EDU510

Application of Mental Representation

Discovering Perkins_ Principles

Mental Representations and Perkins

Mental Representations and Perkins

Keeley Glonek

Post University

Analysis and Application

Mental Representation	Which principle would be used and why?	In what ways would the instruction be altered?	What teaching strategies could be used to engage and motivate students?
Logic is the reasoning behind our actions, it is the meaning behind why something is believed to be true.   Example:  Athletic Training Students (ATS) will use rehabilitation technique logic to help explain to patients the reasoning behind the treatment plan and to better evaluate the patient to create a treatment plan.	Play the Whole Game: having a complete understanding for what is being learning through “problem solving, explanation, argument, evidence, strategy, skill, craft” (Perkins, p.30). By Playing the Whole Game all the bases get covered.   Why: By playing the whole game ATS’s can think ahead and utilize the information they are given to envision how they might use it in the future. By informing their patient’s (pt’s) of the reason behind rehab they can help the pt understand what their end goal is how they are going to get there.	By incorporating playing the whole game into freshman courses students would have ample time to practice this principle. At times, it may be difficult to help people understand why performing certain exercises will eventually help them perform their daily activity again. Practice makes perfect. The more students must explain how exercises will help pt’s reach their end goal and why the easier it will be in the future.	Perkins (p. 30) explains that Playing the Whole Game isn’t just about content but about attempting to improve at performing a skill. Having students perform the skills they learn through scenarios they create for each other, or maybe that they draw out of a hat and must act out, instead of taking a written test is a way to incorporate problem solving, strategy, skill, and craft
Rules are the standard for anything and are put into place for safety and regulation.   Example: Athletic training students will have a set of rules that they need to follow to complete their clinical rotations. For instance, attire on game day and attire on a non-game are different and it is always mandatory to be appropriately dressed.	Work on the Hard Parts: There are always parts of classes that are difficult. Instead of moving on and ignoring the difficult sections it is best to prepare ahead for them or to work through them.   Why: There are times when athletic training students may not know the standard or the expectations of their preceptors so it is best to prepare for that to prevent bumps in the road. By preparing for the hard parts, instructors will create a better atmosphere and prepare students for careers after school.	At the students first day at their clinical site they are handed a list of expectations from their preceptor. This list includes being on time, wearing appropriate clothes to games, and advanced notice if running late or cannot attend. This list of expectations allows the preceptor to prepare for the hard parts by given the student examples to help them through the hard part (not meeting expectations).	Have students on their first day create a list of expectations they have of themselves. This will create an atmosphere that is less authoritative and more self-motivating.
Concepts are a generalized idea of anything, the big picture.   Example: A coach for a peewee football team might teach the concept of the game instead of specific rules or drills.	Uncover the Hidden Game: Perkins (2009) says that “almost everything that people learn in and out of school has its hidden aspects, dimensions and layers and perspectives not apparent on the surface of the activity. Similar to learning what happens behind the scenes at a play.   Why: Uncovering the hidden game is sometimes where coaches forget about concepts of games. When children learn a sport the concept seems to be score and fun, across the board for all sports. As they get older the concept of fun and learning the sport to have a different understanding of the concept of teamwork or handling lose can sometimes be forgotten.	At any level when teaching or advancing knowledge of sport the hidden concepts of the game should continue to be reiterated. Instead of losing site of the reason we are constantly encouraging our youth to be involved in sports we should be constantly reminding them why.	After a loss, a coach can utilize this time to discuss how well the players worked together as a team, to point out how much each player has grown as an individual not only in the sport but as a person in terms of leadership, encouraging others to do better, discipline, dedication, integrity, etc. Teaching the players that the sport has hidden concepts other than winning and that by playing the sport they are becoming better people is showing the players the hidden game of their sport.
Analogies are a comparison of one thing to another, a similarity between two different things.   Example: Not all patients will understand images or explanations of how to do perform rehab techniques, therefore in some cases it may be best to use an analogy.	Play Out of Town: Rules of a game don’t change just because the location of the game changes. Playing out of town means learning to transfer knowledge to different situations and settings.   Why: Playing out of town is similar to analogies in that when one plays out of town they are living a similarity between their home field and the away field.	When instructing patients who must perform the same motion of an exercise but with a different tool or in a different setting (playing out of town) it is best to use an analogy they will understand. For instance, if a patient needs to do shoulder strengthening exercises using the analogies of putting on a seatbelt or pulling starting a lawnmower are helpful in explaining band exercises.	Have students pick an exercise and create a list of similar activities that could be useful to help better explain the exercise. This helps the students to have a handful of analogies for a multitude of exercises instead of only being able to think of one on the spot that their patient may not relate to.
Images are the appearance of anything put into a form of visibility.   Example: When explaining a rehabilitation plan to a patient is imperative that they have a visual representation of the exercises they need to perform to better understand the proper technique.	Make the Game Worth Playing: To motivate students to learn they must want to learn for themselves, without any external rewards. To learn for one’s self is the greatest motivation there is. Why: By using visual aids of goals clinicians can help their pt’s to keep their eye on the prize and to help motivate them to continue to progress. Similar to taking before and after photos. Using visualizations for specific exercises helps the pt to envision themselves performing that exercise and completing it. This will help them complete the exercise properly and reach their objectives.	Have students learn and perform an exercise by just reading the directions. Then have students look at just images of an exercise and perform that exercise. Have student close their eyes and envision themselves doing an exercise that the instructor is describing and then perform that exercise. Have students compare their experience between the three and which one they believe will help them help their patients in the future. This will help students to understand the importance of visual aids and help their future pt’s to succeed.	Intrinsic motivation refers to behavior that is driven by internal rewards (Cherry 2016). Give students an assignment to create a vision board. This can help them to picture where they want to be in five, ten, fifteen years. The vision board will provide visual aid to students to and give them a better understanding of the importance of envisioning and seeing their goals, the same way their pt’s need to see what their goal for an exercise is before performing that exercise.

Connections and Reflection

            Throughout this course, I have learned so much information that at times I most definitely felt overwhelmed. This could have also been due to my hectic schedule and my team making it to conference and then regionals. Being in the medical field breaking down cognition is interesting to me. I enjoyed learning about the brain responds logic, rules, concepts, imagery, illusions, and analogies in the first few sections. Incorporating Perkins principles into the athletic training setting was made easy since he wrote his book in terms of baseball. Thoms (p. 4) shares that “Adults are not impressed or motivated by gold stars and good report cards” although candy seems to work to motivate my patients. Learning about motivation in detail is so important for my profession. If we are not motivating our patients to get better, heal, be stronger than they were before the rehabilitation then we are failing at our job as a profession. Similar to Brofenbrenner’s four systems athletic training students have the opportunity to learn in the classroom from an instructor, a clinical preceptor, on their own, with peers, and also from conventions. Athletic training students have such a unique opportunity to learn in a clinical setting from an early stage that as instructors or preceptors we must motivate them to continue in the profession and help them figure out what makes the game worth playing for them.

The “3 R’s and 4 C’s” (P21, 2007) are the future of education. Medical professionals are constantly on the edge of change and as athletic trainers we must continue to push the edge of evidence based medicine every day. We must learn from medicine around the world and find the physiologic science behind why we do what we do. By utilizing the R and C concepts we can explore options outside of our comfort zone.  This class has taught me that while there are no right or wrong ways to teach but that exploring options and learning about your students will point me in the right direction.

 

References

Bronfenbrenner’s Microsystems and Mesosystems. (2016, August 5). Retrieved from http://www.vvc.edu/academic/child_development/droege/ht/course2/faculty/lecture/cd6lectmicro.html

Cherry, K. (2016, November 22). What is Intrinsic Motivation? Retrieved from https://www.verywell.com/what-is-intrinsic-motivation-2795385

 

Perkins, D. N., & ebrary, I. (2009). Making Learning Whole: How Seven Principles of Teaching                Can Transform Education. San Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass.

P21.  (2007).  FAQ. Retrieved from: http://www.p21.org/about-us/p21-faq.

 

Thoms, K. J. (2001). They’re not just big kids: Motivating adult learners. Retrieved            from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED463720.pdf