Chapter 13
The first thing I will do to establish a productive learning environment in my classroom is to strive to always be prepared for class each hour. I’ve seen many middle school teachers who are unprepared when the bell rings. This allows the students a few minutes of unstructured time at the beginning of the hour. I firmly believe that once you have lost control, it is much more difficult to get it back. If I am ready when my students come onto the room at the beginning of the hour, then we will set the tone to begin immediately and stay on task for the hour. The textbook considers this time as a transition time, which can be challenging. Being prepared will help the transition go much smoother. If I cannot be ready when class starts, perhaps because of an issue with a student from the previous hour, I will make sure that my students know what they are expected to be working on. I will do this by having an established routine for starting the class period.
The second thing I will do to establish a productive learning environment in my classroom is to create relationships with my students that communicates genuine caring and concern for every student. Really getting to know my students will help me to manage their behaviors. In part because I will know what types of behaviors are typical for each student. If Suzy is normally very attentive in class, but is having a hard time paying attention one day, I will know that something is up. However, I am going to respond to Suzy having an off day much differently than I would respond to a student how exhibits the same behaviors on a good day. These relationships will also help me correct problem behavior when it occurs. I will know which students I need to say something to, and which ones will change their behavior with just a look. Having a good working relationship with my students will also help them feel comfortable coming to me for help. They may be having a hard time with something we are covering in class, or they may be having a hard time with peer harassment. If they are comfortable coming to me, I can help them before they fall behind in class, or before the peer harassment reaches extreme levels.
Works Cited
Ormrod, J. E., Anderman, E. M., & Anderman, L. (2017). Educational Psychology Developing Learners. Boston: Pearson.
Chapter 11
There are several reasons why some students are motivated to do well in school and several reasons why some students are unmotivated to do well in school. Students who are motivated to do well may be driven by an intrinsic motivator, this is a reason that comes from within the student (Ormrod, Anderman, & Anderman, 2017). A student who is intrinsically motivated may enjoy learning new things, or they may want to master a short-term goal that will help them achieve a long-term goal. There are many different intrinsic motivators, which will vary from student to student. Students who are motivated to do well may also be driven by an extrinsic motivator, or a reason that comes from outside the student (Ormrod, Anderman, & Anderman, 2017). This could include a desire to do well to receive praise from a teacher, or a monetary reward from a grandparent who pays for good grades. Peer pressure may also be an extrinsic motivator; however, peer pressure can also cause a student to be motivated to do poorly in school. Student motivation is not always caused by reinforcement. Some students are motivated to do well to avoid a punishment, such as lost time with friends or having their phone taken away for poor grades.
I have tried a variety of strategies to motivate students. I have worked in classrooms with students as young as 14 months and as old as seventh grade. The strategy that works often depends on the age and developmentally levels of the students I am working with. Toddlers are often motivated by hand clapping, excited praise, and hugs. As easy as it is to utilize this type of motivation, it is not effective when working with older students. Effective praise is still an effective strategy, but with older students that praise takes on a much different form. Some students become very motivated when they know that their teacher is noticing the work that they are doing. Success can also be a motivator for older students. When they experience the satisfaction of doing well, they want to continue to do well. When all else fails, I have used extrinsic motivators, such as candy, to motivate students. This strategy is very effective for short term motivation, but it is not practical for continued use. Students do not need that much candy, so it will only motivate them for so long.
Fortunately, older students are able to delay satisfaction for a while, and have the focus to work on long term goals. In the sixth-grade classroom I volunteered in a couple years ago, the students and I had a deal. Any student that received a perfect score on a test would get a candy bar of their choice. The students started to really try to do well. This meant that they took notes during class, and studied before any quizzes or tests. The first couple assessments did not produce any perfect test scores, but the scores were drastically improved. We began working with the students on effective study habits and asking questions when they need clarification. The last test of the semester, I had to buy the entire class a candy bar of their choice. I was so proud of how hard they had worked, that I brought in pizza that day to. I have since checked in with some of those students, and I am happy to report that they are still apply the study habits that they learned. They often tell me as much as they like candy, they are learning now because they want to. That should be every teachers goal.
Works Cited
Ormrod, J. E., Anderman, E. M., & Anderman, L. (2017). Educational Psychology Developing Learners. Boston: Pearson.
Chapter 10
Self-regulation and positive self-beliefs are important to the overall achievement of students in academic and other settings. I plan to teach math at the middle school level. According to the textbook, I can expect my students to have: increased ability to plan future actions, increased ability to use some of the self-regulating learning strategies, some self-motivational strategies, and a decrease in help-seeking behaviors (Ormrod, Anderman, & Anderman, 2017, p. 341). This means that my students will have matured to a point where they can begin learning how to learn in a more independent manner. I will capitalize on this development by explicitly teaching my students how to study and learn. I will encourage the students to keep track of assignments and due dates in a planner or on a calendar, so that they can independently monitor what they should work on next. I will provide suggestions and tips about how to study effectively, such as comprehension monitoring and note taking. I will also encourage my students to self-assess where they are in their learning, set goals for future learning, and evaluate their learning to know when they have met their goals. I will also encourage students to reward themselves when they succeed. This will allow them to provide their own positive reinforcers, which will help them continue to succeed after they have reached a point where those reinforcers are no longer provided by a teacher. Most of these strategies pertain to metacognitive behaviors, which play a role in social cognitive theory as well as cognitive theory. Providing positive reinforcers is part of behaviorist theory.
To assist my students in developing positive self-beliefs or self-efficacy I will encourage them to notice the small success that they make, which then led up to the big successes. For example, if Tim is struggling with a math concept and begins to doubt his overall math ability; I will begin by pointing out when he is successful with a problem or using a strategy. Next, I will point out when he is successful with an assignment. Then a group of assignments or an exam. I believe pointing out the small successes first, and building up to the big successes will allow Tim to see that he is good at math, but he has to try. As Tim begins to see that he can be successful, his confidence in his ability will increase. Later, when I notice Tim doubt himself, I will remind him of the times that he has succeeded in the past.
Works Cited
Ormrod, J. E., Anderman, E. M., & Anderman, L. (2017). Educational Psychology Developing Learners. Boston: Pearson.
Chapter 9
I plan to use a variety of strategies in my classroom to guide student behavior. The first thing that I plan on doing is establishing classroom management practices at the beginning of the semester and / or year. This will include informing the students of behaviors that are acceptable, and behaviors that are not acceptable, as well as establishing a routine for our day to day interactions. Behavioral psychologists have stressed the importance of establishing an environment that encourages appropriate behavior, as it is the first of the basic assumptions of behaviorism (Ormrod, Anderman, & Anderman, 2017, p. 289). This will also include creating a classroom atmosphere that is physically and psychologically safe for everyone. I will strive to make sure my own behaviors are not embarrassing or stressful to the students, while encouraging the students to treat each other with the same respect and consideration. Behaviorists have studied the effects that embarrassing and stressful conditions can have on students and found that they can lead to long term consequences for students (Ormrod, Anderman, & Anderman, 2017, p. 293). I personally believe that every student should feel safe at school, and will strive to make sure that my students have the benefit of security in my classroom.
I plan to provide students with frequent feedback about what they are doing well, and what they need to improve on. However, “good job” alone will never be used in my classroom. Instead I will strive to be specific when providing feedback, for example, “I like the way that you organized your work on that problem.” Behaviorists have found that students should be given explicit feedback about what they are doing well at the time they are performing the task (Ormrod, Anderman, & Anderman, 2017, p. 298). The feedback I provide will also include ways that students can improve their behavior and / or work, for example, “when we are working independently you should not be talking to your neighbor.” When I have to give corrective feedback to a student I will strive to do so in private, so that the student will not be embarrassed by me “calling them out” in front of the class.
Problem behaviors are going to occur, that is just part of the job. When they do occur, I plan to use logical consequences to correct the behavior. For example, if one student is talking while they should be working, then they will not get the free time that the class gets when they finish the work. Instead the student who was talking, or otherwise not doing their work, will work on the work that they did not get done. This approach is recommended by behavioral psychologists instead of using consequences that are abstractly related to the misbehavior (Ormrod, Anderman, & Anderman, 2017, p. 310). I also plan to focus on the positive behaviors of my students. This approach was stressed by behaviorists B.F. Skinner, who argued that “punishment was a relatively ineffective means or changing behavior – it might temporarily suppress a response but could never eliminate it.” He went on to encourage teachers to reinforce desirable behaviors rather than punishing (Ormrod, Anderman, & Anderman, 2017, p. 304).
These strategies may not work for all students, and some students will need me to dig deep into my teaching toolbox to find what will work for them. However, I firmly believe that putting in the work to establish routines early on is the most vital step in classroom management.
Works Cited
Ormrod, J. E., Anderman, E. M., & Anderman, L. (2017). Educational Psychology Developing Learners. Boston: Pearson.
Chapter 8
The cultural background of a person can dramatically influence their interpretations of new information and experiences. I believe that this extends beyond the learning of the students that we teach, as our own cultural background can have a major influence on the way that we teach. We often do not think about how our culture plays a role in our everyday lives. Our worldview, which the textbook defines as, “a cultures general beliefs and assumptions about reality”; influences the way we interact with the world around us (Ormrod, Anderman, & Anderman, 2017, p. 258). For example, if our worldview includes the assumption that the world is flat, then it is going to take a lot of evidence to the contrary to change this view, and we will reject most information to the contrary until our view has changed. The varying worldviews of students also causes them to develop different schemas and scripts. The textbook states, “when students from diverse cultural backgrounds come to school with somewhat different schemas and scripts, they may interpret the same classroom materials or activities differently and in some cases may have trouble making sense of a particular lesson or reading assignment” (Ormrod, Anderman, & Anderman, 2017, p. 258). It is not surprising that different cultures have differing worldviews, schemas, and scripts as each culture uses their own theories to explain the world around them, as well as differing literature and art. Cultures from other parts of the world also have dramatically different experiences than we are used to. For example, there are parts of our world that have been experiencing conflict and war longer than I have been alive. Students from this part of the world are going to look at things much differently than a student from the United States.
The varying cultures that our students come from expose them to many different communities of practice. Communities of practice is defined by the textbook as, “groups of people who share common interests and goals and regularly interact and coordinate their efforts in pursuit of those interests and goals” (Ormrod, Anderman, & Anderman, 2017, p. 259). These communities are said to have their own sets of rules that govern the action and interaction of the members. For our students, communities of practice include the variety of different places and cultural interactions. One student may leave school to go help at their parent’s shop, another student may leave school to go to some form of musical or sport practice, and another may go home to complete their homework and play video games. These are all communities of practice. We should encourage our students to participate in communities of practice, because it allows them to interact with others that share a common interest and teaches them to interact in settings with different rules governing their behavior. I think that one of the biggest ways we can encourage this behavior in students is to show interest in their lives outside of school. When we talk to them about their interests it conveys to them that we find them important, and therefore their individual interests are important. Knowing the interests of our students also allows us to build on the foundation of knowledge that those interests have created. When we can relate academic content to things that students are interested in, the students are more likely to learn by making meaningful connections to what they already know. Encouraging students to participate in communities of practice also prepares them for their future. These communities may be sports teams and various other extracurriculars now, but eventually they will become work related, such as medical or law practices.
Works Cited
Ormrod, J. E., Anderman, E. M., & Anderman, L. (2017). Educational Psychology Developing Learners. Boston: Pearson.
Chapter 7
Plagiarism is a problem that is not understood by most younger students. In fact, young students are often taught to copy information verbatim from the source; so, it should not come as a surprise to teachers when students plagiarize information. Now that we have taught them this behavior what do we do about it? The textbook provides five steps to problem solving that can be used to help students understand and solve the problem of plagiarism in their work. The first step is to encode the problem (Ormrod, Anderman, & Anderman, 2017, p. 231). Students should understand why plagiarism is a problem. This could entail an explanation from the teacher, or having the student come up with their own reasons why plagiarism is a problem. At this time, resources about plagiarism should be provided to the student, such as the Copyright Basics page on the WebGuru system. This webpage includes what information is covered by copyright and how the owner or creator can go about getting an official copyright so that they can sue for damages (Copyright Basics). The next step in the problem-solving process is “retrieving one of more strategies that might be useful in solving the problem” (Ormrod, Anderman, & Anderman, 2017, p. 231). For this step, students should think about the skills they have been taught to avoid plagiarism, and how they can apply those skills to their work. This would also be an appropriate time to review citing sources with the student. The fourth step of the process is “carrying out the chosen strategy or set of strategies” (Ormrod, Anderman, & Anderman, 2017, p. 231). I would have the student revise the written assignment with the proper citations. I would make sure to provide the student with some time to do this; however, I would consider docking points for the assignment as it would then be late. The last step in the problem-solving process is, evaluating the solution. As the teacher, I would complete this step with the student when they submit their final work. I would also have the student evaluate their use of citations and reiterate their importance. Students are going to make plagiarism mistakes. It is important that we correct these mistakes and that the students understand the importance.
Teachers can help students become efficient problem solvers in a variety of ways. The most important of these methods is modeling. Teachers need to model solving problems by thinking out loud. Modeling our thought process for students helps them to understand the steps involved, and how to apply them to a problem. It is also important that we teach problem solving strategies such as algorithms and heuristics. This instruction should not just include the how, algorithms, but also the when and the why. Students need to know when to use the strategies or methods that we have taught them. When they only apply algorithms to worksheets, they fail to connect that algorithm to problems that they encounter in the real world. The textbook uses balancing a checkbook as an example. Even though students are taught to add and subtract decimals in the algorithm, they may not know to use the same strategy to balance their checkbook or budget. Students should also be given the opportunity to solve a variety of both well-defined and ill-defined problems. When life presents a problem all the needed information is not directly given, students need to know how to find the information that they need. Problem solving is an important lifelong skill, as teachers we need to make sure that we are preparing our students to tackle the problems that they will face.
Works Cited
Copyright Basics. (n.d.). Retrieved from WebGuru, Guide for Undergraduate Research: http://www.webguru.neu.edu/professionalism/intellectual-property/copyright-basics
Ormrod, J. E., Anderman, E. M., & Anderman, L. (2017). Educational Psychology Developing Learners. Boston: Pearson.
Chapter 6
The process of learning new information has always fascinated me. According to the textbook, people learn new information in a predictable fashion. First, they are presented with some type of stimuli, which they choose to either pay attention to or discard. If they choose to pay attention to the stimuli it moves to the working memory, or short-term memory. Once in working memory, the information is then either attended to or discarded. Attending to the information consists of applying memory techniques that allows the information to move from working memory to long term memory (Ormrod, Anderman, & Anderman, 2017, p. 176). The way new information is processed by the brain may be predictable, but it requires work on behalf of the learner to get information from the stimuli stage to the long-term memory stage.
This work begins with attending to the information being presented. It is vital that students pay attention to the stimuli provided by their teachers. If students are not paying attention to the information it will go right over their heads without ever making it to the working memory stage (Ormrod, Anderman, & Anderman, 2017, p. 177). Assuming they have paid attention, the information is then headed to working memory. That is when the learners work begins. For this information to make it to long term memory the student must either connect the new information with something they already know (elaboration), organize the new information to make it easier to remember, or create a memory tool to help them remember. The memory tool can utilize visual imagery or mnemonics (Ormrod, Anderman, & Anderman, 2017, p. 185). By actively engaging with the material this this fashion students move the information into their long-term memory, which is part of the definition of learning.
Knowing this process will help to make me a more effective teacher. When first designing lessons, I will make sure that I am helping the students to find a connection between what they already know and the new information. I will ask them questions that require them to organize and elaborate on the new information. I will also give them lots of opportunities to apply the information, or practice. I have often said that learning is a sport. You cannot expect to be a great basketball player by watching a game, you must practice. The practice should not focus on repeating the information or rote learning. Instead it should give the students opportunities to engage with the material in a meaningful way.
Works Cited
Ormrod, J. E., Anderman, E. M., & Anderman, L. (2017). Educational Psychology Developing Learners. Boston: Pearson.
Chapter 4 and 5
We live in a world full of diversity and wonder; as New Mexico residents we enjoy an area that is particularly diverse. While most teachers can see the value in this diversity, sometimes students need a little help to understand issues of diversity and social justice. These issues arise often during the course of our lives, and it is important that we give our students the tools they will need.
This subject is so important that it is built into the UNM College of Education Core Values and Conceptual Framework. Specifically, one of the eight core values is diversity and social justice; which states, “We are dedicated to the analysis of social structures and power relations that hinder equal access for all, especially historically underrepresented populations, and to the educational and political work that addresses these inequalities” (Ochoa). This means that as UNM College of Education students we are responsible for teaching the next generation of students about diversity and social issues, which will help them navigate the diverse world that we live in. The Conceptual Framework explains that one of the goals of our program is to help us understand the role of culture and language. This includes, “The nature of home, school, community, workplace, state, national, and global contexts for learning. How social groups develop and function and the dynamics of power within and among them. How language and other forms of expression reflect cultural assumptions yet can be used to evoke social change. How one's own background and development shape understanding and interaction” (COE Conceptual Framework for Professional Education). With this knowledge we can lead our students to understand and discuss issues of diversity and social justice.
I believe that one of the first steps towards helping students understand and discuss issues of diversity and social justice is to start the conversation. Students do not know how to start the conversation, and with the racial and social tensions present in the media today, most of them are afraid to do so. Our students are afraid that discussing these issues makes them sound racist. For example, I was working with a student in the fifth grade on a writing project, which required him to provide a detailed description of his dog. I noticed that he was having difficulty, so I started asking him questions; such as how big is your dog and what color is he? The student described the size of his dog, but did not want to tell me what color the dog is. After pushing a little further, the student said, “my dog is black, but I’m not racist.” The student was afraid that labeling his dog black made him sound racist. I had to explain to the student that saying his dog was black did not make him racist. I went on to illustrate by telling him that I was wearing black pants, that the book on the nearby table was black, and that the student sitting next to me had black hair. We also talked about what racist meant. The conversation helped the student to relax about describing his dog, and seemed to help him understand that labeling colors does not make him racist.
It is not just our older students that are having difficulty starting the conversation. Students are coming across diversity and social issues early in their educational lives. Young students do not understand everything that they hear, but they hear everything! When students are exposed to issues of diversity before they comprehend the significance, they are likely to work it out in their play. For example, I was working in a preschool classroom full of five-year-olds. While observing the students working in centers I overheard one student tell another student that she could not play with them because she had brown skin. I immediately stopped the room, it was time to have a conversation. I had all the students come to our meeting area and sit in a circle. We started talking about how we are all a little bit different, and that those differences are what makes life fun. It would be boring if we were all the same. Next, I had the students push their pant legs up and stick a leg into the circle. I had the students observe that no two legs in the circle were the same. We also discussed the various skin tones present in the room. Finally, to end the conversation I had the students each tell the person sitting next to them one thing that they liked about them. The students took this very seriously, and worked hard to come up with something special to tell the person next to them. When it came to the student sitting next to the little girl who was excluded from play, I was surprised by what she said. She complemented the girls skin tone, and added that if she had her pretty dark skin she would not have to wear as much sunscreen. I couldn’t help but laugh, which of course made the whole group laugh. As we headed back to our centers, I noticed the two girls going to play together. I did not have this issue come up again while teaching this group. This conversation is similar to one of the strategies suggested in the textbook, “Conduct class discussions about prejudice and racism that exists in the school and local community” (Ormrod, Anderman, & Anderman, 2017, p. 111). Conducting the discussion as a class allows educators to model starting the conversation, and participating appropriately.
Talking about diversity and social issues can be difficult. Which has led to these conversations being avoided, like religion and politics. We need to teach students how to have these conversations. This includes active listening, appropriate responses, and being respectful of one another’s opinions. However, before they can learn those skills, they have to be able to start the conversation.
Works Cited
COE Conceptual Framework for Professional Education. (n.d.). Retrieved from The UNM College of Education: https://coe.unm.edu/administration/framework-for-professional-education.html
Ochoa, S. H. (n.d.). Administration, Welcome from Dean Salvador Hector Ochoa. Retrieved from The UNM College of Education: https://coe.unm.edu/administration/index.html
Ormrod, J. E., Anderman, E. M., & Anderman, L. (2017). Educational Psychology Developing Learners. Boston: Pearson.
Chapter 2
While learning how to teach the students in our charge, we are also training to be cognitive developers. After all, some might argue that the primary objective of teaching is to develop our students’ abilities to think, reason, and use language. This is the definition of cognitive development, more specifically, cognitive development is “developmental changes in thinking, reasoning, and language” (Ormrod, Anderman, & Anderman, 2017, p. 22). If cognitive development is the primary objective of teaching, it makes sense that so much time and energy has gone into learning as much as we can about cognitive development. As educators today, we have the benefit of drawing on the theories that those that came before us have developed. The chapter reading for the week focused on two of these theorists, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky.
There are aspects of each theorists work that appeal to me, and parts that I do not really agree with. The theory that makes the most sense to me personally is Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development. The first aspect of his theory that sets him apart from Piaget is the lack of stages or age groupings. Vygotsky’s theory shows that students range of abilities at any given age varies dramatically. One seven-year-old is not going to have the exact same abilities as another seven-year-old. This is consistent with what I have observed in educational settings. I believe that placing students into groupings based on their age fails to account for the variability of students. For example, as a preschool teacher I have seen that students that should be in Piaget’s preoperational stage based on their age. Yet these students perform tasks that are more fitted to the concrete operations stage, even though these students were not supposed to reach this stage for another two or three years. These tasks include using logic to solve problems that they encounter related to math and science concepts, as well as understanding conservation. By not placing students in age related boxes, Vygotsky’s theory allows educators to understand and meet each student at their own level of development.
Another aspect of Vygotsky’s theory that makes sense to me is his attention to the social side of learning. Vygotsky believed that the social interactions that students have with adults and other students is a pivotal part of their learning. Piaget’s theory is based on the principle that students construct their own knowledge through interactions with their environments. I think that if this were accurate than students would have little use for teachers, as they would be able to teach themselves by interacting with the world around them. Vygotsky’s theory explores the relationship between students and teachers in depth. In fact, the best-known aspect of Vygotsky’s theory, the zone of proximal development, is a measure of what students can do by themselves and what students can do with the help of a teacher or more experienced student. I also feel that the social aspect of Vygotsky’s theory fits what is being discovered about mirror neurons in the brain. Mirror neurons are specialized cells in the brain that are responsible for feelings of empathy. Mirror neurons are also responsible for a “monkey see, monkey do” reaction in the brain. When we perform an action, certain neurons in our brain fire. Mirror neurons are responsible for the same areas of our brains firing when we see someone do the same action (Arjocu, 2009). This means that when we model a task, the same neurons are going to fire in the brains of our students as when they perform the task themselves. The social aspect of Vygotsky’s theory capitalizes on these neurons, even though he did not know about them when he developed the theory.
The final aspect of Vygotsky’s theory that makes sense to me is his belief in scaffolding. His theory considers what a student can do independently, and what a student can do with help. This help should be structured in a manner that the student begins with the most help, and then the help is decreased as the student gains skills and independence. Scaffolding in this manner allows students to perform tasks that they would not be able to complete independently.
Works Cited
Arjocu, F. (2009, Aug. 18). Mirror Neurons Part 1. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzMqPYfeA-s&t=312s
Ormrod, J. E., Anderman, E. M., & Anderman, L. (2017). Educational Psychology Developing Learners. Boston: Pearson.