Category Archives: Uncategorized

What is Germination ?

Nature is all around us and I personally feel that the prominence of nature provides a relevant context for learning as well as providing multiple opportunities for children to engage in outdoor learning.

Plants provide the early years with the opportunity to classify and sort plants into categories and justify their answers. This type of learning is mainly based on qualitative observation. However as pupils become more confident with the different parts of plants, they can begin exploring the different factors which affect plant growth. This is a topic I have briefly touched upon within my video. In hindsight, I feel that it would’ve been beneficial to suggest methods of measuring and recording results. However, research does state that children should be actively engaged with their learning and come up with solutions to problems (Cross and Bowden, 2014). It would therefore be reasonable to suggest that pupils should have some autonomy in choosing the best methods for recording their data.

Learners have been described as visual, kinaesthetic or auditory (Hastings, 2005). Visual learners will engage more when a teacher makes use of videos and diagrams (Hastings, 2005). I considered it important to include both a diagram in my video as well as a real butter bean as I believe that this worked as a way of breaking down learning as well as being appealing to visual learners. I personally find diagrams useful in building firmer understandings which is possible one reason why I have tried to include them throughout my science videos. However, it is important that although pupils may have one preferred learning style they are not categorised as one type of learner (Cremin and Arthur, 2014). Teaching should be creative and appeal to each learner within the class.

Viewing this as a learner myself, I believe that through making a video I myself was encouraged to research and build upon my own understanding. This module has encouraged me to develop sound pedagogical knowledge whilst providing me with more confidence. By becoming more confident in my own understanding of a concept, I believe that I am developing new ways to portray this information to children.

Reflecting on previous classroom experience I understand that it is important for ‘Learning Intentions’ and ‘Success Criteria’ to be made explicit to children at some point throughout the lesson. It would have perhaps been of benefit to include a learning intention relating to the science experiment so the viewer had a clearer understanding of what skills they would be developing.

The Curriculum for Excellence Sciences Experiences and Outcomes (2009a, p2) state that biodiversity and interdependence state:

“Learners explore the rich and changing diversity of living things and develop their understanding of how organisms are interrelated at local and global levels. By exploring interactions and energy flow between plants and animals (including humans) learners develop their understanding of how species depend on one another and on the environment for survival. Learners investigate the factors affecting plant growth and develop their understanding of the positive and negative impact of the human population on the environment.”

Exploring nature is clearly a huge topic that requires a large amount of time. However, through enquiry based learning pupils develop transferable skills such as problem-solving, measuring and recording data. Seeking patterns is also linked strongly to art and mathematics. Through engagement with this module and other education modules, I believe that as a teacher it is vital to make these connections explicit to children. By doing so, children can see the relevance of their learning as well as creating their own links as to how they can apply their skills in their everyday lives.

The benchmarks (Scottish Government, 2009b) also explore how pupil’s learning can progress through exploring nature:

  • Pupils can observe, collect and measure the outcomes from growing plants in different conditions, for example, by varying levels of light, water, air, soil/nutrients and heat.
  • Structure a presentation or report, with support, to present findings on how plants grow.

The benchmarks present yet another opportunity for cross-curricular learning, by suggesting that pupils create a presentation or report there are key links to language and literacy and also ICT. I have no reason to doubt that pupils would be capable of creating videos to show their findings given the right support and resources.

References:

Cremin, T., and Arthur, J. (2014) Learning to teach in the primary school (Third edn) New York: Routledge.

Cross, A., and Bowden, A. (2014) Essential primary science (Second edn) Maidenhead: Open University Press/McGraw-Hill Education.

Hastings (2005). Learning Styles Available at: http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=2153773  (Accessed on 23rd October 2017)

The Scottish Government, (2009a). The Curriculum for Excellence. Sciences: Experiences and Outcomes. Available at: https://www.education.gov.scot/Documents/sciences-eo.pdf (Accessed: 13 October 2017)

The Scottish Government, (2009b). The Curriculum for Excellence. Building the curriculum 4, skills for learning, skills for life and skills for work. Available at:

http://www.gov.scot/resource/doc/288517/0088239.pdf (Accessed: 12 October 2017)

Maths in Art?!

With the upcoming deadlines for essays fast approaching, today I found myself procrastinating… Again! Often I find myself scribbling down patterns and shapes without even thinking. Art to me is a good escape as there are no right and wrong answers, unlike maths which can seem very rigid. Today after I finished my scribbling, I realised that without my conscious knowledge at the time, throughout my drawing I had been considering numerous maths concepts.

In a recent lecture with Wendee we discussed the presence of mathematics in patterns. We discussed shapes, repetition, turns and drops. All of which seemed somewhat important in art but which artists may not necessarily deem as maths. It was clear to us that maths is extremely important in art as it allows you to calculate spacing, angles, patterns or sequences, this is something I have never considered before. To me, maths has always been a subject which was completely set aside from others.

When drawing today I found myself calculating which angle was best to hold the pen in order to achieve thinner or thicker lines. I also had to consider the spacing between the lines in the drawing itself as I wanted to keep them as parallel as possible (again, had I

Who knew there could be so much maths in a simple drawing?!

Who knew there could be so much maths in a simple drawing?!

not had a basic understanding of fundamental maths I would not understand the concept of parallel lines, or angles). The speed I moved the pen at also impacted the thickness of the lines and the accuracy of the lines which is something I had to consider more closely when the spacing of lines reduced. More maths!

 

I even found myself using maths when trying to make a random pattern. I wanted the small dotted pattern to seem random, this would imply that I did not think about how many dots I was putting in each square. However, I found myself counting the amount of dots and trying not to repeat the same number too often. I am genuinely amazed at how much mathematics can be found in even the simplest of drawings.

In a recent lecture with Anna Robb we were informed about ‘The Golden Ratio’. This is something I have never heard of until now, but on reflection used multiple times throughout my time doing standard grade then higher art in high school. The Golden Ratio is also known as Divine Proportion and is determined by the number 1.618 (Phi). The Golden Ratio is often used in art when artists are creating portraits, by distancing the facial features in relation to the golden ratio an artist considers their work to be seen as beautiful (this is often why we see artists stepping back from their work and using their brush to check proportions). A person who’s body is in proportion to the golden ratio is also seen as beautiful (unfortunately for me, I do not fall in this category). One website I came across when researching divine proportion in art describes it as (http://bit.ly/2ecAsw1)    “the most mysterious of all compositional strategies. We know that by creating images based on this rectangle our art will be more likely to appeal to the human eye, but we don’t know why.” I find it fascinating that we have an innate sense to the golden ratio and are more drawn to liking this that use divine proportion. It is even suggested that the Egyptians applied the golden ratio when building the great pyramids, as far back as 3000 B.C. Clearly, mathematics plays a fundamental role in both art and architecture which to me is extrodinary as I feel this is something we perhaps take for granted.

So far, this module has really opened up my eyes as to just how much we use maths, sometimes without knowing. I feel that because I have a firm knowledge of basic maths I don’t often think about when I am using it. Just simply being able to tell the time and calculate how long it will take to walk to a lecture means I am able to leave my flat at a suitable time. This is something I have never really considered as ‘maths’ as to me it comes as second nature. Liping Ma

Time = A basic concept we take for granted everyday

Time = A basic concept we take for granted everyday

describes having a fundamental understanding of basic mathematics as being able to identify connectedness between mathematical concepts. In my art I was able to connect the speed of the pen to the spread of ink on the paper, resulting in the thickness of the line. Moving the pen faster resulted in a thinner but less accurate line. Interconnectedness is also apparent when calculating what time to leave. You must know the distance you are travelling, the approximate speed you walk at and be able to calculate the time it will then take you to cover the distance. Although often taught together, speed distance and time are three separate yet basic concepts in maths that to be able to understand fully must be learnt together.

 

 

Maths is all around us, there is no escape!

Maths... There is no escape.

Maths… There is no escape.

Baffling Base Systems

The Base Twelve-System

I found binary much easier when adding the place value at the top of each column.

I found binary much easier when adding the place value at the top of each column.

Trying to forget what everything you have previously understood about maths is extremely challenging. This was the case when we attempted to understand the dozenal-base system. When 12 means 10 and 13 means 11 we were overwhelmed. Our understanding of maths has been built using the base ten system, which actually restricted our learning of the base 12 system. Although to us the dozenal-base system seems extremely confusing, it actually has some advantages over the base-10 decimal method of counting. 12 is a highly composite number — the smallest number with exactly four divisors: 2, 3, 4, and 6 (six if you count 1 and 12). This means that using fractions is much easier, diving into halves, thirds and quarters is much easier using twelve. (½ = 6, 1/3= 4, ¼ = 3) where as diving 10 into fractions is much more complex ( ½ =5, 1/3 = 3.33, ¼ =2.5). The dozenal system is exceptionally friendly to computer science, in fact the dozenal system is all around us. George Dvorsky explores this and says:

“a carpenter’s ruler has 12 subdivisions, grocers deal in dozens and grosses (12 dozen equals a gross), pharmacists and jewelers use the 12 ounce pound, and minters divide shillings into 12 pence. Even our timing and dating system depends on it; there are 12 months in the year, and our day is measured in 2 sets of 12.”

12 equals 10?!

12 equals 10?!

 

This course has taught me that there is so much more to maths that meets the eye. Before this, I had never explored different number systems. One benefit of the base 10 system is that it is extremely easy to count due to humans having 10 fingers and 10 toes. Zero serves as the placeholder in the base-ten system.

Binary

Another number system we have explored recently was described as the most simple number system, Binary. Although it had been described as simple, understanding the concept of base-2 system proved more than difficult to us as again our knowledge of the base 10 system restricted our learning. It wasn’t until we started writing down the system on a piece of paper that it actually began to click. This also reminded me that teacher’s should explore a topic in several ways as what works for one child won’t work for others. I think the reason that I personally struggled with this was because we were using the numerals 1 and zero which have different values in the binary and base 10 system. Perhaps if I was to ever explore this with children I would use letters to begin with. Richard spoke to us about the English schooling system and how primary aged pupils learn binary and are tested on this. The teaching of binary is important as it is the system used in computing and technologies. I found binary much easier to understand when writing it out myself with the place value written above each column.

I think it is important to explore different base systems as it can deepen our understanding of the world. Binary helps us to understand codings in computing systems, the base 60 system is used in time and the base 12 system is used in bakeries and calendar months.

When it finally clicked

When it finally clicked

Online Assessment Reflection

Today I completed the Online Maths Assessment and must admit I am quite shocked with my results. I decided to tackle the assessment after reading Liping Ma’s theory that where there is a gap in teacher’s knowledge there will be gaps in student’s learning. I wanted to reinforce my belief that I had a firm grasp of the basics in mathematics but in actual fact this test highlighted to me that although I understood the questions and got the correct answer for 80% of the test, I couldn’t explain why I came to the answer or the reason for my working out. This is important as to have a profound understanding of fundamental mathematics you must first be able to do the maths and be able to explain how and why you came to your conclusions. I clearly have some mathematical knowledge however I could not yet describe my knowledge as profound. Exploring different theories, mathematical ideas and teaching points, and in turn developing my own knowledge of fundamental maths will result in me becoming more confident, and a more competent teacher in the future.

Liping Ma also explores the idea that Chinese teacher’s improve their maths ability through discussion with other teachers, taking on and developing ideas from students and finally practicing mathematics themselves.

Over the time of this course I hope to explore some of the theories cited in Liping Ma’s book, but also other theorists who have impacted the mathematical field.

Reference: Ma, Liping. Knowing And Teaching Elementary Mathematics. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1999. Print.

Using Animoto

During my primary school years Microsoft powerpoint was always used for presenting work both by the teacher and by us as pupils. I have never really thought of new and exciting ways to present my work as a teacher and recent lectures have really opened up my eyes as to how many opportunities there are to create fun and exciting work presentations.

Today I created a short Animoto on how to be internet “SMART”. Although I didn’t spend much time creating this video I can fully understand how using this site can make simple presentations more exciting. Animoto is a fairly simple website and I found that importing images and music was straightforward and could be taught to children in the class relatively quickly. Over time I hope to develop my skills using Animoto and also other sites such as Fakebook.

I have attached the link to the short video I made today.

<iframe id=”vp1D1keB” title=”Video Player” width=”432″ height=”243″ frameborder=”0″ src=”https://s3.amazonaws.com/embed.animoto.com/play.html?w=swf/production/vp1&e=1453117741&f=D1keBDfiFiLFryiqgMwLbg&d=0&m=p&r=360p&volume=100&start_res=360p&i=m&asset_domain=s3-p.animoto.com&animoto_domain=animoto.com&options=” allowfullscreen></iframe>

The Big 5

I had never really heard of the “Big 5” in relation to personality. I found it interesting that our personality can be seperated into different categories. After today’s lecture I decided to see how my personality can be perceived by taking a quick online test. I agree to a certain extent with the outcome. I like to be organised and can get stressed at the thought of missing deadlines or forgetting to do work. I try to stay as positive as I can on a day to day basis so was happy to see that the Neuroticism score was one of the the lowest. I tend to come across quite shy around new people so am not surprised that my openness score is also low.This test can be found at: http://personality-testing.info/tests/BIG5.php

Extraversion 3.3
57
Extraversion reflects how much you are oriented towards things outside yourself and derive satisfaction from interacting with other people. 
Conscientiousness 4
76
Conscientiousness reflects how careful and orderly an individual is. 
Neuroticism 2.4
25
Neuroticism is the tendency to experience negative emotions. 
Agreeableness 4.4
74
Agreeableness reflects how much you like and try please others. 
Openness 2.9
4
Screen Shot 2015-11-11 at 11.21.55

History of Brain Development

diagram-human-brainAfter today’s lecture we were asked to research the history of brain development from the 20th century to the present date. I found multiple sites giving similar timelines showing how our knowledge of the brain has developed over time. I found BBC Bitesize’s timeline the most useful:

1896: Walter Cannon (America) used a barium meal with x-rays to track the passage of food through the digestive system.

1910: Henry Dale (Britain) discovered the chemical histamine, which is produced by the body during an allergic reaction. This allowed him to understand allergic response and surgical shock.

1921: Frederick Banting and Charles Best discovered insulin, which breaks down sugar in the bloodstream. Thus he found the cause of diabetes.

1923: Edgar Allen (America) discovered oestrogen (the hormone that powers femaleness). In 1935 Ernst Laqueur isolated testosterone, the hormone that creates maleness.

1931: The invention of the electron microscope allowed doctors to see bacteria and viruses for the first time.

1951: The Mexican company Syntex developed norethisterone, which prevents ovulation – leading to production of the first contraceptive pills.

1953: Francis Crick and James Watson (Britain) discovered DNA.

1953: Leroy Stevens (America) discovered stem cells.

1970s: Patrick Steptoe (Britain) developed IVF fertility treatment; in 1978 Louise Brown became the first ‘test-tube’ baby.

1970s: Endoscopes – fibre optic cables with a light source – enabled doctors to ‘see’ inside the body.

1972: Geoffrey Hounsfield (Britain) invented the CAT scanner, which uses x-ray images from a number of angles to build up a 3D image of the inside of the body.

1980s: MRI scans were developed to monitor the electrical activity of the brain.

1986: In the Visible Human project undertaken in the US, the bodies of two criminals (a male and a female) were frozen, cut into 1mm slices, stained, photographed and stored as 3-d images on the internet.

1990s: The Human Genome project undertaken in the US mapped all the genes in the human body – 40,000 of them. Humans share their gene make-up with much of the natural world, leading scientists to joke that because of the genes we share, human beings are 60 per cent banana! In 1997 Scottish researchers bred Dolly, the first cloned sheep.

2002: Gunther von Hagens (Germany) performed live dissections on TV.

My knowledge of the brain is very slim. I hope that through further research and reading I can widen and improve my knowledge.

This timeline can be found at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/shp/modern/twentiethcenturyknowledgerev1.shtml

Professional Use of Social Media (TDT)

In my opinion the more you use social media and the more personal information you share, the more vulnerable you make yourself to possible criticism. From today’s lecture I now understand how newspapers (such as the Daily Mail) take great interest in the mistakes teachers make in sharing too much personal information and pictures on social media sites such as Facebook.

One challenge that teachers may face when marrying personal and professional presence on social media is knowing what is professional and what is unacceptable. It think that it is good to have guidelines like the ones found in the GTCS code to ensure what you are sharing on personal/professional accounts is appropriate. Another issue may be finding a balance in professional and personal status’ when using a joint site. Personally I would prefer to keep a separate page for the two, as this way I could be sure that I was using media in the most appropriate way without people who you do not know being able to access information about your personal interests. I have also learnt that it is important to make sure your tagged photos are not on public display, as if your friend uploads an inappropriate photo of you, it is out of your control and once something is online it will never be unseen. I think that incorporating social media into lessons can be very valuable, but it is of extreme importance that we teach children how dangerous social media can potentially be.

The videos we watched in today’s lecture, and some of the others I have found online are extremely eye-opening and show how vulnerable children can be when not taught how to use media appropriately. Although it is important to teach children the correct way to use media, it is also important that as teachers, we follow the correct codes of conduct and do not use media in any way that may be deemed unprofessional or risk our position as teachers.

How did gender effect you as a child?

Looking back on my childhood, I can’t really remember a time where I noticed any discrimination or unfairness due to gender. However at events such as sports day or even at athletics our class would be split up into boys races and girls races, or girls teams and boys teams. Which at the time I didn’t think anything of, but I know think that this could give the impression that girls aren’t as good at sport as boys and that they cant compete to the same level. Another thing today’s lecture has made me reflect on is that girls could get away with more than boys. This wasn’t the case in all classrooms, but I believe that it is stereotypical for girls to want to chat and gossip so they are more likely to get away with chatting in the classrooms than boys, which definitely happened in some of the classes. I think that it can be extremely hard for a teacher to break through stereotypes related to gender and sometimes teachers’ do not even notice that they are treating children different due to their gender. But also children do not often pick up on this.

The Study Skills Book

After reading pages 2 – 32, I have learned that unlike high school work cannot be marked and remarked, it is a one time submission. This is totally different to what I am used to. I now understand the importance of proof reading and getting others to check your work. I have also learned that no-one will chase you for your work, it is your responsibility to meet deadlines and complete work to the highest standard possible and that failure to do this could result in you being unable to continue your course.

I am more aware of the skills and personalities that employers are looking for in graduated pupils such as: being able to take risks, set personal goals, be able to work as part of a team and independently and finally you must display commitment. The book also highlights the fact that you are responsible for your own study and won’t be told when or possibly even what to study.

All in all, University is all about organisation, commitment and taking responsibility in your own work.

 

 

Welcome to your WordPress eportfolio

Welcome to your eportfolio. This is where you will document and share your professional thoughts and experiences over the course of your study at the University of Dundee and beyond that when you begin teaching. You have the control over what you want to make public and what you would rather keep on a password protected page.

The eportfolio in the form of this WordPress blog allows you to pull in material from other digital sources:

You can pull in a YouTube video:

You can pull in a Soundcloud audio track:

You can pull in a Flickr page

Teacher, Lorraine Lapthorne conducts her class in the Grade Two room at the Drouin State School, Drouin, Victoria

You can just about pull in anything that you think will add substance and depth to your writing.