Research into Teaching and Learning

Research into Teaching and Learning

Sue Pawula

 Evaluation

My grade on the Research into Teaching & Learning project should be an “A” based on the entire picture of the my work on the process and the output. The research that I was able to insert into the power point and presentation was all the major points of the theories with regards to education. It was relevant, covered multiple facets of the topic, was appropriate for graduate students, provided in-depth coverage of a variety of findings in education, and was connected and thorough in the explanation of the topic. The handout reported, reflected, and covered all of the most important research findings with clear examples of how brain based learning should take place in the classroom. The activity was designed to facilitate the participation of colleagues asked to synthesis and evaluate their feelings during the process and compare them to how students would view the activity. The questions followed the guidelines and required other participants to synthesis and analyze their newfound knowledge on brain-based learning.  My own participation in the questions and meetings was professional and thoughtful.  The video presented the research in a manner that developed collegial understanding through visual representations and verbal explanations.  It should have stressed that brain based research was for ALL teachers and not just pre-service teachers. It also would have been slightly improved if similar research had been placed together. Discussion of the questions and participation by my colleagues was perceptive.  The process displayed depth and breadth in coverage of the research and manner in which it was conveyed to my colleagues. Reflection on the entire process demonstrates initial insights as I prepared, investigated, integrated information, and presented findings through a professionally insightful video. It was followed by an interesting discussion and interaction with peers, which resulted in excellent dialog. Reading prior to the other theory presentations developed my understanding of the topics and was demonstrated when I answered their interesting and thought provoking questions. The presentation covered all the major research and was given in a professionally comprehensive way.  My personal reflection essay provides unique analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of the process I proceeded through during this project and indicated areas that could be improved as well as factors that were exemplar.  The writing provides clear analysis of how all of this widely varied research information and participation in the project relates to my thinking about thinking and the variety of ways it can be used in classroom instruction. 

Summary

            My colleagues made many interesting comments during the discussion question segment. They all saw the need to discover students prior knowledge and to engage student by discovering their interests when considering what brain-based learning activities to implement.  High on the list of other things to insert was movement, kinesthetic, and the arts to activate and engage the brain for better retention of information.  They also included comments concerning how students need to work collaboratively in groups to support each other.  Teacher repetition of complex information was another strategies suggested to improve student retention.  Students need challenge in just the right amount so that they struggle a little before reaching their goal.  The activity was fun brain games that my peers enjoyed participating in and saw the value of utilizing similar challenges for students.  They seemed to think it would help student to create connections and encourage them to think in different ways. 

Reflection

This was quite an enjoyable and educational process that provided my introduction to brain-based theory and learning.  I had heard of brain-based learning but did not know the basis of the theory or the educational recommendations.  The information on this subject, provided by Dr. Grant, was very useful and searching for more information on the Internet provided me with many very insightful sites and slightly different views from other researchers in this field.  I also investigated other textbooks in the field of education for more information.  Some of that information told that students needed to be engaged in coherent instruction and retain information after repetition.  After accumulating a wealth of information on the theory, I then had to sort through the information and pick only the most important parts to share with my colleagues.  I place the most relevant and informative facts on my power point, which gave a clear picture of the decisions we need to consider before determining instructional plans.  The part of creating the video and inserting the power point slides into it was very time consuming since it is the first time that I have participated in a totally on-line class with this type of Internet tool.  However, the presentation video and power point went very well together and were effective in discussing the brain based research and it impact on instructional processes when creating lesson to enhance leaning.  It would have been slightly improved if I had consolidated similar research.  I feel that I am taking away a plethora of ideas on how I would like to create a classroom that follows many of the recommendations such as incorporating movement to engage the students brain as well as looking at their interests and prior knowledge before implementing instruction that will power my students brain.  In the discussion by my peers their comments also validated the important points that I had made.  We all have new ideas to insert into our classrooms.