Blog #7: Intelligence, Knowledge, and Optimal Learning Conditions and Contexts for Student Learning
Part 1: Content Connection
What is intelligence? What do you think about your own intelligence?
Intelligence is defined by Merriam-Webster as the ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situations. Before looking at the actual definition, I would have probably told you that it went along with being smart or having a high IQ. I’m learning that is not the case. All students are intelligent in their own way. They are asked to try and learn things every day. They problem solve, theorize, and collaborate with others to garner more knowledge. I think there has been a disconnect in the way we view intelligence. Intelligence is an ever expanding thing which at first was hard to grasp. It was hard because I recall it being a word associated with smart people when I was younger. What I’ve learned through life, is that intelligence is something that can grow with new learning opportunities and experiences. A person can be growing their intelligence without even truly knowing it. It’s also important to note that intelligence is not just academic based. Students are intelligent in a multitude of ways and it’s important to recognize that. Jennings mentions this in relation to building relationships saying, “not all students are high academic achievers, and we need to be mindful to also communicate that we value nonacademic attributes that our students exhibit, such as helpfulness, friendliness, creativity, problem solving, and conflict resolution” (Jennings, 2015, p. 148). Jennings then goes on to talk about how a girl noticed that the class was messy after an art project and began to pick up. This student was noted as not being a high academic achiever, but she was intelligent as she noticed the mess and adapted to the situation by picking up. When I took the mindset assessment about my own intelligence, it told me that I have a “growth mindset.” I wasn’t surprised by the results as I believe that intelligence is something I work on every day. Yes, there are times I would rather take the easy road, but it’s in those times that I challenge myself that I learn new things. I see intelligence going hand in hand with knowledge and the ability to adapt to things. It’s important to note that teachers are learners too.
How does someone demonstrate knowledge?
Knowledge can be demonstrated in different ways. It can be in the form of sharing something in a conversation, writing a paper on a given topic, or creating an art project around a certain theme. Something that stuck out to me from the video on differentiation was how it addressed that “the major demonstration of learning doesn't always have to be an essay or multiple choice test.” It then went on to talk about how a student who doodled through science lessons took them and created a project to demonstrate the knowledge she gained (Video citation). Not all students are great writers or test takers. By realizing this, teachers can learn to help students express what they know in other ways. I believe that it's important to include multiple ways throughout the year for students to demonstrate knowledge such as an art project, short presentation, or journal entries. One way that Jennings talked about was collaborative learning. “Collaborative learning gives students the opportunity to help others and to reflect upon the experiences and needs of others” (Jennings, 2015, p. 147). Students are able to help their classmates while at the same time learning from their peers and expanding their intelligence at the same time.
What does it mean to you to create optimal conditions and contexts for student learning?
To me, creating optimal conditions and contexts for student learning is vital to student success. I want to create a space where students feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions with the class. This also incorporates students engaging their prior knowledge and being validated for doing so. Another way I want to do this is by giving students freedom while also holding control and laying out the routines and norms. This idea stems from Knight's reading. A quote that stood out to me from the reading on this topic was, “An effective teacher maintains control while ensuring that there is sufficient freedom. Too much control damages relationships. Too little control leads to frustrated students, wasted time, and too little learning. Skillful teachers create learning situations in which students are authentically free to make decisions, set goals, and construct their own learning, while at the same time creating structures that ensure learning is productive, positive, and meaningful,” (Knight, 2013, p. 280). It’s important to me that students play a part in their learning and have voice in the classroom. With voice, I want to be certain that I hear from all my students. I enjoyed reading about the use of talking sticks in Knight. I think finding a way to hear from all students in a conversation is important while also noting who may be trying to dominate a conversation. With a talking stick, there are set expectations and it allows students to share without students interrupting them. I believe that students learn when they listen to their peers as they may pick up on something I as the teacher did not.
Section 2: Classroom/Practicum Connection
In the ½ grade split classroom I observed in, the teacher crafted an assignment where students got to write their book about an animal. Students were able to choose their animal but had to research certain characteristics. The set characteristics were where they live, what they eat, and what their babies are called, and then a fun fact of the student's choice. This engaged the students as they were able to pick any animal they wanted. Some picked animals they had knowledge about and others chose animals they wanted to learn more about. This allowed for differentiation as some students were able to rely on existing knowledge and others were able to stretch their intelligence about a new animal. Students also had to include illustrations for their book. This allowed students to show what they were writing about and offered students who are struggling writers a way to express what they learned. I saw this as beneficial to many of the ELL students in the class. Their spelling was incorrect but I knew what they trying to say through their drawings. At the end of the project, they had a day where they invited other teachers and staff members to come to their classroom and have the student read their stories to them. The amount of excitement to share their stories was amazing. I had one of the quiet ELL students walk right up to me and ask if she could read me her story. Not only did this student get to show the knowledge she learned about her chosen animal, but she was able to expand her vocabulary through this project as well. I selected this artifact as it allowed students the choice to pick an animal they were interested in learning about. They were able to take the knowledge they had and expand upon it to write their books. Students were also able to showcase their artistic side in their illustrations. The pictures below are from story showcase day. Animal stories ranged from jaguars, cats, dogs, spiders, butterflies, and more.
References
Jennings, P. A. (2015). Mindfulness for Teachers: Simple Skills for Peace and Productivity in the Classroom. W.W. Norton.
Knight, J. (2013). High-Impact Instruction: A Framework for Great Teaching. SAGE Publications.
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