Readings for EDUC 187 Winter 2010
Week 1. Introduction: Learning, understanding, teaching
Questions: What does it mean to learn? How do you know you have understood?
Livingston, J.A. Metacognition: An overview.
Set text: How People Learn, Chs. 1 and 2.
For Magic Square activity, find it on page:
http://people.ucsc.edu/~gwells/Files/Courses_Folder/TeachingResources/Index%20Resources.html
Week 2. Theories of Learning: Behaviorism to Cognitivism/Constructivism
Questions: How did contemporary theories of education arise? What aspects of
learning and achievement does each explain satisfactorily? What does each
explain less satisfactorily?
Oakes, J. and Lipton, M. Metaphors and myths that have shaped American schools.
Duckworth, E. The having of wonderful ideas.
Case, R. Changing views of knowledge and their impact on educational research and practice.
Two interesting websites to visit:
The Human Spark Part 1 and Part 2 Part 3 airs on Wednesday 20 January at 8 p.m.
"Two worlds" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ellen-galinsky/a-tale-of-two-worlds-b-sc_b_424540.html
Week 3. Vygotsky, Communities of Learners and ZPD
Questions: What is Vygotsky’s explanation of how development occurs? How is
learning related to development? What do you understand by “appropriation”
and by “working in the ZPD”?
Oakes, J. and Lipton, M. Contemporary learning theories: Problem solving, Understanding and participation.
Rogoff, B. (1995). Observing sociocultural activity on three planes: Participatory appropriation, guided participation, and apprenticeship.
Galbraith, B., Van Tassell, M-A. and Wells, G. Teaching and learning in the Zone of proximal development.
To view the Windfinder video clip, dowload from Windfinder+Text.mov
Mid-Term Paper
Choose one of the following topics:
a) Select the readings for any week during the course and discuss them in relation to the topic for that week.
b) Choose any topic or issue that interests you in this course and draw on the readings to develop and support your point of view.
c) From what you are learning from this course, what aims would you set for yourself as a teacher? Make reference to relevant readings.
First draft due in class on Tuesday 2 February. Final draft due Tuesday 9 February.
Week 4. What More is Involved in Learning?
Questions: How are physical state, emotions and social relationships involved in
learning? What is meant by ‘motivation’ and what part does it play?
How People Learn, Chapter 5.
Immordino-Yang, M.H & Damasio, A. We feel, therefore we learn: The relevance of affective and social neuroscience to education.
Mahn, H. & John-Steiner, V. The gift of confidence: A Vygotskian view of emotions.
McKinney, K. Encouraging students' intrinsic motivation.
Lumsden, L.S. Student Motivation To Learn.
See also the brief overviews of a wide variety of theories of learning and
development at: http://www.funderstanding.com/about_learning.cfm
Week 5. How Do Children Learn?
Questions: How are genetic inheritance and life experience related?
How much could children learn without the assistance of other people?Tomasello, M. A puzzle and a hypothesis.
Donald, M. The central role of culture in cognitive evolution: a reflection on the myth of the "isolated mind."
Nelson, K. Perspectives on meaning.
Wells, G. 'The negotiation of meaning: talking and learning at home and at school.'
How People Learn, Chapter 4.
Week 6. Dialogue, Thinking, and Literacy
Questions: Why is it being argued that dialogue is important for learning? Why
is so much emphasis placed on literacy? In what ways do dialogue, reading and
writing contribute to learning and development?
Mercer, N. Developing dialogues.
Heath, S.B. 'What no bedtime story means.'
Wells, G. Writing: Thinking and learning with the aid of texts
Week 7. Diversity: Problem or Resource?
Questions: What do you understand by “diversity”? How might it be an
advantage to be a member of a diverse group? What does “equality of
educational opportunity” mean, in your opinion? Is it currently being achieved?
How should schools be organized to ensure equality of opportunity for ALL
students?
Moll, L. and Whitmore, K. 'Vygotsky in classroom practice: Moving from individual transmission to social transaction.'
Tough, P. (2006) What It Takes to Make a Student.
Oakes, J. and Lipton, M. Grouping and categorical programs: Can schools teach all children well?'
Week 8. Curriculum Planning and Evaluation
Questions: What are the principles that should guide curriculum planning? What
purposes should evaluation serve? How can these purposes best be achieved?
How People Learn, Chapters 6 and 7.
Rendell et al. Teachers learning about teaching children in a community.
Perkins et al. Articles from Educational Leadership, 51 (5): Teaching for Understanding
Wiliam, D. Keeping learning on track: Integrating assessment with instruction.
Soleste Hilberg and LaKimbre Brown's Presentation
Article: Classroom Assessment: Minute by Minute, Day by Day
Week 9. Curriculum Planning (cont.)
Questions: Is the curriculum plan your group is developing meeting the
principles proposed in the readings for weeks 7 and 8?
Dalton, S. S. & Tharp, R. G. Standards for pedagogy: Research, theory and practice.
Donoahue, Z. Science teaching and learning: Teachers and children plan together.
FINAL PAPER
Reflect, as a learner, on your experience of the course - the activities, project, readings, lectures and assignments - and explore the relationships between your experiences and the readings and the lectures; consider what you have learned about learning and teaching and what you have learned about yourself.
(You may submit your paper as soon as you have finished it, but it must be handed in at the latest in your portfolio.)
Week 10. The Roles of the Teacher
Questions: What are the teacher’s responsibilities – with respect to a) her/his
Students; b) to society; and c) to the school and district?
How People Learn, Ch. 8.
Brooks, J.G. & Brooks, M.G. Becoming a constructivist teacher.
Wells, G. Schooling: the contested bridge between individual and society.
PORTFOLIO
This should contain: your journal, your mid-term paper (both the final draft and your first draft with the name of the person who commented on it), your final paper, and the evaluations of yourself and the other members of your inquiry group. The portfolio is due by 4 p.m. on Friday19 March; please put it in the marked box below my mailbox in the mail room of the Education Department. Please include a (stamped) self-addressed envelope so I can return it to you, or come and collect it early next quarter from the same place in which you left it.