Today, I tried to teach the concepts of "first, middle, and last" to the slow children in my kindergarten. Many approaches were used--three pictures placed on the chalkboard, three objects placed on the floor, three children standing behind each other in a line. Only a few got the concepts.
Student Name
How does this problem relate to what we know about learning?
Cite your sources.
Given what you know about learning, how might you resolve this problem?
De Lyce Schlepphorst
Cognitive scientists are interested in how information can be made more meaningful so that it can be better understood and used.
page 90, The Act of Teaching
I would create a lesson plan using colored lollipops. Green for first, yellow for middle, and red for last. I would also tie those colors in with the idea of a stop light. The children already know what a stop light is and that way they could connect the new information to what the students already know. I would have them place the green lollipop "first", the yellow lollipop in the "middle" and the red lollipop "last". Their reward for mastering the concept would be the lollipop itself!
Daphne Dildy
The Cognitive approach of short and long term memory and how beliefs about attention play a crucial part in a students brain. Students need different types of stimuli and different sensory channels. Multiple intellegencies are also key in learning order.
I would use 3 colored blocks that the students could first handle and manipulate while we talk about the different colors. After I have established that they are aware of the different colors and have pointed to the different colors I would line the blocks up. While I line the blocks up I would say red is first, and then have the child repeat it back to me. Then I would say blue is in the middle, and have them repeat back to me again that blue is in the middle. I would then ask them which was first, and if they got the answer correct I would procede to which was the middle. I would review if necessary and have them repeat again after me which was first and middle. Lastly I would have them put the last yellow block down and have them repeat what they did. I would continue to review in left to right order which is first, middle, and last, until they understood. This goes back to multiple intellegences of visual, kinesthetic and tactile learners. They see the colors, touch and feel the blocks while arranging them themselves with my assistance. This also uses the theory of practice, practice, practice!
Michelle Hill
(1) "All youth proceed through all stages (of cognitive development) at different rates." (2) This is affected by biological and cognitive development.
(3) Teachers need to "make sure learners have basic knowledge and skill that will enable them to learn new material."
(4) Children also learn in different ways.
(1) PPR, The Act of Teaching, Chapter 3, Page 61, Paragraph 3
(2) CD, Session 2 "Developmental Pathways," Page 32
(3) PPR, The Act of Teaching, Chapter 4, Page 98, Bullet 3
(4) CD, Session 1 "People Learn in Different Ways," Page 17
I would keep trying to demonstrate the concept in different ways throughout the year and assess each student to ensure they have the prior knowledge needed to understand the concept. Not only do students develop cognitively at different rates due to physical changes, they learn through different styles so I will demonstrate the concept in a variety of ways. . Eventually, if not this year then maybe the next, the students will all be able to understand the concept given the variety of learning techniques used.
In the Cognitive School of Thought there is an approach called Authentic Learning. It suggests knowledge is more meaningful and remembered longer when it can be related to, or results from, a child's real wold and/or when children learn by doing.
The Act of Teaching, page 91, Paragraph 1
First and foremost a teacher must know her students. In this approach to teaching the student benefits more to direct, firsthand, or personal experiences which are better than secondhand vicarious and abstract kinds, when using examples. I would do my best in the next lesson to take time to research real life things that may be going on in our community, the neighborhoods, and if possible the child's home and past. This would help me give a sequence of events to relate the "first, middle, last" to in a more meaningful way. For example, if the child has siblings I would be able to put those in birth order.
Pat Freeze
Kindergarten students are usually 5-6 years old and in the pre-operational stage. The concept the teacher is presenting is a logical operation called seriation which means putting objects in order. This ability is developed in the concrete operational stage somewhere between 7 and 11 years.)
This also relates to developmental readiness. Vygotsky believed cognitive development could be nurtured within a student’s zone of proximal development.
This lesson could be taught, but in a developmentally appropriate way. Bruner’s concept of spiral curriculum suggests that any subject can be taught in some form to a child at any stage of development.
The Art of Teaching, Ch. 3, p., 62, para 1.
The Learning Classroom, Session 2, p. 35, para 2; p. 37, para 6.
The teacher should not hurry the children to learn something they are not cognitively ready to learn, but she can support their readiness. She might Set the stage for this lesson by providing workbook pages like “color the first apple,” or “color the last cat” to help them understand the words and concept. According to Vygotsky’s theory, this teacher could build an understanding of each word before relating the words to each other. She could build on the word understanding when they are nearing the concrete operational stage.
Andrew Lawrence
We know that children have different learning aptitudes. The aptitude is the students "potential to learn and do different things" (1). Not all students are going to learn at the same rate or in the same manner. We also know that young children develop quicker by allowing "more free play and guided experimentation" (2). The children may understand the concept with less instruction and more experimentation. The teacher is not adhering to the "mastery learning" educational practice. The teacher needs to "allow students to learn academic material at their own pace" (3) to follow the behavioral school of thought. Pressuring the students and forcing them through several different approaches in one day may confuse the children.
(1) PPR, Ch.3, p.68, para 4.
(2) PPR, Ch.3. p.60, para 3.
(3) PPR, Ch.4, p.99, para 4.
To help with the problem, I would focus on one approach for "first, middle, last" on any single day. Then continue with that same approach for several days until the students have mastered the concept. I would then introduce a different approach, following the same routine for several days. The last thing I would do is assign the children to different groups. The groups would be first, middle and last. As we lined up for lunch or recess we would use the group names to decide the oder of the line. Students could learn with peers about the different concepts. The next week we would switch the names of the groups and continue with the lines. Repeating the concepts as long as needed.
Delia Spicer
As the problem states, the first, middle, last concept was not being understood by the students. As the Cognitive School of Thought explains in order for the concept to have a better possibility of going from the short-term to long-term memory it should be taught in terms that are more meaningful or "real-world" to students. [1, 2]
Since these students were not understanding the concept, it is also possible that the examples did not resonnate with their stage of cognitive development. The chalkboard example as well as the pictures might not have been examples that the students could relate to or had experienced seeing before. Also, since they could not touch or manipulate the objects themselves and relate them to the concept being taught. [3]
To help the students learn the concept I would use items that they can more easily related to, such as using a model train. As you make the train move, the students can learn that the "first" car moves the train forward, the "middle" car is half-way between the other cars. This can be demonstrated by separating the cars and showing that there are as many in on each side of the middle car. The caboose of the train can be shown to be a "last" car. As the students begin to understand the concept reinforce their understandng by saying something positive to each of them such as "way to go Johnny", "that's right Jose." The carry to the concept to another real world areas, such as families and siblings. Illustrate how the ages of their brothers and/or sisters relate to the concept. You can use a guided excercise breaking them into small groups and having them each tell the others in the group about their siblings.Then have the group members determine who in their families is first, middle, last. As one group, take some the family examples and have the students raise their hands or communicate in some way what order the sibling are. Relate that back to the concept. As necessary, use more examples that the students can related to. As you see that students have gotten an understanding of the concept, reinforce the learning then have them look at other examples and "tell" you which is first, middle and last. Reward them again verbally for their success. Follow-up for the next few days and periodically to ensure that the concept goes into their long-term memory. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Delores Hopper
Being able to process information into first, middle, and last is part of a student’s cognitive development. According to Linda Hammond et al, “As students progress cognitively, they move beyond one-to-one correspondence to manipulating multiple variables in more complicated ways, looking for patterns, and thinking abstractly.”[1] Students need to understand what is happening in the scenario so that the concept is not abstract. Reciprocal and authentic teaching can increase the success of cognitive processing and student learning.[2]
[1] Child Development. Learning as We Grow. Pg. 36. [2] The Act of Teaching. Ch. 4, pg. 91, 92. ¶4, 2.
I would give my students scenarios that they could relate to. For example, we could look at a seed, a young plant and a big, mature plant. We could discuss the three items and students could predict the order of a plant’s growth. If the students do not respond correctly, tomorrow’s lesson may include only two variables, first and last. We could then build up to three variables, according to student success.
Problem
Today, I tried to teach the concepts of "first, middle, and last" to the slow children in my kindergarten. Many approaches were used--three pictures placed on the chalkboard, three objects placed on the floor, three children standing behind each other in a line. Only a few got the concepts.Student Name
How does this problem relate to what we know about learning?
Cite your sources.
Given what you know about learning, how might you resolve this problem?
PPR, Ch. 3,pg. 69,Highlight 3.9
PPR, Ch3,pg61
(3) Teachers need to "make sure learners have basic knowledge and skill that will enable them to learn new material."
(4) Children also learn in different ways.
(2) CD, Session 2 "Developmental Pathways," Page 32
(3) PPR, The Act of Teaching, Chapter 4, Page 98, Bullet 3
(4) CD, Session 1 "People Learn in Different Ways," Page 17
This also relates to developmental readiness. Vygotsky believed cognitive development could be nurtured within a student’s zone of proximal development.
This lesson could be taught, but in a developmentally appropriate way. Bruner’s concept of spiral curriculum suggests that any subject can be taught in some form to a child at any stage of development.
The Learning Classroom, Session 2, p. 35, para 2; p. 37, para 6.
(2) PPR, Ch.3. p.60, para 3.
(3) PPR, Ch.4, p.99, para 4.
Since these students were not understanding the concept, it is also possible that the examples did not resonnate with their stage of cognitive development. The chalkboard example as well as the pictures might not have been examples that the students could relate to or had experienced seeing before. Also, since they could not touch or manipulate the objects themselves and relate them to the concept being taught. [3]
1) TAT, Ch 4, pg. 87, paragraph 1 (Information Processing)
2) TAT, Ch 4, pg 91, paragraph 3 (Authentic Learning)
3) TAT, Ch 3, pg 61, paragraph 3 (Cognitive Development)
4) TAT, Ch 4, pg 97, paragraph 2 (Operant Conditioning)
[2] The Act of Teaching. Ch. 4, pg. 91, 92. ¶4, 2.