a lot of good points to the table on the idea of personalization of learning. First, I loved the model that Zull has put together that "links the ups and downs in learning with ups and downs in emotion and motivation" with respect to the roll that the teacher plays. I liked the map of student emotions and how presenting a new task plays as a role in respect to the flood of student emotions that are involved. I think that we can apply this theory to DI in the way of emotion, and that each student is going to be bringing a unique collective group of emotions to the table at any given time. Although it may make things difficult, emotion can play an important part in learning, both in your favor as well as throw you a challenge in your teaching endeavors. Secondly, I loved when he stated "if it is truly his [work], it must be formed in a cycle of creating, evaluating, re-creating and reevaluating". to me, this not only speaks to the ownership one has over his work, but also the process that makes a piece of work finished, or in the process of being worked on.This attests to the idea that everything is constantly a work-in-progress, and that an individual who takes ownership over their work will forever be working to make something better. When a student can make the work enough of their own to want to revise and revisit it, you know then have created a sense ownership and interest (along with pride!) in their work. JB

The two chapters that I chose to reas in Part 3 were chapter 9 and 11. The basic ideas in these two chapters was Zull's focus on the WHAT andWHERE (in ch.9) and testing our ideas through action, generating new concrete experiences (Ch.11). The upper part of the brain leads to our understanding of where things are and pays particular attention to how things are arranged. The what portion of our brain is located in the lower intergrative area. This part tells us what we are seeing and helps put images into categories.Zull says "knowing what we see is not the same as naming it."(156) The what and where gives us relationships with what surrounds and how we comprehend objects. Zull's illustration on Teaching How To Sail puts the what/where relationship into perspective.

I personally really enjoyed chapter 11.Here Zull really tackles the importance of testing our ideas through action and reflecting. A key part of why testing our actions is so important is because "physical movement is needed to link our abstract mental notions with new concrete experience"(204).

I feel these concepts relate to DI in a huge way. The important role for the teacher is to give the control to the learner and help guide the process of actively testing ideas. And because there are a variety of ways to do this it makes differntiating active learning seem more "do able". HH

Chapter12: We Did This Ourselves In chapter twelve Zull discusses the link between emotion and the brain cycle of learning. Zull, in great detail, discusses the physical links created in the brain and the chemical correspondence that accompany them. These physical and chemical reactions to learning are the students’ emotions and cognitive links working together to form, hopefully, elaborate ties to past events. Zull mentions the use of humor or fun in relationship to education. On page 226 Zull provides an anecdote about a game of jeopardy he used to review a lesson. Unfortunately, the students viewed the game as just that “just a game” and did not retain the information. Here it is explored that a balance of seriousness, or importance, with that of enjoyment, or fun, must be found. Having taught differnt types of classes in my life, and having sat through many, I find that the balancing of importance and fun is a great measure of any teacher, that I hope to acheive. Later in the chapter Zull discusses making the teacher’s role more as a facilitator of information rather than the only life-source of information, and make ownership and self-evaluation more evident. As a teacher this means surrendering a great deal of power to your students and trust that they will learn. This is a great idea! Not only will this move empower students, it will improve motivation, analytical thought, their self-efficacy, but also it create stronger and deeper connections in the minds. I really love this idea of giving kids more responsibility in their own work. I strongly believe that their investment will be that much greater and that what they take away from the lesson will be that much deeper. DI

Schedule for the Tuesday the 3rd.
 * Gathering / CyberCafe before 8am
 * Report In and Discussion of Readings - 8am in 426.
 * Paul Martin Sharing his use of Podcasting 9-10am
 * How?
 * How Come?
 * Outcomes? Students and Paul.
 * Next Steps?
 * break
 * Charlie Time 1015-1100am
 * ci diagram
 * Movies
 * Structures: Academic, Social, Curricular
 * Status Treatments
 * Multiple Ability Treatment
 * Treatment of Assigning Competence
 * Reports 11-noon: Tara, Laurie, Tim (Have I got that right? Don't freak out if it isn't. We'll do what we agreed upon on Tuesday.)
 * Next Steps

Reactions to Today's Class. //Approximately 100 word entries//. //Please don't add separate pages here. Just add your entry to the one that comes before as a new paragraph. Leave your initials after your last sentence. CR//