junhaolin

Category: Assessments

prompt 1-My best learning experience(revised)

July 30, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Here is the revised version of my prompt-1, I added the learning theory of my learning process.

When I was young, I played computer games very often. One day, I surfed the internet and found that some players were editing the games. I thought it was awesome because when you have the ability to edit or design a game, you will be the one who creates the rule rather than the one who obey the rule. Editing the game is not easy for me as I was young and had little knowledge about the computer. Still, I tried my best to read the method they used to change the data of the game. Then, I downloaded a software and used it to open the data of the game. Suddenly, many “0” and “1” appeared, that was how the computer stored the data of the game. For the next few days, I spent a great amount of time trying to figure out the meaning of the specific number in the specific position. It was dull and time-consuming, but I really enjoyed it and didn’t feel tired at all. I got very strong motivation–to be the designer of the games. Finally, I successfully changed some basic parameters of the game. Later, I found something even more attractive that someone could change the model and effects of the game! It was amazing. However, to achieve that, I need to learn more. Therefore, when I was in middle school, I started to learn something about programming and I joined the programming competition class. The process of learning is boring because you have to face with the code all the time. But to me, the code seems to have magic. When you  master all kinds of computer languages such as java, python, C++ and so on, you can use  them to direct the computer to finish all kinds of tasks. Also, you can design a game on your own.

In the first week of learning, I learned about learning theories. There are three learning theories: Behaviorism, Cognitivism and Constructivism. According to Ertmer, Behaviorism regards learning as reacting to the environmental stimulus. For example, when you encounter a specific issue, you will respond to it, and  “learning is accomplished when a proper respond is demonstrated following the presentation of a specific environmental stimulus.”(Ertmer & Newby 2013) Cognititivism stresses the acquisition of knowledge. Cognitivists believe that learning involves some complex cognititive processes such as thinking, problem solving, language, concept formation and information processing that behaviorism can not explain well. (Ertmer & Newby 2013) As for constructivism, it emphasizes that learning is a subjective issue, which is different from the other two theories which both regard learning as objective. The constructivists believe that the knowledge bases on one’s interpretation of the world. As a result, we need to let the person try something in the real world to acquire knowledge. (Ertmer & Newby 2013)

Based on what I have learned, I believe the learning theory of my learning process is cognitivism. Computer programming is a complicated subject. In programming, we need to learn a new kind of language-machine language so that we can tell the computer what we want it to do. Also, computer science is exactly about problem solving. When you write codes, you aim to use the codes to solve a problem.  Programming is essentially solving problems with computers. Therefore, the process of learning programming is based on cognitivism.

Reference:

Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (2013). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 26(2), 43-71.

These are links to my peers’ stories:

yiwei

xinxinwu

yiyan

blueprint

July 30, 2020 / / 0 Comments

French 256: Intermediate Oral French

Edci 335 Pod 3–Yiwei Wu, Yi Yan, Xinxin Wu, Junhao Lin

 

 

Description:

Our group topic is teaching intermediate oral French to K-12 students. As the official language of Canada, French shares linguistic features with English since they both belong to the Germanic family. Students who learned English are feasible to learn French because of the similar vocabulary and the usage of grammar. The project is developed based on communication and social interactions, and we aim to arouse students’ interests in learning French and augment students’ French oral competences.

 

 

Concept Analysis:

Sociocultural theory (SCT) stresses on an individual’s entity as human beings who have feelings, and it argues that learning is developed through interactions and social activities requiring cognitive and communicative functions within social environments (Lantolf, Thorne & Poehner, 2015). It is worth mentioning that SCT does not refer to Vygotsky’s theory, but a broad theoretical framework, focusing on social and cultural factors in second language learning (Lantolf, 2006), and this theory is not a theory for second language learning (SLL), but a theory that can be applied to SLL.

Debates and group discussions are representative examples of SCT that require individuals to participate and communicate in a social environment. In contrast, Ferris Bueller’s Economics teacher’s class is a counterexample which represents a common misconception of sociocultural theory, namely, the idea that learning is a passive copying process from the experts. This misconception is mainly due to a misinterpretation that social interaction leads to mental 97 functioning development even in a passive way. Therefore, the recognition that this development is an active process is crucial (Lantolf, Thorne & Poehner, 2015).

Sociocultural theory in language learning contains essential features, including Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), activity theory and three stages of the learning process: imitation, assessment and independence. Language learning in the context of SCT requires collaborative learning operating based on activity theory which uses ZPD for learner’s development (Vygotsky, 1997). ZPD includes three zones: learner’s individual performance, potential development with the help from more knowledgeable others, and unreachable performance with or without the help from others (Vygotsky, 1978). The ultimate objective is that, through learning from more knowledgeable others, learners can eventually acquire the knowledge to work independently. In reaching this objective, instructors need to move the zone in and out to yield better results of both individual’s independence development (e.g. private speech, individual task) and feedback from peers and instructors (e.g. roleplay, debate). Imitation, assessment and independence are three stages of the learning process in activity theory. Although imitation seems to occur in the forms of private speech and inner speech and thus considered as an individual learning process, it is essential to note that the act of imitation cannot take place without the object of imitation; SCT in language learning is from social to the individual, and from inter-mental to intra-mental. At the initial stage, learners tend to imitate their instructors or peers when encountering new linguistic affordances (Lantolf, 2006). After receiving feedback from others, learners can improve their performances and work independently.

SCT shares accidental features with cooperative learning which also focuses on social interactions in a learner-centred setting (Johnson, 2009). Both SCT and cooperative learning suggest offering learners more ownership of the activities in a learner-centred learning environment rather than a teacher-centred one. (Behroozizad, Nambiar & Amir, 2014). Autonomous learning allows learners to learn in a more active, creative and engaging way.

 

 

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

 

  1. Expand necessary vocabulary to construct and respond to a francophone conversation.
  2. Improve and develop a more authentic French pronunciation (French standard).
  3. Be motivated to develop French oral competence with elevated learning interests.
  4. Evaluate feedback received in the learning process, and improve accordingly.

 

 

Sub-topics:

Learning progressions are formed based on four activities:

 

  1. Basic instruction (15-20 min)
  2. Group discussion (20-25 min)
  3. Dubbing a section of a film (30-35min)
  4. Detective play (40-45 min)

 

 

Assessment:

Student Evaluation

Activity (grade) Assessment Outcomes
Basic instruction (10%) Self-assessment and peers’ feedback 1, 2
Group discussion (15 %) Group members give feedback to each other 1, 4
Dubbing a section of a film (25%) Instructors and peers give comments and feedback 1, 2, 3, 4
Detective play (50%) Instructors grade students on the ability to exchange information in a given context 1, 3, 4

 

 

Learning Resources:

Texts/Materials

  1. Amon, E., Muyskens, J. A., & Hadley, A. O. (2019). Vis-a-vis: beginning French. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
  2. Chahi, F., & Biras, P. (2018). Défi Méthode de Français 2. Paris: Editions Maison de Langues.
  3. Intouchables (Olivier Nakace, Éric Toledano, 2011)
  4. Les choristes (Christophe Barratier, 2004)
  5. Scripts of the films
  6. Detective play role cards

 

 

Work Distribution:

Blueprint Task Owner
Initial group meeting All members
Description Yi Yan
Concept analysis Yiwei Wu
Learning outcomes Yiwei Wu, Yi Yan
Learning activities Junhao Lin, Xinxin Wu
Assessment All members

 

 

Interactive Learning Resource Task Owner
Description and overview Yiwei Wu
Activity introduction All members
Outcome and resources Yi Yan, Junhao Lin
Assessment plan and technology usage Yi Yan, Xinxin Wu
Peer review and reference All membres

 

 

 

Reference:

  1. Behroozizad, S., Nambiar, R., & Amir, Z. (2014). The Emergence and Development of Language Learning Strategies through Mediation in an EFL Learning Context. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 118, 68–75. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.02.010

 

  1. Johnson, D., & Johnson, R. (2009). An Educational Psychology Success Story: Social Interdependence Theory and Cooperative Learning. Educational Researcher, 38(5), 365-379. Retrieved June 13, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/20532563

 

  1. Lantolf, J. P. (2006). SOCIOCULTURAL THEORY AND L2: State of the Art: Studies in Second Language Acquisition. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263106060037

 

  1. Lantolf, J. P., Thorne, S. L. & Poehner, M. E. (2015). Sociocultural theory and second language development. In B. VanPatten & J. Williams (Eds.). Theories in second language acquisition: An introduction (pp. 207-226). New York: Routledge.

 

  1. Maftoon, P., & Sabah, S. (2012). A Critical Look at the Status of Affect in Second Language Acquisition Research: Lessons from Vygotsky’s Legacy. BRAIN. Broad Research In Artificial Intelligence And Neuroscience, 3(2), pp. 36-42. Retrieved from https://www.edusoft.ro/brain/index.php/brain/article/view/361

 

  1. Vygotsky, L. S., Rieber, R. W., & Veer René van der. (1997). The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky. New York: Plenum Press.

 

  1. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society (A. R. Luria, Trans.). Harvard University Press.

peer review of pod 8

July 18, 2020 / / 0 Comments

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LtQD7yxuewlumK9JQhtuAfE2nVWI_8NbICQmFplee4s/edit

The topic of the course created by pod 8 is “Making Decisions Like an Economist”, which is a course about economy. There are three interactive activities in their course. In the first activity, the students are asked to watch a video and complete the practice on Macmillan Learning. The goal of this activity is to help the students understand and apply the concept they learned to different situations. In this activity, I find that their group members has considered the difficulty of ELL and take some measures. According to them, the platform they use for watching the video has closed caption to help the students understand the content. Also, the students can use the speed modifier to slow down the video so that they can keep up with the instructors. I am an English language learner myself, so I can really understand the difficulties they meet when they try to understand some new concept taught in English. There is no doubt that the caption will help a lot when they try to understand the technical terms for economics.  In the second activity, the students are asked to read an article and compose a post responding to the article. They also provide a translated version of the article for ELL. The last activity is to do a presentation, which I think is the most important activity of the course. This activity is practical and helpful because the students will analyze the problems themselves and apply what they have learned to solve the problems like  economists. During the activity, there will be a TA to help ELL students organize the script before they start their presentation. For those who loses their hearing, they will be mainly evaluated by their paper work. The members of pod 8 claim that they are using Inquiry-based Learning, which I suppose is reasonable. Economy is a practical subject, which means that we should apply the knowledge we learned to daily life. Also, when we find the economic problems in the society and then learn the knowledge to solve it, we will be more purposeful and motivated. 

I also have some suggestions. In the first place, I think it better if you can be more specific about the goal of your course. When the students are choosing their courses, they must want to know what they can learn in the course and what they can get after the course. So you need to set up some goals of the course and then design the learning activities according to them. Next, for the learning activities, the first and second activities are great. You fully consider the difficulties of ELL and those who lose their hearing. The ELL can get assist from the caption of the video and the translated version of the article. Also, for those who lose their hearing, they can focus on the caption of the video to understand what it is talking about, and they will not be affected by hearing when they are reading articles. However, as the most important part of the course, I think they need to engage in the third activity. Maybe you can consider making some adaptations of the activity. What is more, you can be more specific about assessment, which is essential of the course. For example, you can explain how you will grade the students, that is, the standard of your assessment. The criteria for grading should be consistent with the purpose of learning.

 

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