Itec800 research paper

Final Project Research Paper! Sheridan 1

Joshua Sheridan

Dr. Foreman

Itec 800, Fall 2009

December 4, 2009

What Important Skills All Students Should Know

Introduction:

I have learned and remembered many of the learning concepts both during this se-

mester and my undergraduate coursework as well. As I have a more complete understand-

ing of the various learning theories, I am able to apply the most useful practices from each

discipline and strengthen my main idea. I focus on the positive aspects to create interesting,

compelling lessons that will be useful for not only a student’s high school education, but

also their future as a productive member of society.

I am interested in learning whether or not there is a difference in right or left brain

thinking. I’ve heard about right brain thinking being equal to creativity ever since I was in

my teens- my Aunt Lisa gave me a copy of Betty Edwards Drawing on the Right side of the

Brain when I was twelve years old. I loved drawing and wanted to improve my drawing

abilities. After following the steps in the book I was indeed able to increase my abilities at

drawing, although not as good as some of the examples in the book.

I’ve always been interested in how to cultivate creativity, which is one of the reasons

I went into education in the Iirst place. I want to empower my students, letting them see the


future is wide open for those students who blend creativity with skill. I started doing re-

search into this topic, read two books, and read countless articles on the internet with the

topic. The books reinforced what I had long suspected although never recorded my

thoughts on paper. Daniel Pink proposed that right brain thinking will guide our lives and

shape the world. Through his book “A Whole New Mind” he delves into the recent discovery

of brain M.R.I.’s while asking people questions- this technology lets one see how the brain

responds to different questions. it also helps to answer what we have long suspected, that

each part of the brain has a speciIic purpose- there are two sides of our brain that are very

different from each other. The left side is analytical and verbal, the right side is creative and

spontaneous. Can we cultivate the right side of our brain to improve our creativity?

As I researched my central question I quickly realized there is a lot of information

already available on this topic- the task becomes separating the practical information from

the interesting information. I am always in the process of reIining and updating my curricu-

lum, the knowledge I learned from this class will be incorporated into both my current cur-

riculum as well as my future curriculum. I will also share this information with the other

members in my department as well as with other professional associations I am a member

of. I hope the information will be as useful to others educators as well as being useful to

myself professionally.

I will summarize what I have learned about the three major forms of instructional

technology during the last 100 years. Some positive parts of behaviorism are instant feed-


back which can be easily accomplished through software. The information is Iirst imparted

to the viewer and then tested once again with immediate feedback. This testing lets the in-

structor see if the material is understood and mastered. B.F. Skinner is best known for ‘op-

erant conditioning.’ Operant conditioning is rewarding of a partial behavior or random act

that approaches the desired behavior. Operant conditioning can be used for shaping behav-

ior too. Skinner thought that more complicated tasks could be broken down into smaller

parts and taught. Skinner also used the Skinner Box which was used for training pigeons to

peck at a light for food. One of the examples from Skinner I use in my class are quizzes on

quia.com. Students take a multiple choice quiz and get immediate feedback once they are

done with the quiz. Once information is mastered students can go onto the next task.

Gagne had a taxonomy of learning outcomes that included: verbal information, intel-

lectual skills, cognitive strategies, attitudes, and motor skills. Gagne broke down the com-

ponents of learning into Iive separate outcomes. Much of the information that Gagne classi-

Iied is still being used in instruction today. Gagne shed light onto how tasks are learned and

increased everyone’s understanding about learning. Gagne also categorized his events, les-

son examples, and rationale as well. His theories are time tested and based on research to

improve both teaching and comprehension.

Piaget observed children, created experimentations and interactions with children

to check what they understand. He broke down the learning into four different categories.

Sensory motor stage development is 0 to 2 years old. Pre-operational is 2 to 7 years old.


Concrete operational stage is 7 to 11. Formal operation is 11 years and older. New research

suggests that Piaget’s views are mostly correct. As learners we have to look around and

learn from so many sources. Humans observe the world around them and try out what is

observed.

Vygotsky was a pioneering psychologist who had a wide and diverse interest on

many topics including developmental psychology, child development, and education. He

created key concepts in psychology such as tools, mediation, and the zone of proximal de-

velopment. Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development is a task that is too difIicult for a child

to master alone, but can be learned with guidance and assistance of either adults or school

peers.

Cognitivism or Information Processing Perspective gained approval and acceptance

during the 1950s through the 1970s- which essentially treated the human mind as being a

computer for the way humans think. The human mind has two essential characteristics. The

Iirst characteristic is that human memory is organized rather than random. The second

characteristic is that memory is active rather than passive. Memory doesn’t simply receive

information, it actively synthesizes information, looking for and Iinding order in new in-

formation. Memory as an active synthesizer requires three components: attention- focus-

ing on the information from the environment; Encoding- translating information into some-


thing meaningful that can be remembered; and retrieval- the process of identifying and re-

calling information for a particular purpose.

Constructivism has gained wide acceptance over the last twenty years. The key con-

cepts are that learning isn’t pouring content into a student’s head, rather the interaction

between what information is incoming and what information is already there. Learning is

rewiring the brain and adding new connections. Learning comes from doing and learning is

imitation. Learning is primarily a social activity and you can’t learn unless you fail are all

beliefs of constructivism. We learn a little by listening, slightly more of what we see, and

even more of what we do.

Bloom’s Taxonomy is broken down into six categories. The categories are evaluation,

synthesis, analysis, application, understanding, and knowledge. Knowledge of simple recall

was discovered that over 95% of test questions students encountered required them to

think only at the lowest possible level- the recall of information. He identiIied six levels :

from simple recall at the lowest level, through increasingly more complex and abstract

mental levels., to the highest order which is classiIied as evaluation.

Now that I have summarized what we learned in the class I am going to focus the

rest of the paper on the tasks I will present to the class.


After doing much research: reading two books by both Daniel Pink and Howard Gar-

dener; online articles by several renowned authors; and current magazines focusing on

learning- I have been persuaded by Daniel Pink’s message. His message is simple: Right-

brain thinkers will rule the future. This information can improve our student’s lives, moti-

vate our students, and empower our students to change the world. After careful delibera-

tion many parts are already being implemented into my district’s curriculum- however the

reasoning or explanation was never told to the educators Iighting in trenches. I think the

objectives and goals need to be transparent to the teachers that are advocating these

causes. Our district is already requiring one year of Career Tech Education classes for all

graduating students in the year 2012 and beyond. Career Tech Ed wants to give all students

‘21st Century Skills’ which is one of the themes in Daniel Pink’s “A Whole New Mind.”

My Iinal project is a series of mini-lessons each illustrating a separate but vital idea

about creativity and prosperity in the 21st century. These lessons have been carefully cho-

sen and constructed to reinforce the information that was discovered during my research.

Together, if all of the skills and related skill-sets are mastered the student will be in a great

position for future prosperity. The tasks our students need to be trained in are tasks that

computers can not do better or faster, that someone in China or India can’t do more cheaply.

If a computer can do it faster or your work can be outsourced, you would not be able to be a

productive member of our future, global economy.


We will learn about ‘Drawing on the Right side of the Brain’ by doing one of the les-

sons from Betty Edward’s book. She has students carefully look at a paper that has half of a

vase on it, the vase is curved and looks like a squiggled line. The idea is to copy the line

carefully onto the empty side. Since the shape is not recognizable, the hope is that one care-

fully observes and draws the line from direct observation instead of using the symbols in

one’s mind for ‘vase.’ Anyone that can hold a pencil can learn to draw through practice.

Some people pick it up faster or easier, but everyone has the potential to draw.

Next we learn about C.R.A.P.- which is a design term that Robin Williams has come

up with representing Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity. The second worksheet

covers each element brieIly. Contrast is the difference between two elements. Repetition is

simply reusing the same element several times throughout the design. Alignment is talking

about visual weight- is the work balanced or uneven? Proximity refers to how close or how

far the various elements are to each other; How the elements are arranged on the page.

For our third lesson I’m going to provide you some sample pictures and you’re going

to create a story and backstory for the image. The back story could be things that are not

seen but might be relevant to the story.

Our fourth exercise has everyone create a simple 5 line self portrait. Don’t worry if

you can’t draw well, practice makes perfect. These sketches are fun to do and help get you

in a drawing mood. Enjoy yourself and have some fun!


In our Iifth exercise we’re going to take the Iirst few questions of the Empathy Quo-

tient test, The idea is that if you know what kind of person you are, it can improve many as-

pects of your life.

For our sixth exercise we take some “New Yorker” comic strips and come up with

your own witty captions. This exercise helps you work on

In our seventh and Iinal exercise we take the Iirst few questions of the Spiritual

Transcendence Scale.

I hope through these seven lessons to cultivate a sense of creativity, wonder, imagi-

nation, and fun. Hopefully you’ll be able to take at least one idea you like and incorporate

that idea either into your own teaching or your own instructional technology. Although I

thought this class was going to be a lot of theory, I was pleasantly surprised when the exer-

cises were lively and engaging. I liked the mix of technology into the classes by using iLearn

forums and iLluminate for our online sessions. I can’t wait to continue my future learning

and apply even more lessons to my future lesson plans.


Joshua Sheridan
Itec 800 Final Project Worksheets
Tuesdays Fall 2009

The following documents contain 7 mini-lessons from my Iinal project.

Practice by doing exercises that help you use Right side of your brain. Vase/Faces Mini--
Exercise 1

The Vase/Faces Drawing
A side benefit of learning
to draw is getting to know your own brain a bit better
- for example, how, for you, these two modes
compete and cooperate.
Here is a quick exercise designed to illustrate the
mental conflict that can occur between L-mode and
R-mode.
This is a famous optical illusion drawing, called
"Vase/Faces" because it can be seen as either two
facing profiles or as a symmetrical vase in the
center.
Your job, of course, is to complete the second pro-
file, which will inadver- tently complete the sym-
metrical vase in the center.

From drawright.com

http://drawright.com/vaceface.htm


Draw what you see. Carefully look at the line drawing on the left hand side and copy to the
blank side.

Anal Proja:lResearch Papar Sleridan I
I

RobinWilliamo- amm.st,Repetition, Alignment,Proximity- mini exercise 2

The four basic principles
The following is a brief O'Crview of the basic principles of design that
appear I n every wcll·dtsigned piece of work.Ahhough. I discuss each one
of these prindplesscpar.tt(l"ly, kctp in mind lhC)'are r('ally intt>rconnectcd.
Rardy will you apply only one principle.

Contrast
'Ihe ide.behind contrast is to :l'Oid elements on the (Xlge
t hat a rc merely s1milar. If the clements (type.color.size, line
thickness•.shape,Space. etc:.) are not the sam.
them very different. Contrast is often the most importnnt
'tisual att raction on il page- i t's what makes a reader look
at the page i ri the fi rst place-.

Repetition
Repeat 'isual elements of t he design throughout the piece.
You can rtp("at colOr$, shapg.textures.spatial relatiOn·
ships, line chic:;kncsscs. fonts.sizes,graphic:; concepts, etc:;.
This develops the org:ani:r.ation a nd strengthens the unity.

Alignment
Nothing should be placed on the page arbitraril)'· very
E
element should have some visua l connection with another
element on the p: ge. lhis crea tes a de:an,sophi$tica ted,
fresh look

Proximity
Jtems relating to e;u;h other should be grouped close
together. '('hen several items are in dose proximity to e.1ch
ot her, the)' become one visua l u nit rnther than sever.1l
separate units.. lhis helps organi:r.c informat ion, reduces
clultcr,and gives the reader a c;lcar st ructure.

Umm .•.
Whenga thering these (our prindples from che va$t maze c)f design theory,
I thooght there must besomeappropriate and memorabacronym wi th.i n
these conceptua l idtas that would help people remember them. Well, uh,
there i$ a memorable-but r;ather i n:appropriate- acron ym.Sorry.


Create a mini-ad that either displays all four the principles, or else fo-
cuses on one. If you’re creating just one, create the example in more detail and Iill the page.

Take a random picture and create a story from it, including a back story (things not seen in
the picture but relevant to the story)- Mini Exercise 3

photo taken by http://www.Ilickr.com/photos/aliteratia/4146802232/

What back story can you create from the above image? Keep the story brief- a total of Iifty
words (one paragraph) will sufIice.

Write your 50 word story here:

Learn to Draw- Drawing is about seeing relationships. 5 line self portrait- Mini Exercise 4
Your Creative Task:
Draw a self-portrait using only Iive lines.
The lines can connect. For example a circle is one line that has been connected.
The lips can be one continuous line. You can also make your lines wavy.

Creativity Tip:
Learn to see a great design or a picture within a bigger picture. For example, when looking
through a magazine or photos you have taken, use a few pieces of paper to crop a portion of
the photo.


Lesson discovered at www.marygatling.com Include your 5 line self portrait above

Test your Empathy Quotient tinyurl.com/dbsd8 Mini Ex #5
Fill out the Iirst ten questions


Mini Exercise 6
Caption Game- take 2 New Yorker comic strips without captions, try to create funny, inter-
esting, and humorous captions Mini Exercise 6

Artwork by George Booth Artwork by Al Jones

Your caption for Booth Comic Strip Your caption for Jones Comic Strip

Mini Exercise 7

Spiritual Transcendence Scale- How much spirituality plays in your well being.
http://www.tinyurl.com/5sz7u Mini Exercise 7

Answer the 9irst three questions


Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of 7 tasks that you can use/practice to im-
prove your right brain thinking. Like many things in life, the more you use your right brain,
the easier it becomes. Good luck!


Bibliography

Gardner, Howard. Five Minds for the Future. Boston: Harvard Business School Press,

2006.

Pink, Daniel. A Whole New Mind. New York: Penguin Group, 2005.

Williams, Robin. The Non-Designersʼ Design Book. Berkeley: Peachpit Press, 2008

websites / resources

Drawing faces/vases http://drawright.com/vaceface.htm

photo taken by http://www.Ilickr.com/photos/aliteratia/4146802232/

5 line portraits www.marygatling.com

Test your Empathy Quotient tinyurl.com/dbsd8

Spiritual Quotient http://www.tinyurl.com/5sz7u

Itec800 research paper

Recomendados

Recomendados

Mais conteúdo relacionado

Mais procurados

Mais procurados (20)

Destaque

Destaque (20)

Semelhante a Itec800 research paper

Semelhante a Itec800 research paper (20)

Último

Último (20)

Itec800 research paper