Ashley Tam's EDUC 450 Blog

Topic Area: Flipped classroom Guiding questions: Is the flipped classroom an effective method for student learning? What are the benefits of the flipped classroom? What are student, parent and teacher attitudes on flipped classroom? What are the logistics of a flipped classroom, should all classes be flipped or only some? Are there other ways to flip a classroom other than just video lectures? How would in class time be used if class was flipped?

I think bodily experiences can be useful in any subject matter, purely because of the physical representation. When a student experiences movement in learning they associate their movements with what they have learned and it helps to solidify their knowledge. Viewing a physical or drawing representation of theory can be easier to interpret than analytical text. So providing students with images of what we are explaining can help them actually see what we mean rather then have them try and imagine out of thin air. Having a physical object to refer to can be even more valuable as students gain the ability to touch, move, rotate and carefully view details. This again helps them visualize but in 3-D and at all angles, which can sometimes be even more helpful than just a 2-D flat image of a 3-D object. I could use bodily experiences in mathematics as the article discussed by giving students different physical representations of things like curves or even 3-D shapes. Specifically, students c...

In the first week of classes I expressed interest in inquiring about memorization in learning, the importance of confidence in learning and motivation in learning. Since then I have lost an interest in motivation in learning as I feel it is so complex and varies from student to student. It is difficult to encourage motivation just in the classroom, many of the ways students build motivation also comes from their own family values and home situation, so I as a teacher candidate do not feel confidence I can motivate all my students, but I do feel that confidence in the classroom plays a big role in that process of motivation, so instead I would rather focus on how confidence in learning plays a role in a student's ability to progress and be resilient. Although I am interested in how memorization plays a part in learning and how valuable it may be for building a foundation, or how inefficient it could be at developing learning for a student, I have always had a strong attachment to t...

When I think about assigning percentages or letter grades for assessment I realize from a student perspective it can be discouraging and as the article discusses it can make students feel like they are on a hamster wheel designed for performance and they can't escape assessment and this judgement associated with letter grades. Grades can also become a ceiling limit for students making them feel that perhaps a B is all they are worth and all they can achieve. While for teachers, assessment in the form of letter grades could be necessary to gauge where students are and what their level of understanding is. However, unfortunately there is a stigma associated with certain letter grades or percentages which can create a discouraging environment for students. I think the idea that letter grades and percentages are a way of keeping track of progress and learning has become lost in the notion of competition and the stigma associated with each letter. I think having a less than favourable l...

After today's class I was really intrigued by Vanessa Vakharia's story. I definitely think she is a role model for students. Although her marketing focuses on girls and learning math in an engaging and "girly" way, her story of failing math and never understanding math in school is a relatable experience that many students can remember enduring at some point in their education, whether its mathematics or any other subject for that matter. By exposing her vulnerability and personal struggles, I feel students could establish more of a connection and feel that as a teacher she understood their struggles. It is also an inspiring example of someone who struggled but was able to rise above those struggles and reach a high achievement in mathematics. Seeing this example can give students hope and provide a role model which they can aspire towards. Overall Vanessa seemed to be a very relatable teacher, one who tried to be at the same level as her students and understand their...

Science is definitely a field I think students often feel less-than-welcomed into as there is a great deal of jargon used and required to understand the subject. In the past I felt confused and alone when listening to lectures because often times I did not understand all the words our teacher was using. I also felt that there was a feeling of exclusion if students didn't have the same knowledge as some others who may have read science articles or kept up to date with scientific news. I often remembered feeling "not smart" in some of my science classes because I simply did not possess the same amount of knowledge that others had, nor was I aware of current science events that seemed to be important or a big deal to my teachers or classmates. I feel if you did not grow up in a family that keeps up with current events or uses science in their everyday life then some students can feel left out or under-prepared for a science class and therefore "un-welcomed". I do o...

Education in the garden was a completely different experience than education in the classroom. Just the feeling of fresh air and sunlight gave me an energy boost that I would not normally feel in the classroom. Often times when students sit through lectures, we get sleepy or unfocused, lighting in the classroom plays a role in how tired I feel. When the lighting is more dim I feel sleepy. When we were outside I felt energized and very engaged in what we were doing. I also found that the activities we did outside left more room for us to explore and as the paper we read discussed, we were able to slow down and really analyze, experience and learn. When we were drawing things around us in the garden we were really able to carefully analyze and draw intricacies at a slower pace. Also when we wove the ribbon together I gained an embodied sort of learning, one that is difficult to experience in the classroom. In the classroom we could study the pattern and analyze the movements but actually...

In "Multicultural School Gardens: Creating Engaging Garden Spaces in Learning about Language, Culture, and Environment Amy Cutter-Mackenzie investigates the value in educational garden spaces for ESL students. An interesting thing she noted was how school gardens are often designed and maintained by adults. Although this may often be true, the school examined gave students the independence to design their garden with adult support. The reason this stuck out to me was because I feel students often learn best when they explore and experiment on their own, so if adults are doing all the work and students simply visit and get glimpses of participation then the purpose of school gardens is completely diminished. So I liked the fact that the project valued student ideas and views, as I feel they are often underrated and dismissed. I think giving students the power to voice ideas, make choices and conduct research is a powerful tool to build students who will be more confident and well-r...