In my current position my work is largely focused on teachers and how I can support them with their learning. Based on this, my target for my Capstone project will ultimately be the students, but will center around providing strong research that supports best practices. I am all about wanting to make things action-able. What are some strategies that can support our ELLs in acquiring english, and how can that support their reading fluency and comprehension. In thinking of the influence and resources my capstone project might provide, I focus first on the teacher and how as adult learners what they need to move forward. As adults we are best suited to be active in our learning, construct our own learning. In Baggio (p. 6), she cites assumptions of what adult learners need: They need to know the WHY, they can make their own decisions about their learning, they play a role in the volume and quality of their learning, they want it to apply to real life, and be experience and life centered. This really resonated to me as to what we need as teachers to further our learning and honing of the craft of teaching. The hope for my research is that it is digestible and actionable, and in order for it to be that it has to be an authentic learning experience. Meaning, not a "sit and get", or a "spray and pray" which has been the norm for professional learning, but a body or work that provides they "why" and some strategies that are grounded in research.
In the "Analyze" portion, posted under EDUC 791, I went into a deep analysis of how the work of Dervin, Baggio, and Clark might bolster my thinking around my Capstone project. Dervin's work highlights what we all face daily in teaching and learning, what is the gap and how do we bridge that gap in student's learning? This is a constant in our daily lives. Next, Baggio's work just amplifies to me that importance of Visual learning, specifically the statistic that "65%-85% of individuals are predominantly visual learners". This and the quote she uses from Aristotle, "without image, thinking is impossible", drives home that visuals are a powerful tool for learning. This makes me think of a book I read called "Slideology", which is one of many resources that points to less text and more images when sharing knowledge. Even in this class I love how Ms. Curtis is using visuals to support these deep bodies of research, it helps me build bridges for my gaps, and gives me context to construct my own knowledge. In thinking about my final Capstone design, I want to be intentional about using more visuals, music, and other means to share the knowledge and resources. In Clark's work she states the "bulk of your training should be targeted toward the application level, which requires the trainee to use the information the way it will be used on the job". This drives home for me the importance of the "I do, We do, You do" model. Model something that uses that information together, then allow teachers to try it with a partner, and then they can take it back and do it in their class with their students. This gets to the application level, which so many times we never have time to get to. I look forward to thinking in more detail about how I can craft my Capstone to deliver knowledge and resources in a meaningful way.
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Kelley S. Miller
2/18/2017 08:46:12 pm
As a teacher who's usually on the receiving end of "sit and gets", thank you! The best trainings I have been to recently are ones that provide the WHY and offer research to support what's being shared. What's more, having time to apply (the "we do/you do") is a make or break element. That practice is what determines whether or not it sticks.
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2/20/2017 12:57:33 pm
Karly,
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AuthorKarly Miller: Archives
April 2017
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