Module 1 Discussion 2

  

                                                          12/9/15

 

 

One of the most well-known historical educators is Socrates. He was born circa 470 BC in Athens, Greece. His life is known mainly from writings of his students, one of whom was Plato. He wasn’t from a noble family and because of that, it’s believed he received a basic Greek education. He learned masonry at a young age and practiced this before becoming a philosopher. His influences still affect Western societies to this day. Socrates was after the pursuit of the truth and advocated a liberal education in order to attain this truth. The Socratic Method is a dialogue based teaching method that is implemented in today’s universities and institutions of higher learning. It forces students to think critically and deeply and is often cited as one of the best methods to teach and test.   

            I am interested and feel that Socrates deserves the addition because of his belief in encouraging his students to think at a deeper level. This is something that the majority of my students struggle with. They oftentimes cannot think for themselves, even when the task is simple. They’re not being taught to be problem solvers. Too many things are done for them, as opposed to teaching them life skills and ways to be lifelong learners. Socrates findings are important because he shows that it is vital for teachers to understand the importance of teaching their students how to think.

            Another educator I believe worthy of being added to the PowerPoint is John Hattie. In 1950, John Hattie was born in New Zealand, and since March 2011, has been a Professor and Director of the Melbourne Education Research Institute at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. His research findings of different educational aspects and their effects on education is insightful and worthy of learning about. He was looking to find what exactly had the greatest influence on student learning (Cambridge College, 2011). He has a book, Visible Learning, which explains his findings on these topics. He found how much of an impact homework has on learning, ability grouping, attendance, and so much more.

            I am particularly interested in Hattie’s findings because many of the aspects he researched are ones I have been interested in because I have wondered how much they truly impact education. The main one I was curious about was the impact of homework on student learning. While homework falls in the lower range of impact, feedback, cognitive ability and instructional quality rank among the highest effect on student learning. His findings are vital to educators because all the research he found impacts teachers on a daily basis. I highly recommended reading his book.

            I will be sure to incorporate not only the Socratic Method into my teaching, but Hattie’s findings as well. These are two educators that could impact teaching in a way that would benefit and push students to become lifelong learners. Teaching students is way more than teaching them the curriculum. If we want them to truly learn, we have to teach them how, and that includes teaching them how to think.

           

Laureate Education (Producer). (2015i). Sectors in the early childhood field [Interactive media].

Baltimore, MD: Author.

 

Professor John Hattie's Table of Effect Sizes. (2011). Cambridge College. Retrieved December

9, 2015, from http://www.teacherstoolbox.co.uk/T_effect_sizes.html.

 

Socrates. (2015). Retrieved December 9, 2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/socrates-

9488126.