CEDO 525 - Enhanced Learning Materials - Chapter 9, 10, 11 Responses

Closing in on the last week of class. Kind of stressed trying to keep up and balance everything with this class and at school but kind of anxious because I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Chapter 9 addressed Identifying Similarities and Differences. Having students use compare/contrast as a strategy has been proven to be one of the most effective teaching methods. According to Marzano, it is #1 on his list of High Yield Strategies. Research has shown a 45% gain when using similarities and differences which is considerably higher than Marzano`s other researched strategies. I was so impressed with this statistic that I have been thinking of ways to incorporate more of this into my lessons. I just recently restructured one of my assignments to include some comparison/contrast. HERE It was a research assignment where students analyzed electronic gadgets and by incorporating comparison/contrast it gets rid of the random nature of their research. It provides a better sense of purpose and the students are asked to think deeper because they must conclude which gadget is best. I already use Inspiration multiple times a year with various lessons like Character maps(5th), Rock Cycle(3rd), animal habitats(4th), animal classifications(4th), and digestive system(6th).
Chapter 10 covers Homework and Practice. The resonating idea here is practice, practice, practice. Practice really does make perfect. I found that out the hard way in college. I was always good in math and when I had Calculus in college it was no different. The difference, however, was that I thought if I could understand the lectures I`d be fine for the tests. I was wrong. I wasn`t prepared for all of the possible scenarios that could arise with such a complex subject as Calculus. Once I started doing the homework and practicing problem after problem the tests became much easier. One of the recommendations of the book is to "vary approaches to providing feedback". That is where I feel I really take advantage of technology. In addition to regular paper grading, students receive many electronic forms of communication and feedback. I have a classroom website where students can find my syllabus, assignment sheets (attachments), instructions, and comment boxes for students that email me notifications. I also have used an online service for submitting assignments ((eBackpack) where students can store and submit assignments to me and I can grade them and provide immediate comments and feedback to students within the system. With these things in place I feel that homework is more effective because the turn around time on feedback is so quick.
     Chapter 11 went on to discuss Generating and Testing Hypotheses.  Now, in my opinion, this strategy is the one that I think will promote the deepest thinking processes.  Not only do you have to deeply analyze the information that you have but you have to do a lot of comparing and contrasting.  THEN, you follow it up by making a prediction of what will happen based on your analysis and comparisons.  Even if you stop the process right there and have students fully explain their hypothesis it can be a very fruitful experience.  If you have time to test the hypothesis then you can have students form conclusions by doing even more comparing and analysis.  I think the one drawback to this method is that it is very time-consuming which limits the frequency of classroom practice.  Technology can play a large role in the strategy of generating and testing hypothesis.  Things like spreadsheets, graphs, databases, electronic probes and other digital gadgets for data gathering, and comprehensive software for data analysis make generating and testing hypothesis easier, faster, and more powerful as a learning method.