Monday, December 10, 2012
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Sunday, December 9, 2012
White Paper
What does a learner in the 21 century look like? Is this learner the same as learners that came before them? How do they learn? What do they need to be successful? One could argue that they would learn much like the generations before them did. And look at them, entire generations turned out just fine with how they were educated. This all may be true. But mom, dad, and grandparents were lacking one crucial tool at their disposal; the internet. Simply put, the internet has changed our world. Not only has it revolutionized our world, but it has radically changed the face of education as well. The day of having to know the answer to the question "what the capital of Bangladesh?" died with the invention of Google. No longer do students need to simply know facts, do math, read or write. Instead, students need to be able to find unique and innovative solutions to complex problems. They need to be able to collaborate with peers to achieve a unique goal. And they need to do all of this while keeping up with the technology of tomorrow. Can any of that be tested on a standardized exam? I don't believe so. But we will leave that discussion for another time.
Students aren't stuck with one teacher any more, they can choose from hundreds of different teachers all showing accurate concepts through online video interaction. Teachers are no longer stuck with just their own ideas, they have thousands of ideas at their fingertips at the click of a mouse.
So where does creativity fit into all of this? Well, I feel it is at the core of what a 21 century learner needs to be successful in this life. Any pencil pusher can crunch numbers, write reports, or organize data. But it takes someone creative to develop innovative cost saving measures, or create a report that really tells a story, or organize data in a way that will change policies within a company. Without creativity, we're all the same.
Now, what does this all mean for an educator? What do we need to do? How do we need to adapt to the changing learner? One thing I know is we don't need to change what we teach, but how we teach it. I don't understand why so many teacher teach in isolation. Do they like creating more work for themselves? The skills that a student is learning in science should be directly applicable to all other subjects and therefore be something that can be worked on in a multifaceted capacity. For instance, we don't expect a student to only read and write in english class, so why would we teach them reading and writing skills that they could only use in english class?? If "no major problem facing the world today can be boxed neatly within a single discipline or approached effectively by analysis, emotion, or tradition alone" is true, than why do we teach that way (Root-Bernstein, 1999, p. 314)? We need to be teaching our student to be thinking outside the box and look beyond the "normal boundaries of experience". To do this, they must tap into there inner creative nature.
Creativity is much more difficult than most people would superficially admit. To do it and to do it well, takes practice and discipline. I would suggest starting with a book by Robert and Michele Root-Bernstein called Sparks of Genius The 13 thinking Tools of the World's Most Creative People. This book breaks creativity down into 7 essential cognitive tools that are interwoven and overlap in order to achieve successful changing in one's thinking to encompass creativity in thinking.
Perceiving
Perception is the first of the 7 cognitive tools Root-Bernstein talk about. The beautiful and funny thing about perception is that there is no wrong answer. When a person phrases questions in a way that multiple perceptions can be taken (or multiple answers can be "correct"), I feel there is much less angst and stress in answering the question. For example: The idea of asking questions such as "What do you think about that?" "What does that feel like?" "What does this remind you of?" "What comes to mind when you smell this?" "What does it look like to you?" etc, etc, etc puts a student at much more ease than asking, "What is the correct answer to this question?". The stakes are higher. Why? Because you have already implied that there is only one correct answer, so if each student perceive something different by looking at the same thing, you have already squashed any individual thought.
A shift in how we arrange questions in our classroom may yield some unique and interesting results that we might not have received had we asked less open ended questions. This shift creates a less threatening atmosphere
Patterning
Patterning is the next tool. Patterns exist in all faucets of life. From our routine when we get up to the cars we pass on the way to work. From the sunrise to the sunset, we experience patterns every day. And we overlook them every day. It's fascinating how a human can create patterns by "organiz[ing] the random events we see, hear, or feel by grouping them" (Root-Bernstein, 1999, Pg. 92). Humans are doing this constantly in order to make sense of the world around them. Without patterns it is impossible to "make predictions and form expectations" (Root-Bernstein, 1999, Pg. 93).
I for one feel as though, my whole life, I have been a student that "wanted the right answer". I was a student that wanted to be spoon fed. Why? Because it's a whole lot easier than creating. Creating is hard. Or maybe its just that I need more practice.
Working on problems where there is "one single answer" provided in textbooks is not only boring, but greatly limits students' ability to pattern and re-image. Root and Bernstein go on to say, "making patterns for oneself is a lot more fun than memorizing- and a lot more valuable. Teasing apart one pattern and composing another requires real understanding of the basic elements of the phenomena and processes. More, it opens up whole new worlds of knowledge" (Root-Bernstein, 1999, Pg. 135). I would have to agree. Although creating is a lot of hard work, it is also rewarding as well. I thoroughly enjoy creating so why do I settle for the spoon? Convenience is the answer.
If we as educators can build in time to challenge our students to try and identify patterns within a given topic or concept, we have a better chance at making connections between interdisciplinary concepts and it helps us step back and see the "big picture" of a concept or idea.
Abstracting
Abstractions are simply different ways an object or idea can be represented. These representations can include visual images, patterns, poems, textures, smells, songs, and many others. "Abstractions are so common in our society that we rarely pat attention to them" (Root-Bernstein, pg. 70). I feel as we age, we gain more and more experiences that crowd and cloud our mind and limit our ability to abstract do to the limited brain capacity we have to only see what is "needed".
Abstractions and analogies are essential to understanding science. They happen practically daily. The idea of taking something that is unfamiliar to you and relating it to something very familiar is an extremely strong learning concept in any subject, but especially science. Abstractions are what cause advancements in our society. It takes someone looking at a problem from outside the box in a new direction to come up with a new or different solution. Those that do this are very good at abstracting. As Mitchell Wilson stated in Sparks and Genius by Root-Bernstein, "I'll tell you what you need to be a great scientist. You don't have to be able to understand complicated things. It's just the opposite. You have to be able to see what looks like the most complicated thing in the world and, in a flash, find the underlying simplicity. That's that you need: a talent for simplicity." (Root-Bernstein, pg. 78). How true that is.
If we can take time to invest thought in guiding our students to either develop personal abstractions to help understand difficult concepts or we ourselves develop abstractions and analogies to help explain difficult concepts, I feel we will debunk a lot of misconceptions within our discipline as well as create deeper understanding.
Embodied Thinking
What comes to mind when you hear the word proprioceptive thinking? In my classroom, "normal" is the word that comes to mind. Propriocetive thinking, also known as body thinking or kinesthetic thinking is the idea behind our mind making a connection with our body and where our four limbs are in space. This concept is a powerful concept in education as it helps solidify hard concepts especially for kinesthetic learners. "As we walk or run or jump we are constantly aware of how our body feels; and we know where we are in space" (Root-Bernstein, 1999, p. 161). "We are very aware of our proprioceptive senses when we are learning a new skill, such as riding a bike, hitting a baseball, using a hammer".(Root-Bernstein, 1999, p. 161). "This sense has been called our 'sixth' or 'secret' sense" (Root-Bernstein, 1999, p. 161).
"Will Cather once wrote that novelists, actors and physicians have the 'unique and marvelous [experience] of entering into the very skin of another human being'...'You must enter into the person you are describing, into his very skin, and see the world through his eyes and feel in through his senses.'" (Root-Bernstein, 1999, p. 182) This chapter in Root-Bernstein's book "Sparks of Genius" is titled Empathy. That is what the above quotes from the chapter are referring to. I believe that empathy is not simply something for novelists, actors, and physicians to experience, but rather, should be an experience that we all share consistently throughout our lives. The more we can see the world through others eyes, the more well-rounded we become. This idea is something that I need to adopt more in my classroom.
If you ask most people, most would agree that they learn well by "doing". So why is it that most teachers fail to give kinesthetic learners what they need to be successful? My assumption is because it requires more work that reading or talking. A goal in every unit taught should be to develop assignments that are differentiated to the different learners not forgetting about those that learn by doing. Many concepts "click" after being physically represented.
Modeling
"To model an object is to possess it." (Root, Bernstein, pg. 230). I don't think I can say it any more plainly, as that. "in almost all cases, the point of a model us to make accessible something that is difficult to experience easily." (Root, Bernstein, pg. 229). In science, it is difficult to go a day without modeling something. Whether it is two styrofoam balls and a flashlight to model the phases of the moon on earth, or a 3D model of a bacteria, modeling is something that every science teacher must do in over to convey some of their curriculum.
To model successfully, one must use a bit of imagination to really grasp what the concept is trying to convey and therefore Root and Bernstein said it well; "Modeling requires and therefore teaches us many imaginative skills." (Root, Bernstein, pg. 230). Because the model is not the real thing, you as the learner or educator must recognize where the model falls short of representing properly and fill in the gaps.
Playing
Play is so crucial to every childhood. It is what helps mold our curiosity. Whether you are playing alone or in a group, the creativity involved in play is one's only limit. "play returns us to the presymbolic drives of gut feelings, emotions, intuitions, and fun from which creative insights stem, thereby making us inventors." (Root, Bernstein, p. 267). So therefore, why would we not strive for this to be an integral part of our curriculum as teachers? "play transforms knowledge and builds understanding as we create our own worlds, personas, games, rules, toys and puzzles, and through them new sciences and art." (Root, Bernstein p. 268)
Play is not limited to any learning style. An auditory learner might use play differently than a visual or kinesthetic learner, but they all will create things that are meaningful and engaging to them individually.
Play is one of the most important aspects to this entire journey but yet the one aspect that is commonly overlooked. Especially as we grow older, when push comes to shove, playtime usually gets the boot. Play is a crucial part of creativity. One that cannot be overlooked and deserves ample time dedicated to it.
Synthesizing
The last and final concept is synthesizing. The one aspect where students put all of their pieces together and create "synthetic knowing - a combining of sensation, feeling, memory, and rational thought" (Root-Bernstein, p. 306). If students are given the opportunity to explore what it means to synthesize, they have the chance to develop "synosia" which is " the highest integration of multi-modal feeling with multiple ways of knowin to create an ultimate form of understanding" (Root-Bernstein), p. 316). To do this, a teacher much provide ample time for students to reflect and analyze their work thoroughly and have an opportunity to share their findings.
If we are able to put these seven pillars of creativity in place, we stand a chance at becoming the teacher our student deserve. "The future will therefore depend upon our ability to create synthetic understanding by integrating all ways of knowing" (Root-Bernstein, p. 314)
Students aren't stuck with one teacher any more, they can choose from hundreds of different teachers all showing accurate concepts through online video interaction. Teachers are no longer stuck with just their own ideas, they have thousands of ideas at their fingertips at the click of a mouse.
So where does creativity fit into all of this? Well, I feel it is at the core of what a 21 century learner needs to be successful in this life. Any pencil pusher can crunch numbers, write reports, or organize data. But it takes someone creative to develop innovative cost saving measures, or create a report that really tells a story, or organize data in a way that will change policies within a company. Without creativity, we're all the same.
Now, what does this all mean for an educator? What do we need to do? How do we need to adapt to the changing learner? One thing I know is we don't need to change what we teach, but how we teach it. I don't understand why so many teacher teach in isolation. Do they like creating more work for themselves? The skills that a student is learning in science should be directly applicable to all other subjects and therefore be something that can be worked on in a multifaceted capacity. For instance, we don't expect a student to only read and write in english class, so why would we teach them reading and writing skills that they could only use in english class?? If "no major problem facing the world today can be boxed neatly within a single discipline or approached effectively by analysis, emotion, or tradition alone" is true, than why do we teach that way (Root-Bernstein, 1999, p. 314)? We need to be teaching our student to be thinking outside the box and look beyond the "normal boundaries of experience". To do this, they must tap into there inner creative nature.
Creativity is much more difficult than most people would superficially admit. To do it and to do it well, takes practice and discipline. I would suggest starting with a book by Robert and Michele Root-Bernstein called Sparks of Genius The 13 thinking Tools of the World's Most Creative People. This book breaks creativity down into 7 essential cognitive tools that are interwoven and overlap in order to achieve successful changing in one's thinking to encompass creativity in thinking.
Perceiving
Perception is the first of the 7 cognitive tools Root-Bernstein talk about. The beautiful and funny thing about perception is that there is no wrong answer. When a person phrases questions in a way that multiple perceptions can be taken (or multiple answers can be "correct"), I feel there is much less angst and stress in answering the question. For example: The idea of asking questions such as "What do you think about that?" "What does that feel like?" "What does this remind you of?" "What comes to mind when you smell this?" "What does it look like to you?" etc, etc, etc puts a student at much more ease than asking, "What is the correct answer to this question?". The stakes are higher. Why? Because you have already implied that there is only one correct answer, so if each student perceive something different by looking at the same thing, you have already squashed any individual thought.
A shift in how we arrange questions in our classroom may yield some unique and interesting results that we might not have received had we asked less open ended questions. This shift creates a less threatening atmosphere
Patterning
Patterning is the next tool. Patterns exist in all faucets of life. From our routine when we get up to the cars we pass on the way to work. From the sunrise to the sunset, we experience patterns every day. And we overlook them every day. It's fascinating how a human can create patterns by "organiz[ing] the random events we see, hear, or feel by grouping them" (Root-Bernstein, 1999, Pg. 92). Humans are doing this constantly in order to make sense of the world around them. Without patterns it is impossible to "make predictions and form expectations" (Root-Bernstein, 1999, Pg. 93).
I for one feel as though, my whole life, I have been a student that "wanted the right answer". I was a student that wanted to be spoon fed. Why? Because it's a whole lot easier than creating. Creating is hard. Or maybe its just that I need more practice.
Working on problems where there is "one single answer" provided in textbooks is not only boring, but greatly limits students' ability to pattern and re-image. Root and Bernstein go on to say, "making patterns for oneself is a lot more fun than memorizing- and a lot more valuable. Teasing apart one pattern and composing another requires real understanding of the basic elements of the phenomena and processes. More, it opens up whole new worlds of knowledge" (Root-Bernstein, 1999, Pg. 135). I would have to agree. Although creating is a lot of hard work, it is also rewarding as well. I thoroughly enjoy creating so why do I settle for the spoon? Convenience is the answer.
If we as educators can build in time to challenge our students to try and identify patterns within a given topic or concept, we have a better chance at making connections between interdisciplinary concepts and it helps us step back and see the "big picture" of a concept or idea.
Abstracting
Abstractions are simply different ways an object or idea can be represented. These representations can include visual images, patterns, poems, textures, smells, songs, and many others. "Abstractions are so common in our society that we rarely pat attention to them" (Root-Bernstein, pg. 70). I feel as we age, we gain more and more experiences that crowd and cloud our mind and limit our ability to abstract do to the limited brain capacity we have to only see what is "needed".
Abstractions and analogies are essential to understanding science. They happen practically daily. The idea of taking something that is unfamiliar to you and relating it to something very familiar is an extremely strong learning concept in any subject, but especially science. Abstractions are what cause advancements in our society. It takes someone looking at a problem from outside the box in a new direction to come up with a new or different solution. Those that do this are very good at abstracting. As Mitchell Wilson stated in Sparks and Genius by Root-Bernstein, "I'll tell you what you need to be a great scientist. You don't have to be able to understand complicated things. It's just the opposite. You have to be able to see what looks like the most complicated thing in the world and, in a flash, find the underlying simplicity. That's that you need: a talent for simplicity." (Root-Bernstein, pg. 78). How true that is.
If we can take time to invest thought in guiding our students to either develop personal abstractions to help understand difficult concepts or we ourselves develop abstractions and analogies to help explain difficult concepts, I feel we will debunk a lot of misconceptions within our discipline as well as create deeper understanding.
Embodied Thinking
What comes to mind when you hear the word proprioceptive thinking? In my classroom, "normal" is the word that comes to mind. Propriocetive thinking, also known as body thinking or kinesthetic thinking is the idea behind our mind making a connection with our body and where our four limbs are in space. This concept is a powerful concept in education as it helps solidify hard concepts especially for kinesthetic learners. "As we walk or run or jump we are constantly aware of how our body feels; and we know where we are in space" (Root-Bernstein, 1999, p. 161). "We are very aware of our proprioceptive senses when we are learning a new skill, such as riding a bike, hitting a baseball, using a hammer".(Root-Bernstein, 1999, p. 161). "This sense has been called our 'sixth' or 'secret' sense" (Root-Bernstein, 1999, p. 161).
"Will Cather once wrote that novelists, actors and physicians have the 'unique and marvelous [experience] of entering into the very skin of another human being'...'You must enter into the person you are describing, into his very skin, and see the world through his eyes and feel in through his senses.'" (Root-Bernstein, 1999, p. 182) This chapter in Root-Bernstein's book "Sparks of Genius" is titled Empathy. That is what the above quotes from the chapter are referring to. I believe that empathy is not simply something for novelists, actors, and physicians to experience, but rather, should be an experience that we all share consistently throughout our lives. The more we can see the world through others eyes, the more well-rounded we become. This idea is something that I need to adopt more in my classroom.
If you ask most people, most would agree that they learn well by "doing". So why is it that most teachers fail to give kinesthetic learners what they need to be successful? My assumption is because it requires more work that reading or talking. A goal in every unit taught should be to develop assignments that are differentiated to the different learners not forgetting about those that learn by doing. Many concepts "click" after being physically represented.
Modeling
"To model an object is to possess it." (Root, Bernstein, pg. 230). I don't think I can say it any more plainly, as that. "in almost all cases, the point of a model us to make accessible something that is difficult to experience easily." (Root, Bernstein, pg. 229). In science, it is difficult to go a day without modeling something. Whether it is two styrofoam balls and a flashlight to model the phases of the moon on earth, or a 3D model of a bacteria, modeling is something that every science teacher must do in over to convey some of their curriculum.
To model successfully, one must use a bit of imagination to really grasp what the concept is trying to convey and therefore Root and Bernstein said it well; "Modeling requires and therefore teaches us many imaginative skills." (Root, Bernstein, pg. 230). Because the model is not the real thing, you as the learner or educator must recognize where the model falls short of representing properly and fill in the gaps.
Playing
Play is so crucial to every childhood. It is what helps mold our curiosity. Whether you are playing alone or in a group, the creativity involved in play is one's only limit. "play returns us to the presymbolic drives of gut feelings, emotions, intuitions, and fun from which creative insights stem, thereby making us inventors." (Root, Bernstein, p. 267). So therefore, why would we not strive for this to be an integral part of our curriculum as teachers? "play transforms knowledge and builds understanding as we create our own worlds, personas, games, rules, toys and puzzles, and through them new sciences and art." (Root, Bernstein p. 268)
Play is not limited to any learning style. An auditory learner might use play differently than a visual or kinesthetic learner, but they all will create things that are meaningful and engaging to them individually.
Play is one of the most important aspects to this entire journey but yet the one aspect that is commonly overlooked. Especially as we grow older, when push comes to shove, playtime usually gets the boot. Play is a crucial part of creativity. One that cannot be overlooked and deserves ample time dedicated to it.
Synthesizing
The last and final concept is synthesizing. The one aspect where students put all of their pieces together and create "synthetic knowing - a combining of sensation, feeling, memory, and rational thought" (Root-Bernstein, p. 306). If students are given the opportunity to explore what it means to synthesize, they have the chance to develop "synosia" which is " the highest integration of multi-modal feeling with multiple ways of knowin to create an ultimate form of understanding" (Root-Bernstein), p. 316). To do this, a teacher much provide ample time for students to reflect and analyze their work thoroughly and have an opportunity to share their findings.
If we are able to put these seven pillars of creativity in place, we stand a chance at becoming the teacher our student deserve. "The future will therefore depend upon our ability to create synthetic understanding by integrating all ways of knowing" (Root-Bernstein, p. 314)
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Can't We Go Back To Being Kids, Where All We Did Was Play?
Play is so crucial to every childhood. It is what helps mold our curiosity. Whether you are playing alone or in a group, the creativity involved in play is one's only limit. "play returns us to the presymbolic drives of gut feelings, emotions, intuitions, and fun from which creative insights stem, thereby making us inventors." (Root, Bernstein, p. 267). So therefore, why would we not strive for this to be an integral part of our curriculum as teachers? "play transforms knowledge and builds understanding as we create our own worlds, personas, games, rules, toys and puzzles, and through them new sciences and art." (Root, Bernstein p. 268)
Play is not limited to any learning style. An auditory learner might use play differently than a visual or kinesthetic learner, but they all will create things that are meaningful and engaging to them individually.
In digesting this assignment originally, my first thought was to create an assignment that would be used as a culminating assignment to the concept of energy transfer. In this assignment, the students would create a stop motion animation out of clay that told a story and in the story would describe at least 3 different forms of energy transfer. I think this would be a valuable and meaningful assignment, but after reading that the assignment should be something that introduces my topic, I abandoned that thought and came up with the assignment below.
Introduction Assignment to Energy Transfer (Play)
The task is to make a video where you are recorded doing the following things;
Play is not limited to any learning style. An auditory learner might use play differently than a visual or kinesthetic learner, but they all will create things that are meaningful and engaging to them individually.
In digesting this assignment originally, my first thought was to create an assignment that would be used as a culminating assignment to the concept of energy transfer. In this assignment, the students would create a stop motion animation out of clay that told a story and in the story would describe at least 3 different forms of energy transfer. I think this would be a valuable and meaningful assignment, but after reading that the assignment should be something that introduces my topic, I abandoned that thought and came up with the assignment below.
Introduction Assignment to Energy Transfer (Play)
The task is to make a video where you are recorded doing the following things;
- Dropping an egg from a height higher than 8 feet
- Riding a unicycle for at least 10 seconds
- Shooting a bottle rocket off
- Pogo sticking for at least 10 seconds
- Playing some sort of instrument (or singing)
- Turning on a light switch
- Running into a wall
- Eating a candy bar
- Roller skating or carpet
- Create fire
- Playing a game on a smart phone
- Touching a 9V battery to your tongue and describing what you felt
- Making a piece of toast
- Shooting a total stranger with a big rubber band and recording their reaction
- You and a total stranger playing on a teeter-totter
Using a video editing software (Windows Movie Maker-PC and Garage Band-MAC are two) create one continuous video with a title, music, and credits.
The students will then complete the unit on energy transfer and learn about what it is, etc. They will then revisit the video each of them made (or their group) and continue editing the video to describe in each situation what energy they began with, what energy they ended with, and how it was transferred.
For example, #1 - Dropping an egg from a height higher than 8 feet, in the video, it would show a student completing this task but they would then describe that the egg is beginning with gravitational potential energy and as soon as the egg is released, some of the potential energy is converted to kinetic energy because the egg is in motion. As the egg falls, more potential energy is converted to kinetic and the egg speeds up. When the egg hits the ground, some kinetic energy is converted into sound and we interpret that as a "splat". Some of the eggs kinetic energy is converted into molecular kinetic energy when it hits the ground which causes some of the molecules of the shell to move and break apart from others which causes the shell to crack.
Their task would be to describe each energy transfer situation in as few words as possible while still conveying an accurate explanation of the transfer.
In this assignment students are able to investigate different energy transfers in a fun and engaging way. They are able to create their own situations guided by only one parameter (showing what energy transfer I have asked). They also get the opportunity to go back to something they created and, after learning what energy transfer is and how we use it in our lives, add explanation to each situation they created.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
What Models Do For Science
"To model an object is to possess it." (Root, Bernstein, pg. 230). I don't think I can say it any more plainly, as that. "in almost all cases, the point of a model us to make accessible something that is difficult to experience easily." (Root, Bernstein, pg. 229). In science, it is difficult to go a day without modeling something. Whether it is two styrofoam balls and a flashlight to model the phases of the moon on earth, or a 3D model of a bacteria, modeling is something that every science teacher must do in over to convey some of their curriculum.
To model successfully, one must use a bit of imagination to really grasp what the concept is trying to convey and therefore Root and Bernstein said it well; "Modeling requires and therefore teaches us many imaginative skills." (Root, Bernstein, pg. 230). Because the model is not the real thing, you as the learner or educator must recognize where the model falls short of representing properly and fill in the gaps.
To model successfully, one must use a bit of imagination to really grasp what the concept is trying to convey and therefore Root and Bernstein said it well; "Modeling requires and therefore teaches us many imaginative skills." (Root, Bernstein, pg. 230). Because the model is not the real thing, you as the learner or educator must recognize where the model falls short of representing properly and fill in the gaps.
With respect to my topic (Energy transfer), many ideas came to mind as I thought about modeling different forms of energy transfer. Then I thought about where students have difficulty understanding energy transfer and what came to mind was the Law of Conservation of Energy. So often, students want to believe that an object "made" energy or "destroyed" energy. They may fully understand that energy is transferred from object to object but don't fully grasp the idea of how. The model I created really tears energy apart from its "form" and shows the idea that no matter what form energy takes, it is always conserved, it may just "look a little different". Below is my model
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Thinking With Your Body...In Someone Else's Shoes.!
What comes to mind when you hear the word proprioceptive thinking? In my classroom, "normal" is the word that comes to mind. Propriocetive thinking, also known as body thinking or kinesthetic thinking is the idea behind our mind making a connection with our body and where our four limbs are in space. This concept is a powerful concept in education as it helps solidify hard concepts especially for kinesthetic learners. "As we walk or run or jump we are constantly aware of how our body feels; and we know where we are in space" (Root-Bernstein, 1999, p. 161). "We are very aware of our proprioceptive senses when we are learning a new skill, such as riding a bike, hitting a baseball, using a hammer".(Root-Bernstein, 1999, p. 161). "This sense has been called our 'sixth' or 'secret' sense" (Root-Bernstein, 1999, p. 161).
"Will Cather once wrote that novelists, actors and physicians have the 'unique and marvelous [experience] of entering into the very skin of another human being'...'You must enter into the person you are describing, into his very skin, and see the world through his eyes and feel in through his senses.'" (Root-Bernstein, 1999, p. 182) This chapter in Root-Bernstein's book "Sparks of Genius" is titled Empathy. That is what the above quotes from the chapter are referring to. I believe that empathy is not simply something for novelists, actors, and physicians to experience, but rather, should be an experience that we all share consistently throughout our lives. The more we can see the world through others eyes, the more well-rounded we become. This idea is something that I need to adopt more in my classroom.
The idea of embodied thinking is something that is used in my classroom quite often. I feel it lends itself well to reinforcing many different topics within science so when it came to thinking of an aspect of my topic (energy transfer) that could be represented by my body, the idea of energy transfer at a molecular level came to mind. All molecules are in constant motion, weather they make up a solid, liquid or gas. This motion is hard to conceptualize for some students, especially molecules that make up a solid. To demonstrate this, I organized all of the students in one of my classes to represent molecules of water in the three phases of matter and filmed them interacting with each other. I put those clips into a movie and added pictures that represent empathetic feelings of how the water molecules may feel as they experience these given phase changes. It was a fun experience. Below is my final product.
I feel that this video, and what is represented in it, is a good use of proprioceptive thinking and empathy as the students get to physically feel what molecules in a solid, liquid, and gas feel like and behave like. If the molecules had human emotion, the students are able to create what those feelings might be and therefore empathize with them to truly understand the concept. This is much more powerful than simply "telling" them how they interact or allowing them to read it.
"Will Cather once wrote that novelists, actors and physicians have the 'unique and marvelous [experience] of entering into the very skin of another human being'...'You must enter into the person you are describing, into his very skin, and see the world through his eyes and feel in through his senses.'" (Root-Bernstein, 1999, p. 182) This chapter in Root-Bernstein's book "Sparks of Genius" is titled Empathy. That is what the above quotes from the chapter are referring to. I believe that empathy is not simply something for novelists, actors, and physicians to experience, but rather, should be an experience that we all share consistently throughout our lives. The more we can see the world through others eyes, the more well-rounded we become. This idea is something that I need to adopt more in my classroom.
The idea of embodied thinking is something that is used in my classroom quite often. I feel it lends itself well to reinforcing many different topics within science so when it came to thinking of an aspect of my topic (energy transfer) that could be represented by my body, the idea of energy transfer at a molecular level came to mind. All molecules are in constant motion, weather they make up a solid, liquid or gas. This motion is hard to conceptualize for some students, especially molecules that make up a solid. To demonstrate this, I organized all of the students in one of my classes to represent molecules of water in the three phases of matter and filmed them interacting with each other. I put those clips into a movie and added pictures that represent empathetic feelings of how the water molecules may feel as they experience these given phase changes. It was a fun experience. Below is my final product.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Abstracting
Abstractions are simply different ways an object or idea can be represented. These representations can include visual images, patterns, poems, textures, smells, songs, and many others. "Abstractions are so common in our society that we rarely pat attention to them" (Root-Bernstein, pg. 70). I feel as we age, we gain more and more experiences that crowd and cloud our mind and limit our ability to abstract do to the limited brain capacity we have to only see what is "needed".
Abstractions and analogies are essential to understanding science. They happen practically daily. The idea of taking something that is unfamiliar to you and relating it to something very familiar is an extremely strong learning concept in any subject, but especially science. Abstractions are what cause advancements in our society. It takes someone looking at a problem from outside the box in a new direction to come up with a new or different solution. Those that do this are very good at abstracting. As Mitchell Wilson stated in Sparks and Genius by Root-Bernsein, "I'll tell you what you need to be a great scientist You don't have to be able to understand complicated things. It's just the opposite. You have to be able to see what looks like the most complicated thing in the world and, in a flash, find the underlying simplicity. That's that you need: a talent for simplicity." (Root-Bernstein, pg. 78). How true that is.
My goal is simplicity. If I can take a concept that is "hard" and pair it together (analogy) with something the student is interested in and knowledgeable about, I have just made things simpler for that student.
The large umbrella concept I am investigating during this process is energy transfer. The concept I am focusing on in this part of the project is the idea of over consumption of food and energy transferring to fat in our bodies. I am likening this to a car and its need for gas to make it move and what would happen to the car if it followed the same consumption habits and energy outputs as a typical american does. Below are my two different medium representations of this concept.
Medium One: Poetry
Eat Like a Car Does...When It's Empty!
Medium Two: Image
The images above came from the following sites:
Abstractions and analogies are essential to understanding science. They happen practically daily. The idea of taking something that is unfamiliar to you and relating it to something very familiar is an extremely strong learning concept in any subject, but especially science. Abstractions are what cause advancements in our society. It takes someone looking at a problem from outside the box in a new direction to come up with a new or different solution. Those that do this are very good at abstracting. As Mitchell Wilson stated in Sparks and Genius by Root-Bernsein, "I'll tell you what you need to be a great scientist You don't have to be able to understand complicated things. It's just the opposite. You have to be able to see what looks like the most complicated thing in the world and, in a flash, find the underlying simplicity. That's that you need: a talent for simplicity." (Root-Bernstein, pg. 78). How true that is.
My goal is simplicity. If I can take a concept that is "hard" and pair it together (analogy) with something the student is interested in and knowledgeable about, I have just made things simpler for that student.
The large umbrella concept I am investigating during this process is energy transfer. The concept I am focusing on in this part of the project is the idea of over consumption of food and energy transferring to fat in our bodies. I am likening this to a car and its need for gas to make it move and what would happen to the car if it followed the same consumption habits and energy outputs as a typical american does. Below are my two different medium representations of this concept.
Medium One: Poetry
Eat Like a Car Does...When It's Empty!
Energy transfer is very simple you see
Almost everything does it, even you and me!
When we eat food we’re transferring energy,
Our body uses it to walk, talk, and even see.
Similar to how a car needs gas to go
Our bodies need food don’tcha know
When a car’s low on gas, a fill up is in need
If you don’t, someone else takes the lead
When you don’t eat you could crash
Your temper might flare and people see your wrath
So we need a constant supply of food to go
But what happens when we eat too much bro?
When you fill-up a car, only so much can go in
We could gather any overflow and put it in a bin
Then we’d have some extra if we ever ran low
Which is a good thing wouldn't ya know!
What if we did that every time we filled the truck,
We’d have spare gas all over, that would suck.
When we feed our body too much energy to transfer
Storage of that energy is what does occur
This energy is stored as fat and that’s bad
It causes heart attacks, diabetes and other things that ain’t
rad
So make sure you fill up when your body tells you to
But not too much cause then the energy you don’t use
Gets transferred to your sides, gut, chin, or hips
And if you’re not careful, even your lips!
Medium Two: Image
- http://channelfit.fooyoh.com/fitness_fitness/464717
- http://listverse.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/231846chris-farley-posters.jpg
- http://ihateketchup.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/fat-kid.jpg
- http://assets3.bigthink.com/system/idea_thumbnails/47109/original/Time%20-%20good.jpg?1344607102
- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ14nXK9CttTanTPXMwkEORYunGZu22FvgckFIgFwbQnxeziyl-T735xEZH_gGprAAe_n9kD2eCmQgasDXUVBu2hLn-1EflgYVzxFRwgYicLPs8gLFKxUhIbWqJ8APZWijFTPe1d_QyRvt/s1600/Inactivity+3+-+Fitness+Philippines.jpg
- http://johnbarban.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Food.jpg
- http://imprintfitness.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/body-fit-guy.jpeg
- http://www.childrenshealthyfood.com/healthy-food-schools/pics/healthy-foods/fresh-fruit-and-vegetables.jpg
- http://thethrottle.thechive.com/2010/08/11/i-like-skinny-things-plus-clooney-drives-one-13-photos/
- http://www.sshs57.com/photos/061123TurkeyTrot.htm
- http://www.geekologie.com/2009/01/bigger-the-better-artist-makes.php
- http://www.carpediemmag.co.uk/magazine/images/stories/carpediemimages-october2010/ice_car.jpg
- http://www.chicagometroarearealestate.com/images/EmptyHourglass.jpg
- http://www.caradvice.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/dodge_challengersrt8_burnout.jpg
- http://intelligenttravel.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/06/03/gas_pump.jpg
- http://www.jolcdi.com/wp-content/uploads/gasoline-tank.jpg
- http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5082/5195985086_927ab9a8f4_b.jpg
To go further, I plan to have students develop their own analogies for other energy transfer concepts (and other concepts in general) and then create some representation of their analogy.
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