Have you ever tried to make a fruit salad without a knife? Thanks to an eye-opening assignment this week, I now have. I was given the task of cutting up bananas and strawberries with nothing but a spatula. Sounds easy? Well, it wasn’t. After reading about TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) this week, and giving some thought to the assignment at hand, I came to a few realizations. In an article I read, “Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Framework for Teacher Knowledge”, authors, Mishra and Koehler state that “a range of tools exists for a particular task, the ability to choose a tool based on its fitness, strategies for using the tool’s affordances, and knowledge of pedagogical strategies and the ability to apply those strategies for use of technologies” (Mishra & Koheler 2006) is what defines Technological Pedagogical Knowledge. As you can see in my “Cooking with TPACK” video, the tools I had available were limited to a spatula, plate, and bowl. If my toolkit was larger and included a knife, I may have had an easier time completing the task of cutting fruit. This applies to school children as well. When teachers expand their toolkit and students have access to the best fit tools, their learning is easier and more efficient. Now, I know that many teachers struggle with technology and the issues that come with it. I had the chance to read another article by Landgon Winner which delves into this topic further. Winner states that “it is obvious that technologies can be used in ways that enhance the power, authority, and privilege of some over others” (Winner 1980). I spent a lot of time thinking about this statement, and reflecting on what I have learned about TPACK and in my undergraduate career. The thought that stuck with me the most is that with all of the rising technological supports, how are we working to create equality with them? Is this technology closing the education gap or just creating a wider one? In my opinion, until we can fund all schools and supply them with equal technologies, as well as support teachers in understanding the use of technology, it is just going to widen the gap. References: Abb, M. (2022, May 28). Cooking with TPACK. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7MRGDqeuk4 Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017-1054. Winner, L. (1980). Do artifacts have politics? Daedalus, 109(1), 121-136. http://www.jstor.org.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/stable/20024652 Image Credits: The Wizard (2013). School_Supplies [Photograph]. Flickr. www.flickr.com/photos/100997855@N02/9680954970/in/photolist-fKtqCJ-7zcC8R-8tJtaQ-pa8pTJ-9v3syM-5x9K83-9NV8Uk-7TBkoB-CDnCyj-7xdNpk-5sQfht-8H1LGn-7znCaK-7znQTn-j5V1df-dgMNur-d8axLq-d8ayoj-d8ax7J-2cQDQzo-d8awvo-d8avQU-a8aw7t-2h3WR2x-3tFjH-5TaRiz-7CdRvN-9jd6Rp-o2UPU-9wUx1u-5Di2hn-8bPveL-k8Fde-b6gFGi-cUZp3N-345ojn-cvJujW-8tXBfo-ammMpX-8tXBf5-349XEh-345nQP-8tXBfS-d88yCJ-4LDtU6-6RrUiE-d88xtd-d88y31-dkzPF2-8dHF7A
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Have you ever found yourself stuck in a hole of “learning” information but not really learning it? You know, that feeling when you get to the end of an article but can’t seem to figure out the meaning behind it. Or when you learn how to find linear equations in class but don’t know how to find them on an exam. I know I have (quite a few times) but could never figure out why.
This week I dove into How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School (Bransford et al. 2000) and found some clarity in my struggle. It turns out that sometimes the reason I just can’t understand different topics isn’t because I'm not smart enough or I'm too lazy to put in the effort. There are real, legitimate reasons as to why students have a hard time understanding. In my essay, Learning vs. Understanding: The Reasons and the Impacts, I unpack a few of these reasons and dissect why I learned but couldn’t understand chemistry. As educators, it is important to understand all factors that may impact how our students learn, retain information, and conceptualize and contextualize what we are teaching them. Once we understand what may be hindering students’ ability to understand, we can work to alter our teaching style to best fit their needs- and that makes for happy learners and happy teachers! Reference: Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., & Cocking, R.R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. National Academy Press. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309070368. Image Credits: CollegeDegrees360 (2012). Learning [Photograph]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/83633410@N07/7658284016 |
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