- What is learning?
I believe one way students learn is through expectation failure. They use an old strategy to solve a new problem that is similar to an old problem they had. However, it doesn't work therefore students learn because they have to actually think about the process and how to modify it to make it work with the new problem. This is a perfect example of simplifying trigonometric identities or proving trigonometric identities. In math many student want the steps to follow on how to solve a problem, but with trig identities, no two are the same so it requires a deep understanding of algebraic principles to know how to modify the process to make it work.
- How can learning be best effectuated by a teacher/trainer?
Telling stories or giving case studies is a great way to bring about learning. Every year when I am teaching trig, I tell my students a story about how a friend came over and on my way to answer the door I stubbed my toe. Then my friend proceeds to tell me how to make it feel better and she tells me to SOH CAH TOA, which stands for Sine= opposite/hypotenuse, Cosine = adjacent/hypotenuse, and Tangent = opposite/adjacent. My students always remember SOH CAH TOA.
I really like your definition. We all use a old strategy to solve a new problem. Then we learn to adapt it to work with the new problem. Good story as well! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat comments. You have very good ideas about learning and how to apply them to your students within your classroom. It is cool that we can use all of these theories in of our respective subject areas.
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