RE: [xmca] concepts

["White, Phillip" <Phillip.White@ucdenver.edu>]

Peter, two assertions of your book excerpt directly caught my attention:

first - 

"One aspect of concept development that tends to be overlooked is that
concepts enhance people's ability to anticipate how future action will
unfold." 

second - (a bit longer quote here)

"The actions of people are more difficult to anticipate because they have
volition. Nonetheless, a conception of particular culturally-mediated social
action can enable greater anticipation of how human events will turn out
than will the lack thereof. I have come to understand this likelihood
through my studies of beginning teachers (e.g., Smagorinsky, Wilson, &
Moore, 2011). Those with limited conceptions of teaching and learning tend
to engage in trial-and-error instruction, retaining those practices that
turn out to be effective but having little foresight regarding which will
work. Those who can articulate the purposes behind their decisions based on
a synthesis of formal and practical knowledge have had better success
planning instruction that leads to their intended goals."

in all of my work with student teachers this last decade i've been fortunate enough to work with an elementary school in which all site-based professional development begins with the conceptual understandings and then works in the day-to-day instructional practices; or, begins with the day-to-day instructional practices and then builds in conceptual understandings.  (this is referred to as "parts to whole / whole to parts".)  and, these professional development practices i've always used during site seminars with the teacher candidates placed at the school.  the teacher candidates have a reputation for being highly successful teachers within the larger school district.  i've had a limited understanding regarding why these teacher candidates are so successful.  however, now with your xmca posting, i've got a greater understanding of what's actually going on, and it points in a direction of greater program emphasis.  

thanks,

p


Phillip White, PhD
University of Colorado Denver
School of Education
phillip.white@ucdenver.edu
________________________________________

__________________________________________
_____
xmca mailing list
xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca