Observation 1: How People Learn

Throughout my observation, the first idea I got that knowing How people learn is at the heart
of teaching. When we look at the general graph showing the most influential thing making the
people learn is that to know how people know. By approaching from different expectations of
students, social status, general knowledge students have, we can give our knowledge to our
students in a perfect way and flawless. From so many experiences, the teacher says that (this is
a common idea) no matter how different style you have or apply to plan in the classroom if you
do not know your students’ weaknesses and strengths, you will always fail and come across to
failure. At the beginning of the school, so many professional, well-educated teacher do this
tactic, they have the students take the exam to see how much they have known or not known.
Another notion I got from this observation, they are so many educational styles and tactics you
can apply perfectly in the classroom.Yet , in order to apply all of them, as a teacher, you have to
organize your classroom based on how to access materials on time without wasting any single
time during the instruction time. It does not only keep all your students under the control but
also eases your classroom management. In this case, there are four basic session groups based
on the student-driven education system.
1. The meaning of the learner is always defined that the person craving to learn every single
time and open to gain new up to date knowledge to reach out the level of modern society
nations. The teacher I have made the observation said that. You are here to educate these
people.
2. in order to have a peaceful atmosphere in the classroom, you need to create the perfect
environment you will clearly deliver your instructions so that you block all the obstacles which
possibly will be able to happen during the class time.
3. Teaching and learning are two significant aspects of perfect learning. Teaching cannot be
thought without learning or Learning cannot be thought without teaching. In the classroom,
The teacher says that by asking some questions related to topic taught that time, it gives you
the idea about the student if they are pay attention or not to you, or the things they have
missed, need to be filled in just in case. On the other hand, students ask you a few questions
not out of topic, this situation gives birth to never-ending cycle that will get benefits for both
side ( teacher-student). Plus, families brought their stories into the classroom. With the help of
this, teacher and families develop the tolerance for each other’s culture and awareness of each,
create a strong between them as well
As a result of having done, help them gain the better understanding of the home environment
and get to know each other, strengthening the bond for each side.
Observation 2: Building on What we know
In this observation, I have learned Cognitive processing which is a term for phenomena that
teachers and parents around the world understand what is their mind doing as they do those
things.
When we introduce new material in the classroom, each student makes sense of it in their
ways.
The first one remembers a past experience and applies it in his new material. Another one may
misunderstand the information to make it fit better with the knowledge they have already
know.
From the observation that I did, there are several things that teachers can do to help students
process and understand new information.
. Connect novel ideas to the things the students already know.
. Present ideas in different ways for example usually, orally,hands on, and so on.
. Use vivid representation to make the lesson interesting such us pictures, analogies, charts,
graphs.
. Organize informationby identifying the big ideas and finding the categories that create order
among a lot of otherwise disconnected facts,
. Create ways for students to apply information,
. develop a mental map for the new information is vital.
From my understanding in observation, we need to start asking questions. Then we should add
pictures. With the help of pictures, they can learn much better. This is because they can learn
how to group them. Another approach of teaching the concept would be museum trips and
observe the habitat of the creature in their habitat, which enables the learning come alive for
them.
As they engage in these activities, they process the information more deeply and draw more
connections. Also, we should write and have them draw something, then have them explain it
to rest of class, which helps teachers assess them as well.
Therefore, we need to give students many ways to learn the new material so that everyone can
find a connection that works for all students. Plus, we should help students to develop
categories to organize their thinking and reason through new concepts by having them talk and
write and draw about their ideas, which encourages our students to visualize their thinking.
When we let them create visualize, which helps us find real differences in the diagrams and the
pictures that kids create.
Another important thing from my observation is the hook. When we try to do is to connect it to
something they have had before, and the experience they have had before. In other words, we
need to find a way to get them in the mood of that concept and get their mind to think of it.
Another way of getting their attention to the new concept is to use the prior knowledge, which
helps them to pay attention to the new concept.
Addition to ways that we can get them into the concept, we can find different ways. For
example, we can try to get our kids up to the board and ask questions, which means that they
have to explain their understanding and they have to answer questions from their peers and
their teacher, which helps the rest of students to learn with the help of the students on the
board. Because they have to protect their peer and pay attention to what their friend saying,
which increases the learning. Also, they can be asked many questions by teachers and peers,
meaning that they have to be ready to get questions from their teachers. So, they will learn so
much more.

Observation 3: Expectations for success

Throughout the observation,
Motivation is critical to learning. In order for students to learn difficult material, students must
get engaged and persevere when they encounter challenges. Their participation and interest
vary dramatically from one situation to another. There are major factors have been found to
influence motivation.
The first one is expectancies of success.
In this concept, the learners think about themselves and their abilities. They will ask some
question to themselves. For example “ can I expect to succeed, “ can I do this”. When they
decide to say yes, the learning will start, and success will come next.
The second factor is related to a task that the teacher creates. If that assignment is interesting,
challenging, and well-organized, students will be more engaged and say yes to learning.
The third one is about classroom environment. The environment should support in the process
of learning. If we make students feel they will get the assistance they need to succeed, they will
try without fear. Also, when kids discover something on their own or with a friend, they feel like
they own it. They will be proud of themselves, and their work they have done. Another
important thing they I observed is that they should be given more opportunities to use their
own learning styles and their skills, which encourage them to learn a lot. One essential thing
that teachers need to learn how to motivate students by creating an activity where learning was
the focus and everyone could succeed. Plus, they need to feel secure in making a mistake by the
teacher, and the other students in the classroom. Therefore, we need to let them try and make
mistakes, which encourages them try a lot, which ends up learning a lot.

Observation 4: Learning from others

As a human, we are essentially social creatures. There are many things that we can learn from
each other. Because of this reason teachers and peers should help each other in the learning
activity and process.The reason is that the interaction and connection between students form
the mind and capacity of those students.
In this observation, I need to learn how to guide my students through modeling, coaching, and
providing feedback and by creating the social system in which students assist one another.
I learned how to teach butterflies in different ways. There are 2 important questions to
approach of teaching. The first one is “what do you know about butterflies, and “ what do you
know about butterflies?. The teacher wrote down what their questions were and list their
questions to answer.
When they are eager to learn, they will discover and create together. Some of them can learn
from the books, some of them can learn in different ways. So, educators need to take in account
all these different ways. For example, they have learned butterflies in a lot of different ways via
research, have a lot of books, and field trio, so on. Plus, they walked around the garden to
observe for butterflies. Then they are asked about butterflies. Also, keeping a journal together
an observation journal on how things have been progressing. Then they will make a report
showing their progress. Plus, they can report it with picture including all information about
butterflies and interesting facts.
I also found so valuable thing. It is a discussion-based classroom. The discussion should have a
value and their voice, their thoughts, and interpretation of the material, which is being
developed in that discussion. In that discussion, they need to respect each other and hear out
what others say. Plus, they need to learn how to wait for their turn to respond if they have
something to say.

Observation 5: Learning By Doing: An Overview of

Project Learning
Seymour Papert, a distinguished professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is
among a growing group of scholars who support project-based learning. Some sophomore
geometry students in Seattle, have a problem and they are excited about solving it.
Problem: How do you design a state of the art high school in the year 2050, on a particular site.
Students are in teams of three to four, and they are in a design competition for a contract to
build it.
In Pennsylvania, some fifth graders are designing a tool to put out fires in space. In Virginia,
second graders are investigating cystic fibrosis. In Hawaii, high school students are building
electric cars, and racing them.
Those students have something in common. They are energized, focused and challenged,
determined to do their best. They are collaborating in hands-on, real-world projects, studying
everything from robots to worms, learning lessons they will never forget and having fun in the
process.
Students state that we did an experiment on dead worms. We smelled them and they did not
smell good. Worms are just one of the subjects students explore in depth at Newsome Park, a K-
5 science magnet school in Newport News, Virginia, that has embraced the concept of project-
based learning. Each class picks a topic to study for the semester. They then plan a research
phase, which includes field trips to gather information.
At the conclusion of the project, they share their findings in oral presentations, digital slide
shows, and display boards which are viewed and critiqued by their parents and their peers.
A principal, Peter, says that project-based learning was really the delivery model that we felt
would allow kids to learn, and really learn about what they want to learn about. I mean, so
many years, we have been pumping kids full of stuff that we think is appropriate and really, in
many instances, maybe that was successful. But it is much more successful and exhilarating
when kids have the input that we allow them to have here at Newsome Park.
Putting students at the center of the learning process is the key to transforming the educational
system, according to world-renowned mathematician and educator, Seymour Papert says that
first thing you have to do is give up the idea of the curriculum that is meaning you have to learn
this on a given day. Replace it with a system where you earn this where you need it. So that
means, you have got to put kids in a position where they are going to use the knowledge that
they are getting.
At the West Hawaii Explorations Charter School on the Kona Coast of Hawaii, students design
their research projects and pursue several of them over the course of the school year. They are
involved with everything from engineering electric racing cars. Most Students never find out
what science is. They hate it because it’s memorizing all this stuff. So project-based learning
gives everybody a chance to sort of mimic what scientists do, and that’s exciting and it’s fun if
it’s done well. New technology is the driving force behind the project based learning revolution.
Schools all over the country have found creative ways to use community resources and have
formed partnerships with local institutions to create exciting projects. In Hawaii, the Island’s
power company sponsors the Electron Marathon Car Race. Every year, students from the Islands
design and build electric cars, and race them in an energy efficiency competition. In Manhattan,
a partnership between Mott Hall and the City College of New York, allowed these eighth graders
to work on their class science project while advancing vital research on single-celled organisms.
Some critics of project-based learning voice concerns about the challenge of assessment and
the maintenance of academic standards, but proponents like Seymour Papert insist that project-
based learning is the surest path to knowledge in the 21st Century. Seymour Papert states that
imagine if kids from the beginning could be learning through developing their interests, through
things that they are in love with, that they cared about. Just imagine!

Reference link
http://www.learner.org/vod/vod_window.html?pid=1869