Weekly Reflection #2 EDTL230.2008.M008

This week we concentrated mainly on the learner by examining learning styles, multiple intelligences, and Bloom’s taxonomy. I was specifically interested in Bloom’s taxonomy because I can see how it relates directly into my area of specialization. Basically, if someone in my Calculus class comes up to me with a question about a word problem I’m going to go through a few steps, which mirror Bloom’s taxonomy. Firstly, I’m going to see if they identified all the givens correctly (knowledge). Secondly, I’ll if they understand the relationship between the givens (comprehension). Thirdly, I’ll determine whether or not they correctly used class concepts to set up equations, etc. (application). Fourthly, I’ll examine the actual construction of their equations/methods to see if there is an error (analysis). Fifthly, I’ll formulate the correct answer and compare my methods to theirs (synthesis). And finally, I’ll give the student recommendations on how to correct their errors (evaluation). Thus, I can see how Bloom’s taxonomy can relate not only to the student, but also to the teacher as well. I also thought the PowerPoint lab was interesting and useful, although I don’t anticipate using it in my future classroom because, well, I know that with respect to math my learning style is very engaging. In other words, I’m going to write on the board, and then I’ll give practice problems for everyone to do at the board. I know that as a student I enjoyed the chance to get up and move around instead of just sitting and letting the teacher write and talk for the whole period. Another side note, that little piece about my future classroom is another example of how a teacher’s learning style or preferences strongly influences how they teach.