EDM613 Wk1 Response to Patricia Marcino

Original Post:

Week One-edm613-Post 3

I've been forgetting to include the title of the course-Media Asset Creation. I've just completed reading the first three chapters of The Art of Possibility. Roz and Ben present an interesting way of viewing methods to instill change in your life. I particularly like the use of metaphors and catch phrases to help you to remember.

As a teacher, like most of us are, we are always trying to come up with methods to get our students to remember content. Acronyms, numbers, rhymes, etc. all possibilities of remembering, as with music and song.

Ben says we perceive only the sensations we are programmed to receive, and our awareness is further restricted by the fact that we recognize only those for which we have mental maps or categories (page 10). This is so typical of struggling readers which is the heart of my Action Research project. Without prior knowledge of topics, it is difficult for them to understand the main idea of their passages.

I will probably finish this book tonight because it hits so close to home for me in my endeavor to help my students. I am hoping to utilize some if not all of the practices referenced.

How true is the phrase, perception generates construction.

Reference:

Zander,R. & Zander, R. (2002). The art of possibility. London: Penguin Books

My Response:

I agree with you and the book that students will only retain what they are already familiar with. I do such much front loading whenever I begin a unit, because if I don't, it won't matter what I say later, they will never remember it. That's why school is so important. Repetition of information is crucial for the content to be stored in long-term memory. Teachers who only worry about worksheets and test scores do their students a huge disservice because they never learn anything. Students MUST slowly be introduced to new information.

I like using a metaphor of jumping into an ice-cold pool. It doesn't matter how great the party or atmosphere is, you will always remember how cold the pool was, how uncomfortable it made you and how much you hated it. However, if you were to first put your feet in, then splash water on your arms and slowing work your way in, the situation remains pleasant. Like your final quote, "perception generates construction," if the information isn't received in an effective and meaning way, it will be forgotten.