Sunday, March 18, 2007

Assessment Task One - Jerome Bruner

Jerome Bruner organised the process of education into four basic parts: structure, readiness for learning, intuitive and analytical thinking, and motives for learning. Bruner explained that the role of structure in learning is about learning how things are related. Bruner suggested that the initial teaching of any subject should emphasise grasping the main points intuitively. He believed that the curriculum should then re-examine these points repeatedly so that students eventually understand the points and make connections between them until the student has grasped full understanding. He called this cycle the spiral curriculum.
(Smith, M.K, 2002) http://www.infed.org/thinkers/bruner.htm

I recall my year 10 mathematics teacher in high school using a curriculum organised in a spiral manner, so that students continually build upon what they had already learned. I remember how effective his teaching style was when he explained the concept of pronumerals and how he repeatedly returned to this basic concept in later lessons. At that time I was impressed by how he managed to reach every learner in the classroom. I feel that this is an invaluable tool to have as a teacher as it is the task of every teacher to get through to every learner in the classroom, no matter what the situation. As a future teacher I would also try to modify my teaching approach to include a spiral curriculum. The understanding that I have gained about effective teaching will allow me to apply the concepts that I have learned in my University studies to the classroom once I begin my practicum in Term 2.

No comments:

Video Clips

Video Clips is an effective learning tool in an ICT learning environment. It caters for both the visual and auditory learners and the linguistic, interpersonal, intrapersonal intelligences. Visual learners absorb information from visual displays, auditory learners absorb information through listening, they learn best through sound. Linguistic intelligences are able to learn well through words and language. Video clips assist in engaging students. It helps in enhancing a students learning by making the students become interested in what they are learning. Video clips also assist in constructing knowledge. By having discussions, students are building a greater sense of knowledge. A teacher could guide student's by asking student's relevant questions about the video. Videos may also spark emotions, this allows students to retain information more likely in the long term. E.g A humourous video in mathematics may assist in recalling information. Video clips are good cognitive tools, students are likely to think more broadly through video clips than through words. Video clips usually have an underlying message that is conveyed to the audience. This message may promote a higher order of thinking in a student.