Demonstration is showing how a thing is done and emphasizing of the salient merits, utility and efficiency of a concept, a method or a process or an attitude. A good demonstration is an audio-visual presentation.
Edgar Dale gives us three guiding principles to observe in using demonstration as a teaching-learning experience:
1. Establish rapport. Make yourself and your demonstration interesting to sustain your students' attention.
2. Avoid the COIK fallacy (Clear Only If Known). The teaching should assume that the students has zero or little knowledge about the topic being discussed. This means that every little detail should be discussed to make sure the lesson is understood.
3. Watch out for key points. Check out for points wherein an error would most likely be made. In that way the students would learn to watch out for these points to avoid error in the future.
Like everything else, demonstrations need planning. This include preparing the appropriate visuals to be used, setting our objectives, and rehearsing the demonstration itself.
In class, see to it that you get and sustain the interest of your students, keep it simple, focused and clear, do not hurry nor drag out the demonstration, check if your students understood the demonstration, conclude with a summary and hand out written materials at the conclusion.
A teaching should also see to it that he/she doesn't bind him/herself to a time limit wherein the objectives of the demonstration won't be achieved. It is better to learn a little a lot. Just like "Bahala'g ginagmay basta kanunay." Rushing defeats the purpose of the demonstration.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
LB#9: Teaching with Dramatized Experiences
"Did you watch Immortal last night?" "What's the latest about the Kimeral break-up?" You may have heard your friends of neighbors talk about teleseryes and showbiz news. The former are drama series shown on TV and the latter are real life drama of famous actors and actresses. Evidenced by the people talking about these things, the drama on TV and about actors interest them because it affects them and are moved by the drama. If you use drama in teaching, do you think it will have the same effect on our students?
Something dramatic is something that is stirring or affecting or moving. It has an emotional impact. This can be used in teaching to get our students attracted, interested and affected. If they are affected and moved, the lesson would most likely leave an impact on them and have better retention of what the lesson was about.
Examples of dramatized experience are plays, pageants, tableau, pantomime, puppets and role-playing. The last four are simple and practical. Plays and pageants require longer preparations, costly props and frequent practice.
The most commonly used dramatic experience in the classroom is role-playing. It is less time-consuming and it enhances the students' multiple intelligences. An example is dividing the class into groups. Assign each group to prepare a presentation of what goes on during a job interview of different kinds of jobs. Group discussion enhances their interpersonal intelligence in the planning stage. Performing the roles they are asked to play in enhances their kinesthetic intelligence. If a musical score is used to accompany the performance, musical intelligence is at work.
Something dramatic is something that is stirring or affecting or moving. It has an emotional impact. This can be used in teaching to get our students attracted, interested and affected. If they are affected and moved, the lesson would most likely leave an impact on them and have better retention of what the lesson was about.
Examples of dramatized experience are plays, pageants, tableau, pantomime, puppets and role-playing. The last four are simple and practical. Plays and pageants require longer preparations, costly props and frequent practice.
The most commonly used dramatic experience in the classroom is role-playing. It is less time-consuming and it enhances the students' multiple intelligences. An example is dividing the class into groups. Assign each group to prepare a presentation of what goes on during a job interview of different kinds of jobs. Group discussion enhances their interpersonal intelligence in the planning stage. Performing the roles they are asked to play in enhances their kinesthetic intelligence. If a musical score is used to accompany the performance, musical intelligence is at work.
Friday, December 3, 2010
LB#8: Teaching in Contrived Experiences
This lesson reminded me of science classes back in high school. Models of Atoms, DNA, Solar System and the Earth were shown to us to explain what the real thing actually looks like. They were either shrunk or enlarged to be visible to the class. This is the contrived experiences, the edited version of the direct experience.
Since we can't chop off a part of the earth to show our students its layers, a styro-model of the earth with a part chopped off is used instead.
And since we can't go to outer space to show how an eclipse occurs, we use a ping pong ball as the moon, a tennis ball as the earth, and a flashlight to represent the light from the sun. This is called a mock-up.
In science laboratories, we see a frog's internal organs in a bottle. This would help us in explaining the anatomy of a frog without actually slicing one open in front of the class. This is called a specimen. Other objects may be artifacts, which are usually seen in museums or exhibits.
A simulation is another kind of contrived experience. Take for example the school paper. Students are assigned as Editor-in-Chief, Contributors, Page Editors, Photographers, Circulation Managers, and the like. This is a simulation of a largescale newspaper is made. It is manageable, the students learn the actual process, and it represents the real thing.
Another kind is game. Games can be made up to check whether the learning objective was achieved.
Contrived experiences may be a substitute of the real thing. But what's important is that the learning objective is achieved in a fun, interactive way. Retention is better when the learner experiences what he needs to learn.
Since we can't chop off a part of the earth to show our students its layers, a styro-model of the earth with a part chopped off is used instead.
And since we can't go to outer space to show how an eclipse occurs, we use a ping pong ball as the moon, a tennis ball as the earth, and a flashlight to represent the light from the sun. This is called a mock-up.
In science laboratories, we see a frog's internal organs in a bottle. This would help us in explaining the anatomy of a frog without actually slicing one open in front of the class. This is called a specimen. Other objects may be artifacts, which are usually seen in museums or exhibits.
A simulation is another kind of contrived experience. Take for example the school paper. Students are assigned as Editor-in-Chief, Contributors, Page Editors, Photographers, Circulation Managers, and the like. This is a simulation of a largescale newspaper is made. It is manageable, the students learn the actual process, and it represents the real thing.
Another kind is game. Games can be made up to check whether the learning objective was achieved.
Contrived experiences may be a substitute of the real thing. But what's important is that the learning objective is achieved in a fun, interactive way. Retention is better when the learner experiences what he needs to learn.
LB#7: Direct, Purposeful Experiences and Beyond
Direct and purposeful experiences are those experienced firsthand. These are sensory experience. Our senses were directly involved in the experience and internalized. The experience made us want to ask questions and learn more.
For example, I want my students to learn how a pizza is made for their culinary class. I'd take them to a pizza parlor's kitchen and let them experience firsthand how a pizza is made.
Indirect experiences are those we hear and read about or see on TV. But nevertheless, they are still an experience through what we see or hear or read.
For instance, my students would like to learn how a rocketship is made. I would show them a documentary on the making of a rocketship. It is less expensive than taking them to a factory who makes rocketships..
For example, I want my students to learn how a pizza is made for their culinary class. I'd take them to a pizza parlor's kitchen and let them experience firsthand how a pizza is made.
Indirect experiences are those we hear and read about or see on TV. But nevertheless, they are still an experience through what we see or hear or read.
For instance, my students would like to learn how a rocketship is made. I would show them a documentary on the making of a rocketship. It is less expensive than taking them to a factory who makes rocketships..
LB#6: Using and Evaluating Instructional Materials
This chapter has taught me how to select and use the different instructional materials in order to achieve my desired learning objectives. There are standards to consider in the selection of instructional materials. These should:
- give a true picture of the ideas they present.
- contribute meaningful content to the topic under study
- be appropriate for the age, intelligence, and experience of the learners
- be in a good and satisfactory condition
- help to make students better thinkers and develop their critical faculties
- be worth the time, expense and effort
After evaluating what kind of instructional materials to use, there are steps in using the materials properly to achieve our goal.
- Prepare yourself - You have the material, you plan on how you will deliver your lesson to your students.
- Prepare your students - Set class expectations and learning goals.
- Present the material - In presenting the material, you should check whether it is in its best possible condition. Try using it before presenting it to class to make sure it won't fail you, or worse, embarrass you.
- Follow-up - Presenting the material doesn't end the process of learning. It's a cycle. Do a follow-up quiz to check whether the students got the lesson.
Just like in reporting in front of a class, teaching needs preparation. I would have to be prepared before I give the lesson to my students. I should be able to answer their questions and doubts about the lesson. The materials I use should be able to assist me in helping the students understand the lesson better. All these and more to consider in order to attain the learning objective set in the lesson plan.
- give a true picture of the ideas they present.
- contribute meaningful content to the topic under study
- be appropriate for the age, intelligence, and experience of the learners
- be in a good and satisfactory condition
- help to make students better thinkers and develop their critical faculties
- be worth the time, expense and effort
After evaluating what kind of instructional materials to use, there are steps in using the materials properly to achieve our goal.
- Prepare yourself - You have the material, you plan on how you will deliver your lesson to your students.
- Prepare your students - Set class expectations and learning goals.
- Present the material - In presenting the material, you should check whether it is in its best possible condition. Try using it before presenting it to class to make sure it won't fail you, or worse, embarrass you.
- Follow-up - Presenting the material doesn't end the process of learning. It's a cycle. Do a follow-up quiz to check whether the students got the lesson.
Just like in reporting in front of a class, teaching needs preparation. I would have to be prepared before I give the lesson to my students. I should be able to answer their questions and doubts about the lesson. The materials I use should be able to assist me in helping the students understand the lesson better. All these and more to consider in order to attain the learning objective set in the lesson plan.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
LB#5: The Cone of Experience
A visual model, a pictorial device that presents bands of experience arranged according to degree of abstraction (the amount of immediate sensory participation that is involved) and not degree of difficulty.
We have 5 senses: touching, hearing, seeing, tasting and smelling. The cone of experience shows the amount or level of sensory participation in each experience. Each one may overlap and sometimes blend into one another. One may not necessarily mean that it is more educationally useful that the other. These can be mixed.
In teaching, we choose what kind of experience will be appropriate for our students. These may vary widely according to their age, interests, learning capacity and subject matter. Keeping their attention focused on the lesson is an objective. To do this, we use various types of medium to keep them interested. Colorful visual aids may spark interest among little children. But this would probably be not the case among fourth year students. The older the person, the more abstract his concepts are likely to be.
So the Cone of Experience, as I understand it, is simply a visual presentation of the amount of sensory participation and learning resources in teaching. A combination of two or more mediums may be used altogether.
We have 5 senses: touching, hearing, seeing, tasting and smelling. The cone of experience shows the amount or level of sensory participation in each experience. Each one may overlap and sometimes blend into one another. One may not necessarily mean that it is more educationally useful that the other. These can be mixed.
In teaching, we choose what kind of experience will be appropriate for our students. These may vary widely according to their age, interests, learning capacity and subject matter. Keeping their attention focused on the lesson is an objective. To do this, we use various types of medium to keep them interested. Colorful visual aids may spark interest among little children. But this would probably be not the case among fourth year students. The older the person, the more abstract his concepts are likely to be.
So the Cone of Experience, as I understand it, is simply a visual presentation of the amount of sensory participation and learning resources in teaching. A combination of two or more mediums may be used altogether.
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