This week in CEP 810 we were asked to craft an essay addressing learning, understanding and conceptual change in education. Bradsford, Brown, & Cocking’s article: How people learn helped to me to be cognizant of my ideas between learning and understanding and novice and expert teachers (2000). In my essay you will read how learning is built upon student preconceptions that must be addressed in the classroom. The learning that takes place must require a deeper understanding of the content, allowing the transfer of information among and between disciplines. This type of active thinking forces students to be metacognizant of their learning. Metacognition is effortlessly used by expert teachers to make sense of problems in their learning and teaching. Novice educators are in the process of building a deeper understanding to reduce the amount of effort they must put forth to achieve this understanding. Please enjoy reading my thoughts about learning, understanding and conceptual change in education.
Reference:
Bransford, J., Brown, A.L. & Cocking, R. R. (Eds.). (2002). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience and school. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. Retrieved from http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309070368
Miss P's Learning Corner 
Hi Ashley,
I found your essay on conceptual change to be very clear and enlightening. I couldn’t agree more that teachers need to focus on teaching students the patterns and principles that can be applied in multiple settings rather than focusing on the memorization of facts. Your points were well supported by the text. I also liked how you were able to connect the ideas presented in our reading to your own professional career by providing the reader with examples. The portion of your essay that spoke about the power of mistakes truly resonated with me. I have also been highlighting this within my own classroom by promoting growth mindsets and the power of “yet.”
The second part of your essay focused on the differences between novice and expert learners. While reading our article this week I had not made connections that you brought to light for me. This is only my second year teaching first grade and I feel I would certainly fall into the novice category where I am still trying to become familiar with curriculum and first grade patterns. In comparison, I can see how several of my teammates would be considered experts by teaching with more ease and understanding. I wonder how many experiences or years it will take to develop that sense of being an expert. Thanks for sharing your thinking with me!
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