Think of a time that you tried to understand, or you were trying to explain, something to someone, and a mental model, background knowledge, or a video anchor would have been useful to you. Include: 1) the situation, 2) what was said or read, 3) what made it difficult to comprehend, and 4) what would have aided you with either your comprehension or explanation.
Please see others comments first and avoid duplication. You need to (1) reply to 1 of your classmates' comments and (2) make your own comment. Be creative!
1) ASL Sign Language Class
ReplyDelete2) Church service sermon
3) In this church service that we were required to attend for a Deaf culture assignment was difficult to understand because it was full inclusion into the Deaf community without our professor there to clarify what was going on or the home and community signs that people use in the real world that are not standard signs that we learned in class.
4) A powerpoint was presented along with the sermon that people could follow along with but the preacher would always say things that were not on the powerpoint and would go quickly and sometimes it would be hard to follow for those of us who are not fluent in the language. Pictures or videos to go along with this type of church service really would have benefited those of us who were not fluent in ASL. Visual representations (photos, videos, text) are very important for learners especially when there is no previous background knowledge to build on.
I agree that background knowledge to build on is very important and pictures, especially for a Deaf community, would be extremely important. It would be frustrating if you do not have background information and some of the things that are being said are not even presented to you. I would need a lot of background knowledge if I was in this church service.
DeleteI agree with you. A video model of hands making the motions of the local community signs would be beneficial, especially if there was an audio component to the video that said what the signs are supposed to mean while the signs are being displayed. This is key for information where the learner does not have the proper background knowledge to build of of.
DeleteWatching a soccer game is always difficult for me to understand. I would be watching it and my friends would be cheering and would get upset at certain times. I could not understand why, because I never played soccer and I do not understand the rules. Because I did not understand the rules, I was having trouble following the game. I needed constant information about what was happening, why someone received a yellow card and why they got a penalty shot. When you do not understand something, such as a sport, it would be beneficial to have background knowledge. For me, in this situation, it would have helped if I had previewed the rules before watching the game. Just understanding the rules would have eliminated a lot of confusion. Having watched a smaller game before the big game would have been beneficial because I would not have as many questions and everyone could enjoy the game. Having background knowledge is very important because without it you really are confused and do not understand what is happening.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree, from personal experience soccer was very hard for me to grasp because all of the rules are so different from most sports that I was familiar with. If I had someone who could've given me a basic understanding of soccer rules, I would've spent a lot less time lost and confused while watching the game.
DeleteI agree 100% Alison! When I first started watching hockey with some friends in high school, I had some real trouble trying to figure out what was going on and why certain things were happening (penalties, face-offs, etc.). Having a mental model or seeing a video anchor before I started watching would have definitely helped.
DeleteI agree with you completely! I played soccer in high school and my mom still does not understand the rules. She is always asking me what is going on and what makes it off sides. I will draw it out for her to give her a visual of what makes it off sides. It seems to help a little but then the next time she will ask again!
DeleteThe summer before I started college, I decided to buy a mac book laptop for classes and homework. However, I had never previously owned or frequently used any type of apple product, so when I was sitting through the orientation at the apple store where an employee shows you about all of the fun and advanced features that your new computer can do, I was still struggling with basic user operations because I had no prior knowledge of apple products. If I had been offered an introductory course on apple products or had there been a video I could've watched comparing and teaching PC operations to the Mac, I would've felt a lot more confident about using a mac book and would've been able to understand everything that the apple employee was trying to teach me about my computer.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree Tori! Going from a Dell to a Mac was a huge adjustment for me and it took me so long to figure out how to do anything. People always tried to verbally explain how to do things for me, but the only thing that helped me was looking up videos on YouTube!
DeleteSwitching over from PC to Mac was one of the most difficult things I have ever done.(also the best decision I ever made!) Pictures always help me because I am a visual learner. It is important to know your students learning style so that you know the best way to present information to them especially when it is background information that needs to be really comprehended before further information can be learned.
DeleteI can see how making the switch would be difficult. I use a PC still and am often confused when using other people's Macs, or the school Macs. Videos always help me understand what I am doing or being walked through step by step, like we do in class.
DeleteI remember switching too! I was 15 and got the Mac for my birthday, I was so excited, but never learned any of the features on my mac. Still to this day, I have the same computer and don't know half of the things that it can do! I am just not a tech type of person. I just google things sometimes when I am trying to figure out something on the computer!
DeleteSomething that I have had trouble with in the past is my dad trying to give me directions to places I have never been before. My dad is one of those people who is great with directions and always seems to phrase things in ways that don't make sense like, "go east on...," "take 75 to..." when I have no idea what direction or roads he's talking about. If I had some background knowledge on where exactly these roads were or where exactly my destination was, I may have been able to travel more efficiently. Providing me with a map, a list of directions, or some landmarks near my destination before explaining the directions to me would have been very useful. Photos or other supplementary materials that could help me visualize the trip also may have helped.
ReplyDeleteDylan, this is seriously my life! I don't know the difference between west east left or right when I'm on the highway and I'm definitely someone who benefits from having either a map or even a list of written directions if the map is difficult to read.
DeleteI agree, I also am very directionally challenged. It's hard for me to listen to someone give directions while driving, I get distracted by so many things it's hard to concentrate to the street names and directions I'm told to go. A good visualization of a place before I go somewhere would be very helpful, I most always use my trusty GPS.
DeleteThe best example I can think of for a time when I was struggling to understand something was when my friends told me they wanted to go to this thing called “lollapalooza.” I had never heard of it before and had no idea what it was. But they kept trying to tell me it was a music festival. I have never been to a music festival, let alone a three day one they were talking about. They kept trying to tell me how the tickets worked, what your wore, who performed, etc. I just did not understand how multiple bands and artists could be playing at the same time…on all different stages in the same place. Therefore, if someone would have showed me a video anchor I feel like I would have immediately understood because I would have been able to see firsthand exactly what they were talking about and how these music festivals work.
ReplyDeleteOne time I was explaining the rules of exponents to someone who kept confusing the rule. I had said that x to the "n" power multiplied by x to the "m" power is x to the "n+m" power. The person could not remember this rule and kept thinking that the answer is x to the "m times n". The concept was difficult to comprehend because it seemed abstract and detached from the math concepts that the person could visualize. My explanation of the concept and the person's comprehension of this explanation was enhanced when I presented the information with a visual model. x to the "n" power is x multiplied by x for n times in a row and x to the "m" is x multiplied by x for m times in a row. So multiplying the two together is x times x times x for a total of n times and x times x times x for a total of m times, which is x times x times x for a total of n times and m times. x multiplied by itself n times and then m times is x multiplied by itself n+m times, which is x to the "n+m" power. For example, x to the 3rd power multiplied by x to the 4th power is xxx multiplied by xxxx, which is xxxxxxx, which is x to the 7th power. Having this background knowledge would have aided the person. If the person did not have this background knowledge, a video anchor would help explain the fundamentals of this concept by using a visual model.
ReplyDeleteI can understand their misunderstanding! Exponent rules were difficult for me to understand at first too, even though I was good at math. I feel like your visual model would have benefitted me when I was first learning these concepts because I would be able to see and understand what the exponents meant.
Delete(1) A situation that I encounter as a student from Lexington is giving directions to places around town. (2) I often find myself referencing popular street names or places that are around their destination. (3) It is hard to explain where their destination is because I can say these street names and understand where I am referencing, but they do not know what I am talking about because they are not from Lexington. (4) Giving directions would be easier if the person was from Lexington, or if they knew more popular destinations around town to have a reference to.
ReplyDeleteI have been driving in Lexington for two years now and I still never know where I am and cannot understand directions I am given. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to give directions to people like me who are clueless!
DeleteA time when I couldn't figure out how to do something was when my car sunroof stopped working. Well I have a bmw and getting anything fixed on it is WAY too expensive, so I tend to google or YouTube videos on things that I could maybe fix myself. This past May my sunroof stopped working and I just kept looking up videos on how to fix it and demonstrations of people step by step telling me and showing me what to do. It was one of the hardest things to comprehend because I am no handyman (woman)! I think what would've helped me was just to be able to have the video go even slower then it was already going, it was so hard to keep pausing or re-watching the video.
ReplyDeleteOne time when I was in the Dominican Republic I was trying to explain the concept of "March Madness" as it relates to Kentucky basketball. The people I was talking to do not speak very good English (my Spanish is pretty poor as well) and they don't know a lot about college basketball. I was struggling with the language barrier and was trying to use hand gestures and the small spanish I know to communicate to them how crazy UK's campus gets in March. I remember wishing that I had a video or pictures that I could show them to help them visualize what I was trying to describe.
ReplyDeleteOne time my tire was low on air and my dad was trying to explain what to do over the phone. He was telling me to pull out tools from my toolbox in my trunk. Then he told me to stop at a gas station and use the air pump. I didn't have any background knowledge on what each tool was called and the use for it. I also had never used an air pump before. It would have been helpful if I had the background knowledge on the tools (air pressure gauge) and how to use the pump. An instruction manual with listed steps would have been very helpful, along with a sheet that identified each tool in my toolbox.
ReplyDeleteI've had this problem before and was in the same situation. I found that it was helpful to take a day or two to spend with my dad to learn all about the different tools and their uses on cars. My big problem with cars tends to be the wiring from the battery to the rest of the car.
DeleteMy mom is extremely bad with technology, especially computers! I wanted her to edit and make correction to a paper that I emailed her. She called me confused about how to edit and reply to me. I tried to explain to her that if she would look in the right hand corner there would be an arrow and that is how she would reply to me with her comments. She said that she understood (kinda) and hung up and said she sent it. She then calls me back in a hurry and tell me she thinks she did something wrong, because some of her friends replied about the paper. I start asking her questions and realize she was on the wrong email message and hit reply all. Her friends thought that she was sharing my research paper with them. We ended up laughing it off and sent another message to ignore the previous email. It would have been a lot easier if she could have looked up a video on how to reply or if I was there in person to give her guidance. She understood the arrow I was talking about but I should have been more specific about the instructions and not assumed that she knew she had to be on my email I sent her.
ReplyDeleteMy mom is the exactly the same. Even though she was a teacher she has no clue how to properly access technology tools and often has lots of questions. Plus I am really bad at giving directions on the phone to help her out and like you said having videos that can do all the explaining would be useful because she would then have a visual and directions that could help her follow the process to access the things she may not be as good with.
Delete1) I was telling Dylan and Maria about the purchase I made on Amazon.com which was a Smart Balance Board. They didn't know what it was or how it worked so this video would've been very helpful to give them a mental model: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1hgXoD5hto
ReplyDelete2) I told them that it goes by many names so they may recognize other titles, also just the basic description of how it works. I told them that it's like a skateboard but in this case it only has two wheels. Also I told them that in order to get it to move you have to shift your weight to the front of the sensor pads under your feet.
3) They were a bit confused because they had never actually seen one in person or witnessed it in action. Also it may have been difficult to comprehend because the closest electronic device to it is the segway which looks much different. Since it is a relatively new invention not many people have heard about it or know anything about it.
4) For help I could have referred them to this video or simply shown them a picture on Google. A picture would've been nice because I could show them a physical image to look at and describe the different features to them. The video is much more helpful because it shows people using it and describes the features at the bottom of the screen all at the same time. The owners manual I got with it improved my own comprehension and allows for me to explain the device with thorough detail.
Something I've never been able to really understand while watching is football. I know when to cheer sometimes cause everyone else is, but I have no idea what the team did right or wrong really. Watching a PowerPoint of video that goes over the position and rules would be very helpful and informational for me. The game stops and starts so many times it's hard to catch on to what is happening. Also watching old tapes would be helpful if I had someone who knew the game to explain everything to me.
ReplyDeleteOne of the many examples that I can think of is all the the occasions when I try to give directions to where I live at in Lexington or directions to anywhere in my home town. I always have a hard time describing to my mom how to get to places in Lexington that are unfamiliar to her. Instead of giving her street names I generally give her landmarks to follow that I think are recognizable. However, even though I think I am doing a good job of describing areas it never is as clear as she would like. Therefore if there was a video she could watch that showed her pictures of landmarks and the roads that she would have to travel on to reach her destination would be valuable instead of having to walk her step by step while she is driving on the phone. Therefore helping her comprehend the directions better.
ReplyDelete