Rick's Blog

EDCI 335

July 23, 2023 / 0 Comments

PEER REVIEW

Learning Pod: # 5

Peersā€™ Names: Rachel Heagle, Daniel Wheaton, Chloe Hood, Armaan Gill, Agrim Dogra, Nikhil Dhillon

Interactive Learning Resource Topic: Personal Finance

Identify components of the Interactive Learning Resource that might be missing (e.g., appropriate outcomes, alignment, interactivity, inclusivity, technology use and rationale, presentation, grammar, spelling, citations, etc.).

Generally, the entire design of the course is well-structured and user-friendly, making it easily accessible for students. Right from the start, the course overview offers a comprehensive introduction, providing a clear understanding of the course’s objectives, target audience, and its relevance. As I navigate through the interface, I can find helpful quizzes at the end of each subtopic, facilitating a review of the material covered. However, it might be beneficial to incorporate an evaluation system that outlines the weightage given to each test or assessment. Personally, I believe an evaluation system would engage students further, enabling them to identify areas for improvement and focus on specific areas that require more attention.

Provide a summary of The Interactive Learning Resourceā€™s strengths and weaknesses. Draw out specific examples from your peersā€™ work to justify your feedback.

In terms of strengths, the structure of the course is well-designed, with each subtopic thoughtfully aligned with essential questions, learning outcomes, resources, and assignments. This cohesive learning design greatly aids students in comprehending the subject matter, allowing them to navigate the content smoothly, without aimlessly searching for information.

In terms of weaknesses, as I mentioned earlier, the evaluation system does not be introduced in this course. I think this system would provide a quantifiable measure of studentsā€™ progress and efforts. Meanwhile, for some open-ended questions, I do not know if my answered correctly. So it would be great if you offer a standard answer for open-ended questions.

Provide general, specific, and practical recommendations to your peers on how to improve their Interactive Learning Resource.

Overall, you have done an excellent job on the project. Your approach of providing separate pages for each subtopic with ample resources greatly aids students in understanding personal financial concepts and how to manage those investment accounts. I have completed the RRSP chapter and its quiz. I appreciate that the quiz questions are tied to the provided resources and articles. Nevertheless, it would be beneficial to include standard answers for open-ended questions. I am delighted to have participated in your project. Wish you the best of luck!

Classwork for Personal Finance A01 (google.com)

July 6, 2023 / 9 Comments

Blog # 4

This video is from YouTube and talks about how to improve teamwork. The author of the video goes through seven approaches to improvement, which are ownership, dependability, trust, structure, shared vision, fun and candor.

From this advice list, students need to build confidence in the project beginning and be able to solve problems and come up with ideas. Create a to-do list and set up an endurance with a clear deadline for the project. As a group, trust is a crucial element for teamwork, which believe each member and listen to the ideas of others. Meanwhile, introducing a structure enhances collaboration at team work. Each group member can share their vision, and define the clear goals that everyone can work toward together. Eventually, be open and honest with each member and say what you really think as well as enjoy the pleasant atmosphere.

After watching the video, I would like to advise students to form groups (4-5 students of group) and each group can discuss and make a presentation around any topic that they interest in. This method will test whether students master teamwork skills. Any portable devices are available to record the ideas of group members such as laptops and Ipad and eventually organize and merge into PowerPoint.

I will use a questionnaire to distribute to each student. They will be asked to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each member (including themselves) and I will grade the students’ teamwork by the score at the end of the course.

This work is good for management because the presentation and the questionnaire allow me to see both the final project of teams and the ability of cooperation of each student. These two aspects give a fair picture of whether students have mastered teamwork or not.

John Spencer. 2017, (September 17). The 7 Keys to Creative Collaboration [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DmFFS0dqQc

July 1, 2023 / 4 Comments

Blog # 3

How will your interactive learning resource specifically ensure that the needs of all learners can be met?

I will incorporate a variety of learning modalities to cater to different preferences, which include visual aids, audio instructions, interactive exercises, and written content. These allow learners to engage with material using their preferred mode of learning. In order to ensure learners acquire knowledge well, I will offer different assessment formats for learners. Which means they have opportunities to select which formats they prefer. At the same time, I will introduce collaborative learning. As a group, all the learners foster interaction and peer learning. Incorporate discussion forums, group projects, and virtual classrooms to promote engagement and support collaborative learning among learners.

How can you adjust your planned learning activities to meet the needs of your learners if an unexpected event occurs?

The priority is to provide online learning platforms for learners. Utilize current platforms to support remote learning. These platforms are able to host virtual classrooms, provide access to course materials, facilitate communication, and offer assessment and feedback. Because pandemic, learners arenā€™t available to gain resources offline. I will open a lesson to teach students how to search online resources. These can include e-books, academic journals, websites, and educational videos. Ensure that the resources are accessible and easy to navigate for students working from home. In addition, due to remote learning, students may face various challenges. Be flexible in deadlines, consider accommodations for individual needs, and provide additional support to students who may require it. This can include virtual office hours, one-on-one video conferences, or extra resources for review.

Consider the learning environment for your current design. What potential barriers can be reduced or eliminated to provide more pathways for learner success?

Learners may be located around the world and have diverse schedules. Provide flexible learning options, such as asynchronous activities, recorded lectures, or self-paced modules. This allows learners to access the content conveniently, accommodating work or personal obligations. Meanwhile, students need to be provided with timely feedback to guide their progress, so I will offer additional support through virtual office hours, discussion forums, or personalized assistance. Regular feedback and support help learners overcome challenges and stay motivated on their path to success.

Williamson, R. (2020). LEADERSHIP FOR REMOTE LEARNING strategies for success. ROUTLEDGE. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003139393

June 17, 2023 / 4 Comments

Blog # 2

In those approaches, I select cooperative learning. Cooperative learning is an educational approach in which students work together in groups to achieve common learning goals. It is based on principles of social interdependence, mutual cooperation, as well as individual accountability. Cooperative learning improves the ability of students such as problem-solving, discussions, projects, and presentations. Each group memberā€™s success is tied to the success of the entire group. Meanwhile, cooperative learning helps students strengthen their individual accountability, each student is held accountable for their own learning and contribution to the group. Students engage in meaningful discussion, share ideas, and provide feedback to one another. Under this approach, all the group members will learn how to effectively collaborate with others, including skills such as active listening, conflict resolution, and task division. These skills are valuable both inside and outside of the course.

Here has an example to verify what effects cooperative learning is taking for. Tom was in the second year of high school. He had an intellectual disability that made him not willing to participate in most activities. Because he was lacking in cooperative skills, his teacher took him to join various cooperating learning groups. At the end of the course was quite satisfying. As Tom found that he could take on roles in groups and contribute his thinking and concepts, which include organization of resources, demonstrating his ideal through different types of platforms, as well as cooperating with his group member, to ensure the project went well. After cooperative learning, Tom realized that he could make a valuable contribution to the team.

So far, cooperative learning has been shown to have several benefits for students. It promotes active engagement and participation, enhances critical thinking and problem-solving skill, and increases motivation and enjoyment of learning. Cooperative learning provides an effective way to enhance learning outcomes.

Reference

Felder, R. M., & Brent, R. (2007). Cooperative learning. Active learning: Models from the analytical sciences, 970, 34-53.

Ferguson-Patrick, K., & Jolliffe, W. (2018). Cooperative Learning for Intercultural Classroomsā€Æ: Case Studies for Inclusive Pedagogy (First edition.). Taylor and Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351164641

May 29, 2023 / 5 Comments

blog # 1

  1. Through the video, Derek Muller uses several examples to provide that people are always blindly confident about new things and think they have mastered the knowledge. However, the fact is they didnā€™t grab the important point. As the video said, knowledge does not mean understanding. Derek Muller thinks learning is difficult, and people should pay utmost attention and effort because this process changes their minds. I do not totally agree about this sentence. For some knowledge, people truly do not know what it is, which means the learning process is not to change peopleā€™s minds but to acquire new knowledge. Nevertheless, people still need to focus on it and effort to the end. In order to have the best learning effect, high concentration is essential.
  2. Constructivism is quite hard to understand for me. In order to handle the concept, I put keywords in Google search and watched some YouTube videos to help me better understand the concept of constructivism.
  3. Here is a story about the piano. When I was a kid, someday I suddenly was keen on piano music, my parent saw what I was thinking and started my piano learning journey. However, learning piano is not easy for me, even though I did not know how to read musical scores and control my fingers playing music by piano. Behaviorism plays a role during my process of learning piano. With practice, I am more familiar with the piano and could play music entirely. Thus, I would like to use ā€œhabitsā€ to discuss my behavior. Due to periodic practice and review, I have acquired this skill.
  4. When I was studying in junior high school, the school held a summer camp to learn about the history of the United States, and visited different buildings. What made this learning experience so memorable for me was the perfect combination of passionate instructors, hands-on activities, and a supportive community.
  5. The behaviorist teacher would likely use a reward system to reinforce desired behaviors, such as giving praise or grades for correct answers or completion of assignments. The cognitivist teacher would also provide opportunities for students to connect prior knowledge to new information, encourage them to ask questions and guide them in developing their own frameworks and mental models related to climate change. The constructivist teacher might design learning activities where students conduct investigations, gather data, and engage in real-world problem-solving related to climate change.
  6. The process of learning piano is behaviorism, repeat practice helps me acquire every piano music.
  7. The process of learning statistics and mathematics is cognitivism. The instructor provides feedback and clarifies misconceptions. Through reflection, students gradually internalize problem-solving techniques and become more independent in applying them to new situations.
  8. The process of learning landscape design is constructivism. When the instructor assigns the task, students are divided into several groups. Engaging students in conducting research, collecting data, and constructing their understanding of the topic. They can discuss their findings and move projects forward.
  9. The cognitivism is more in line with my state of learning. I am glad to make a schedule, thus I can handle my time to fulfil assignments.

Reference

Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective.Ā Performance improvement quarterly,Ā 6(4), 50-72.

image showing person walking in pre-painted footprints
Photo by Flickr user jfchenier under CC license: BY-NC 2.0
May 2, 2021 / 0 Comments

Welcome and Introduction

  • Hi,

    Welcome to my word. My name is Rick, and I am first-year student from health information science. Iā€™m thrilled to be here with you for my first summer semester. I am from China, as you maybe know that the cultures between Canada and China are quite different in terms of eating, lifestyle, education, relationships and so on. Overall, every aspect is new to me šŸ™‚ and I need to be familiar with it, but itā€˜s all worth it. I enjoy discovering new flavours of food and experiencing a more natural way of living.

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