Teaching and Learning: My Perspective

Teacher Quotes

2012-02-09T19:14:00.000+08:00

Teacher Quotes

2012-01-21T01:18:00.002+08:00

Teacher Quotes

2012-01-09T00:23:00.001+08:00

Long Time No Post

2011-12-27T01:53:00.000+08:00

Hi there!!! I've been busy this past month. I have just taken my comprehensive examinations for my masters (hope I'll pass) and finish the midyear evaluation of schools. I really hope that the results are favorably positive. Next year perhaps I'll be back with my usual posts.
May I just greet everyone a happy Christmas and a merry new year!!!

Teacher Quotes

2011-11-26T01:20:00.000+08:00

Teacher Quotes

2011-11-22T00:47:00.001+08:00

These days, I have been enthusiastic in making teacher quotes posters which I post on my Facebook account. These are actually my favorite quotes about teaching that make me sentimental at times being a teacher most especially if I miss some of my pupils. How I wish that my pupils, especially my favorite ones, still remember me.

Congratulations New Professional Teachers!!!

2011-11-19T01:49:00.000+08:00

Congratulations to all who passed the LET 2011! Time flies fast and it has been two years since I received the great news you are receiving right now. Remember that passing the LET is just the beginning of a more challenging journey. Now prepare your resumes and start job-hunting. hehehe...Welcome to the world of teaching!!!

The results can be viewed on this site:

LET SEPTEMBER 2011 RESULTS

TOPNOTCHERS: ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY

My Another Anime-Inspired Bulletin Board

2011-11-14T22:24:00.000+08:00

Another bulletin board uniquely found in my classroom (bragging aside..hehehe).

DYSCALCULIA

2011-11-08T00:14:00.000+08:00

After my comprehensive examinations this December, and hopefully getting a passing grade, I will be starting doing my thesis. And until now, I am still undecided as to what topic will I be doing. Actually, I am torn between two exceptionalities: dyscalculia or ADHD. I think both of these exceptionalities are anonymously pervasive in regular classrooms so I really want to tackle these conditions. Anyways, let me discuss to you dyscalculia. I am currently a Mathematics teacher and this condition really caught my interest since most if not all students are more or less poor or underachieved in Math. Perhaps knowing about this condition may possibly enlighten educators or teachers that some students are not necessarily dumb or dull with Mathematics. It just so happened that they have this certain disability and that this should be given due
considerations.

Definition of Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is a term referring to a wide range of life-long learning disabilities involving math. There is no single form of math disability, and difficulties vary from person to person and affect people differently in school and throughout life (National Center for Learning Disabilities, 2006).

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, otherwise known as DSM listed dyscalculia as mathematics disorder (DSM-IV 315.1) and defines it as:

“A. Mathematical ability, as measured by individually administered standardized tests, is substantially below that expected given the person's chronological age, measured intelligence, and age-appropriate education.

B. The disturbance in Criterion A significantly interferes with academic achievement or activities of daily living that require mathematical ability.

C. If a sensory deficit is present, the difficulties in mathematical ability are in excess of those usually associated with it.”

The ongoing development for DSM-V proposes that the word “dyscalculia” be consistently used from “mathematics disorder” and should be defined as:

“A. Difficulties in production or comprehension of quantities, numerical symbols, or basic arithmetic operations that are not consistent with the person's chronological age, educational opportunities, or intellectual abilities.

Multiple sources of information are to be used to assess numerical, arithmetic, and arithmetic-related abilities, one of which must be an individually administered, culturally appropriate, and psychometrically sound standardized measure of these skills.

B. The disturbance in criterion A, without accommodations, significantly interferes with academic achievement or activities of daily living that require these numerical skills.”

In addition, the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems by the World Health Organization listed dyscalculia as specific disorder of arithmetical skills (ICD 10 F81.2). According to ICD, dyscalculia “involves a specific impairment in arithmetical skills that is not solely explicable on the basis of general mental retardation or of inadequate schooling. The deficit concerns mastery of basic computational skills of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division rather than of the more abstract mathematical skills involved in algebra, trigonometry, geometry, or calculus”( WHO ICD 10 F81.2).

IDEA on the other hand includes dyscalculia as a specific learning disability or a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes that includes performing or doing mathematical calculations. Just like any specific learning disability, individuals with dyscalculia may have more or less normal intelligence and may just have trouble performing specific types of skills or completing a task.

Causes

There is no universal consensus about the causes of dyscalculia. There are different investigations about the roots of dyscalculia considering various aspects such as neurology, memory, genetics and others. One popular view is that dyscalculia has been associated to dysfunction of mathematical processes and areas in the brain.

Recent research suggests dyscalculia results from brain impairment in areas of the brain known to process mathematics (specific parts of the parietal lobes, which may have been caused by genetic and developmental disorders such as Turner’s syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and low birth weight (Isaacs et al., 2001; Kopera-Frye et al., 1996; Molko et al., 2003). Hereditary influences may also play a part since parents and siblings of a child with dyscalculia are ten times more likely to have dyscalculia than members of general population. According to Shalev and Gross-Tur(2001), fifty-percent of the siblings of pupils with dyscalculia can be expected to have the condition as well. Dyscalculia appears to be heritable, but this does not mean that all cases of dyscalculia are inherited.

Symptoms

According to Dimalanta(2009), the following are the common symptoms of a child/individual with dyscalculia:

a. Normal or accelerated language acquisition: verbal, reading, writing Poetic ability. Good visual memory for the printed word. Good in the areas of science (until a level requiring higher math skills is reached), geometry (figures with logic not formulas), and creative arts.

b. Difficulty with the abstract concepts of time and direction. Inability to recall schedules, and sequences of past or future events. Unable to keep track of time. May be chronically late.

c. Inconsistent results in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Poor mental math ability. Poor with money and credit. Cannot do financial planning or budgeting. Checkbooks not balanced. Short term, not long term financial thinking. Fails to see big financial picture. May have fear of money and cash transactions. May be unable to mentally figure change due back, the amounts to pay for tips, taxes, etc.

d. When writing, reading and recalling numbers, these common mistakes are made: number additions, substitutions, transpositions, omissions, and reversals.

e. Inability to grasp and remember math concepts, rules, formulas, sequence (order of operations), and basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts. Poor long term memory (retention & retrieval) of concept mastery- may be able to perform math operations one day, but draw a blank the next. May be able to do book work but fails all tests and quizzes.

f. May be unable to comprehend or “picture” mechanical processes. Lack “big picture or whole picture” thinking. Poor ability to “visualize or picture” the location of the numbers on the face of a clock, the geographical locations of states, countries, oceans, streets and the like.

g. Poor memory for the “layout” of things. Gets lost or disoriented easily. May have a poor sense of direction. May have difficulty grasping concepts of formal music education. Difficulty sight-reading music or learning fingering to play an instrument.

h. May have poor athletic coordination, difficulty keeping up with rapidly changing physical directions like in aerobic, dance, and exercise classes. Difficulty remembering dance step sequences, rules for playing sports.

i. Difficulty keeping score during games, or difficulty remembering how to keep score in games, like bowling, etc. Often looses track of whose turn it is during games, like cards and board games. Limited strategic planning ability for games like chess.

Assessment and Diagnosis

At the time of writing the main method for finding objective evidence of dyscalculia is by using the Dyscalculia Screener devised by Brian Butterworth (2003). This is a computer-based test that measures reaction times which are then compared with other measures that have been found by Professor Butterworth to be associated with the condition.

Intelligence tests are also conducted such as the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WAIS-IV) to identify the child’s overall intelligence score that may help define the strengths and weaknesses that child may have in relation to mathematics. It has to be noted that children with dyscalculia have more or less average or normal and intelligences, and that learning disabilities such as dyscalculia is not brought about by other conditions like intellectual disability, autism and others.

Some assessment procedures and tests can also be conducted to test the co-occurring conditions that may have caused the difficulty in learning mathematics. These include:

a. specifi c language delay

b. dyscalculia

c. dyslexia

d. dyspraxia

e. maths anxiety

f. attention defi cit disorder (ADD) or with hyperactivity (ADHD)

g. understanding and using the language of maths.

a post after quite some time...

2011-11-07T23:58:00.000+08:00

I don't know when was my last post in this blog. I have to apologize since I'm a bit busy being a teacher right now. This is the difference of being a teacher compared to other professions. Other professions once they get home doesn't need to attend to tasks relating to their work. But if you are a teacher, once you get home, you still have to make your SIMS(Support Instructional Materials), check bundles of student work, etc. Well, in spite of these challenges, I still find teaching fulfilling and enjoyable.
As of the moment, I am reviewing my notes for the comprehensive examination for my master's this December. I hope that you can spend a second or two to pray for my successful result. After this examination, I am a step closer to finishing my graduate schooling. Good luck to me....

Unanswered Messages from My FB Account

2011-10-13T00:57:00.000+08:00

I posted my facebook account so that I can also have personal feedbacks from this blog aside from the usual comments below each of my posts. And I was quite surprised that there were actually a lot of personal messages that were sent to my account that I failed to answer. These messages were varied from queries, thank you's, asking for help etc. and to be honest I wasn't able to read these messages not until this night that I clicked the "Others" in the Messages of my account. I don't know why these messages were not directly sent to my usual inbox perhaps these messages came from people who are not yet my fb friends. Nevertheless, I am sorry for all those questions or help that I failed to answer. I hope that you will still visit and read this blog in spite of my stingy schedule. Please continue giving me feedbacks either through the comment box or to my fb account. These really mean a lot to me. At least I know that there are real people reading this simple blog. From now on, I will surely read any comments or inquiries you sent to me...hehehe...

Specific Learning Disabilities

2011-10-05T00:58:00.000+08:00

There are pupils that no matter how hard we taught them really find the lessons very very difficult. Teaching these kinds of pupils poses a great challenge to teachers that it seems all the teacher's effort is useless. This is the reason why teachers resort to "label" these pupils as dull, dumb, numskull, idiot and other derogatory words. However, some teachers actually don't know that there are predisposed conditions that hinder a pupil's ability most especially in learning Math, Reading and in other academic areas. These conditions are termed as Specific Learning Disabilities.

What is a Specific Learning Disability?

According to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA in USA, "specific learning disability means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. This "does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage."

Since these are "learning disabilities", parents can't easily identify that their child has one of these conditions until the child enters school. And sometimes, people ended up labeling the child as having a low intelligence. We have to keep in mind that children with specific learning disabilities has more or less normal intelligence (in fact some of them may have a superior intelligence), it just so happened that their brain's "wiring" towards a specific learning area like Reading or Math is somewhat "tangled" or "disconnected".

What are the common learning disabilities?

· Dyslexia – a language-based disability in which a person has trouble understanding written words. It may also be referred to as reading disability or reading disorder.

· Dyscalculia – a mathematical disability in which a person has a difficult time solving arithmetic problems and grasping math concepts.

· Dysgraphia – a writing disability in which a person finds it hard to form letters or write within a defined space.

· Auditory and Visual Processing Disorders – sensory disabilities in which a person has difficulty understanding language despite normal hearing and vision.

· Nonverbal Learning Disabilities – a neurological disorder which originates in the right hemisphere of the brain, causing problems with visual-spatial, intuitive, organizational, evaluative and holistic processing functions.

To learn more about Learning Disabilities, you can visit LD Online for various resources about these conditions. As teachers we have to keep in mind how diverse our pupils are, and before judging any pupil, we have to think the possibility that our pupil may have at least one of these conditions.

Erik Erikson' Psychosocial Theory

2011-09-21T00:47:00.000+08:00

ERIK ERIKSON PSYCHOSOCIAL THEORY
A picture is worth a thousand words... And so are videos. So just visit the video link above from youtube to explain about this theory....How I wish God grants me the time to post more...Busy mode again....

Busy Busy Busy

2011-09-12T23:54:00.001+08:00

I'm sorry since these days I wasn't able to update my blog. The worse part is our district evaluation of schools coincided the week before the LET exams. As much as I wanted to post and help LET takers this September 25, I seem can't find the time. Hay...I still have so many many things to accomplish being a newly-hired teacher. Actually this will be my very first evaluation so I need to comply and accomplish all the requirements that will possibly be checked during the evaluation. I hope that you will understand my situation. Anyway, I still have a number of LET-related post so you can check on those. Perhaps before the exam I can find the time to post last-minute reminders for all of you guys...Thank you for all your comments. I really really appreciate them...

A Glimpse of My School

2011-08-14T15:08:00.000+08:00

Here are some snapshots of my alma mater now my workplace, the A. Bonifacio Elementary School. This is where I learned my first ABCs and 123s and now I am giving back what I owe to this place.

The statue of the great Andres Bonifacio. One of the great heroes who fought for Philippine freedom.

The way to the covered court. One of the improvements in our school. This was before a pond filled with swamp cabbages during rainy seasons.

Teacher Wisdomedicine: My Favorite Quotes on Teaching

2011-08-14T14:46:00.000+08:00

These days I have been reflective about my role as a teacher, perhaps because of what is going on around my workplace. I don't want to say anything for the sake of the people around my workplace but based on what I observed so far, I realized that teaching is NEVER just teaching the subject matter, using "brilliant" teaching methods or accomplishing school paperworks. I believe that teaching is MORE than these. I don't want to prolong this intro because I will be consuming a whole page if I will discuss this matter. :-) May I present to you some of my favorite quotes about teaching/education or being a teacher. These quotes are actually my guiding philosophies as to being a teacher. I really hope that whoever read these quotes will also be reminded that to be a teacher is more than just teaching. The quotes are retrieved form Quote Garden and 50 Inspirational Teaching Quotes.

"Ideal teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross, then having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create bridges of their own." -- Nikos Kazantzakis

"Learning is finding out what we already know. Doing is demonstrating that you know it. Teaching is reminding others that they know just as well as you. You are all learners, doers, and teachers." -- Richard Bach

"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them become what they are capable of becoming." -- Goethe

"A teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on cold iron." -- Horace Mann

"They may forget what you said but they will never forget how you made them feel." - Carol Buchner

"If a seed of a lettuce will not grow, we do not blame the lettuce. Instead, the fault lies with us for not having nourished the seed properly." - Buddhist proverb

"A very wise old teacher once said: "I consider a day's teaching wasted if we do not all have one hearty laugh." He meant that when people laugh together, they cease to be young and old, master and pupils, jailer and prisoners. They become a single group of human beings enjoying its existence." -- Gilbert Highet

"It is not what is poured into a student that counts but what is planted." -Linda Conway

"The greatest sign of a success for a teacher...is to be able to say, "The children are now working as if I did not exist." -- Maria Montessori

"One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child." -- Carl Jung

A teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary. ~Thomas Carruthers

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. ~Henry Brooks Adams

A good teacher is like a candle - it consumes itself to light the way for others. ~Author Unknown

Good teachers are costly, but bad teachers cost more. ~Bob Talbert

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. ~William Arthur Ward

A teacher's purpose is not to create students in his own image, but to develop students who can create their own image. ~Author Unknown

What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches. ~Karl Menninger

The best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book. ~Author Unknown

Who dares to teach must never cease to learn. ~John Cotton Dana

Don't try to fix the students, fix ourselves first. The good teacher makes the poor student good and the good student superior. When our students fail, we, as teachers, too, have failed. ~Marva Collins

Bloom's Taxonomy of Objectives: New and Revised

2011-08-06T01:38:00.002+08:00

   Back in college, when we discussed about Bloom's Taxonomy, I was skeptical why is it that "Evaluation" is higher than the "Synthesis" level in the taxonomy. I thought that synthesizing requires a lot of thinking and creativity than just evaluating among the alternatives. I was a bit shy to ask my teacher that time because I was afraid that she can't answer my question and might sound arrogant.(To be honest, one of my weaknesses is that I'm afraid to ask questions like this because of fear that I may sound arrogant or will be mistaken as a student who "tests my teacher's competence". Until now, I have the same weakness in my graduate studies. hehehe. Perhaps this is because when I was in high school, I am very inquisitive to my teachers that I ended up being scolded and be labeled as "pilosopo" or philosophizer.) However, when I was preparing for the Licensure Examinations of Teachers, I was very grateful that one of our review lecturers at University of Iloilo presented a new Bloom's Taxonomy in cognitive domain. And to my mixed surprise and expectation , Evaluation is no longer at the top of the hierarchy.
   As a sort of background, this newly revised taxonomy was published last 2001. Benjamin Bloom was already in the advanced stage of his Alzheimer's disease during the process of revision and died before the new taxonomy was published. However, David Krathwohl, one of the original contributing authors of the taxonomy (specifically on the affective domain which is the reason why the taxonomy of affective domain is commonly referred to as Krathwohl Taxonomy of Affective Domain), was one of the two editors of the new version. By the way, Lorin Anderson, one of students of Bloom, inititiated the changes.
   Here is the new taxonomy of cognitive domains retrieved from this site.(If your the owner of this image, kindly inform me if you want your image to be removed). The most obvious changes that were made are changing the names from nouns to verbs and interchanging the upper two levels in the taxonomy.

For a more comprehensive explanation of the new taxonomy, this pdf file can surely help.

Benjamin Bloom's Taxonomy

2011-08-06T00:47:00.002+08:00

   Benjamin Bloom's name is never absent in our college textbooks in most of, if not all, professional education subjects. Who doesn't know Bloom? His name with his taxonomy is always there especially if we are talking not only about instructional objectives but as well as in different dimensions of learning like questioning, assessment and many more. As education students we always repeatedly saying his six levels of objectives or just saying KCAASI as an acronym. Just like Piaget, his name is already a "cliche" in the Licensure Examinations for Teachers. But most of all, it cannot be ignored how significantly Bloom and his taxonomy has contributed to the field of teaching and learning.
   The taxonomy tells us that we must teach in an hierarchical order, emphasizing on the HOTS or higher-order thinking skills. However, this doesn't mean that the lower levels are frivolous, rather are important foundations to achieve the upper levels of the taxonomy. We cannot apply, analyse, evaluate or create if we cannot remember or comprehend in the first place.
   One thing that must also be noted is that Bloom's Taxonomy is not only for the cognitive domain of the objectives. There are also for both the psychomotor and affective domains.
   The following tables summarizes the taxonomy on the three domains: cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains. The tables were retrieved from Big Dog and Little Dog's Performance Juxtaposition. (If you are the owner of this site, kindly inform me if you want your image to be removed.)

Cognitive Domain

Category	Example and Key Words (verbs)
Remembering: Recall previous learned information.	Examples: Recite a policy. Quote prices from memory to a customer. Knows the safety rules. Key Words: defines, describes, identifies, knows, labels, lists, matches, names, outlines, recalls, recognizes, reproduces, selects, states.
Understanding: Comprehending the meaning, translation, interpolation, and interpretation of instructions and problems. State a problem in one's own words.	Examples: Rewrites the principles of test writing. Explain in one's own words the steps for performing a complex task. Translates an equation into a computer spreadsheet. Key Words: comprehends, converts, defends, distinguishes, estimates, explains, extends, generalizes, gives an example, infers, interprets, paraphrases, predicts, rewrites, summarizes, translates.
Applying: Use a concept in a new situation or unprompted use of an abstraction. Applies what was learned in the classroom into novel situations in the work place.	Examples: Use a manual to calculate an employee's vacation time. Apply laws of statistics to evaluate the reliability of a written test. Key Words: applies, changes, computes, constructs, demonstrates, discovers, manipulates, modifies, operates, predicts, prepares, produces, relates, shows, solves, uses.
Analyzing: Separates material or concepts into component parts so that its organizational structure may be understood. Distinguishes between facts and inferences.	Examples: Troubleshoot a piece of equipment by using logical deduction. Recognize logical fallacies in reasoning. Gathers information from a department and selects the required tasks for training. Key Words: analyzes, breaks down, compares, contrasts, diagrams, deconstructs, differentiates, discriminates, distinguishes, identifies, illustrates, infers, outlines, relates, selects, separates.
Evaluating: Make judgments about the value of ideas or materials.	Examples: Select the most effective solution. Hire the most qualified candidate. Explain and justify a new budget. Key Words: appraises, compares, concludes, contrasts, criticizes, critiques, defends, describes, discriminates, evaluates, explains, interprets, justifies, relates, summarizes, supports.
Creating: Builds a structure or pattern from diverse elements. Put parts together to form a whole, with emphasis on creating a new meaning or structure.	Examples: Write a company operations or process manual. Design a machine to perform a specific task. Integrates training from several sources to solve a problem. Revises and process to improve the outcome. Key Words: categorizes, combines, compiles, composes, creates, devises, designs, explains, generates, modifies, organizes, plans, rearranges, reconstructs, relates, reorganizes, revises, rewrites, summarizes, tells, writes.

Psychomotor Domain

Category	Example and Key Words (verbs)
Perception: The ability to use sensory cues to guide motor activity. This ranges from sensory stimulation, through cue selection, to translation.	Examples: Detects non-verbal communication cues. Estimate where a ball will land after it is thrown and then moving to the correct location to catch the ball. Adjusts heat of stove to correct temperature by smell and taste of food. Adjusts the height of the forks on a forklift by comparing where the forks are in relation to the pallet. Key Words: chooses, describes, detects, differentiates, distinguishes, identifies, isolates, relates, selects.
Set: Readiness to act. It includes mental, physical, and emotional sets. These three sets are dispositions that predetermine a person's response to different situations (sometimes called mindsets).	Examples: Knows and acts upon a sequence of steps in a manufacturing process. Recognize one's abilities and limitations. Shows desire to learn a new process (motivation). NOTE: This subdivision of Psychomotor is closely related with the “Responding to phenomena” subdivision of the Affective domain. Key Words: begins, displays, explains, moves, proceeds, reacts, shows, states, volunteers.
Guided Response: The early stages in learning a complex skill that includes imitation and trial and error. Adequacy of performance is achieved by practicing.	Examples: Performs a mathematical equation as demonstrated. Follows instructions to build a model. Responds hand-signals of instructor while learning to operate a forklift. Key Words: copies, traces, follows, react, reproduce, responds
Mechanism: This is the intermediate stage in learning a complex skill. Learned responses have become habitual and the movements can be performed with some confidence and proficiency.	Examples: Use a personal computer. Repair a leaking faucet. Drive a car. Key Words: assembles, calibrates, constructs, dismantles, displays, fastens, fixes, grinds, heats, manipulates, measures, mends, mixes, organizes, sketches.
Complex Overt Response: The skillful performance of motor acts that involve complex movement patterns. Proficiency is indicated by a quick, accurate, and highly coordinated performance, requiring a minimum of energy. This category includes performing without hesitation, and automatic performance. For example, players are often utter sounds of satisfaction or expletives as soon as they hit a tennis ball or throw a football, because they can tell by the feel of the act what the result will produce.	Examples: Maneuvers a car into a tight parallel parking spot. Operates a computer quickly and accurately. Displays competence while playing the piano. Key Words: assembles, builds, calibrates, constructs, dismantles, displays, fastens, fixes, grinds, heats, manipulates, measures, mends, mixes, organizes, sketches. NOTE: The Key Words are the same as Mechanism, but will have adverbs or adjectives that indicate that the performance is quicker, better, more accurate, etc.
Adaptation: Skills are well developed and the individual can modify movement patterns to fit special requirements.	Examples: Responds effectively to unexpected experiences. Modifies instruction to meet the needs of the learners. Perform a task with a machine that it was not originally intended to do (machine is not damaged and there is no danger in performing the new task). Key Words: adapts, alters, changes, rearranges, reorganizes, revises, varies.
Origination: Creating new movement patterns to fit a particular situation or specific problem. Learning outcomes emphasize creativity based upon highly developed skills.	Examples: Constructs a new theory. Develops a new and comprehensive training programming. Creates a new gymnastic routine. Key Words: arranges, builds, combines, composes, constructs, creates, designs, initiate, makes, originates.

Affective Domain

Category	Example and Key Words (verbs)
Receiving Phenomena: Awareness, willingness to hear, selected attention.	Examples: Listen to others with respect. Listen for and remember the name of newly introduced people. Key Words: asks, chooses, describes, follows, gives, holds, identifies, locates, names, points to, selects, sits, erects, replies, uses.
Responding to Phenomena: Active participation on the part of the learners. Attends and reacts to a particular phenomenon. Learning outcomes may emphasize compliance in responding, willingness to respond, or satisfaction in responding (motivation).	Examples: Participates in class discussions. Gives a presentation. Questions new ideals, concepts, models, etc. in order to fully understand them. Know the safety rules and practices them. Key Words: answers, assists, aids, complies, conforms, discusses, greets, helps, labels, performs, practices, presents, reads, recites, reports, selects, tells, writes.
Valuing: The worth or value a person attaches to a particular object, phenomenon, or behavior. This ranges from simple acceptance to the more complex state of commitment. Valuing is based on the internalization of a set of specified values, while clues to these values are expressed in the learner's overt behavior and are often identifiable.	Examples: Demonstrates belief in the democratic process. Is sensitive towards individual and cultural differences (value diversity). Shows the ability to solve problems. Proposes a plan to social improvement and follows through with commitment. Informs management on matters that one feels strongly about. Key Words: completes, demonstrates, differentiates, explains, follows, forms, initiates, invites, joins, justifies, proposes, reads, reports, selects, shares, studies, works.
Organization: Organizes values into priorities by contrasting different values, resolving conflicts between them, and creating an unique value system. The emphasis is on comparing, relating, and synthesizing values.	Examples: Recognizes the need for balance between freedom and responsible behavior. Accepts responsibility for one's behavior. Explains the role of systematic planning in solving problems. Accepts professional ethical standards. Creates a life plan in harmony with abilities, interests, and beliefs. Prioritizes time effectively to meet the needs of the organization, family, and self. Key Words: adheres, alters, arranges, combines, compares, completes, defends, explains, formulates, generalizes, identifies, integrates, modifies, orders, organizes, prepares, relates, synthesizes.
Internalizing values (characterization): Has a value system that controls their behavior. The behavior is pervasive, consistent, predictable, and most importantly, characteristic of the learner. Instructional objectives are concerned with the student's general patterns of adjustment (personal, social, emotional).	Examples: Shows self-reliance when working independently. Cooperates in group activities (displays teamwork). Uses an objective approach in problem solving. Displays a professional commitment to ethical practice on a daily basis. Revises judgments and changes behavior in light of new evidence. Values people for what they are, not how they look. Key Words: acts, discriminates, displays, influences, listens, modifies, performs, practices, proposes, qualifies, questions, revises, serves, solves, verifies.

I hope these summarize everything. On my next post, I will discuss the new Bloom's Taxonomy of Objectives. The bottom line is, as teachers we need to emphasize more on the HOTS of the taxonomy. This way we will produce learners who are critical and creative.

Bulletin Board Business: My Naruto-Inspired Math Bulletin Board

2011-07-12T01:16:00.002+08:00

I said in my previous post that I will give you a tour to my humble classroom. And I would like to present to you my Naruto-inspired Math bulletin board. As much as possible, I would like to present my subject in such a way that my students will be interested with, and at the same time reflecting my own personality. I think it would be very effective if the lesson or the topics will be presented using children's interests like their favorite TV shows. In this bulletin board, I presented the overall topics about Math VI and with Naruto saying "Math is Cool!!!Wohoo!!!". Hopefully, if given the time, I can make my second bulletin board but this time, Dragon Ball-inspired...hehehe

Forgive me but there is an anatomical discrepancy there...hehehehe...I'm too lazy to repeat it again...


The Konoha Village about 40% complete...

Me...wehehe...don't mention my hair...I already have a haircut...hehehe

Robert Gagne's Nine Events of Instruction

2011-07-12T00:04:00.003+08:00

Robert Gagne

After how many months of moratorium of education topics, I am back at my usual postings. And to break the ice, may I present you Robert Gagne's Nine Events of Instruction. These are just simple steps on how to discuss or present a lesson in which I suppose, most teachers are familiar with. Perhaps most of the teachers are not aware that classroom practices that we usually do came from this instructional design.

Gagne's theory can be considered neobehaviorist-ic, taking into consideration both behaviorist's and cognitivist's perspective. As you read the events of instruction, you will later realize that the conditions can be divided into internal (cognitivism) and external (behaviorism) conditions.

The nine events of instruction are as follows: (Notice how are these related to the parts of the lesson plan and the actual classroom teaching practices.Take note also that these events can be design variously depending on the subject matter and the learning goals or outcome intended by the instructional process.)

Gain attention. This is the so called "Preparatory Activities" in the lesson plan. At this stage of instruction, teachers must gain the attention of the students and motivate them as well by the use of games, pictures, an interesting question or any attention-getting activity.
Describe the goal. Present the goals or the objectives of the lesson. Explain to the students how will these be achieved.
Stimulate recall of prior knowledge. These includes review questions and drills related to the previous learning of the students.
Present the material to be learned. This can be done in numerous ways depending on the subject matter. Teachers can also use advanced organizers to provide a global perspective of what will be learned.
Provide guidance for learning. Teachers guide the students to the whole learning process. Teachers accommodate questions, demonstrate steps and facilitate learning in general. Of course, this can be done through various activities like experiments, groupwork, reading activity etc.
Elicit performance "practice". This is the "Exercises" part of the lesson. Teachers give the chance for the pupils to do or apply what they learned by themselves. This can also be a trial-and-error phase wherein students are open to mistakes on the process of developing their newly-acquired learning.
Provide informative feedback. Very self-explanatory. Teachers provide feedback that is constructive in nature. Teachers give corrections, alternative solutions, etc.
Assess performance test, if the lesson has been learned. Also give sometimes general progress information. This is the "Evaluation" part of the lesson. Teachers can give a short quiz that can be formative or summative in nature. Formative to check what the learners have learned so far and summative to check the overall learning of the learners.
Enhance retention and transfer. This can either be the "Applications" part of the lesson wherein learners must apply or "transfer" what they have learned in different situations related to them. Or the "Assignment" part that enhances retention through extended practice or activities to be accomplished by the students.

image source: google search (If you are the owner of the images, kindly inform me if you want your image to be removed.)

Back to usual posts

2011-07-02T01:51:00.002+08:00

At last, my sister's laptop is now okay. Please watch out for my new posts about education in the next few weeks.

Just a post for this June

2011-06-09T00:38:00.002+08:00

I just want to have this post for this month of June. I actually have lots of things to share since the opening of classes has just started this week. However, I am back at using my mobile phone as of the moment since my sister's laptop that I usually use was infected by a sort of virus (For all you guys out there, be very careful for the sites or ads that you click here in the web. They might be virus-carrying malicious malware). Consequently, I can't post pictures together with my posts. Hopefully soon my sister's laptop would be okay and I'll be back to my usual postings.

The Use of Contextualized Visual Aids in Teaching Vocabulary to Children with Mental Retardation

2011-05-20T17:53:00.003+08:00

Overview

Public awareness about individuals with mental retardation has increased in the past years. Comprising 4.6% of the population in developed countries including the Philippines, these individuals gained considerable acceptance from the public and have found their place in special schools in the hope to live a productive life.

In line with this, special educators sought for ways in order to provide the best learning possible for these individuals. Various movements have emerged and presented new ways of teaching considering the special needs of these individuals. These trends remain dynamic, presenting new findings and recommendations as results of research and study.

There has been relatively little research on the vocabulary abilities of children with mental retardation. Some researches, like that of Ezell & Goldstein (1991), indicate that children with mental retardation tend to be more concrete in their understanding of words. This tendency to be more concrete may be the result of delays in development of semantic abilities (Rosenberg, 1982) and being lag behind in their development of organizing strategies (Stephens, 1972)

In respect with the above-mentioned ideas, studying the effect of using contextualized visual aids to increase the vocabulary of children with mental retardation is a significant and meaningful investigation. It is with an utmost conviction to the idea that in order to effectively teach these children, teaching approach must be integrated- multisensory and culturally/contextually-relevant. Multisensory in a sense that the more senses being used, the more learning takes place. On the other hand, to be culturally/contextually-relevant simply means that learning will be more effective when differences in the learner’s linguistic, cultural and social background are also taken into account (13^th Principle: American Psychological Association’s 14 Learner-Centered Principles, in Corpuz and Lucas, 2007).

Mental Retardation

Mental retardation is defined by the World Health Organization as a condition of incomplete or halted development of the mind, which is characterized by impairment of skills as manifested during developmental period that contributes to the overall level of intelligence.

Most children with mental retardation have problems with language and communication (Long & Long, 1994). In fact, language and speech disorders have been found to be the most frequent secondary disability among children with mental retardation (Epstein, Polloway, Patton, & Foley, 1989). Deficits in language and communication have been found to "constitute major impediments to the social, emotional, and vocational adjustment of retarded citizens" (Swetlik & Brown, 1977).

Research about vocabulary abilities of children with mental retardation is said to be limited as compared to other language development concerns. Children with mental retardation have been found to lag behind in their development of organizing strategies (Stephens, 1972) and to use more concrete concepts (Mac Millan. 1982), suggesting that children with mental retardation have some difficulty developing and using semantic concepts.

On the other hand some studies have found that an area of strength for children with mental retardation is that of vocabulary skills. In a study of the comprehension of syntax and vocabulary conducted by Chapman, Schwartz, and Kay Raining-Bird (1991), the authors found that their subjects with mental retardation performed significantly better on the vocabulary comprehension task than on tests of syntactic skills.

Theories Underlying the Use of Visual Aids

Over the years, educators agree that the use of visual aids enhances learning both to children with or without special needs (with the exception for some cases i.e. visually-impaired children). Jerome Bruner initially supported this when he proposed that learners can learn through Iconic mode or through the use of pictures and images. According to Machado (2007), visuals and images (pictorial representations) used during instructions almost always improve students’ attention, listening and comprehension and reduces recall errors.

Neuroscientists theorize why visuals and images are influential to learning. It is because (1) the brain has an attentional bias for high contrast and novelty; (2) 90% of the brain’s sensory input is from visual resources; and (3) the brain has an immediate and primitive response to symbols, icons and other simple images (Jersen, 2005).

In special education, the use of pictures has been so far effective in teaching various skills for children with special needs. One of the best examples is the use of Picture Exchange Communications System (PECS) in teaching functional communication skills for individuals with developmental disabilities like autism, mental retardation and the like. Charlop-Christy et al (2002) indicated favorable results after using PECS in various areas of concern like communication skills, emergence of speech, social--communicative behaviors, and problem behaviors.

Moreover, visual aids are said to be more effective if these are adapted to the culture or the context in which the learner lives. According to Fredrick Erickson’s Cultural Difference Theory, learning difficulties are the results of non-linear teaching between the school and one’s culture. Children find learning difficult because what they are learning in school is distant to their microsystems. Therefore, it t is a recommended practice that the cultural/contextual background must be taken into consideration to effectively teach learners. As Garcia and McLaughlin (1995, in Machado, 2007) suggest, effective childhood curricula should provide “encouragement to take risk, construct meaning and reinterpret knowledge within compatible social context”. National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY) also recommends the use of concrete materials that are interesting, age-appropriate, and relevant to the students

Cognitive psychologists suggest this with the term “retrieval cues” for the things/objects that help learners recall what they previously learned (Tulving, 1983). These are the things found in one’s environment or culture that remind learners of something they have learned in the past.

Particularly in teaching communication and language, learners will remember more information and make more elaborate connection when they are presented with culturally familiar materials (Butchard, 19900, in Fox 2008) than materials that are far abuild from their cultures. Culturally unfamiliar materials require more background building and call for more explicit explanation than culturally familiar materials.

In summary, learning can be enhanced if teaching is multisensory and culturally/contextually relevant. The effects of contextualized visual aids in increasing the vocabulary of children with mental retardation however, are still undergoing thorough study.

The Use of Visual Aids: Backed Up by Research

The use of visual aids in assisting children with mental retardation develop their vocabulary has been encouraged for the past several years. The use of PECS for instance, yields favorable results especially in the mastery of the skills being taught. Hasselbring (1994) as well discussed the "curricular embellishment" approach of the curriculum in which the teacher embellishes the existing curriculum with media. This idea points out the importance of the use of various media like visual aids in promoting learning. Any kind of visual information presented by the teacher to accompany the lesson can support the major points presented, maintain attention, and improve comprehension. These can pave the way for understanding and comprehension, as well as helping hold children’s attention. This is in accordance with the principle that the more inputs used, the better the chances that the student will develop structures for cognitive frameworks of knowledge.

Moreover, contextualization of materials used for instruction is one of the key factors for improved and enhanced learning. This is done in order to make culture coincide with what is being taught in school as F. Erickson suggests in his Cultural Difference Theory. Culturally unfamiliar materials require more background building and call for more explicit explanations than culturally familiar materials(Fox, 2008). Owens (1997) suggested that things taught for children with mental retardation must be “pre-organized” by the teachers. This means that materials or the subject matter itself being taught to these children will be remembered and be recalled more if these materials are already familiar to them.

Summary

As a summary, this post supports the present investigation on the effect of the use of contextualized visual aids to increase the vocabulary of children with mental retardation. It was found out that visual aids can increase the chances of retention and identifying words by children with mental retardation. It also asserts the idea that the teacher has to make the presented material culturally relevant in order to have more meaningful learning.

(photo credit: http://www.mycollegesandcareers.com/careers/special-education-teacher/)

New Blog Design

2011-05-20T16:31:00.002+08:00

I think I have spent a couple of days renovating my blog. I need to do this since first, there is an "increase" in awareness about my blog and second because the opening of classes is fast approaching. I'm afraid that I will not have that much time to renovate this if classes start. What do you think of my new layout? I really hope that my blogsite's appearance has improved a bit. hehehehe...If you have any suggestions, the comment box is so open for you.

Banghay Aralin sa Filipino II

2011-05-18T10:41:00.005+08:00

Banghay Aralin sa Ikalawang Taon

Pakitang Turo

Marso 3, 2011

I. Layunin:

1. Nakikilala ang iba’t- ibang sining sa Asya.

2. Nakabubuo ng mga pangungusap na patanong batay sa pangungusap sa pisara.

3. Napapahalagahan ang sining sa Asya.

II. Paksang Aralin:

Ang Sining sa Asya; Tekstong Ekspositori

Mga Pangungusap na Humihingi ng Impormasyon

Ang Bagong Filipino sa Hayskul II

p. 223-229

Kagamitang Panturo: Larawan, Flashcard Dayagram

Value Focus: Pagpapahalaga sa Sining

III. Pamamaraan:

A. Pangganyak:

( Aktibidades)

Ipaayos ang mga ginupit na larawan sa mga mag-aaral upang mabuo ang larawan ng iba’t- ibang sining sa Asya. Tutukuyin nila kung ano ang mga ito at itatanong ng guro kung mayroon silang ideya sa mga larawan.

B. Talasalitaan:

Ibigay ang kasingkahulugan ng mga sumusunod na salita.

1. mandudula

2. katedral

3. pabula

4. papet

5. teatro

6. templo

Gamitin sa sariling pangungusap.

C. Paglalahad ng Aralin:

1. Paglalahad ng guro ng paksang-aralin.

2. Pagpapabasa ng teksto.

3. Pangkatang Gawain.

Ibigay ang kahulugan ng sining gamit ang dayagram.

D. Pagtalakay sa Aralin:

( Analisis)

1. Ano ang pamagat ng tekstong binasa?

2. Ibigay ang iba’t- ibang uri ng sining na binanggit sa teksto.

3. Lahat ba ng makikita nating makulay at may disenyo ay matatawag na produkto ng sining?

4. Isa-isahin ang mga likhang sining na naipagmamalaki ng Asya.

5. Sinasabing mahilig sa musika ang mga Pilipino, sa anong paraan nila ito ipinakikita?

6. Anu-anong pahayag na ginamit sa teksto ang nangangailangan ng kasagutan? Impormasyong nais malaman?

7. Batay sa pagkasulat sa teksto, ano ang masasabi ninyo sa katauhan ng may akda bilang mamamayan. Patunayan.

8. Ibigay ang panandang ginamit sa pagtatanong.

9. Anong kaisipan ang mahahango sa teksto?

10. Bilang mag-aaral paano ninyo mapapahalagahan ang sining sa Asya?

E. Paglalapat:

( Aplikasyon)

Punan ng angkop na kasagutan ang bawat hanay:

Uri ng Sining	Kasanayan(Kilos)	Bahagi ng Katawang Ginamit	Kagamitan

Bilang mag-aaral, paano mo masasabing malaki ang kontribusyon ng sining sa Asya?

F. Paglalahat:

Ang guro ay magbibigay ng katuturan ng tekstong exposotori. Babasahin ng mga mag-aaral ng sabay- sabay at ipakopya sa kuwaderno.

IV. Pagtataya:

Panuto: Sa isang ½ papel, bumuo nga mga patanong na pangungusap batay sa isinisaad na impormasyon ng bawat pahayag. ( 2 puntos bawat bilang)

Paghahalimbawa:

Humakot ng maraming parangal si Lea Salonga sa larangan ng pag-awit at pag-arte maging sa ibang bansa.Sinong Pilipinang humakot ng maraming parangal sa ibang bansa?

Isang obra maestrang maituturing ang hagdang-hagdang palayan gawa ng mga Ifugao.Ano ang nag-udyok sa mga mamamayan upang lumikha ng isang obra-maestrang gaya ng hagdang-hagdang palayan?

Isang masayang karanasan ang malibot ang magagandang tanawin ng ating bansa.Anong damdamin ang mararanasan kapag nalibot ang magagandang tanawin ng bansa?

Hinangaan at kinilala ang kagalingan ni Fernando Amorsolo sa pagpinta.Sino ang hinangaan at kinilala sa larangan ng pagpinta?

Ika -12 ng Hunyo 1962 nang pagkalooban si Amado V. Hernandez ng bansa ng gawad bilang Pambansang Alagad ng Sining.Kailan ipinagkaloob ky Amado V. Hernadez ang gawad bilang Pambansang Alagad ng Sining?

Nag-aral ng iba’t-ibang sayaw sa ibang bansa si Fransisca Reyes Aquino.Saan nag-aral ng iba’t- ibang sayaw si Francisca Reyes Aquino?

Isang pulo sa labas ng look ng Maynila ay Corregidor. Ito ang ginamit ng mga Pilipinong sundalo sa pagtatanggol ng bansa.Ano ang tawag sa isang pulo sa labas ng look ng Maynila?

Sa EDSA naganap ang makasaysayang People Power Revolution noong Pebrero 22-25 1986.Saan naganap ang makasaysayang People Power Revolution?

Milyong- milyong halaga ang ninakaw ng ilang opisyales ng gobyerno sa kaban ng bayan.Magkano ang halagang ninanakaw sa kaban ng bayan?

Nagbuwis ng buhay ang mga bayaning Pilipino para sa kalayaan ng bansa.Sino ang nagbuwis ng buhay para sa ating kalayaan?

Walang kapantay ang pagmamahal ng Diyos sa ating mga tao.Gaano kamahal ng Diyos ang tao?

Sa husay at galing sa boksing kaya namayagpag ang pangalan ni Manny Pacquiao sa larangan ng isports.Paano nakilala sa larangan ng boksing si Manny Pacquiao?

Tuwing ika-30 ng Disyembre ginugunita ng bawat Pilipino ang kamatayan ni Dr. Jose Rizal.Kailan ginugunita ng mga Pilipino ang kamatayan ni Dr. Jose Rizal?

V. Takdang- Aralin:

Pumili ng isa sa mga sumusunod na paksa. Sumulat ng talata batay rito na ginagamitan ng mga patanong na pangungusap. Isulat sa isang buong papel at ipasa sa susunod na pagkikita.

Musika, Buhay at Kaluluwa ng Isang Nilalang
Sayaw, Naglalarawan ng Pamumuhay at Kaugalian
Pagpinta, Kulay at Hugis ng Buhay

(Credit to Nina Losabia for this Lesson Plan)