14: Apperception

      In his second to last talk, James defined apperception as the “act of taking a thing into the mind” (p. 77).  Additionally, he described the process of apperception to be “a resultant of the association of ideas” (p. 78).   He emphasized the importance of associating new knowledge with old knowledge.  My daughters are competitive swimmers and my husband, Josh, coaches the team for which they swim.  One day they came home from swim practice, and I asked how the girls did that day.  Josh told me that he gave Riette, our youngest who is ten, a set of short sprints to complete. Next, he explained to her the time interval on which the swims were based and told her to “Go fast.” Riette proceeded to sprint the entire set and complete the swim within the allotted time interval with many seconds to spare.  To me, this is an excellent example of apperception.  Riette has swum competitively for four years.  She is only ten. and just learning about the concept of interval training.  By associating  “Go fast’ to the time interval, Riette was able to understand what was expected, upon which she reacted, and then performed better than expected.  

James also discussed the significance of connections among old knowledge and new knowledge.  “Every impression that comes in from without… no sooner enters our consciousness than it is drafted off in some determinate direction or other, making connection with the other materials already there” (p. 77).  I can say from experience, I really ENJOY observing students make the connection.  Anyone that has taught will agree, when a student goes “OHHHHH” or “AHA”, the teacher feels a sense of accomplishment along with the student.  The student is happy, the teacher is happy…one big happy classroom.  Making the connection is a beautiful thing, and one we should all strive to achieve.   It is here where I pondered the different methods that can be used to help make this connection, and I immediately thought of the SMARTBoard™.

       SMARTBoard™ allows the presentation and manipulation of images, text, and video on a large touch-sensitive screen. The SMARTBoard™ connects to a projector which reflects the content it takes from the computer onto the screen.  Special software is installed on the whiteboard and offers a variety of features that can be used for instruction. It is also possible to add new images and animations from the web or other programs to existing ones in the software.   Teachers can use ready-made materials or make their own materials and resources to support content delivery in lessons.  In addition, the teachers can save the work and return to the saved files at any time. 

The IWB software provides a variety of functions on the display in the classroom (Glover, et al., 2007)

·         Drag-and-drop (objects on board can be moved around)

·         Hide-and-reveal (objects placed over others can be removed)

                  ·         Highlighting (transparent color can be placed over writing or other objects)

                  ·         Animation (objects can be rotated, enlarged, and set to move
                      along a specified path)

·         Indefinite storage and quick retrieval of material

                  ·         Feedback (when a particular object is touched, a visual or verbal
                       response is generated)

 Here are some screen captures of SMARTBoard™ presentations I have used.

Can connect old with knew knowledge.

Fun interactives.

Teach students how to think abstractly.

          The SMARTBoard™ grabs the attention of the student, and the features help connect ideas together throughout instruction .   Some teachers may view SMARTBoard™, along with other technology, as a gimmick.   They see the technology as more of a form of entertainment rather than an instructional tool.  However, I feel the SMARTBoard™  is a powerful tool and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of teaching and instruction.  In what other ways can teachers use technology to help students make connections?

Glover, D., Miller, D., Averis, D., & Door, V. (2007). The evolution of an effective pedagogy
for teachers using the interactive whiteboard in mathematics and modern languages:  an empirical analysis from the secondary sector. Learning, Media, and Technology, 32(1), 5-20.

William wants to race Riette.