Week 3- Reflective: Evidence-based strategy and Top 6 strategies

        Yeah! The third week has begun!👀👀 Dr Lina discussed evidence-based tactics this week, including the top six strategies: graphic organisers, manipulatives, reciprocal teaching, interactive teaching, assessment for learning, and cooperative learning. In addition, during our group activity, we were introduced to a new cooperative learning technique: the Jigsaw strategy. During the session, we were assigned to a new group to finish our assignments and provide an overall presentation. Dr Lina started the lesson with a Menti quiz, followed by a grouping session. Each group has six people. Due to the limited number of coursemates, our group consists of only 5 people. This, however, did not deter us from completing our tasks. Surprisingly, a new coursemate joined us during the tutorial session!! Janna is a student in the School of Psychology. It's great getting to know her!!😜😜After the Jigsaw activity, we moved on to the showcase session according to our group. It was really informative!! Me and Patrick volunteered ourselves to present in front. Patrick really did a good job in captivating all the attention HAHA! 

    I was confused at the start of the group activity due to my lack of knowledge in using the Jigsaw technique. I felt lost and kept asking questions. Dr Lina eventually explained it to me explicitly. This comes in helpful during the activity. I was also inspired during the discussion and presentation periods. I appreciated hearing their ideas and explanations. It was quite informative!! One of the best strategies, graphic organisers, takes me back to my secondary school days. I recall making a lot of mind maps as notes in secondary school, especially for the challenging topic of biology. I still remember how these mind maps upheld me in scoring an A in biology on every exam.

`  There are some theories I can relate to during Dr Lina's classes. Constructivism is one of the ideas that explain the reasoning behind the jigsaw approach. The belief that learning is an active development process rather than a passive assimilation of knowledge or rote memory reinforces the benefits of a jigsaw technique that promotes active learning rather than digesting information from an instructor or text. Active learning, according to Bransford et al (1999), allows students to learn by creating their own knowledge and integrating new ideas and experiences into current knowledge and experiences to produce new or enhanced understanding. This is consistent with Piaget's cognition development hypothesis, according to which students either assimilate new material into an existing framework or alter that framework to accommodate new information that contradicts earlier thinking. Students can also share their knowledge in order to learn successfully (Sabbah, 2016).

  Furthermore, there is information processing theory. Dr. Lina organised the contents using logical encoding. She used statistics and asked us to develop a mind map to reduce our cognitive load. Sweller et al. (1998) claim that human memory capacity is restricted in its ability to keep information concurrently. Therefore, encoding mechanisms enable us to access and connect new knowledge in our long-term memory (Radvansky & Shcraft, 2014). Also, I created a mind map as an APPLICATION!

    Moreover, in order to answer the questions, the students must collaborate in the Jigsaw strategy. According to Vygotsky's social-cognitive development theory, peer contact can promote learning, especially when it occurs in a scenario with a mix of skills. Students discuss and exchange knowledge that they would not have been able to learn individually (Black, 2007). This technique supported students' social development in a school setting while achieving their individual and group objectives (Namaziandost, 2020).

    Finally, Dr. Lina applied Piaget's second theory of moral development in the classroom by promoting equality and fairness among us. Because each group member was focusing on their own assignment, the Jigsaw technique allowed students to speak up and finish their tasks equally. This instils in us a sense of fairness. This equality affects not just students' moral growth, but also their motivation and values in their learning experiences (Haidt & Kesebir, 2010). It also promotes constructive connection and human responsibility. This is due to the fact that Jigsaw learners must comprehend each other in order to see the "big picture" and must know "all the material, not just their own part, as they are evaluated individually" (Millis & Cottell,1998, p. 129).

    A takeaway from both classes reinforced the importance of flexible teaching in the classroom. If I become a teacher, I'd like to investigate my students' learning needs before using any teaching tactics in my classroom. I aim to create a learning atmosphere that is fair, respected, and diverse for my students. I'd like to apply all of the techniques I learned today in my classroom to accommodate the requirements of each learner, such as hands-on exercises for kinetic learners. I want my students to actively pursue knowledge while displaying positive attributes in their lives.

Thanks for reading!💓

References:

Bransford, J. D., & Schwartz, D. L. (1999). Rethinking transfer: A simple proposal with multiple                 implications. Review of Research in Education (24), 61-100. Washington, DC: American                        Educational Research Association.https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X024001061

Black, S. 92007). Apprenticeships: A tradition that works. American School Board Journal, 194(2), 38-       40.

Haidt, J., & Kesebir, S. (2010). Morality. Handbook of social psychology (5th ed.), 797-832. Hoboken,      NJ: Wiley.

1. Millis, B., & Cottell, P. (1998).Cooperative learning for higher education faculty. Oryx Press.
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3. Namaziandost, E., Gilakjani, A. P., & Weijer, J. (2020). Enhancing pre-intermediate EFL learners' reading comprehension through the use of Jigsaw technique. Cogent arts & humanities, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2020.1738833

Radvansky, G. A., & Ashcraft, M. H. (2014). Cognition (6th ed.). Upper Sadler River, NJ: Pearson

Sabbah, S. S. (2016). The effect of jigsaw strategy on reading achievement. Arab World English Journal         (AWEJ), 7(1), 445–451.https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2804034

Sweller, J., van Merrienboer, J., & Paas, F. (1998). Cognitive architecture and instructional design.            Educational Psychology Review, 10, 251-296. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022193728205