Final Learning Log

What?
When I took the quiz on blackboard to see how I thing people learn best I aligned most with Humanism. I am not quite sure what humanism is, but I personally think that children learn best using the theories from Social Cognitivism. Everything about Social Cognitivism promotes students in learning to manage themselves. In Social Cognitivism Modeling is one of the main components which I think is a huge teaching tool. I don't know that there is a more effective way to learn something than by watching someone model it for you first. I also love that this theory encourages a high self efficacy due to a large emphasis on reciprocal causation. I think reciprocal causation is something we need to be constantly aware of in our classrooms, because we can have a huge impact on that students life depending on what happens in the classroom. I also think that when students learn to self-regulate and self-monitor they will be that much more successful in the classroom. Those are great skills that will always help those students throughout life. I think humanism has something to do with caring about peoples feelings and I think Social Cognitivism does as well. I feel like everything within Social Cognitivism is very positive and is about building up a child's self-esteem and self-efficacy.

So What?
This theory will have a huge impact on how I teach my class. I do think that there is good in every theory and I obviously want to incorporate all of them into my own classroom someday. I think some theories work better for classroom management types of things and some theories work better for promoting learning. I like that Social Cognitivism puts an emphasis on reciprocal causation. As I read about reciprocal causation it just made me realize what a huge impact we can have on our students. I think because of what I know about reciprocal causation I need to always be mindful of my students that are struggling, and really try and understand WHY they are struggling and work through the problem with them. The last thing I want to do is add to the problem so it is important that I make my classroom a nice environment where that student feels good about themselves and feels like they can accomplish the tasks that are given to them, even if they do need some help. I also love the idea of teaching my students self-regulation. I think if I could teach my students that one concept than my school year would go so smoothly. A student that can set a goal and talk themselves through the process, observe themselves in action and make sure they are accomplishing the things they need to, and after they have accomplished the goal be able to reinforce themselves, is a student that will be successful! I am also a big believer in vicarious reinforcement in my own life so I do think it can be used successfully in the classroom. I think that with vicarious reinforcement it is important to make sure you are not being damaging to a student by announcing to the class something you observed them doing that you did not like. I think vicarious positive reinforcement is wonderful and should be used often. I would definitely use that in my classroom to help cue the students on what they should be doing, and what behaviors I like to see from them.

Now What?
The next steps for me to take are to just keep learning and applying things in the classroom. I love studying educational psychology and definitely think it is something I will continue to study on my own. I would like to learn more about the different learning theories, and am just really excited to get into a classroom and put some of them into practice to see what works best for me. I think I could improve in all areas of ed psych! There is so much to learn and I still know so little. I am grateful I at least now have a foundation to build onto. I would like to study more specifically about Erickson, Piaget, and Vygotskys theories. This whole semester in every class when I would learn something I felt like it always went back to those three theories so I would love to find out more about them and how to use their discoveries in my classroom more effectively.

Homework

I really enjoyed reading these articles on homework, especially because it was from a parents perspective. I agree completely with this article. I hope that when I am a teacher I always try to look at the educational value of assignments that are given to my students and I am not just assigning busy work. I also liked reading about the parent teacher relationship. This helps me understand even more how important it is more me to keep open lines of communication with the parents and work with them as a team to provide the best education possible for each student.

Learning Log Ch.10

What?

Today in class we talked about Social Cognitivism. This theory was really interesting because it encompassed a lot that was contained in the other theories we have learned about these past few weeks. I liked learning about modeling and vicarious reinforcement because I think it is something so prevalent in our society today, and so many children learn that way. I know in my own life I have seen modeling be the most effective practice in teaching young kids. I don't know if it is necessarily the best way to teach children, but it definitely has been effective. I also enjoyed learned about the response inhibition effect because I think it is so true, and can be a good tool when used properly. I also think that if we can teach our students good self-regulating skills they will be that much further ahead in life. Self-regulation, self-talk, self-efficacy are all so important and I think I need to do everything I can in my classroom to promote those traits.

So What?


I think that this theory is important and can be put into practice so easily. I feel that it would be very useful in my classroom and can be used in a variety of ways. I do think that it is important to remember as we go into the classroom though that all students are not reinforced by the same thing. Something that works well for one student may not work well for another, and I will need to be able to see that, and change to a different method that will be more effective for that particular student.

Now What?

I just need to remember all of this stuff for when I get into the classroom! There are so many ways I can improve and be a more effective teacher, I just need to take everything that I am learning and apply it now as much as I can, so I will be able to use these skills later. I think it is important for me to decide now what methods might work best for me and practice using them in my own life, but remember to be flexible for when I am in the classroom.

Learning Log

What?

This past week I have been learning about Behaviorism. I really liked this chapter because I think it can be so effective and helpful in the classroom. It was a little confusing learning about reinforcement, and getting positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement straight. I think both of these strategies can be effective, but I think it is important that I am careful how they are used in the classroom. I think some times teachers might use behaviorism to kind of "bribe" the students and it takes away their intrinsic motivation. Once students are offered prizes or tokens for completing a project, their only reason for completing that project becomes to get their token.

So What?

I think as I go into my next field experiences and spend time in the classroom I should focus more on what types of behaviorism techniques teachers use to manage their classroom. I think that behaviorism should be used for classroom management but not necessarily the students learning. I also think that behaviorism techniques come naturally to us, and we don't necessarily make a conscious decision to use those techniques, but it will be important as a teacher in the classroom that we are using behaviorism techniques in the correct way.

Now What?

Now I think I need to find out what is the best learning theory for me to use in my classroom, and which learning theory I can be the most effective using. There are so many different ways to teach I think it is important to find one that I am comfortable with and works with my classroom. Obviously the different learning theories I use in the classroom will change from year to year and have to be adapted to the students in the classroom that year, but I think as I get familiar with each theory and how to implement them in the classroom appropriately I will be able to help my students using the best learning theory for them.

Learning Log

What?

It has been interesting these past few weeks to be in a classroom. It has opened my eyes to a lot of things that I would have never thought about before. One thing I noticed in the classroom this week especially was the student inability to focus on the task at hand. I think in large part it is because they are only in 6th grade. I did notice though that when higher expectations were set for our students, that they were able to perform at a higher level. They just had to understand that something was expected of them and then they could usually complete that task quicker and correctly.

So What?

I think this was something huge for me to realize because in my own classroom if I have high expectations for my students and they know that they will be able to achieve higher than if they think I don't have high expectations for them. I think that I need to develop a sense for when students really don't understand a problem or a concept or when they are just being a little lazy and don't want to put forth the effort to do it. That was one of the hardest things for me to discern.

Now What?

I am excited and looking forward to the next time when I will be in a classroom and can practice on these skills a little bit more and develop other skills and areas where I am not as strong as a teacher. I think as you teach a class for a whole year and you get to know them it is easier to have that feel for a student to know when they truly are struggling, and what you can do to help that student understand those concepts they are struggling with a little bit more.

Learning Log

What?
I had another great week in the classroom and love being able to apply the things that we have been learning. I had some of my first opportunities to teach this past week and it was so interesting to work one on one with the students and to be able to understand a little bit better how their mind is working and what I can do better as a teacher to help them grasp this new concept. I have seen a lot of assimilation and accommodation and more fully understand the importance of prior knowledge in our lessons and relating it to their own lives.

So What?
I have loved the practice I have gotten this past week, and can't wait to teach more! I have learned a lot this past week and am excited to apply my new knowledge. I think it helps me understand the concepts a lot better when I see them in action and I have something concrete to remember the concept by.

Now What?
I just need to practice, practice, practice! I am glad I still have 1 year of school left before I actually have to teach. I have a lot to learn!

Learning Log

What?
It has been great this past week being able to observe students in the classroom. Since we have been working on our field experience journals I have been keeping my eyes open for the different concepts and theories that we discussed in class.

Now What?
I have been thinking a lot more on how I can apply what I have learned about the different learning theories and developmental stages the students will go through in order to increase their learning. It has been interesting to observe the students and see where they are at and try and figure out as a teacher how I could teach them best.

So What?
I have A LOT to learn still! I taught my first lesson last week and it was so overwhelming and there were so many things that I didn't even think about before I taught, but I know that each time is a learning experience and I can only get better. It was fun to see the students respond to different techniques and I am excited for the next time I get to teach!

Learning Log

What?

This past week we learned about constructivism which is a very interesting theory to me. I guess I don't exactly see how it is different from Vygotskys theory. I think as we discuss it more in class I will unerstand it better. This week we also talked a lot about preparing for our field experience which was really helpful. I am excited to see the different theories put into practice in an actual classroom and see how the students respond to them.

So What?

I think that I need to understand what constructivism is a little better so that I can apply it in the classroom. I think the main thing though with all of these theories is to incorporate students prior knowledge when we are teaching something new, and that is the way that they will learn best.

Now What?

I am SO excited for field and ready to apply the things that I have been learning this past semester. I am really excited to find a student who is not currently working in their zone of proximal development and help them get there.

New Study Strategy

This past week as I read and chapter 7 I made a commitment so stop after I read each section and summarize what I just read, and also ask myself some questions to make sure I was understanding the material I was reading. I thought this was really helpful to me. As I was reading I knew I would need to be summarizing after I was done reading so I was constantly evaluating the information that was being read and deciding what was essential and non-essential to understand the concepts. I felt as I sorted out information I could remember more because I was not trying to remember a lot of useless things. I did have a hard time remembering to summarize after each section, but I think that with practice it would become natural. I really felt that I grasped the concepts better and understood the big ideas more fully as I summarized and quizzed myself on the material that was being read.

Learning Log

What?

This past week in Ed Psych we learned about cognitive psychology. The thing that was most interesting to me was learning about the Model of Memory and the process our brain goes through to get something to stay in our long term memory. It was interesting to learn about those different parts of the memory model and what we can do as we learn in order to remember things better. The main thing is to encode the information by meaningful learning, organization, elaboration, and visual imagery.

So What?

As a teacher I need to learn and create ways that can better assist my students in acquiring the skills they need to work the content they will be learning into their long-term memory. So many times in a classroom we use those route learning skills that do not really help students to retain the knowledge we want them to retain. This will especially be helpful to me so that I can train myself to study in ways that will allow me to actually retain the information I am trying to learn.

Now What?

I need to implement those effective study strategies into my own learning so that I will be able to teach it to students. I will also need to remember as I am teaching to not try and put too much information on students. If a student has enough time to process the information and isn't worried about learning a million other things they are more likely to retain that knowledge and transfer it to their working memory.

Judy Willis

Judy Willis is a educational researcher and classroom teacher. Her studies deal mainly with the RAD theory. To put it in Judy Willis' words, "when the fun stops, the learning stops." We need to be able to engage our students making learning exciting and fun for them in order to maximize their learning potential. I think at times it can be easy just to fall into direct instruction learning and bore our students to death. It does take extra effort to make our classrooms fun, exciting places of learning but the payout is definitley worth it.

Learning Log

This past week we have been learning about individual, social and moral development. It has been very interesting to see the different stages described in all of the theories that we are studying and how they intertwine together. I really enjoyed learning about Erickson's stages. I think these developmental stages are so important for us to remember in parenting and especially in the classroom. If we understand these stages we can help and encourage students to get to the right side of all these stages. I think it is crucial that we understand them and do everything we can so that a student does not feel guilt, inferiority, role confusion, or isolation and so on.

I also liked learning about Kohlbergs stages of moral development. I think that we can teach morals in the classroom. I believe that there are universal morals that everyone can practice to be a better person. I do see anything wrong with teaching those morals in my classroom. Obviously I would not impose my own religious beliefs on a student, but I do think that we can teach those universal "wrongs" and "rights." In class we talked about holding discussions in class about stories and historical figures and talking about their own moral development. I think this is so important. I think that when students hear other peoples views and have a chance to think about or defend their own views they can really understand where they stand morally and be more sure in who they are as a person.

Piagetian Tasks

I performed the Piagetan tasks with my nephew Reed, he is in Kindergarten and is 5 years old. The three tasks that I performed were the penny task, the water conservation task, and the beads task.

I really enjoyed doing these tasks with Reed and it was interesting to see what his responses were. I thought that he would be able to give the correct answer on all the tasks but he failed to give the correct answer on any of them. There were a lot of people around while I was doing it and it wasn't very quiet, so he might have been able to understand the task better if there was not so many other things going on. The thing that was interesting to me was that Reed did not have to think about his answers very long. He was able to decide very quickly what he believed was the correct answer and he was very confident in his answer. I was performing the tasks on one of his neighbor friends that was over, and he gave the wrong answer on one of the tasks. When I asked him why he thought that was correct he replied, "Because I know everything."

The first task was the water conservation task. I asked him if the two cups had even amounts and then poured one cup into another and asked if those two cups had the same amount. He said they did not because one water line was higher than the other.

The second task was the penny task. I lined up two rows and asked is they had the same amount. He said they did. Then I spread one row of pennies out and asked the same question again. He said the spread out row contained more pennies.

The third task was the bead task, which personally I found a little confusing when I was first asked to do it. He was able to correctly identify which color had more beads, but he wasn't able to recognize that there were more beads than silver beads.

The most interesting thing I found about this was that I was spreading out the pennies right in front of him, or pouring the water into a different cup right in front of him, and he still would get the answer wrong. He would be in the pre-operational stage. At that stage they are very egocentric (as displayed by his friend who knows everything.) They also cannot understand conservation or use logical thinking.

Fertile Minds

After reading this article by J. Madeline Nash, I am blown away. I have to admit I did not understand about the first three pages of it completely when they were talking about the anatomy of the brain, but I think I got the idea of it. I love what this article is saying though. I love that is is encouraging parents to take care of their first kids. That first year is especially critical and now there is scientific data to support what has been said for so many years. I myself did not realize the implications of all the things that can take place just in their first year. What I found really interesting was when it was talking about mothers with depression. It said that even when mothers who are depressed take time to give their babies attention and love, and indulge them with play, the child's brain can still develop less. This was a great article and I am glad as a future mother I have read it so I know what responsibility lies on my shoulders to nurture that child, play with them, talk to them, engage with them so that I will be allowing their brains to develop as fully as they can.

I think that this applies to me as a teacher in the classroom, to just realize that some students brains did not develop the same as others. There are situations that they are not in control of that may have not allowed their brain to develop to it's full potential. I think if I can remember that and realize it when I am working with a student I will be able to understand that student a little more and understand what I can do as a teacher to help that student learn the best way he/she can.

Learning Log

Today in class and in the chapters we read we discussed individual differences. We talked a lot about IQ and the IQ tests we took last week. I really don't think that IQ tests are helpful or should be used unless in a situation where you are trying to determine whether a student will be able to learn at a normal pace. I do like the multiple intelligence tests because they only focus on a students strengths. I think as a teacher it is important to focus on a students strengths and recognize their weaknesses so you can help improve those areas, but make your focus their strengths.

I like the idea of inclusion in today's classrooms. I think students with special needs and students in a regular ed classroom would both greatly benefit from inclusion. I would have loved it if I had more interaction with students with special needs when I was younger because now that I am older I would not have such a fear of teaching students with special needs. I just am afraid that I do not have the skill set and knowledge to effectively teach students with special needs. I really like the idea of having a mentor in the classroom with me for certain subjects to help educate me on how I can be of most help to students with special needs, and what kinds of things I can do in my classroom to help the students succeed.

Implicit association quizzes

These quizzes were so interesting! My results were a lot different than I thought they would be. I think it is a great way to test someone's unconscious thoughts. The pictures were flashing up so quickly sometimes it was easy for me to process, and sometimes it took a little bit longer for me to process. I don't necessarily agree with the results that came back from my test, but I guess they are gaging our unconscious preferences, so maybe I do have some unconscious preferences I am unaware of. I think this is a great learning tool as a future teacher to help me realize I might have some sub-conscious preferences and I will really need to work on not letting those come through and actually be put into action. The gender differences quiz was a lot easier for me to process and do quickly than the race one. I felt like the gender differences quiz results came back more accurately to what I believe as well.

Learning Log

As I read and studied about gender and group differences I learned so much! It was so interesting to read about the different biases we form in our minds for different cultures or genders. One thing that I really thought about was making students comfortable in their classroom environment no matter what their home environment is. We talked about cultural mismatches and helping the student transition from home to school life. One other thing I learned was that there is a very minimal and in some areas no difference at all in girls and boys abilities to perform in certain areas. So many times we assume boys are good at and like math, science, and spatial activities. We also assume that girls like and are good at language arts, social skills, and art. Genders seem to follow those patterns, but it makes me wonder if we train students to like and do typical gender related activities.

It is important as I go into a classroom that I don't have any biases and treat every student the same giving them equal opportunity. If I encourage students to do the things that they want to do and not what someone of that gender normally does then all of the students will be able to thrive and succeed at the things they desire to do. It is also important for me to not look at students of different cultures and automatically assume something about them because of the stereotype that is in my head. Each student is unique and individual and I will need to get to know that student personally and find out the needs of that student and how I can help them achieve in the classroom. One thing I think that will be so important is to have open lines of communication with all the parents of my students. Most of the time if you can talk with the parents and get an idea of what that child is like and how their life if outside of school we will be able to better meet the needs of that student. Just like the example in the book where the teacher was having trouble engaging in conversation with one of her students, once she understood that he thought it was disrespectful to look her in the eye she would look the other way while they conversed and the boy was excited to speak with her. If we can just find out ways to make our students comfortable we will both be able to succeed in the classroom.

As I prepare to become a teacher I can always keep in mind these gender and cultural differences and try to overcome them. I hope that when I am a teacher I will be able to teach every student equally and that every student will have the same opportunity to succeed in my classroom regardless of race, culture, religion, or gender. Hopefully before I become a teacher I will be able to learn more about different cultures that will help me to more fully understand the students in my classroom.

Intelligence Tests

The IQ test that I took was a very interesting way to gauge my abilities. The test was hard, but I liked the fact that it was timed because it helped me move through the questions quickly and didn't leave too much time to mull over every question. I thought the questions were not too easy but not too hard as well. They challenged me, but I still felt like I was competent enough to find the answer to most of the questions. I am not familiar with IQ scores, but my score came back at "above average." I really liked the evaluation that was sent to my e-mail concerning my results, although I did find it a little cheesy.

The Multiple Intelligence test was very helpful to me. I enjoyed taking the test because the questions made me really think about myself and how I learn best or like to learn. On the multiple intelligence tests it showed that the intelligences I was strongest in are linguistic and personal. I showed pretty low intelligences in all other areas, but at least some in every area. I thought the results to this test were pretty true to the best way that I learn.


I don't think I would use the IQ test in my classroom mainly because of the results that came back. The IQ score tells you whether you are average, below average, above average, etc. I would not want one of my students receiving a score that was below average and then thinking they couldn't succeed in academics or in life. I think it is important to gauge where students are, but I believe there would be better ways than using the IQ test.


I really like the multiple intelligence test and definitely think I would use that in my classroom. There is no score on this test that is better than another, just different. I think this test would be a great tool for me to use to know how I should be teaching material in my classroom so that my students will be able to learn best. I also think it would be a very beneficial test for the students to take to help them understand themselves a little bit better. If a student realizes they are very kinestetically intelligent, they might learn to study in a way that allows them to move around or form a dance that will help them remember certain concepts. I also think this test helps people just to understand themselves a little bit better.

Educational Research Study

I found a research report online of a study that was performed in Revere, Massachusetts public School District from 2001-2004. The study was performed district wide by the public schools in collaboration with Lexia Learning Systems, a supplemental language arts instruction. The study was to test the effectiveness of Lexia reading software as a supplement to Revere's language arts instruction.

I found this study to be very interesting since it was an experimental study, and in our classroom discussion we kind of concluded that these studies were pretty difficult to perform accurately in a classroom setting. The "key findings" of this study were that Lexia improved reading scores in grades K-3, the lowest performing children benefited the most from using Lexia, and all reported findings were statistically significant.

In order to perform the study for each grade they chose a control group and an experimental (Lexia) group at random. Each child was given a pre-test. After a six month period of time each student was re-tested. The Lexia groups showed a significant amount of improvement more than the control groups who did not use Lexia in their curriculum.

As I read about the study I though it was done very carefully as to not have any biases. I thought it was a great study to perform and now hopefully every student in the Revere School District will be able to benefit from the Lexia reading program.

The research report for this study can be found online at http://www.readingsoftware.com/LexiaUK/upload/research/revere.pdf

Learning Log

As I read the chapter this past week and after our discussion in class the thing that I have learned the most about is research and the different types of research that can be conducted to obtain different types of information. The four main types are; descriptive, correlation, experimental, and action research.

This information is so important for me now and for when I am going to be teaching in a classroom. Now that I know what kind of studies can be conducted and what kind of information and data I would gather from each study I will be able to observe and assess the needs of my class and utilize those studies as tools to become a more effective teacher.

I am not in a classroom teaching right now, but I think I can still use action research in my education. Especially as I prepare to do my field experience, I will be able to think of the different things and different settings I will observe, and what conclusions can be drawn from what actions. I think as I am in my own class right now I can also look at the way I learn, and the way people around me learn, and the different things we are doing in the classroom to be most productive. I think as I am conducting my own "action research" I will learn new things about myself that will help me become a more effective learner and teacher.