preview

Relevance And Authenticity Of Instruction

Decent Essays

M - Relevance and authenticity in instruction really stood out as memorable to me this week. It is mentioned that “connection to real meaning can make or break learning” (Reiser and Dempsey, p. 58). I completely agree that teaching skills in isolation or without any real connection can result in temporary memorization, but no long-term retention or the ability to transfer that knowledge to new situations. I appreciate the authors pointing out that to maximize the likelihood of meaningful learning occurring, students need to “... work on problems that a) mean something to them personally and b) are rich and complex enough to invoke real expertise” (Reiser and Dempsey, p. 58). If students are shown that the knowledge is relevant and needed in real-world situations, they are more likely to internalize the information for long-term use. This is an area that I need to make sure is addressed in my instruction going forward.

A - I agreed with Reiser and Dempsey (p 352) when they discussed that everyone in a group learns information in different ways. While this statement in the text was referring to assistive technologies, I believe it is true of any learner. There are many different styles of learning and preferences for acquiring and demonstrating knowledge. To provide students with the most effective learning environment, it is best to provide choices in how to interact with information. Some students may benefit from having access to PowerPoint presentations while

Get Access