Final Learning Log

What?

It's hard for me to declare a theory of how kids learn when I have just been introduced to all of the theories and theorists. What I do find extremely interesting is how each theory plays a role in one's learning. I don't think that someone learns strictly the way the Behaviorists or Cognitivists believe, because I think that it takes a little bit of everything to complete the learning cycle. Without memory you can't repeat a behavior, or without social/peer interaction you can't develop your own ideas and concepts. I do feel like one of the most important things that was included in most of the theories is group work. We need to teach our students how to learn from each other and how to teach each other as well. But, while this is important, there are many other aspects of learning that has to come into play. It seems like the whole point of this class was to show us how each theory plays an essential role in our students' learning processes. Each theory has its pros and cons, but they all have important areas that offer an idea of how learning truly takes place. 

So What?

In order for me to be a great teacher, I need to understand how my students learn. Whether it be through the multiple intelligences, behaviorism, or social cognitivism, all of my students will be learning in a unique yet similar way. It will be vital for me to be able to change and adapt for different learning styles and to try different ways of teaching. I want to be able to reach as many students as I can and show them that learning can be fun if they know what works best for them. I also want to show students that they can learn a lot from each other so they will experience plenty of group/peer interaction in my classes.

Now What?

Educational Psychology really intrigues me and I want to continue to study and learn more about how psychology plays a role in our students' learning and education. One of the things that I really want to learn more about and improve on is how to incorporate the multiple intelligences into my teaching. I think our students would be much more successful and motivated if we are using different strategies and different teaching styles to meet all of our students' needs. It is going to be really hard at first, but with more knowledge and experience, I will be able to really utilize what I have learned in this class and what I will learn with further studying.

Group Differences Learning Log

What?
In this chapter we learned about how different types of groups learn differently. We discussed the common myth about gender differences impacting learning in many areas. As far as cognitive ability, language, etc., there are no differences in regards to gender. The only area where there is a slight difference is spatial/visual reasoning, in which typically boys are slightly better. We also talked about socioecomic status and how that can have an impact on learning as well. There were many stressors that were associated with lower economic status: exposure to violence, depression, instability/chaos, watch more TV, fewer books in the home, crowded living space, exposed to crime and street danger, and poor healthcare. In order to help these students, we need to help them identify with their schools and try to find ways to motivate and engage them with their schoolwork.

So What?
If we are going to become effective teachers, we have to be able to understand all of our students. There are many things that we can do to help students be successful in our classes, but learning about the different groups and how we can help them individually/specifically is going to be vital to their success.

Now What?
As I was reading about the different stressors that fall on students who are from a low socioeconomic status, I realized that school is one of the only safe places that they have. If they feel like you really care about their well-being, they will be more willing to learn and make an effort in your classes. As teachers, we have the opportunity to be a positive influence on students who may not have a chance otherwise. It may be unrealistic to think that we can "save" every struggling student, but we sure better try.

Individual Differences Learning Log

What?
In studying Chapter 5 in class this week, we learned about individual differences in education, including special needs and multiple intelligences. We discussed IDEA and the benefits that this act provides to students that need additional assistance. It addresses each student on an individual basis with an IEP and the classroom teacher uses the student's accommodations to help encourage their success in the class. We also talked about the different kind of intelligences that there are and how we can use many different types of strategies to help reach our students that learn in different ways. In Gardner's Multiple Intelligences, there are 8 different types: linguistic, logic/math, spatial/visual, music, bodily/kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist. By using differentiation to incorporate the different types of intelligences, we can better assist our students through the learning process. Another interesting theory about intelligences was developed by Sternberg. He believes that Environmental Context, Prior Experience, and Cognitive Processes all influence how we learn. It wouldn't matter if we were a linguistic learner or a spatial learner, we would still need all three of these components in our learning process.

So What?
In a classroom with 30+ students, there are bound to me many different types of learners. We must understand each type of Gardner's Multiple Intelligences so we can differentiate our curriculum to better fit the needs of our students. The more differentiation we use, the more our students will take away from the lesson. Also, it is important to remember that inclusion is going to be taking place in our classrooms, so we need to be familiar with the IDEA and our individual students' IEPs in order to be a more effective teacher. We can help all of our students succeed if we are willing to put forth the effort that it will take.

Now What?
In class we answered the question,"How do you feel about the movement toward inclusion in today's public schools?" I find myself hesitant and concerned, mainly because I don't feel like I know enough to be able to help those students. With further education on different types of disabilities and how to work with students that have the disabilities, I think that I would be much more comfortable with the idea of inclusion. I think that it is very important for us to teach our students how to be more compassionate and caring towards others that have disabilities, and inclusion is a good way to start the process.

Social Cognitivism Learning Log

What?

In Chapter 10, we talked about social cognitivism and how it is a combination of cognitivism and behaviorism. They believe learning is an internal process that may or may not lead to a behavior change. Just because someone doesn't exhibit the behavior, doesn't mean they didn't learn. Social cognitivism is based almost solely on learning through observation. The visual metaphor for this theory is a camera. It is recording information and than it may or may not play it back.

We talked about self-efficacy, which is the way you feel about yourself and how you can accomplish things; modeling, which is when you are demonstrating what you want your students to be doing; vicarious learning, which is when you are watching a behavior and then you do the same behavior; and self-regulation, which is how we are able to set goals for ourselves and accomplish things that we want to.

The Reciprocal Causation is a process that the social cognitivists believe has to be present or else learning won't occur. All parts of the circle must be there at all times.

So What?

Social cognitivism is one of the theories that makes perfect sense to me. With all of the theories before, I agreed somewhat but it just didn't seem like they answered all of the questions. I think that the reciprocal causation shows that all of these pieces are needed in order to complete the learning cycle. This will be very useful when teaching my own students. If we can understand their motivation and their beliefs, we will be able to create a good classroom environment that will meet those needs. Then we will be able to see the behaviors from the students that exhibit what we are encouraging them to do.

Now What?

The hardest part of this theory will be getting to know each of our students and understanding what their motivating beliefs are. This is vital to the learning process, so it will take some time to really get to know your students in order to be a great teacher. I will have to make time in an extremely busy schedule in order to understand my students. It is going to be difficult, but it is an essential piece to the puzzle.

Chapter 9 Learning Log

What?
This week we studied Behaviorism and how we could use it in the classroom. The definition of learning, according to Behaviorists,is a semi-permanent change in behavior. They focus more on the outward manifestation of learning through the behavior. If you have learned, than you will exhibit the behavior. We talked about the differences between classical conditioning (Pavlov) and operant conditioning (Skinner). Both theories are very unique, but I will probably use more operant conditioning in my own classroom, which is using reinforcers to create behavior. We talked about the different types of reinforcers that could be used in the classroom, such as a token economy, activity reinforcement, self-reinforcement, social reinforcers, etc. Another important topic that we discussed was the misconception of what a "negative reinforcer" is. All reinforcers INCREASE behavior. It doesn't matter whether it is a positive or negative, it still should increase the behavior. A "punishment" is meant to DECREASE behavior. An example of a negative reinforcer is the seat belt noise that dings until you put your seat belt on.

So What?
This is an important topic because we will continually be trying to help get our students motivated in our classroom. It's really interesting to look at all of the different types of reinforcers and see which one is something that I can see working. Because our students have been trained to be "rewarded," we will need to help them see WHY they are doing what they're doing and how it can apply to the real world. I liked the example of the inner-city school token system that Dr. Cox gave us in class because it was applicable to real life and the students could see the link between the two.

Now What?
Now I have to decide what kind of reinforcers I want to use in my own classroom. I think if I'm teaching in a younger grade, such as 7th or 8th, I wouldn't mind using a modified token economy. I think it could be turned into something that would make them motivated to learn but it could also teach them about life in general. I will be sure to be careful about over-reinforcing because I think that can be detrimental to their learning. As long as we keep the students' learning as a priority, reinforcers can be used positively and productively.

Knowledge Construction Learning Log

What?
This week we studied chapter 7 and learned about contructivism. Constructivism believes learning to be an active process in which learners construct their own meaning based on prior knowledge and experience. We compared learning to the root system of a tree. The roots gather the nutrients (or memories/experiences) that they need and then shoot out more and more roots. Because they are building off of older roots, we can see the resemblance between how we learn. Our knowledge continues to grow as we form new schemas based on prior knowledge and experiences.

In the chapter, it also talked about how we need to help students make multiple connections when teaching them new information because it will help them store it in their long term memory. By working in groups to solve problems, social constructivism, they will be able to get a larger view of the world and its perspectives, and they will also be able to gain a better understanding of the content.

So What?
We obviously want our students to remember what we are teaching them, so each of the theories that we are learning will help us along the way. Constructivism focuses on making multiple connections and building off of prior knowledge which is extremely feesible to do in the classroom. We should strive to help our students organize the information that they are learning into the correct schema by giving positive and negative examples of the content. We should also strive to create a community of learners; a class in which the teacher and students actively and collaboratively work to help one another learn.

Now What?
In my field experience for this class, I'm excited to see these theories at work. It will be interesting to see if the cooperating teacher implements activation of the students prior knowledge in order to help them learn the material. It will also be interesting to see whether or not the teacher uses group work to engage the students. Social constructivism is important for students to experience so it would be fascinating to see how teachers use it in the classroom.

Memory Learning Log

What?
This week we studied Chapter 6, "The Learning and Cognitive Processes." We focused a lot of our attention on memory and how we remember things. In the three component model, we can see how memories are processed and how they are eventually stored or lost. (see image below)



I learned a lot of new things about memory that I didn't know before. For instance, I didn't realize that all of our memories are tied to emotions or senses. As I thought back to some of my earliest memories, this theory held true. I remembered mostly traumatic events or things that were tied to a smell or feeling. We also talked about how one's prior knowledge and beliefs play a major role in the meanings and memories that people construct. We used the idea of a filing cabinet as a visual metaphor for how the things that we learn and remember are stored. We also talked about the different ways we can help our students to "encode" or access prior knowledge in order to help them remember the new knowledge. Some ideas are: Rehearsal, Meaningful Learning, Prior Knowledge, Organization, Elaboration, Visual Imagery, Enactment, Mnemonics, and many other strategies.

So What?
This information will come in very handy in teaching. If we expect our students to actually remember what we are teaching them, we need to use different encoding strategeis to help them connect to the material. The more connections we assist our students in making, the more they will remember what we have taught them. It is our responsiblity as teachers to assist in this process and not to assume that our students can do it on their own. We should use different methods in order to help students discover which works best for them as an individual.

Now What?
I would be interested in learning more about how we can help our studnets make more connections with our content. Many students have absolutely no interest in English but if I can help them engage in the content, they will not only enjoy the material but they will also be able to remember it. I'm also curious at what age students can figure out what method helps them recall information. It seems like the concept of actually "remembering" could be a complex one.

Social & Moral Development Learning Log

What?
In this chapter, we read about the social and moral development that everyone goes through. Also, in class we discussed the emotional development as well. Kohlberg and Erikson's stages explain, in portion, our developmental processes. In Erikson's stages, he walks through the different stages of our psychosocial development. The handy memorization technique that we learned in class was helpful in remembering the names of the stages. In Kohlberg's moral levels, we can see how our moral development came to be, and also how it can change between the different levels. The chapter also discussed the adolescents' unique social scene and their different outlooks as they are developing. We discussed in class the differences between a clique and a gang and how they can be a support for adolescents. We also learned about the "imaginary audience" that causes adolescents to be self-conscious. In summary, adolescents' moral beliefs, their friends, and their social development all play a role in who they become and how they act in school.

So What?
It is extremely important to understand where our students are in the different moral and social stages so that we can better assist and understand them in their developmental process. If we have students who are in the "identity vs. role confusion" stage, we can support them by helping to define individuality and how to discover your own identity. We can help students understand rules and why we have them and how they help create a positive learning environment.

Now What?
I think it would be really interesting to learn some techniques that would help determine which stage our students were in. This would help in curriculum planning and building groups for group work. You would be able to assist your students through your teaching. Sense of self is extremely vital for students to understand and I would like to be able to learn some teaching strategies that would help them discover their sense of self.

Cognitive Development Learning Log

What?

In Chapter 2 it reviewed how learning takes place in our brains through the neurons and synapses. This was helpful in reminding me how the brain functions in the learning process. Chapter 2 also went over Piaget and Vygotsky's theories of cognitive development. Piaget believes that everyone goes through four stages of cognitive development. Each stage has an age group in which humans pass through the development of the specified stage. Piaget focused on the individual constructing their own development, recognized the role of environment, and took into account interaction with peers. Vygotsky's theory was based on social constructivism, the role of culture on development, and the interaction with adult figures during ones development. Both theorists based their findings from observations.

We also discussed Piaget's Process of Equilibration. When we learn something new, we are sent into disequilibrium where we have to decide what we are going to do with the information. We will either assimilate it with something familiar, or we will make an accommodation and use prior knowledge to come up with a new meaning. After we have accomplished either assimilation or accommodation, then we will be brought back to equilibrium. We discussed how disequilibrium can assist learning. We want our students to be slightly uncomfortable or off balance so they will be able to make new connections and learn new things.

So What?

In our classrooms, we are going to experience students who are in all different stages of their learning development. Because different students may be learning at different stages, it is important for me to be aware of the differences between them. I will have to make sure to provide different kinds of assignments that stretch my students' minds but that aren't out of their cognitive reach.  I need to cause some disequilibrium so they will be able to find and make new connections that are relative to their cognitive stage.

Now What?

I think that Piaget's and Vygotsky's theories are very interesting and they can be helpful in trying to figure out how to differentiate for students that may not be cognitively where their peers are at. I would be interested in learning more about both theorists and seeing some examples of other teachers who have modified assignments and lesson plans to correlate with the different cognitive stages. 

Chapter 15 Learning Log

What?

This week we studied Chapter 15 which talked about assessment. The book talked about different ways to assess and different types of assessments, such as formal and informal, formative and summative, etc. It also talked about the reasons why we need to assess student learning and how to be effective in doing so. The type of assessment that I found to be most useful was performance assessment. In this type of assessment, students are able to take what they have learned in class and apply that in a real-life situation. The students will gain a lot of knowledge and understanding in completing a performance assessment.

In class we discussed R.S.V.P. which stands for reliability, standardization, validity, and practicality. The reality is that it is impossible to be perfect in every one of these categories, but we do need to make sure our assessments fulfill as much of the R.S.V.P. as possible. Another thing that we talked about in class is how exercise can have a direct impact on our brain and on our learning. It can help students to be able to focus and be more engaged in what they are learning.

So What? 

Assessment is extremely important. If we don't know how to assess where our students are in the learning process within our class, it will be impossible to know what or how we need to teach. We need to know what our students have learned in order to further their education and also so we, as teachers, know what we need to do to improve our instruction. It is helpful to know what we need to look for in an assessment and what will give us the most appropriate information regarding what our students are learning.

Now What?

Through this semester, we are going to focus on assessment and we will be continually learning new and better ways to assess our students. I am really excited about this because it will definitely help me to become a more effective teacher. I am also really interested in learning more about the physical activity and how it impacts our learning. I think if you can help kids to understand how exercise can help them in many different aspects of their lives, they will be more likely to try it out. Another thing that I look forward to learning more about is how to apply the assessments to our teaching. How do we make it all fit in and how do we take the data that we've collected and apply it to our students? If we are going to assess our students' learning, we must take that information and make it useful for us.

WebQuest Final Reflection

What?

Before studying the chapter and completing the WebQuest on educational research, I really hadn't put much thought into how and why it was done. I found the WebQuest extremely helpful in assisting me through the process of learning and applying the different types of research. There are four different types that were introduced in the chapter. The first type is descriptive research. Descriptive research gives a description that is based on observation of an event (or study) from which theories can be developed to explain the observations. Another type of research is correlational research. This type of research explores the possible relationships among different things. It can determine how or if characteristics are associated with one another or whether they are correlated. Experimental research allows the researchers to manipulate aspects of the environment of the study and then measures the effects on something else. The final type of study discussed is action research. Action research is conducted by educators or administrators to address issues and problems in their own schools or classrooms. 

So What?

It is definitely important to understands the different types of research. As educators, we should understand how studies are conducted, and how theories are created. By having knowledge about the research that is being done, we will be able to further our own education because we will be able use and study the most applicable research. If we know how the research is conducted, we can determine whether or not the findings are reliable.

Now What?

I still don't feel extremely confident in deciding which type of research is being used in different scenarios. I can see similarities in all of them so it is hard for me to pick out the details that may be different. I also would like to know more about action research. It would be interesting to find out what kind of studies have been done locally and I would also like to know how to get involved with that type of research. I think it would be very beneficial to understand how to perform different types of research so when you come across something that you find interesting during your career, you would have the tools and knowledge to do something about it. I will also use the knowledge that I now have to determine whether or not the outcomes of any research that I come across is reliable. This will come in handy when I have my own students and I can use research to help assist them in their learning.

Intro to the Brain - Learning Log

What?
This week in class we studied the parts of the brain, what they do, and how they interact with each other. I learned that there isn't a single part of the brain that "does" anything by itself, which means that all of the parts work together. During the Jig Saw activity, everyone went around and talked about the specific part of the brain that they had researched and I was amazed at how much overlapping there is between all of the different parts and their functions. Me and my partner researched the temporal lobe and discovered some interesting facts. The temporal lobe is located on both sides of our brain and it assists in the perception and recognition of auditory stimuli, memory, and speech. As well as many other parts of the brain, the temporal lobe also plays a role in our emotional responses due to its close relation with the hippocampus. As the other members of my group presented on their parts of the brain, I discovered many functions and similarities between their researched area of the brain and the temporal lobe. It really made me think about how the entire brain and it's pieces all work together. Another interesting thing that I learned about the brain is how the neurons communicate with each other and how that results in what we are able to learn and remember. As the neurons and synapse work together, they are continually building connections and this is how we learn.

So What?
I believe that understanding the brain and how it functions is extremely important to know as an educator. If we can understand the human brain, and especially the adolescent brain, this will not only help us to develop our curriculum, but it will help us understand our students on a different level. Although it is impossible to know what they are thinking, we can have a better understanding of how and why our students think and learn the way that they do. We already know that each of our students learn at different levels and different ways, but it is critical that we understand WHY this is and how we can best adapt to it. If we can do this, we will be able to connect with our students and assist them throughout their learning process.

Now What?
One thing that I would like to study further is how the adolescent brain differs from a fully developed brain. The extra credit assignment that was given in class seems like a great opportunity for me to research and gain more knowledge on how understanding the brain and applying it to my adolescent students can help me as a teacher. If I can apply what I know about the brain and how it works to my lessons, I will be a much more effective teacher. I think it is very important that we understand HOW our students learn in order to teach them.

Motivation

Why am I here?

After many different majors and classes at UVU, I find myself in my senior year of the English Education program. It would take many words and pages to describe HOW I got here, but what I did discover was WHY I am here. I have an intense passion for English. I love literature and, surprisingly, I really enjoy grammar. I want to attempt to instill my love for reading into my students. I want to show them that reading and English can be enjoyable, and even fun! I know this may sound like a typical education major, but I really do like being around kids. I think they are quite clever and I could be entertained by them for hours. As cliche as it is, in order to be a great teacher, you must have a love for your students. I am excited to finally be at this point in my education where what I am doing feels so right.

What motivates me?

Like so many of us, I am ashamed to say that I am extremely motivated by grades. I have this skewed vision of what the expectations are for me as a future teacher, which includes straight A's. I love learning and sometimes I have to take a step back from all of the homework and busy work and remember why I am doing what I am doing. 

This may go without saying, but I am also motivated by my passions. If I love doing something or I am passionate about what I am doing, I am much more motivated to succeed. For instance, I am very excited about becoming a teacher and about studying English, so I find that I am much more invested in my classes now than I was when I was taking GE courses.

Why do I succeed?

I am an extremely self-motivated human, so this is my number one quality that helps me to be successful. I consider myself a very driven person and when I set my mind to something, I can achieve it. There have been moments in my life when I have lacked this motivation and it was very evident. Now that I have made some huge strides and have seen myself take control of my life, I am able to see successful results.

Why do I fail?

In my weakest moments, I find myself forgetting my long-term goals and this is when I struggle with failure. Like I said, I am self-motivated. In those moments when I don't feel any motivation to accomplish anything, it has a huge impact on me. I not only fail in what I am doing, but the feeling of failure makes me crazy. I definitely have learned from my many mistakes and will keep learning throughout my ups and downs.

Motivation and Ed Psych

At this point in my education, I feel extremely motivated to do well in all of my English and Education courses. The main thing that I will have to remember in this course is that I want to really soak up all of the knowledge that I can in order to help me become a great teacher. I don't just want the "A" but I want to walk away from this course knowing that I have tools and skills that will help me on my way to becoming that kind of teacher. I need to continue to have that self-motivation throughout the entire semester and I need to be motivated for the right reasons. I am excited about this class and what it can offer me as a future educator and if I need a reminder, I will refer back to this post. :)

Course Contract

Goals:

1. In completing this course, I hope to gain a better understanding of the different types of learners, so I can adapt my lessons and assignments to the needs of my students.

2. I would like be able to take the things that I learn in this class and apply them to my own classroom. In order to accomplish this, I will need to grasp the concepts that we cover in class but also have a deeper understanding in order for me to determine when they would be appropriately used in a classroom.

3. Throughout this semester and my career as a teacher, I want to continue to learn and discover new things that can help me become a great teacher. I want to get as much out of this class as I can because it will be extremely beneficial to me in the long run.

Weekly Preparation:

To meet my goals, it will be vital for me to keep up with the work and assignments in this class. Here is a layout of my weekly plan to help me stay on top of the course.

Tuesday - Attend class from 8-11, write all upcoming assignments in my planner, and post learning log on my blog.

Wednesday -  Read the assigned chapter and begin working on the study guide.

Friday - Complete study guide and any other assignments as needed.

Monday - Review study guide in preparation for class on Tuesday and follow-up on any assignments that are due.

Study Strategies:

The following are a few of the study strategies that I have found most effective for me and that I will use to assist me with succeeding in this class: using and referring to my planner each day, completing the study guides to help me understand the main points of the reading, reviewing the study guide the day before class so the information is fresh in my mind, working and communicating with fellow classmates to make sure we are all on the same page.

Still Confused?:

If at some point during the course I find myself confused or lost after class, here are the steps I will take in order to gain understanding and clarification:

1. Review my notes and try to figure it out from what information I have.

2. Talk to my peers and find out if they have a better understanding of the concept.

3. If still confused, I will contact Dr. Cox for clarification.

Final Statement:

I will reach my goals in this course by following my weekly plan for studying, using and applying my study strategies, and following the above steps to gain understanding and clarification.