This theory was proposed by Jean Piaget. This theory states that intelligence and cognititive ability develops with the child as they get older. This also focusses on child-centered and open-ended approaches to learning. There are four stages which can be seen in the image on the left. This theory is effective because it shows that children can only learn what is developmentally appropriate for their age. I think sometimes educators forget that so this is a good reminder. I plan to use this in my future classroom as a checkpoint of what I should expect from my students. I want to have high expectations for them all, but I need to remember what is developmentally appropriate for them. 

This theory is from Led Vygotsky. This is all about giving students what they need to be successful. In the image on the left it illustrates the zones. There are three zones: what is out of reach for the students, what students can do with scaffolding and assistance, and then lastly what students can do on their own. Scaffolding is giving supports to help the student be successful. As the students learns and understands more, those supports are slowly removed. This is a very effective theory because it shows when and how students learn best. I plan to use scaffolding in my future classroom to help my students be in the Zone of Proximal Development. 

This theory is from Albert Bandura. This explains that students can learn by observing others. Children observe others, imitate them, and then model what they do. This theory can be effective because we can use our actions to teach the students. This theory can also have negative effects if the student is always observing negative actions. I plan to use this theory in my future classroom by always being aware of what I am showing the students. It may even be how I carry myself when I walk around the room, but the students are always observing. 

Allan Pavio is who came up with the theory Dual Coding. Dual Coding is using verbal and non-verbal word and images. The students will hear what the teacher is talking about, but will also see images of that. This is effective because it reduces the cognitive load for the students because they are seeing images of what is being talked about. When I am presenting new ideas to my students, I plan to use Dual Coding. I will verbally explain the idea, but there will be pictures that correlate with what I am saying. An example of this is when I taught the mapping lesson. I was explaining the elements of a map to the students and while I was doing that I was showing them pictures of those elements. 

Bloom's Taxonomy shows the domains of learning and was created by Dr. Benjamin Bloom. This is a hierarchy model that increases in complexity. There are three domains to this model: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. Using Bloom's Taxonomy is very effective when developing an objective. Bloom's is based on verbs that students can perform. I have had a lot of experience using Bloom's Taxonomy when creating objectives for my lesson plans. There are so many verbs to choose from that specifically state what the student should be able to do.