How can teachers use Fischer’s Skill Theory to improve teaching and learning in the class room?
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Dean-Smith
Sep 29, 2010, 3:25:49 PM9/29/10
to EDU 429 GROUPWORK
How can teachers use Fischer’s Skill Theory to improve teaching and
learning in the class room?
Students learn important concepts and ways of thinking by building on
their own actions and experiences.
How can students get beyond lists of facts to get hold of the
important concepts and arguments that frame those facts.
The teacher’s responsibility is to teach concepts and frameworks for
dealing with these facts rather than merely present them.
Teachers often place too much faith on what the text book can deliver
and downplay the importance of their own interaction with students.
Fischer believes that centralizing textbooks and lecturers have, far
too long, constrained the imagination and potential of teachers and
students.
Two often neglected questions as they relate to the goal of teaching
are: 1) how students can effectively build an understanding of
knowledge, going beyond a recitation of facts, and 2) how teachers can
assess their understanding.
Fischer criticizes the reading-and-lecture model of learning. From
the student’s perspective, the challenge posed by lectures and
textbooks is to understand the representations and abstractions
offered. But what does that understanding look like, and the
important question for teachers, what counts as satisfactory
understanding.
Fischer’s skill theory of development suggests a strategy for
analyzing the challenges faced by both teachers and students and
possible methods for overcoming hurdles posed by textbook-based
pedagogy.
Students need to build and rebuild an understanding – a process that
is driven as much by context as by biology.
Traditional class activities do not automatically lead to the
appropriate level of understanding.
Building new levels of understanding requires time, sustained effort,
and supporting activities to ground the concept.
Learning is not linear like climbing a ladder. A single direct path
is not sufficient to describe the energy needed to build complex
understanding.
A more useful metaphor for thinking about the dynamics of learning is
the climbing rope structure found on some playgrounds. The structure
is organized as a pyramid and children explore multiple routes toward
the top.
Dealing with differences in individual learners is one of the toughest
issues that teachers face.
Teachers and texts can facilitate students’ moving to abstractions
(complex levels of understanding) by building class activities around
natural learning processes.
The textbook author and the teacher are in danger when they assume
that the concepts of their subject are transparent to students and
when they do not help students build concepts with the support of
personally relevant activities.
One tool to facilitate building of understanding is contextual support
to help students work out key concepts and skills. Successfully
challenging students’ misconceptions requires starting with their
experiences with the concept.
Students can further benefit from teachers providing specific supports
for knowledge. As skills become more complex, support becomes
helpful, because the number of possible routes for constructing the
complex skill increase and attempts to re-enact the skill must be
repeated for each route.
Any successful consolidation of a skill requires practice. The
process of building and rebuilding to create a general understanding
is neither quick nor easy.
General knowledge does not come from memorizing a lecture or text but
from working with concepts in action and thought.
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
One approach to improving the troubling situation of students who are
unable to apply their skills outside the classroom is to change
instruction to support activity-based learning. Science laboratories
and professional schools frequently place activities as the center of
their pedagogy. Law classes debate points of the law. Medical
students work with real or virtual patients to diagnose and treat
illnesses.
We must combine activity-based classes with the use of authoritative
texts and lectures to support activities and debates.
Suggestions for teachers who want to help students build knowledge
based on their own experiences and activities.
• Find out what kinds of representations students are using to make
sense of the problems they face in your class. Assessing their
initial understanding helps you understand where the students are
starting in the subject area. From this, you can consider how to
support them in developing what you would like them to understand.
• Ask students to discuss with one another how they are making sense
of the problems posed in class and then have them share those
understandings with the class and you. The teacher can use these
discussions to gauge whether students understand enough to support
movement to the next level of representation or abstraction. Given
the length of time and the efforts that teachers have invested, they
should take a more modest view of what students can re-present in a
semester or a school year. Students must be challenged and supported.
learning in the class room?
Students learn important concepts and ways of thinking by building on
their own actions and experiences.
How can students get beyond lists of facts to get hold of the
important concepts and arguments that frame those facts.
The teacher’s responsibility is to teach concepts and frameworks for
dealing with these facts rather than merely present them.
Teachers often place too much faith on what the text book can deliver
and downplay the importance of their own interaction with students.
Fischer believes that centralizing textbooks and lecturers have, far
too long, constrained the imagination and potential of teachers and
students.
Two often neglected questions as they relate to the goal of teaching
are: 1) how students can effectively build an understanding of
knowledge, going beyond a recitation of facts, and 2) how teachers can
assess their understanding.
Fischer criticizes the reading-and-lecture model of learning. From
the student’s perspective, the challenge posed by lectures and
textbooks is to understand the representations and abstractions
offered. But what does that understanding look like, and the
important question for teachers, what counts as satisfactory
understanding.
Fischer’s skill theory of development suggests a strategy for
analyzing the challenges faced by both teachers and students and
possible methods for overcoming hurdles posed by textbook-based
pedagogy.
Students need to build and rebuild an understanding – a process that
is driven as much by context as by biology.
Traditional class activities do not automatically lead to the
appropriate level of understanding.
Building new levels of understanding requires time, sustained effort,
and supporting activities to ground the concept.
Learning is not linear like climbing a ladder. A single direct path
is not sufficient to describe the energy needed to build complex
understanding.
A more useful metaphor for thinking about the dynamics of learning is
the climbing rope structure found on some playgrounds. The structure
is organized as a pyramid and children explore multiple routes toward
the top.
Dealing with differences in individual learners is one of the toughest
issues that teachers face.
Teachers and texts can facilitate students’ moving to abstractions
(complex levels of understanding) by building class activities around
natural learning processes.
The textbook author and the teacher are in danger when they assume
that the concepts of their subject are transparent to students and
when they do not help students build concepts with the support of
personally relevant activities.
One tool to facilitate building of understanding is contextual support
to help students work out key concepts and skills. Successfully
challenging students’ misconceptions requires starting with their
experiences with the concept.
Students can further benefit from teachers providing specific supports
for knowledge. As skills become more complex, support becomes
helpful, because the number of possible routes for constructing the
complex skill increase and attempts to re-enact the skill must be
repeated for each route.
Any successful consolidation of a skill requires practice. The
process of building and rebuilding to create a general understanding
is neither quick nor easy.
General knowledge does not come from memorizing a lecture or text but
from working with concepts in action and thought.
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
One approach to improving the troubling situation of students who are
unable to apply their skills outside the classroom is to change
instruction to support activity-based learning. Science laboratories
and professional schools frequently place activities as the center of
their pedagogy. Law classes debate points of the law. Medical
students work with real or virtual patients to diagnose and treat
illnesses.
We must combine activity-based classes with the use of authoritative
texts and lectures to support activities and debates.
Suggestions for teachers who want to help students build knowledge
based on their own experiences and activities.
• Find out what kinds of representations students are using to make
sense of the problems they face in your class. Assessing their
initial understanding helps you understand where the students are
starting in the subject area. From this, you can consider how to
support them in developing what you would like them to understand.
• Ask students to discuss with one another how they are making sense
of the problems posed in class and then have them share those
understandings with the class and you. The teacher can use these
discussions to gauge whether students understand enough to support
movement to the next level of representation or abstraction. Given
the length of time and the efforts that teachers have invested, they
should take a more modest view of what students can re-present in a
semester or a school year. Students must be challenged and supported.
Newry
Sep 29, 2010, 5:08:30 PM9/29/10
to EDU 429 GROUPWORK
this concept is wonderfully clear now, my only question to you
is ....how do you deliver this in 6 minutes applicable to us in the
Bahamas
Newry
is ....how do you deliver this in 6 minutes applicable to us in the
Bahamas
Newry
Dean-Smith
Sep 30, 2010, 7:50:17 AM9/30/10
to EDU 429 GROUPWORK
This is the real challenge, and one the we have to put our heads
together on. I am looking at some things, but nothing final as yet.
Maybe we can look at teaching Fischer's Theory using his method of not
depending on lectures and textbooks but getting the students involved
and finding out how they see cognitive development.
Kevin
> > semester or a school year. Students must be challenged and supported.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
together on. I am looking at some things, but nothing final as yet.
Maybe we can look at teaching Fischer's Theory using his method of not
depending on lectures and textbooks but getting the students involved
and finding out how they see cognitive development.
Kevin
>
> - Show quoted text -
Dean-Smith
Sep 30, 2010, 7:56:05 AM9/30/10
to EDU 429 GROUPWORK
We can probably present a short summary of his theory and then asked
the class what they think about it and how they think it can be
applied in the bahamas. Then we can have an activity that helps them
to better understand the theory and how to aplly it. Remember,
fischer believes that people take differnt paths to understanding a
concept, and our role as instructors is to help guide them to a proper
understanding.
the class what they think about it and how they think it can be
applied in the bahamas. Then we can have an activity that helps them
to better understand the theory and how to aplly it. Remember,
fischer believes that people take differnt paths to understanding a
concept, and our role as instructors is to help guide them to a proper
understanding.
Newry
Oct 7, 2010, 9:38:32 PM10/7/10
to EDU 429 GROUPWORK
Dean, have you summarized yet i took the six points from understanding
and made it a ppt slide i want to put in your skills theory send me
something to add for your part of the presentation..
thanks.
Newry
and made it a ppt slide i want to put in your skills theory send me
something to add for your part of the presentation..
thanks.
Newry
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