Visualization and Working in Pairs

My group talked about many aspects of the reading but focused on two things we felt were key points, visualization and working in groups or pairs. In regards to visualization we talked about how we can use visualization to aid our students in test taking. We thought our students would feel less anxiety if we taught them how to visualize themselves taking the test while studying it will help ease their minds and enable them to focus on the test. One person brought up the possibility of pairing visualization with guided meditation, she wanted to know if it could be done. If teachers before every test guided their students through a meditation where they were told to visualize themselves taking the test and doing well on the test, then maybe some of the test anxiety would disappear and they would do better on the test. Also tell them to visualize them studying so they will remember the material they are being tested on and this to would ease the test anxiety.

We also talked about having our student work in pairs in class time and possibly letting them take tests together or at least a practice test together. I think this could be a valuable learning technique for students, because they can have someone with them to ask questions if they don't understand how to solve a problem on the test. We also talked about getting rid of tests all together since teachers are being forced to teach to the test we didn't see their value. I found a you tube clip of Sir Ken Robinson giving a TED talk about education and its called “How to escape educations death valley” Basically its about how all children need is the right environment to be to taught in and when that is met they will thrive and learn. He compares education to Death Valley in Southern California, and how it was said to be completely dead and can't sustain any life. Once year it got tons of rain and as a result of the rain flowers bloomed all over the dessert proving it was not dead but dormant. He says this is true for our education system. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX78iKhInsc We as teachers need to create a climate of possibility, an environment that will be perfect for children to learn.

With all that being said learning in pairs or groups could be the environment needed for childrens desire to learn to stop being dormant. By creating the environment where children can take a test in groups or with a partner will help eliminate the stress and anxiety that most children face when taking a test. They will be able to collaborate with their peer or peers and talk out the problem, instead of sitting there wondering if they made a mistake and stressing out about remembering how to solve a problem. If children were allowed to do this then they may stop dreading going to school and look forward to it. Of course in doing this there is the risk that one student may be ahead in a few areas than the student or students they are working with, and that student may end up carrying the group. This is a risk taken whenever group work is assigned and one way to monitor is to possibly switch up the groups or pairs. Another way is to constantly watch all groups or pairs to see if one person is dominating the work effort and if this is the case maybe intervene in a not obvious way. Ask the students if everyone understands what they are supposed to be doing and going over the assignment. Repetition can aid in the learning process, and making sure everyone understands the assignments is hopefully a sure way to get every student on track to understanding the course material and the assignment.

Since we do need to assess the students understanding of the course material and parents would like to know their childs progress in school there are alternative ways to assess where they are. Sir Ken Robinson acknowledged how so called “alternative” education institutions seem to be doing much better at educating their students. If they are doing so well at educating their students in a so called alternative fashion maybe the “alternative” is working better than the traditional model of education. If this is true maybe education standards of teaching and assessing students work should start to change. Our country has one of the highest drop out rates and these so called alternative education institutions have little no none we have to think what are they doing right. Maybe its time this country takes a good hard look at education reform since alternative educational institutions. There is no one way educate our children, as long as they are learning, and what is the harm in them having fun while they learn? We need to water their minds so the flowers of curiosity and learning bloom and our children will become eager to learn again.