User:Qaaq

Hi all,

I hope this is successful. Anyway I'm just giving it a try first. So let's make use of this as a databse to add our finds for the PBL scenario 1.

I shall repeat the question here for ease of reference.

Problem Statement: How to manage and engage Normal academic students effectively?

Inquiry qns i. If Ms Wong were to use negative reinforcement/punishment on the students, there would be less disruption in class in the future. LO: Is negative reinforcement/punishment on students really effective? Relevant Chapters: Chpt 3, Chpt 6. Randall/Weizhong presumable both of you will work on the above?? Pls include other chapters or other sources as deemed fit.

ii. By delivering the basic principles in a simple and yet interesting way, NA students will be able to learn better. LO: What are the strategies for making the lessons more receptive for the students? Relevant Chapters: Chpt 2, 4, 11. Assume that the rest of us(ie KL, TH and moi) will be working on this one. Same thing applies.

Note: personally, i think that if there is a need to change the inquiry qns or even the LO's to make it more in line with what we are reading, then it should be done.

Look forward to the contributions rolling!!!

AKH wrote on 12/3/06:

The Singapore mainstream secondary school education system is such that students are divided into 3 “categories”, based on results of the PSLE. It can be said that these categories(Express, Normal Academic and Normal Technical) depicts in decreasing order the academic ability and by implication, the student’s intelligence. Cognitive Intelligence aside, one may also extend further, without prejudice, that the Normal Academic and Normal Technical Students are generally students with psychological disabilities(eg Attention Deficit Disorder, Emotional/Behavioural Disorder) which also affect their learning capability. In other words they are students with special needs. Chapter 4 provides some explanation on who these special needs students are and includes a discussion on the definition of intelligence. An attempt is made here to provide a summary of the main points therein which are pertinent to Scenario 1. It is important that an understanding of the make-up of the individual students be attained first before any meaningful and effective strategies can be devised and set-up which also takes into account the student’s unique characteristics.

Intelligence Intelligence is defined “as the capacity to acquire knowledge, the ability to think and reason in the abstract, and the capability for solving problems”. Early thinkers, who viewed intelligence as that “unitary trait” which is the common factor determining the individual person’s performance/behavior across different disciplines. If the person had scored low in intelligence test, it was then presumed that the person would do poorly in all types of task. Contemporary views on intelligence however suggest that “there are multiple forms of mental abilities, not just one.” The models on multiple intelligence of 3 researcher(Guilford’s Structure of Intellect, Gardner’s Eight Intelligence and Sternberg’s Triarchic and Process Model) will be briefly highlighted and their relevance to the Scenario 1 will be discussed.

Guilford Structure of Intellect JP Guilford view is that at “anytime one engages in mental operation”, it means that he/she is using some processes on some specific content to derive some final product”. In the case of Scenario 1, in explaining a certain Maths formula to the class, the students will likely be engaged in the “convergent production” process(where they see how different variables come together to one formula) of symbolic relations (ie symbols used to represent the various factors and their relationship with one another as depicted within the formula). The students had a problem with this aspect of mental operation. If Guilford’s model is to be applied, it could mean that while they are probably handicapped in this area/approach of mathematical comprehension, they be able to understand better if approached differently. An example could be that the teacher could have used the evaluation process of figural units with the students (ie to devise a series of worksheets involving actual numbers of the various factors and prescribing steps to the students before asking them to make a judgment of the outcome.), as an alternative approach to achieve comprehension among the students.

AKH wrote on 13/3/06

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence H. Gardner opined that the intelligence manifestations do not limit themselves to school context alone, and that they are also present outside of school. He proposed 8 types of intelligence which are relatively independent to each other, for example linguistic intelligence, musical intelligence, interpersonal intelligence just to name a few. Some of his more important findings include i. That intelligence can be developed “to an adequate level through environmental enrichment” ii. That most people are only strong in 1 to 3 types of intelligence

In Scenario 1, it appears that one half of the class was paying attention and the other half not. It could be reasoned that even within a class of supposed academically equivalent students, there can be difference in interests and abilities. For the “less attentive” half, the students may be inclined towards interpersonal intelligence (ie ability to relate well with other people and understand them) rather logical-mathematical intelligence. The teacher should know each student well enough to have a good sense of his/her strengths and undeveloped abilities, designing a wide range activities that taps on the different intelligences and making use of these strengths or even pitching them at a level that commensurate the current ability of the child with the intent of developing it further. To be more specific, the teacher could have requested the students to work in pairs/group to begin the lesson with. The two “defiant” students, who could be “people’s person” , could perhaps be separated up into different groups and may even be made leaders of the group where they will take charge of the group’s learning activities.

Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory and Process model R Sternberg proposed that there are three kinds of intelligence taking the form of componential, experiential and contextual intelligences. Unlike the earlier theories which views content(knowing what is) as one of the essential part of intelligence, his theory focuses on the way people gather and use information. For him, it is how one can purposively adapt, select and shape the environment to make it relevant to one’s own strengths and abilities(contextual intelligence). He also believes that students should be provided with “many experiences that are novel situations in which they are required to relate new experiences with old ones. What this mean in the context of Scenario 1 is that perhaps the teacher in charge could talk the students through what is the purpose of learning Maths, and how it fits into their individual career options and ambitions. This would provide the opportunity for the student to think at a deeper level what Maths is all about, and how they should go about treating the subject. The teacher could also perhaps involve more multimedia presentations of Maths lesson, which could be particularly suited are visual learners. A novel approach, in the way of multimedia, could perhaps serve as a bridge linking what they like and know about the world to the Maths content.

Learning Disabilities Some of the common learning disabilities come from both cognitive and psychological origins. Examples of these common disabilities which the teacher could have looked out for in the context of Scenario 1 are mental retardation, dyslexia, attention deficit disorder and Emotional/Behavioral Disorder.

Mental Retardation Mental retardation refers to subaverage intellectual functioning(of biological origin) as well as limitations in certain applicable adaptive skills area , eg self-care, communication, etc. There are different severity of mental retardation, and it could be the case that there are individuals in the class who are mildly retarded but which have not been identified explicitly. It is important that the teacher is able to identify the characteristics of a mildly retarded child so that an appropriate intervention program can be arranged to suit the child’s learning.

Dyslexia Dyslexia is the learning disability characterized by difficulty in reading, spelling, confusion between right and left and the tendency to reverse letters in writing and in speech. Although this is mainly a language disorder, the Maths teacher in Scenario 1 should nevertheless be aware of such possibilities among her students, as this inadvertently affect the students reading and understanding the Maths text, affecting his performance even in tests.

Attention Deficit Disorder. Sometimes students could be easily distracted by extraneous stimuli, and has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities. The origin of ADD is rooted in brain physiology and proper treatment could involve prescription of medication. The teacher should be sensitive to the warning signs, so that early intervention program can be implemented. In class, for instance the teacher could set up a “stimuli-reduced” area for the affected student or even give more time for the completion of a certain activity.

Emotional/Behavioral Disorder The above disorder is a handicapping condition in which people have difficulty controlling their feelings and behaviour. Student with this disorder typically response in significantly different way from their equivalent age/cultural norms. Their causes could be due to biological disorders, pathological family relationships, negative cultural influences and undesirable experiences in school. Students falling within this category could exhibit aggressive, hostile and destructive behaviours. They may even consistently engage in hitting and fighting. The role of the teacher here could perhaps be identifying these students early and putting them in a special program separate from the mainstream class where their behaviour will be managed better, and more importantly, that the rest of the class would not be unduly affected in the long run.