EDU 642

Syntheses and Reflection

Rachel Schwartz

            After reading Research-Based Principles for Designing Multimedia Instruction, I found three that stuck out to me.  Those three are: The Segmenting Principle, The Pre-Training Principle, and The Personalization Principle.  Two of the principles fit into managing the essential processing group while the third fits into the fostering processing.

            The first principle that I chose was the Segmenting Principle.  This principle tells us that learners learn best when they learn parts at a time.  Once they master a certain part of a topic they can then move on to the next step in that topic.  I teach math so this concept works well for my students.  I’ll give the example of multiplication.  My students first need to learn how to multiply with their basic facts (1x1, 1x2, 1x3…). Once they learn those facts they can then move on to multiplying two digit numbers by a single digit number (25x5).  Moving on from there they can eventually solve for a two-digit number by a two-digit number.  I use this principle in my math lessons every day.  If I didn’t use this process, my students would be lost and confused and wouldn’t know how to solve math problems.  By taking a segment of a lesson or concept at a time and teaching it to my students they will become more successful.  My only concern with this principle is that my higher students may seem bored at times because they can grasp concepts quicker than my lower and average students.

            The next principle I chose was the Pre-Training Principle.  The Pre-Training Principle tells us that our students need to know the main concepts of a topic before beginning a lesson.  It also says that once the students know and understand the main concepts and what they mean they will be more successful and not struggle with learning vocabulary, as an example, and how to apply it, when and where.  I think this principle is the building block for any lesson.  They students need to know vocabulary words and the point of the lesson before they can go through and solve problems, answer questions, and understand what is being taught.  If they don’t understand they concepts, then they will struggle throughout the whole lesson.  At the beginning of my math units, I give my students the vocabulary words or key words that will be used.  They jot the words down in their math notebooks with a definition and an example, if necessary.  I also post the words on the word wall in the classroom.  Once we get into the unit they will understand the word(s), if not they can always go back and look at the definition again.  I used to give the vocabulary words as we went through the lesson but I have found that the pre-training process works much better.  I do not have any concerns or confusion with this principle. 

            The last principle I chose was the Personalization Principle.  This principle basically can be defined as having a conversation about a topic rather than just teaching to the students without any input from them.  When I give my students a question whether it’s in math or science, I like to ask how or why they got to the answer.  This way if some of the other students didn’t get the correct answer they have an explanation as to how they should’ve gotten that answer.  By doing this the students can bounce ideas off each other making them more successful.  I’ve used this concept since I started teaching.  It’s a great way to keep the students alert and it’s also a great way for students to cement their ideas in memory rather than just answering a question and moving on.  I think this principle has changed the way I view learning because it really gets the students to think.  My only concern with this principle, and it comes up sometimes with my students, is that they each want to explain how they got their answer especially if it were in a different way.  This isn’t the worst thing in the world but it can be time consuming.

            I believe that all three of these principles work well together especially segmenting and pre-training.  They each require the students to master pieces of information before going into the main lesson.  I also believe the Personalization Principle fits in nicely because the students are able to use the vocabulary words they have mastered with segmenting and pre-training when explaining their ideas. The only tension that I found between the three is that two of the principles allow for the lower students to be successful while the third allows for the higher students to be successful.  If all three of the principles are used together correctly, then everyone should be successful, not just the average or higher students.

           

References

Mayer, R. E. (2014). Research-based principles for designing multimedia instruction. In V. A. Benassi, C. E. Overson, & C. M. Hakala (Eds.), Applying science of learning in education: Infusing psychological science into the curriculum. Retrieved from http://hilt.harvard.edu/files/hilt/files/background_reading.pdf