Reflective Journal 8: Week 9 Discussion and Chapter 13

Description
    The focus of the readings and discussions for EDAT 6115 this week were on the concepts of the importance of assessment usage and development within the classroom. This was followed by the discussion of how important is it for a teacher to use formative assessments within the class and how does it benefit the teacher and student.

Analysis
   Chapter 13
     Slavin argues that all assessments are based from the learning objective from a lesson that a teacher has constructed. These lesson objectives allow the teacher to understand what they want their students to understand or be able to do at the end of a lesson. The assessment part of the lesson is an illustration of whether or not the student has mastered that objective or goal (Slavin, 2012). The process of creating the learning objective and assessment to follow. Making sure the objective is specific, follows the previous lesson, and identifies the specific goal for the student to master are all key components. A teachers tests or quizzes should also include different components to make sure a student has a well rounded understanding of the learning objective. There should be different forms of questions with different levels of thinking. The questions must align with the learning objective goals set forth by the lesson as well as the assessment should be reliable and valid (Slavin, 2012). To add to that argument, Stiggins argues one step further to make assessments more impactful and that i making students become a part of creating and assessing their own formative or summative assessments (Stiggins, 2011). This can allow a sense of responsibility for self learning and self monitoring, a great skill that teachers try to instill within their students. According to Black and Wiliam when an assessment is improved an improvement on the quality and quantity of learning occurs causing a learning surplus within a child, because the student understands the importance of the assessment rather than looking at it as just a number or grade (Black and William, 1998). 

     Within the last few years, assessments in education have gained more importance. The frequency of assessing students has also grown. There is more to assessments than standardized state tests. Inner classroom assessments have gained more importance due to the need of qualitative and quantitative data for teacher instruction as well as allowing teachers to see if their students are mastering the standards. Assessments come in many different forms now other than quizzes and tests filled with multiple choice questions and vocabulary words. Assessments can be either formative or summative and can range anywhere from a simple ticket out the door to a unit exam. Slavin argues that assessments are a key tool in education because they illustrate to educators if the learning objectives have been met and if students have made progress in their education (Slavin, 2012).

     According to Slavin a “formative assessment” is “designed to illustrate to teachers whether an additional instruction is needed and to tell students if additional learning is needed: (Slavin, pp,410, 2012). Formative assessments provide teachers and students with an extremely valuable piece of information; feedback and data. Feedback from a formative assessment provides information to a teacher that showcases if their students are mastering the standards or if changes need to be made to the lesson plan or lesson objectives. Assessment feedback to students provides more than a grade. They give students a chance to see their strengths, weaknesses, and what they have retained from the lesson. Furthermore, according to Powell, formative assessments demonstrate to students organization, self-efficacy and responsibility skills that provide more than just academic information (Powell, 2013).

Reflection

    It was not until I was in my second year of teaching where I learning the importance of assessments usage within the classroom. This concept means a lot to me because as an educator it illustrates to me whether or not my students are grasping the material or if I need to re-evaluate and reteach. I feel that these concepts are of great importance for educators to understand and make sure that they are used daily if possible within the classroom. Assessments need to be all shapes, forms and sizes to allow for an over all picture of the students knowledge and mastery level of the standards. I would implement qualitative and quantitative assessments as well as formative and summative to make sure that my students are learning the knowledge and understanding the impact. 

    The positives of the concepts is that it showcases to teachers and students the importance of well created assessments and well given feedback. Negatives are the time and understanding it takes for an educator to really develop a sound and valid assessment as well as the criteria to understand their impact on student achievement and mastery level. 

    I learned how to create a better assessment and how valuable student impact on creating them can allow for better achievement scores. This can allow me to become a better teacher because now my feedback as well as my students feedback will be heard and evaluated to make the best decision for the next lesson. 

  

Reference
Slavin, R. E. (2012). Educational psychology: a foundation for teaching. Educational psychology: Theory and practice. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Powell, T. (2013). The Importance of Assessments: How Portfolios Can Impact Students' Self-Efficacy and Comprehension in an Online Graphic Design Course. Online Submission,

 Editorial. (1999). Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy and Practice Assess. Educ., 6(3), 317-319. doi:10.1080/09695949992766 

Stiggins, R. J. (1994). Student-centered classroom assessment. New York: Merrill.

Reflective Journal 7: Chapter 11 and Week 8 Discussion

                                                                                                              
                                                                                              Description
   
The focus for this week's reflective journal in EDAT 6115 are the concepts of classroom management and the impact it has on the classroom environment. The discussion for this week has the topic of classroom management issues that I personally have had in my classroom during my teaching career, how did I deal with them and could those issues been handled in a better way. Classroom management and the learning environment are two of the most important things that teachers can add to their arsenal of tricks. These two attributes of education can make or break a teacher as well as make the education a student receives great or causes learning gaps which can cause a child to fall behind. 
Analysis
     Chapter 11
       Slavin discusses that a learning environment encompasses any strategies that teachers use to "create a positive , productive, classroom and learning experience" (Slavin, pp.316, 2012). When a teacher has an effective classroom management plan the learning environment becomes more proactive toward student learning and therefore all of the class times is managed and used accordingly. Downtime within a classroom can be a crucial break in a child's educational plan and can lead to gaps in the child's learning pattern. Slavin argues that within a classroom period there is only about 60% of the time that is actually spent on learning (Slavin, 2012). The other 40% of the time within a class is spent, passing out materials, turning in papers, getting the children situated, answering questions; so many needed things but still time wasters. According to El Warfali, and Yusoff when teachers implement time management and organization into their classroom procedures it leads to higher achievement and better standard mastery (El Warfali and Yusoff, 2014). Prevention and implementation of behavior interventions are a great tool to help teachers bypass behavior problems that arise in the classroom. Most of the wasted time in classrooms is due to outbursts and behavioral issues that teachers must address. That takes away a great deal from instruction time. The use of non-verbal cues, praising good behavior, modeling the correct behavior, as well as repeated verbal reminders of the correct procedure and behavior, are all great ways to manage the classroom and create an effective classroom learning environment. 

Classroom management is something that teacher education programs tend to skim over. They constantly tell you that you can manage a classroom until you are in one. Even veteran teachers still have difficulty with classroom management, and for a new teacher it can make or break them. Classroom management goes beyond the discipline and behavior checks for a classroom. According to a study done by Jones, Bailey, and Jacob when teachers have effective classroom management, it can benefit them in greater ways than just the behavior of their students. Successful classroom management can lead to the emotional stability and intelligence of students, build better student-teacher rapport and make the classroom learning environment the best it can be (Jones, Bailey, and Jacob, 2014). Slavin also contributes to that argument stating that classroom management provides “effective learning, time management and creates an inquiring and interest learning environment” (Slavin, pp.316, 2012). A teacher must maintain focus, keep students engaged, and manage transitions in order for the class time to be as effective as possible and for the most learning to happen (Slavin, 2012). Rules and procedures of a classroom can lead to discourse with students. They can cause confusion, be too strict or too vague or simply be too many. Rules and procedures are set into place to make class time and disruptions minimum to ensure maximum learning.

Throughout my teaching career, I have experienced many classroom management and learning environment issues. Students yelling over me, blatant disrespect for others or school property, vulgar language and student distractions to disrupt and waste class time have all shown their face in my classrooms. I have always prided myself on the rapport and relationship I do build with my students, but even that is sometimes not enough to quail a disruptive or destructive student. I will admit my first year teaching, not knowing how to handle a disruptive or disrespectful students, my instinct was to remove them from the learning environment. This was only a short-term fix, and then the child had missed the day's lesson. Now I do have a better understanding of how to handle situations better. Eye signals, standing next to the student, ignoring them then coming to them personally at their desk and if the behavior does not change or get worse then take the disciplinary action. My main goal is to keep the learning environment going and interesting, by improving my classroom management skills every year I will certainly be able to accomplish that.

Reflection
     

These concepts were definitely not new to me. Classroom management is something that as a new teacher I am still bettering myself at. I keep making adjustments and improving every year because every new year brings new challenges and new students. An effective classroom management plan can provide students with the optimal learning.  I feel that these concepts can be used a great deal within a classroom because they are student success focus and make sure that students are learning to the best of their abilities. Within the context of my classroom, I can use these concepts to make the biggest impact on the my development of my students understanding of skills and concepts. Classroom management is an ongoing learning process. Teachers must have ways to keep time manages and the learning environment stable so that students do not get distracted and loose valuable content or skills. The positives of these implementation are the catering to the child and making sure that everyone has a chance to learn the way they learn best because when a teacher maximizes the learning time through effective classroom management and behavioral preventions, positive outcomes occur within the child. Negatives of an effective learning environment and classroom management are that it takes a lot of planning time, reworking and consistency to keep these behaviors at bay and making sure that all children get the chance to succeed.

Reference

Slavin, R. E. (2012). Chapter 11: Effective learning environments. Educational psychology: Theory and practice. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Jones, S. M., Bailey, R., & Jacob, R. (2014). Social-emotional learning is essential to classroom management. Phi Delta Kappan, 96(2), 19-24.

El Warfali, F. S., & Yusoff, N. N. (2014). Classroom Management: A Study on the Training Needs of Primary School Teachers. International Education Studies, 7(13), 1-5.

Reflective Journal 6: Chapter 9 and Week 7 Discussion

Description
      The focus of the readings and discussions for EDAT 6115 this week were on the concept of using grouping, differentiation and technology within the classroom and the discussion question of as a educator, how can you build a relationship and rapport with students who are considered at risk or special needs. Teachers are not taught how important relationships and rapports are with your students are. When students feel that they are more than just a child in a desk, but that their teacher actually cares, they have a greater chance of succeeding in school. By implementing different teaching methods, reteaching, using technology and flexible groups a teacher can allow a child who is labeled at risk or that is special needs can allow that child to gain confidence in themselves but also in their learning.
Analysis
     Chapter 9
       There is more to teaching than making a lesson plan and delivering content to students who may or may not have background knowledge in the subject. Slavin illustrates in the chapter the QAIT model of instruction. Great instruction has quality, appropriate levels, incentive and time (Slavin, pp.251, 2012). All of these elements put together give a strong foundation for learners who may need extra help or managing within their learning. Students need to have an understanding that what they are learning, content or skill, has a importance to it, is appropriate for their level of learning, that it will take time and very hard work to understand and master the standards fully. Once teachers have illustrated this model they can move onto further aspects to reach their students both normal, at risk, and special needs. Grouping students of different ability levels and same ability levels can benefit those who may need student centered help rather than teacher instruction, students understand students. Differentiation according to Tomlinson is "teaching with the child in mind" (Tomlinson, 1999).  When teachers differentiate their instruction they are providing a way to reteach, re-instruct, and then allow for standard mastery for students who may need more than one opportunity to understand a concept or skill. Lastly, technology is a huge part of education today. When a teacher implements technology into their classroom they are giving a knowledge, creative and critical thinking outlet for their students.

      One of, if not the biggest fear, that a teacher has is "will my students like/respect, me". Teacher programs lack a huge program on teaching future educators how to build a relationship and rapport with students, especially those that are at risk, learning disabled, or behavioral priority. These students are the ones that educators need to reach the most instead of casting to the wayside. Michael White argues that "the more you get to know and understand your students the better your classroom management and instruction will be" (White, 2016). Understanding your students beyond their Lexile levels, disabilities, race, or gender can allow an educator to find a meaning for learning within a child because that teacher understands how the child works and what interests them. Slavin points out that when students are cast out or 

     Slavin points out that when students are cast out or accommodated because of their disability or behavior, it just makes the situation more of a problem for the child and teacher (Slavin, 2012). A teacher who can look past a label of a student and understand what that child needs to succeed can make a greater impact that any accommodation. Teachers can use technology,  videos, differentiated lessons specialized to an at-risk learner or a special needs learning without singling  him or her out but making it a class effort or a class review. Teachers can also build relationships with those students by simply listening to the child, figuring out what they are having trouble with and doing their best to make sure that child is successful. This is a very difficult task. Teachers have more than one student within their classrooms. Simple steps though can help all of the students achieve to the best of their abilities. Furthermore, according to Frisby, Beck, Smith, Byars, Lambeth and Tompson, teachers benefit from creating rapport with their students as well arguing that "instructors who build rapport with students are likely to experience teaching satisfaction, effective commitment to the institution, and enhanced teaching efficacy" (Frisby, Beck, Smith, Byars, Lambeth and Tompson, 2016). 

Reflection
      These concepts were definitely not new to me. I use grouping, differentiation and technology within my classroom every day. Making all of my students feel important and that their education matters is very important to me. I want to make sure that no matter what they may be labeled as, they understand that they can learn and always come to me for help. I pride myself on the relationship and rapport  I have with my students, and I hope to continue that throughout my career.  I feel that these concepts can be used a great deal within a classroom because they are student success focus and make sure that students are learning to the best of their abilities. Within the context of my classroom I can use these concepts to make the biggest impact on the my development of my students understanding of skills and concepts. The positives of these implementation are the catering to the child and making sure that everyone has a chance to learn the way they learn best. Negatives are that these methods are very difficult to implement on a regular basis and take a tremendous amount of planning, but with proper lessons, planning and teacher guidance they can make a huge impact on a child's education.

Reference 

Slavin, R. E. (2012). Educational psychology: a foundation for teaching. Educational psychology: Theory and practice. Chapter 9: grouping, differentiating and technology (pp. 249-283) . Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

White, M. (n.d.). So You're Starting Your Teaching Career in August. Retrieved June 18, 2016, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/soyoure-starting-your-teaching-career-august-michael-white

 Tomlinson, C. A. (1999). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Frisby, B. N., Beck, A., Smith Bachman, A., Byars, C., Lamberth, C., & Thompson, J. (2016). The Influence of Instructor-Student Rapport on Instructors’ Professional and Organizational Outcomes. Communication Research Reports, 33(2), 103-110. doi:10.1080/08824096.2016.1154834

 

Reflective Journal 5: Chapter 8 and Week 6 Discussion

Description

The focus of the readings and discussions for EDAT 6115 this week were on the concept of student-centered instruction and the discussion question of the challenges or obstacles teachers or students could face when implementing this teaching method into their classroom. Teachers have many methods up their sleeves to get students to be interesting in learning. However, when a teacher is willing to step back from the front of the room and allow the students to take control of their education, can get very tricky. There are ups and downs of doing this, but if done right and managed correctly it can have a great impact on a child’s learning.

Analysis

Chapter 8

Slavin focuses this chapter on student-led instruction or a constructive approach to education. There is an implementation of Vygotsky’s methods within this teaching arrangement. There is also a lot of preparation that goes into making this work for both the teacher and student. Slavin argues that student-centered learning promotes students being able to think aloud, teamwork, social skills and critical thinking skills (Slavin, 2012).

Teachers keep a variety of instruction methods within their classroom to make sure that all of their students are able to gain knowledge and skills through the lesson. Many subjects though can get bogged down in the simplistic teacher lead instruction. This type of teaching can lead to students not developing proper critical thinking or analyzing skills needed to perform at higher level education. Slavin notes that a student-centered instruction classroom is one where the teacher becomes more of a guide rather than the main focus of a lesson. Students discover their own interpretations and meanings instead of being prompted and focused in on the teacher (Slavin, 2012). Within this type of social learning children develop different social, critical, analytical and problem-solving skills that can better them for further educational aspects. Furthermore , allowing students to think for themselves and being more of a guide than an informant a teacher can concentrate on other aspects of a child’s education such as differentiation, reteaching and modeling.

However, there are drawbacks to a student-centered classroom. According to Aslan and Reigeluth who have done research about Student-Centered classrooms have concluded that there are some major issues when teachers switch to this instructions style. Time management is very difficult to do with the because teachers are forced to not manage a class, but instead, they are managing different students or different learning groups. Furthermore, the overall issue of consistency. Teachers must have a continual routine and regulations if they are going to make this a classroom staple (Aslan and Reigeluth, 2015). Teachers have a lot on their plates regardless. Adding this type of learning can make a classroom environment very stressful which is the opposite of the intentions of this method.  These challenges can be overcome by the teacher from day one making sure that the rules, routines and procedures are explained, modeled and practiced continually. The teacher has to make sure that all students understand what they are doing and why they are doing and the benefits that come from it in order for this to be a successful and impactful teaching method.

Reflection

These concepts were definitely new to me. I never knew that this teaching method had a name and that there were such benefits to it. I mostly use direct instruction because I am a history teacher. It is hard to let students guide themselves when they do not have the proper background knowledge to move forward. Through this teaching method, there are so many attributes that students need and I did not realize the deeper effect that these skills could provide for students.  I feel that these concepts can be used a great deal within a classroom to showcase to students why it is important to learn the material and skills being taught, but also to make other aspects of preparation, classroom participation, and classroom management easier for me. Within the context of my classroom, I can use these concepts to make the biggest impact on my development of my lessons so that the content information and concepts are better organized. By using students centered teaching methods within my lessons I can make sure that my students gain responsibility, critical thinking, and social skills all the while learning the material. There are some positives and negatives to the concepts. Positives are the beyond education skills that students obtain as well as learning the content in a fun way. Negatives are that some students will not have the social skills to adapt to student-centered learning while others could take over the conversation and dictate others in the wrong way.

Reference

Slavin, R. E. (2012). Chapter 8: Student-Centered and Constructivist approaches to Instruction Educational psychology: Theory and practice. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Aslan, S., & Reigeluth, C. M. (2015). Examining the challenges of learner-centered education. Phi Delta Kappan, 97(4), 63-68.

Reflective Journal 4: Chapter 7 and Week 5 Discussion

Description

The focus of the readings and discussions for EDAT 6115 this week were on the concept of creating an effective lesson and the discussion question of how would the  level of preparation and participation change depending on the format of the class lesson set for that day. Teachers have to be ready for anything that a class may throw at them. Being able to create an effective lesson can lead to not only great learning but it can control classroom management and distractions. Within a lesson and day to day instruction teachers must be prepared, flexible and ready to make sure that all students are learning to the best of their ability. When teachers are able to acquire these methods their teaching goes from just talking to an education.

Analysis

Chapter 7

Slavin argues that an effective lesson can take a teacher from talking to being an educator. An effective lesson incorporates multiple teaching methods from the basic to the advanced in order for all students to grasp the concepts, skills and content knowledge (Slavin, 2012). Within the chapter Slavin outlines some crucial and important teaching methods that have been known to allow for the greatest impact on student learning. The first teaching method that Slavin discusses is direct instruction. He defines is as a teacher transcribing information directly to the student (Slavin, 2012). Direct instruction is a foundation of a lesson. It provides the basic knowledge and learning objectives, or what the students should know or be able to do at the end of a lesson (Slavin, pp. 188, 2012). A study done by the National Science Foundation for Education Psychology research illustrated that teachers who used direction as a teaching method have an “increase in their students' meta-cognition, motivation, learning, and preparation for future learning as well as the development of better self-efficacy skill sets” (Zepeda, C. D., Richey, J. E, Ronevich, P., Nokes-Malach, T. J., 2015). Not only do students receive the knowledge from the lesson but through direct instruction from an educator students start to develop a sense of self education. They understand that the information they are being given needs to be applied to their future educational goals and career.

After the teacher develops the direction instruction of a lesson there are multiple parts that need to fill in for the lesson to run smoothly. Slavin argues that an effective needs to be clear, set specific expectation and incorporate different learning simulations for students who may have a different learning style than others such as visual and hands on (Slavin, 2012). Throughout the lesson teachers need to make sure that their students are grasping the knowledge being taught. By using checking for understandings, question probes and summarizing assessments teachers can get an idea of how their students are retain the information. This can allow for differentiated lessons, reteaching or advancement within the lesson.

I have always argued against schools that require very detailed lesson plans from their teachers. Page after page of detailed instruction, assessments, differentiation, openers, summarizers and so on just for a hour class period. My best teaching and instruction lessons have come from me being able to change the lesson completely in an instant because I see that my students are not interested or just not understanding the material. I argue that a detailed lesson and an effective lesson are two very different things. Details sometimes take away from great teaching and can lead to unfocused and uninformed students. Slavin argues that effective lessons are the foundations for a teacher's craft and that an effective lesson ,which uses many different teaching methods, allows educators to have the greatest impact on student learning (Slavin, 2012).  An effective lesson is derived from many parts that are put together in order to gain students attention, hold it, allow for different learning styles and finally the learning of concepts, knowledge or skills. According to Kaufman and Scott effective teaching and lessons can create a  “student-centered model of teaching”. This can cause a shift from a traditional school setting and could allow a teacher to become a facilitator of education and learning instead of simply giving out information or a skill to a group of students (Kaufman and Scott, 2016).  Furthermore, Swartz and Parks argue that an effective lesson and a prepared teacher allow for the development and fostering of higher order thinking skills as well as critical thinking, creative and an educational discipline that can help students further on in their educational careers (Swartz and Parks, 1994).

When teachers are prepared with an effective lesson a classroom become more than just four walls. It becomes an environment where students do not realize they are learning or developing necessary skills they will need for the future. Lessons and teaching are ever changing and teachers need to be prepared to change on a dime if they see a lesson is not working. Depending on what type of teaching is going on such as direct instruction where there is little student participation and a lot of teacher involvement to small group instruction where there is a lot of student involvement and little teacher guidance, teacher preparedness and participation is ever changing depending on the lesson that is in place for that particular instruction day.

Reflection

These concepts were definitely not new to me. I have implemented many of these teaching methods into my everyday lessons. Direct instruction is a huge tool for me because I am a history teacher. I do understand how to use them within a classroom environment, however I did not understand how to use them at a level that the chapter describes as well as how to have the greatest impact on my students. I did not realize the deeper effect that these skills could provide for students.  I feel that these concepts can be used a great deal within a classroom to showcase to students why it is important to learn the material and skills being taught, but also to make other aspects like preparation, classroom participation and classroom management easier for me. Within the context of my classroom I can use these concepts to make the biggest impact on the my development of my lessons so that the content information and concepts are better organized. By using multiple teaching methods within my lessons I can make sure that all of my learners have a chance to gain the information. There are some positives and negatives to the concepts. Positives are having effective lesson plans make me a better educator and my students better learners. Negatives are the time constraints to create an effective lessons. Many veteran teachers still need skills to develop these lessons and as fast as education changes it could be hard to stay up to date so that I do not fall behind with my learning.

Reference

Slavin, R. E. (2012). Educational psychology: a foundation for teaching. Educational  psychology: Theory and practice. Chapter 7: The effective lesson. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Kaufman, N. J., & Scott, C. (2016). Innovation in Higher Education: Lessons Learned from Creating a Faculty Fellowship Program. Journal Of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 4497-106 10p. doi:10.1177/1073110516644239

Swartz, R. J., & Parks, S. (1994). Infusing critical and creative thinking into content instruction: A lesson design handbook for the elementary grades. Pacific Grove, CA: Critical Thinking Press & Software.

Zepeda, C. D., Richey, J. E., Ronevich, P., & Nokes-Malach, T. J. (2015). Direct instruction of metacognition benefits adolescent science learning, transfer, and motivation: an in vivo study. Journal Of Educational Psychology, 107(4), 954-970.

 Lesson Process Image. (n.d.). Retrieved June 1, 2016, from https://www.adelaide.edu.au/learning/teaching/curriculum/outcomes/learning-outcomes-diagram-640w.gif

Reflective Journal 3: Chapter 6 and Week 4 Discussion: Information Processing and Cognitive Theories of Learning

Reflective Journal 3: Chapter 6 and Week 4 Discussion

Description
     The focus of the readings and discussions for EDAT 6115 this week were on the concepts of information processing and cognitive learning theories as well as the discussion of  the importance of teachers using multiple strategies during teaching instruction. Teachers must do their best when trying to reach all of their students. By using different teaching and instructional methods, educators are able to do that a little easier. These methods ensure that children who may learn at different paces or through different methods get the same content knowledge and skills as the other students in the classrooms. This makes for a well rounded and fun learning environment centered on student success.

Analysis
Chapter 6

This chapter focuses in on how information is processed through the brain. It also goes into effect of getting educators to understand how students process information differently as well as the best tools to help them understand and succeed in the classroom. Slavin argues that the first thing a teacher should understand is how to gain the attention of their students stating that changing the volume of their voice, putting more emotion into the content being taught and having the students understand the importance of the material can be a crucial step in getting students to make connections with the material (Slavin, 2012).

Students today have an issue with keeping the information they learn within a classroom in their long term memory so that they can apply it for further reference. According to Slavin there are tricks that teachers can instruct their students to do in order to make converting information and skills from short term memory to long term memory easier. First, rehearsal is the easiest tool to be used. Rehearsal is important to learning “because the longer and item [or skill ] remains in working memory, the greater chance it will be transferred to long term memory” (Slavin, pp. 147, 2012). Slavin then goes into simple practices that most educators do every day which are practice test, note taking, summarizing and creating an outline. These practices allow for information to be organized, rehearsed and memorized at the greatest level for the impact on student learning (Slavin, 2012).
      Education has evolved tremendously throughout the years. Educators have come to understand that teaching is more than just standing in front of students and spitting out information. Educating a child is the ability for a teacher to give content knowledge or a skill to a student, that student realize its importance and then use it in a real world connection. In a modern classroom the term “differentiation” is used a great deal. According to Carol Tomlinson, a pioneer of differentiated education, differentiation is simply “teaching with the child in mind” (Coleman and Cross, 2005). Differentiation is one of the key standards that teachers themselves get graded on within our own evaluation system. It is not only important for our jobs to use a variety of teaching methods, but more importantly it is vital that we do to ensure that all children are reached with the content and skilled needed to maintain a higher impact on their learning.
According to Slavin because the human brain is such a complex organ teaching has to shift from “hierarchical learning to complex, thematic and integrated activities” (Slavin, pp.156, 2012). This allows teachers to be able to reach every student, because all students learn differently, at different paces and through different methods. Slavin also argues that not all learning will happen at the same pace as others. This can be influenced by the teacher themselves, the content being taught and the learning environment. An educator must understand at minimum how cognitive theories work in order to reach the most students possible with the correct teaching methods if that be videos, graphic organizers, projects, readings, essays or simply repetition of information (Slavin, 2012). According to Eric Jensen “the the brain and balances this information with tips and techniques for using the information in classrooms” (Jensen, 1998) and when a teacher uses a variety of teaching methods within their classroom these tips and tricks can become more useful at connecting background knowledge and previously learned skills to allow that student to develop easier deductive and critical thinking skills. All of this making the main goal of learning possible.

Reflection
These concepts were not new to me. I do understand how to use them within a classroom environment, however I did not understand how to use them at a level that the chapter describes as well as how to have the greatest impact on my students. I feel that these concepts can be used a great deal within a classroom to showcase to students why it is important to learn the material and skills being taught, but also how to make it easier. Within the context of my classroom I can use these concepts to make the biggest impact on my students ability to gain the content information to better organize it and then lead it into long term memory. There are some positives and negatives to the concepts. Positives are having new methods that students gain add to their school career in order to memorize and retain information. Negatives are that students learn in so many different ways that even with all of these methods, students still may need more assistance than these learning theories can give.

Reference

Slavin, R. E. (2012). Educational psychology: a foundation for teaching. Educational  psychology: Theory and practice. Chapter 6: Information processing and cognitive theories of learning. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Coleman, L. J., & Cross, T. L. (2005).Being gifted in school: An introduction to development,         guidance, and teaching. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.

Jensen, E. (1998). Teaching with the brain in mind. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Reflective Journal 2: Chapter 5, and Week 3 Discussion

Reflection of Chapter 5, and Week 3 Discussion: Behavioral Learning Theories

Reflection of Chapter 5, Week 3 Discussion

Description

The focus of the readings and discussions for EDAT 6115 this week were on the concepts of Behavioral Theories of learning  and the discussion question of possible benefits and positives of being sent to the principal’s office. Within a classroom all teachers can benefit from the use of understanding behavioral theories of learning to better understand how to redirect and reinforce the good behaviors and canceling the unneeded ones. By understanding that different methods of behavioral learning can allow a student to prosper to the best of their abilities by simply modeling the correct behavior or eventually getting a student to develop self-regulated learning can make a classroom more than a learning environment. It can allow a teacher to focus more on their students education and learning than classroom management and discipline.

Analysis

Chapter 5

According to Slavin, “all children are great learners, what they learn however, might not always be what we intend to teach” (Slavin, pp.115, 2012). This is a great explanation for all children of any age. I have always argued that children will constantly be in the “monkey see, monkey do” stage for the rest of their lives. Many children grow and learn by simply mimicking and watching what is around them. These behaviors that are mimicked can sometimes lead to bad behaviors or bad habits. When a teacher or parent can better understand how behaviors are formed and what to do about them once they are we can grasp a better understanding on how to fix and redirect them so they are no longer hindering the child.

Learning is defined by Slavin as “a change in an individual caused by change” (Slavin, pp. 116, 2012). This again is sometimes intentional or unintentional. Within behavioral theories you have multiple realms.  You have social learning theories, cognitive learning theories and behavioral learning theories. Social learning theories are when an action focuses on a thought or visa versa. Cognitive learning theories deal with mental processes that are not observed by the naked eye, but how people learn or memorize a new skill or information set. Lastly behavioral learning theories focus how pleasure or un-pleasurable consequences change the course of behavior over time within a person or subject (Slavin, 2012).

Two pioneers within the behavioral learning theories were B. F. SKinner and Ivan Pavlov. These men allowed for others to see how humans and animals not only learn but how they respond to different stimuli. Pavlov studied how different stimuli affected dogs, primarily what behaviors dogs had control of and what they did not. Stimuli that has no prior training or knowledge to the subject that would provoke any kind of reaction automatically would become known as an “unconditioned stimulus”, and the automatic response to that stimuli would become an “unconditioned response” (Slavin, pp. 117). After testing these unconditioned responses and stimuli Pavlov set off to see if he could control them, to which he did. His theory of classical conditioning allowed researchers to see that learning could affect responses once though involuntary (Slavin, pp. 117, 2012). B. F. Skinner worked closer with seeing how different reward prompts affected behavior within animals. Skinner proposed that operant behaviors that appear outside of any unconditioned stimuli operate solely on the environment that the subject is placed in. His work focused more on the correlation between consequences and behaviors (Slavin, 2012).

Within a classroom setting a teacher can learn a great deal from Skinner and Pavlov’s work. Skinner’s work boils down to something teachers use every day, consequences. Good consequences strengthened a behavior and bad ones are supposed to deter them. In most cases that does work but children today are more in tune than what we give them credit for. Teachers need to understand on a mental level why the child is exhibiting the behavior, is it appropriate or not and then how can the inappropriate behavior be redirected and hopefully eliminated. According to Pedrini and Pedrini “materials build upon past experiences so as to capitalize on student preferences for associative rather than cognitive learning and that ” (Pedrini and Pedrini 1972). Operant conditioning techniques can be used to build upon good behaviors that are needed in the classroom. When a teacher models the appropriate behavior, uses reinforcers for the good such as praise, privileges, or even grades at a timely and organized manner the child becomes more aware of what they should be doing. This in turn can lead to students being able to self guide and self regulate their own behavior and already know and understand what is expected of them without having to have a teacher guide them (Slavin, 2012).

One of the best reinforcers and consequences for a student can be that of the principal's office. For the most part, students look at the principal of a school as an authoritative figure. This is the person that is in charge of all of their teachers as well as every other aspect of the school itself. Many principals walk a line of fear and fairness and those who are able to do both run a great educational institution. However, many students do fear ever been called into the principal’s office. If a child ends up within those office walls they can usually attribute that to misbehaving consequences or a meeting with the parents or guardians.  Sadly, when a student misbehaves a natural response for a teacher is to send them to a higher authority, doing nothing to resolve and redirect the said misbehavior. Slavin argues that a “punishment should always be used as part of a careful plan that is thought out carefully and never out of frustration” (Slavin, pp. 125, 2012). This can lead to a child not understanding what they did wrong or even reinforcing the bad behavior because they know by doing it they can get out of class because then, according to Slavin, it becomes a reinforcement, not a punishment (Slavin, pp. 124, 2012).

There can be great reinforcing attributes to being sent to the office for a child. According to Slavin a reinforcer is defined as “as consequence that strengthens or increases the frequency of a behavior” (Slavin, pp.119, 2012). Slavin argues within the chapter that feedback can be used as a wonderful reinforcer for students to understand their behavior if wrong or right as well as make the information given more valuable to the student (Slavin, 2012). Furthermore, according to Robin and Alvy a main job of a principal is “communication, communication and communication” to both teachers and especially students (Robins and Alvy, 2014). A huge benefit for a child going to the office can be illustrated when that administrator gives good constructive and positive feedback that lets that student understand that he or she is doing a great job, or that he or she has improved from a possible unwanted visit. Being in such a power position a principal office visit needs to have some positives for a student to not discourage the student at an early age and for them to realize that yes, you misbehave in class and you could possibly end up in the office, but you do what is expected of you and you can get praised by the highest authority.

Reflection

These concepts were not new to me, however I did not understand how to use them within a classroom environment. I feel that these concepts can be used a great deal within a classroom to showcase to students the proper procedures and behaviors needed for the learning environment. Within the context of my classroom I can use these concepts to model the proper behaviors and reinforce the once I want with positive consequences and those that i do not with negative or ignoring ones. There are some positives and negatives to the concepts. There will be children that just do not respond to any type of stimuli or consequence good or bad so a teacher has to learn what works and what does not and sometimes that does involve the worst of all consequences with the child being removed from the classroom for periods of time. I learned that there are better ways of getting your students to focus in on the good behaviors and redirecting those who are not following procedures by doing simple things such as a tap on the shoulder or a look rather than calling the student out. Based on this information I can handle situations more effectively now because I will be able to notice if a child is doing a behavior for attention or not and how to redirect that child into doing to correct behavior for the classroom.

Reference

Slavin, R. E. (2012). Educational psychology: a foundation for teaching. Educational psychology: Theory and practice. Chapter 5: Behavioral learning theories. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Robbins, P., & Alvy, H. B. (2014). The principal's companion: Strategies to lead schools for student and teacher success. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publication.

 Pedrini, B. C., & Pedrini, D. T. (1972). The Educational Philosophy of the Three Legged Stool: Psychologically and Educationally Sound Materials, Operant Conditioning Procedures, Structured Classroom.

Principles of Instruction and Learning image - Web Quest.  (n.d.). Retrieved May 21, 2016, from

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