Chapter 6; Crafting Understanding

In chapter 6, Wiggins highlights some of the ways in which we can distinguish understandings, for example: interference and learning. To achieve this, students are meant to being able of doing proposals, of questioning and criticize everything, but also verify their results.

We understand again the difference between knowledge and understanding, and what is the benefit of both in their different aspects. It is in our hands to help our students to achieve understanding.

The way we can do this, is through planning. When we plan, we should not let our objectives to disappear in meaningless activities. Instead we should plan our desired results by putting a frame to the understanding we are aiming at. It is better if we know where we are heading by understanding it, instead of letting things happen not aware of if it really happens or not.

Chapter 5: Essential Questions: Doorways to Understanding

Questions are the most important thing in life. Through questions, human have discovered the world and the universe, and also themselves.

When we teach, to encourage question making is essential. The skills that question making develops is critical thinking. As teachers of English, we should not teach how to read or how to write, or speak. We should teach to question everything, to question every little thing and our students would come up with answers that would fortify  their perspective of the world.

An inquiry-based learning is beneficial to both students and teachers, for students develop their thinking through their answers, and the teacher learns from his students.

In this chapter, Wiggins talks about the essential questions. It is in fact really easy to ask questions which answers are simple, but as teachers the trick in here relies on the kind of questions you make to your students. Do these questions make them think? Or do these questions just leave them in the same place where they started? The trick is to ask questions that can lead your students somewhere. Hence, their learning and understanding could become fruitful.

Chapter 4: The Six Facets of Understanding

In Chapter 4. Wiggins explains that there are six facets to follow when we teach, in order to make learning as fruitful as possible.

The author in this chapter suggests that there is a difference between understanding and knowledge, and that this distinction is paramount to education. Understanding has several meanings, and it cannot be classified as an achievement. Instead, it is more accurately to say that understanding is but the sum of achievements, and it is perceptible through transference. However, someone is able to show their understanding when they are able to teach, proof, explain, infer, and so on.

Therefore, the author states that we could divide the process of understanding into six facets that if we have them clear, then a richer understanding would be boosted.

The facets are:

1.Explanation: basically, this facet is concerned with the ability to understand through question what they at first did not know. Inquiry-based learning would be a perfect example for this.

2. Interpretation: The students can narrate stories, tell something about them or events, or can use analogies, express their understanding through pictures and so on. Basically, production.

3. Application: the learner is able to apply his understanding with no further problems in several contexts and through different ways.

4. Have Perspective: To be able to see the big picture of things, to show ones' own perspective and to understand others' critically.

5. Empathy: to empathize with others, or to be able to relate to others' experiences.

6. Self-knowledge: to show awareness of what is unknown for us, to have clear our limits and to reflect on them

Chapter 3: Gaining Clarity on Our Goals

        Goals are the most important part of the process of learning. Moreover, it is a process that is not solely done by the teachers, but also by the students. If we want our students to gain understanding in their learning process, then we must include their needs in order to develop it. That is one role of the teachers: to clarify and help students to understand how the course is working for their benefit, and how the goals expected help them in their learning. 

        Teachers tend to make the twin sins Wiggins talks about, every day in every school. On the one hand, the sin of aimless coverage content, to drill in subjects that are meaningless and do not go anywhere. The learning becomes a mechanical process of merely memorization, and there is no purpose in the topics discussed or the content.

        On the other hand, the isolated activities some teachers are used to do. Watching videos with no further objectives, reading texts with no thinking afterwards, or the creation of dialogues and their memorization with the solely goal of expose them to the class. There is no learning comming from any of these situations. There is only boredoom and time wasted.  

Chapter 2: Understanding, Understanding...

This chapter can be simplify through the quote "Understanding is about going beyond the information given".

Understanding is at the core of educational expectations. It is the very essence and foundation in which learning holds on. It is the final objective of teaching and its raison d'etre. So, the challenge is to achieve understanding.

Teachers are responsible for the process of learning in students and their achievements as well as their failures. However, how can teachers know when there is understanding? What do teachers comprehend by understanding? These are some of the questions that might explain some of the current failures of our traditional educational system. Most teachers think that understanding is the sum of grades in a book at the end of the year, determined by the covered units of textbooks. This is of course a tremendous mistake that jeopardizes students learning, motivations, and thinking.

There is a misunderstanding of concepts, therefore learning becomes fruitless.
If you ask me, there is no learning without understanding. Those are two concepts that should always hold hands, because once you understand something, then the next step will be to show your understanding, thus creating learning. And if that learning is continuous, then more understanding should take place.

Nonetheless, this is not something that should solely be assumed. To merely assume it, would be to destroy our own tittle of "teachers".

Wiggins states: We cannot cover concepts and expect them thereby to be understood; we have to uncover their value – the facts that concepts are the result of inquiry and argument.

That is the key! If we want learning and understanding to happen, then the teacher should encourage students to THINK about things they are exposed to. If there is a new concept to teach, the teacher should guide towards the inquiry-based understanding, and let students to shed lights on meaning in their own way. Consequently, students would become learners, and transform knowledge into understanding and beyond. Hence, the role of the teacher in here is to guide students to build their path on learning, and challenging them to go beyond the concepts themselves.

To develop thinking is the key to understanding. Thus, a well thought   process that serves the achievement of understanding and thinking is in the hands of well prepared teachers. Lousy teachers make lousy students.

At least, this is why I understand.

Chapter 1: Backward design

Our current educational system is so awfully grounded that I could understand perfectly what the author meant by the sarcastic sentence: "Throw some content and activities against the wall and hope some of it sticks". This analogy evidences so graphically what happens in schools and in the minds of teachers, that the immediate response one thinks of is almost that the author proposal for planning is a gift from heaven and the most coherent and fruitful basis we all knew but never really understood.

This is why the very question that invades my mind is why did not we have this kind of readings before. The proposal of having the focus on learning instead of teaching changes entirely the perspective from where we contemplate our career, since we are surrounded by teachers who never ever consider learning but just assume it happens at some point of the superficial covered units at school. Therefore, we always knew that something was wrong, but never truly understand what exactly that was, and once we had the power inside the classroom we could not solve the puzzle together. That is what happens in a system where everything is built upon the same principles, and there seems to be no way out of it.

This is why I consider that the three stages of backward design Wiggins proposes us, are so enlightening to our future or current practices. I strongly believe that the rest of the book will have powerful influence in my paradigm for education, for backward design not only challenges you to change the way you plan your classes, but also helps you to think assessment differently in order to foster your students' learning. That is in fact the goal: to learn and to be able to produce learning continuously.

Interview ~

Sorry, I couldn't interview someone of the class, but it should work, I hope u.u

Last class, last post u.u

To start with, I would like to say that this term in language 4 (in this class only, not in the other monday/friday ¬¬!) has been quite fun! I've learnt a lot regarding idioms, expressions, and vocabulary. Also, I've learnt a bit of phonetics and british pronouncing. However, what I liked the most was the freedom of speech we had in our classes, blogs and emails. I think this is the kind of class (meaning planning, activities, approach, happiness, and ironic jokes) I would like to have forever. I really had a great time here, guys C: Hopefully we could meet and do something fun in a couple of weeks, in El Ermitaño ;D I'm really looking forward for that.

I think I'll be using this account for some projects on a magazine during summer, so if you want you could check it once in a while C:

See you guys around!

Love u all ~ <3

Jobs And Happiness...

It has been said that people are unhappy with their jobs due to many reasons. One of them is the hard work and the bad payment the job offers. Along with that, people have to coup with the unequals social and economic aspects of their day-to-day life. For instance, families who want to go on holiday and are not able to do it because they have to work in order to pay the bills (these are the workers whose contracts are constanly being renewed, having no benefits, or even worse, having no contract at all).

Nevertheless, and amazinly as it might sound, Chile is placed as one of the happiest country en Latin America after Peru. Why? Because people know how to take care of their own and they consider that spending time with family is more important than money itself. Also, the social life, the concerts, the movies, and all that, are usually named in the bills. Interesting, isn't it?

The Coolest Job Ever



If a could choose a job that would make me happy, it would be definitely Game Tester.
Game testers have to test video games in order to give their opinion regarding graphics, interaction, logic, and plot of the game. Thus, the programmers are able to fix whatever is wrong and release the video game with no further problem.

If I could get that job, I would be the happiest girl in the whole world! For instance, I have been waiting for Diablo III to be released two years ago, and Blizzard is not giving up yet. They want it to be huge, so they are playing (as usual) with the expectations of all video game geeks and it seems they are going to launch the video game in 2011. That means ANOTHER YEAR of patience waiting... However, the game plays are already upoaded for everyone to see how it works. Those game plays are made by the Game Testers! So they do not have to waint years to play a brandnew game, and they even get paid for playing it! Is not that the coolest thing ever? Nevertheless, I do not know anyone who works doing that. I had a friend once whose opinion was asked in forums, but nothing else.

Diablo 3 - Cinematic Trailer <3

"After Dark" by Haruki Murakami.

248 pp. Registration code: 895.63 M972a.E 1a.ed. c.1

After dark it is not easy to understand, for it has a mixture of reality and the oniric join at some point. Plus, the stories take place in one night following a real timeline.In my opinion, what happens with time is the most important thing in the book, for everything revolves around it.

Firstly, Murakami show us that in just one night a whole life might be changed. This is due to the chances and decisions we take and make. For instance, speaking with someone and let him/her get to know you, could help you understand yourself better as well as it might take you off your routine for a while. On the other hand, if you do not allow this to happen, you could be trapped inside your catch-22 without ever knowing why life is the way it is for you.
Secondly, whenever you take a chance, you have to bear in mind that the consequences it has are not just aim at you, but at the people around you. For example, Eri Asai who was asleep and seemed like fighting between the oniric world and reality never thought about how her family would take her decision of “sleeping and never waking up”. Moreover, never even crossed Eri’s mind to speak with her sister in a way that they could both understand each other.
This is how we also push away the people we love when we feel that the abyss is way too deep to take a chance and walk through it.

To wrap up, I believe that time means everything in our lifes. Therefore, people should not alienate themselves of others with the excuse of having no time. If you are going to take chances, take one that gathers you with those you love, not the opposite. If you are expecting for time to solve everything, all you are going to get is loneliness and alienation.

Favorite Website: Microsiervos

http://www.microsiervos.com

I found this website long time ago because of a friend. At first I didn't liked it very much, since it had plenty of things I just couln't understand at the moment. However, soon I find myself getting more and more into the topics and understanding the ideas of the posts these guys write about.
The website is a microblog and it's owned by three people (Alvy, Nacho, and Wicho). Eventhough, the blog was meant to be just about geek stuff, it ended up to be related to humor, games, books, movies, "little conspiracies theories", and a lot more.

The layout is quite simple. It is just white backgroud and coloured letters with simple logos, links and some pictures.

I visit it when I have time, and there's always some interesting thing to read about.

Education & Open Source: working together.

http://www.linux.com/archive/feature/22950

The type of information I found, is related to software & education. This software is (a big) part of Open Sources projects in education: Edubuntu. Just like the webpage's description says "It provides a software platform that allows educators to spend more time teaching with computers and less time managing them". These kinds of projects are responses to the disaster Windows has provoked in Education, given that there is always a problem with that Operative System. Thus Windows is not for free, and people have to pay licenses and stay updated. Not even mention the part where viruses come into business. In addition, Edubuntu (just like openSUSE) work also with Moodle teaching.

Moreover, Ubuntu (which is the OS of Edubuntu) is one of the easiest platforms for is meant to be used by anyone (especially auto-considered enemies of technology). In fact, people who have never installed software were surprised when installing something in Ubuntu.

In my opinion, when it comes to education, we should consider the importance of technology in the classroom, as well as outside of it. What is more, if you think about it, many schools don’t have computers because they are too expensive. Well, Linux and OpenSource can work in the oldest computers with no problems at all! So, all those computers which are considered as garbage (since Windows don’t run on them given the low memory they have) could be used with Ubuntu. Therefore, the problem of poverty (technically speaking) would be solved. Sadly, everyone thinks that you need to pay for everything related to computers, and if is not Windows or Mac, there’s no chance.

Making changes

As we all saw on the video, making changes, especially small groups, is not something it is done out of nowhere. It is a difficult task, where you have to be completely involve and willing to face all the problems you will find on the way. Nevertheless, if your project is strong enough (like the condom project), soon you'll find support everywhere.

If you think about it, it is amazing what the condom project did to people in Thailand. Indeed, they saved lifes! Eventhough it was so simple to think, no one had considered that just by giving condoms and contraceptives for free, the country itself would be having less poverty. In effect, by managing how many children a family can have, and then start with family planning, people can actually have the control of their own lifes (and future).

So, if we consider that being a small group is not a problem, we could do some great things. But how can we start? Well, there are many groups already that are making a difference in people's minds, creating conciousness, spreading information, explaining things the way they really are, giving pieces of advice, writing things in public places, using art as a tool to symbolize the problems (stencils), and so many others!

However, there is one thing we need to have and it is as simple as be willing to make the difference. It is all in our hands. We are the ones who have the future in our hands. Maybe not economically speaking, but in terms of brain-using. I mean, if people would actually care, things would be so much different than they are today. Just, use your own brain and do not wait until somebody else starts doing something.

The best song at the moment

Long time ago, I was reading this book a friend of a friend wrote and I put on some music this friend recommended to me. So then, the song started playing while reading the best part of the story and the rhythm was following like every detail. At first I did not realize, but later on I felt this weird feeling inside. It was the song! It is by Apocalyptica, and it's called Inquisition Symphony. It does not actually have lyrics, it is just instrumental. But this guys are awesome. When you start listening to them, you just can't stop. I mean, the sound of the cello just makes you feel so damn good! The best part is that it's instrumental. You don't hear a story, you feel it in your bones.

Apocalyptica also plays song of Metallica, but with four cellos. There's no guitar or battery. They make those sounds with the cello.

I leave you this link for you to hear C:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzpJiSjKChE

Celebrating the "national holiday"? Think again.

To my mind, being chilean has never meant anything too great and too fabulous. In fact, I have to say that my lack of patriotism is stronger. I think this is because I grew up seeing contradictions everywhere. In History, for example, they taugh me about original tribes and where they used to live, how they were so uncivilized, how wild and destructive they were, and so many things they used to do when they were a living culture. At the same time, my family was always telling me about the unjustices mapuche people had to coup with. This was because my mom's family has mapuche heritage; that's why I have a mapuche lastname. My mom told me that I should know the meaning of it as minimun, and that i should be proud of it. So, I was caught in the middle of two different perspectives about being chilean. Therefore, I never really have a feeling of belonging. Actually, I hate cueca and the national holidays, and I hate the Parada Militar even more because they seem to be so proud being a country with so many military equipment like if that was actually a way of achieving peace. At the end I realized about everything and discovered that what is considered culture is not even nearly to what people think. You have to pay attention to reality and think a bit about what is going on with the country before celebrating something which you don't even understand. In fact, Chile shouldn't be celebrating at all. Chile (as a government) should be rebuilding houses, helping those who are in extreme situations after the earthquake in the south, eliminating the antiterrotist law that is doing nothing but killing natives who are not even terrorist, paying attention to education seriously, and not rebuilding museums or making shows of lights and expending money in meaningless things.

The Yes Men

I think the hoaxs of Yes Men organization are what people needed to see how things are really going on in this world. I mean, in Chile the Thermoelectric proyect did not work for the businessman not because of the government authorization, but because the country itself was clearly against it. If the people hadn't showed their disappoval by making marchs and protests, would have anything taken into account? I strongly believe the Yes Men actions are completely justified. In a world where some people have the power to destroy human life, and are allow to do so IF they make some money, the Yes Men corporation are blessing. They are trying to make a strong point where people (meaning us) should be aware of what is actually happening, how people are being used and what twisted terrifying reality we are living in.

Vida de un loco: tres relatos.

By Ryunosuke Akutagawa
895.63 A315j.E 1a. ed. c.1


The book I read had 3 stories.

El biombo del infierno (Hell screen - 地獄変 Jigokuhen 1917)

The title of El biombo del Infierno relates directly to the story with no further meaning, where El Biombo is a screen where the scenary of Hell was painted.

The Hell Screen is about how arrogance, haughtyness, and selfishness can take over the heart of a man, who had never cared about the consequences it might have. In the story, Yoshihide (the painter) loses his doughter who is burnt alive by The Great lord's orders. This is due to the attemp of having Yoshihide's request of sacrifing a human life just to see the process of someone dying among flames... just to paint it and finish his work.

To my point of view, the writer was quite concise through out the story in terms of telling exactly what happened. He made an interesting point by focus his attention on Yoshihide's daughter as well as in the faithful friendship the monkey had with her. In my opinion, is was this what makes us despise Yoshihide at the end.
I think the main lesson of the story was that as a human living in a society, you can not be individualist nor can you be arrogant thinking that you are the best of the whole universe. I mean, you can and perhaps you are the best of the best, but it is has to do with the attitude or approach you are showing.

Los engranajes ("Spinning Gears" - 歯車 Haguruma. 1927)

This story's title is related to gears the main character would see time to time, as well as a process of a series of situations that took place. It seems to me it is like a metaphore, because the spinning gears are usually mentioned in relation with insanity. As for the main points, there were any, since the main character was telling what he was doing or where he was but mostly you have to read between the lines. This is because he's hidden message is insanity, yet not the kind of insanity that you all consider. This insanity, which is depressive, you cannot fight against.
Akutagawa is not inventing this story, he is not trying to make a point. He is just a victime of modernity, which changed (and killed) much of the japanese people's beliefs. Culturaly speaking, once Japan opened its doors in the 20th century, people got lost inside, and did not know where the belong anymore (kind of what happens to some of us nowadays).

Vida de un loco (Fool's Life - 或阿呆の一生 Aru Ahō no Isshō. 1927)

Fool's life is the last story Akutagawa wrote before he commited suicide. Akutagawa actually presented it as a joke to laugh about. Nevertheless, it is as funny as a grave with worms. Again, the story is about his own day-to-day life, how he met his wife, how he felt when he was about to be a father, his reflexions about life, etc. I think, Akutagawa's perspective can be seen explicitly in this story, i.g. how unhappy was with his life and with the world as well as with the whole idea of life, society, family, etc. I believe it is hard to tell you about this story, since it is complex and simple at the same time. I mean, you have to be miserable to understand the point he was making. As for the main lesson, not even death can save your twisted mind of itself.

わかりました!

Review~ on phrasal verbs

Make it easier: to make sth less difficult (That makes it easier to decide)

Make do: To make sth work (I'm gonna make do with less)

Make a difference: To do sth that will be taken seriously against the traditional point of view (We will make a difference with our OpenSource program!)

Make a point: to express an idea which is strongly considered (Ana made a good point there, when she was talking about the pinguins)

Make time: To consider sth and make a bit of space for it on your schedule. (I'm gonna make the time for my personal hobbies)

Make or break: To cause something to succeed or fail . (She's gonna graduate next week. This could be make or break for her)

Make the most of something: to get as much out of something as is possible (She doesn't know how to make de most of her life.)

------------------------------------------

To name but two, three, etc.: To mention just 2, 3, etc (of all the others).

To name but a few: To mention things with out numbering them

To mention but two: To mention just 2

Such as: like (example)

In particular: Mentioning one thing in specific

Among other things: among things that you won't mention.

For instance, for example: giving examples
---------------------------------------------------------
Idioms

To be under the weather: feeling down/blue

To be given a clean bill of health: means you’re perfectly healthy

To be at death’s door: means you’re feeling worse than ever because of a illness

To be going/coming down with something: starting to have a cold or sth.

A bug going around: viruses on the air that make people sick

To be in good shape: perfectly healthy

Nudo de Víboras

843.91 M454nE c.1

Relationships. That is a important issue in this book. Personally, I am afraid of relationship. Seriously.
First, I will start with the relation that Luis, who is the main character, had with his mother. They both were quite closed, yet the mother kind of overprotected him, and create in him a feeling of paranoia. I have to say that this in particular happens all the time with us or among others. Our loved ones are always traying to protect us, not aware of the damage they are doing to our lifes. To illustrate, being overprotected could end with us being closed-minded, cold, individualist, or, even worse, unable to connect with others or developing an antisocial behavior. Personally, I was never overprotected. To be honest, It was quite the opposite. That is why I am so reserved and quiet, because I grew up alone.

Second, there is the strong relationship Luis and Isa had in the beginning, when they met. In brief, we all have exprerienced love once, and we all know that it is either great or awful. Certainly, it is so important that our whole future perspective could rely on how we manage to be happy or miserable in that point of our lifes. For example, Luis was strongly happy with Isa loving him at the begining, yet his mother was always telling him that it was not love at all, that is was an economical interest on his fortune and nothing else. However, Luis wanted to believe otherwise; he yearned for Isa actually loving him, for who he really was. Nevertheless, the ideas of paranoia his mother had filled his head with finally went visually real. In other words, as I said before, if things do not turn out well in this point for you, you will be miserable for the rest of your existence, just like Luis. He turned uot to be a lonely cold-hearted man.

To finish, I would like to say that what I liked the most about this book was the magnitude of hate that Luis had in his heart. How can someone be so hurt inside that would plan a revenge to show his enemies (his family) that he is in fact smarter than them? Actually, all he wanted was just a little bit of love from his wife who he secretly loved (and hated eventually) all his life, untill she was dead.

Scanning the brain, looking for some personality in there.

By doing the personality quiz, I realized of a lot of things about myself which I don't notice most of the time. One of them was how much of a tech-junkie I am! I know, everyone says the same, yet this time was a program who said it! That I find hilarious, because I really love seaching the web with my laptop, discover new things related to technology and things like that. Actually, I recently changed my OS (operative system) from Windows to Ubuntu, and I'm so happy with it! You can do so much things with out having to buy anything since it is an open source, that means free software. No licenses needed to use the Open Office, or programs which I was used to hack in order to use the trial version as the full version (that you often have to buy). And the most important thing: viruses free! But I'm gonna stop beating around the bush and go back to the topic! Another thing that caught my attention was related to music. The test said that it's the soundtrack to my world, which I must say it's pretty much accurated. Nowadays, music has become one of the most importat things in our lifes, in every aspect. Most of the time we find it hard not to be with our headphones, don't we? It seems like the test got myselft right, since I felt way too figured out and, most importantly, understood. It was fun to read a description of myself for a change. For example, I've never understood why I never let my things to be in another place of the house but my own room. In the personality quiz it said “As for the home, you have an expressive personality with a contemporary taste. You like to be surrounded by the precious possessions that define who you are.” So I was thinking in all the towers of books, my drawings, my objects, and all that garbage that I have in my room using all the space in there!
As for the stats, I HAVE to say that my results per area were like the 5% or 1% or 3% in comparison of what the mayority of people chose. It is not disappointing at all. Actually I feel quite especial not being part of the general descriptions!
Answering the questions of the teacher, I found one word that I did not know, which is was unwind. In my own words, that would be like doing something different in order to relax and escape from reality.
To finish, my opinion about the web page is optimistic. I think people should do this kind of things once in a while to find themselves and start doing what they really love to do, and not what they are expected to do. Also, once you have realized of what you're doing and why you are the way you are, you see yourself from another perspective, which I think it's a great opportunity to get the best out of your personality!