EDUC 5015Q: Teaching, Learning, and Development
Week 1
Reflective Practice: the process of self-analysis and reflection to become a more effective educator by being open-minded, adaptable, and self-inquisitive #
Schwab's 4 Commonplaces in Education: any instance of education has 4 critical components- the teacher, a topic, the setting, and a student
Educational Psychology
9 central topics:
- Learning/cognition
- Development
- Social/cultural influences
- Motivation
- Behavior/classroom management
- Individual difference
- Assessment/evaluation
- Teaching/instruction
- Psychological foundations of curricula
Effective Instructional Planning = excellent instruction, enhanced student learning, exemplary learning environments #
Instructional Planning: teacher vs student-centred approaches #
Curricular Planning: determining what curricula will be covered over the course of the year (educational purpose) and breaking it down into semesters, weeks, and daily activities (learning experiences), in addition to designing evaluations
Week 2
Best Practices/Guidelines in Teaching #
*Teach for understanding, appreciation, and life application
*Include practice and application activities
*Create a supportive classroom climate
Growth Mindset (Carol Dweck): intelligence can be developed, leading to one's desire to...
3 Instructional Approaches to Optimize Student Achievement
Development (in the context of learning: encompasses physical/cognitive/social changes, the increased organization of learning, and gaining adaptability in behaviour
Week 3
Behaviourism: mind as a black box
Cognitivism: mind as a computer
Constructivism: mind as a rhizome
behaviours are always motivated, and are shaped by rewards/consequences
learning = regular, expected responses
instruction = repetition and enforcement
focus on individual intelligence
learning = the recall of stored information
instruction = grabbing the learner's attention and helping with information storage to enable recall
prominent theorists: Piaget #
based on the idea that humans develop cognitive thinking structures before language
learning = building knowledge by doing; very hands-on
instruction = guiding the problem-solving process
Universal Design for Learning
Differentiated Instruction
Response to Intervention
5 Principles of Development
- Orderly progression/gradual process
- Period of rapid vs slow growth
- Quantitative and qualitative changes
- Individuals develop at different rates
- Genetics set developmental potential, environment determines realized potential
Early Learning vs Higher Order Executive Functioning
- early learning: mastery of literacy and numeracy skills = best indicator of future academic success
- higher order executive functioning: not achievable until 20s (or not at all) due to the length of time needed for the prefrontal cortex to become fully functional
Theorists in Educational Psychology
Piaget- humans have 2 basic learning instincts: a drive for organization (forming schemas) and a drive for adjustment (disequilibrium vs equilibrium)
Chomsky- Language Acquisition Device (LAD), humans have a need to learn and understand language
Erikson- Psychosocial Theory, an 8-stage process emphasizing social self-development and how we relate to others
welcome challenges in order to come out stronger
persevere when faced with obstacles and avoid discouragement by setbacks
put in the required effort to master certain skills
see criticism as a source of information and a tool for improvement
view the success of others as inspiring, using it as a learning experience
4 Stages of Cognitive Development:
- Sensorimotor (0-2 y/o)
- Preoperational (2-6 y/o)
- Concrete Operational (7-11 y/o)
- Formal Operational (12-adulthood)
Vygotsky- emphasis on why the process of constructing knowledge is important
Zone of Proximal Development- if a task falls outside of their developed zone, a child cannot perform it without assistance
Scaffolding- an instructional technique in which a more competent other demonstrates a skill to the child to learn
Week 4
How do teachers affect student achievement?
What are the 3 fundamental student needs?
What are the 6 strategies teachers can use to foster these needs?
How can teachers encourage self-efficacy and self-regulated learning?
design classroom curriculum to facilitate student learning- effective teachers work to control instructional variables such as difficulty, space, time language, and interpersonal relations
makes wise choices about the most effective instructional strategies to use
makes good use of classroom management techniques, in-line with the 5 global principles of effective classroom management
to belong and feel connected/respected
to have a sense of autonomy, allowing for self-determination and accountability
to feel competent, successful, and accomplished
‘plant the seeds’ of values that encourage a healthy classroom environment
have realistic goals and classroom expectations in place
reinforce student responsibility
give students the opportunity to solve problems, instilling autonomy and ownership
discipline effectively to encourage self-discipline
help students work through their mistakes
design complex tasks
give students control in terms of planning and goal-setting
allow students to self-evaluate
encourage collaboration with teachers when problem-solving
Week 5
3 Guiding Principles to Choosing Effective Instructional Mechanisms
Examples of Instructional Practices
incorporate methods that emphasize constructivism into all teaching
gear teaching methods toward the process of student thinking, not knowledge acquisition
Motivation: getting students engaged in their own learning through the efficient design of tasks, use of problem-solving strategies, and building strong classroom relationships
Direct Instruction (DI a.k.a. ‘explicit teaching’): presenting students with small amounts of information and providing many opportunities to practice
Student-Problem Solving: includes the use of verbal protocol analysis and problem/project/inquiry-based learning (PPIL)
Developmentally Appropriate Learning: treats the child as an active explorer and focuses on guided play rather than the provision of information, accounts for cognition and emotion
social emotional benefits = greater emotional regulation and motivation, less stress and behavior problems
academic benefits = improved reading and math scores
Provide multiple means of representation (perception, language, expressions, symbols, comprehension)
Provide multiple means of action and expression (physical action, expression, communication)
Provide multiple means of engagement (sustaining interest/effort/persistence and promoting self-regulation)
Week 6
How do we decide what to teach?
Bloom’s Taxonomy: a six-level classification of cognitive learning goals
- Knowledge
- Comprehension
- Application
- Analysis
- Synthesis
- Evaluation
diagnostic assessment: gauging student prerequisite knowledge as a starting point
Backward Design: developing a course of teaching methods and lessons/units from specific learning objectives, involves 3 steps
#
How People Learn (HPL) Framework: a break-down of how individual learning is centered around 4 main facets, allowing educators to plan a course of learning effectively
Understanding By Design: a framework for curriculum planning, assessment design, and teaching for understanding
Assessment for Learning
learner-centredness: who learns? how? why?
knowledge-centredness: what should be taught? why? how should this be organized?
community-centredness: what aspects of a classroom or school communities enhance learning?
assessment-centredness: what evidence can be used to determine if learning is actually occurring?
assessment serves different purposes at different times (e.g. diagnostic, formative, summative)
assessment is only efficient when it is well-planned (using methods such as backward design)
curriculum planning- expectations (framing questions, learning goals) are provided by the teacher and met by the students
assessment design
teaching for understanding- focus on type (e.g. questions used) and style (e.g. criterion vs norm-based) of assessment
- Identify desired results
- Determine acceptable evidence
- Plan learning experiences and instruction
assessment for learning (diagnostic)
assessment as learning (formative)
assessment of learning (summative)
Week 7
Intelligence
Cognitive Styles, Learning Styles, and Temperament
Special Education: providing appropriate education for students with special needs
Including Students with Exceptionalities #
social benefits for all when those with exceptionalities are included in the classroom
there is NO negative impact on other students’ academics when those with exceptionalities are included in the classroom
universal design/differentiated instruction are key tools
inclusion > segregation if possible in all situations
Who receives it?
key to success = proper assessment of student abilities- without this, special education isn’t effective
IEPs- documents designed for students with exceptionalities that include individualized goals and the methods/strategies that will be used to achieve these
high-incidence exceptionalities- ‘mild’ disabilities e.g. learning disabilities, giftedness, behavioural disorders
low-incidence exceptionalities- ‘moderate’ or ‘severe’ disabilities e.g. autism, hearing/visual impairments
cognitive style: one’s way of perceiving, thinking and problem-solving, has connections to personality
learning style: one’s preferred method of learning and type of learning environment, has impacts on how much/what is accomplished
temperament: one’s way of behaving and responding to new occurrences, including things such as activity level, attention span, and adaptability
as a structure or a process
Ken Robinson on creativity in schools
schools need to value the whole-being, an important part of which is creativity
fostering creativity may lead to ‘being wrong’, something that needs to be okay in a school environment
creativity should be treated as important as literacy
structure- Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences states that there are 8 structures of intelligence, each using different parts of the brain
process- Sternberg’s theory of human intelligence sees it as a series of processes across 3 realms that lead to learning and problem solving
Week 8
Week 9
How can teachers build a culturally responsive practice?
What are some of the socio-cultural considerations that need to be accounted for within a classroom?
What methods of teaching can satisfy the needs of learners from different backgrounds?
Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT)
works to incorporate cultural content into an effective learning environment
Differentiated Instruction (DI)- ‘mixed-ability teaching’; appropriate in environments where students have a wide range of ability
6 characteristics of CRT- validating, comprehensive, multidimensional, empowering, transformative, and emancipatory
examine their own cultural assumptions
ask students about their own cultural backgrounds, to help inform instructional practices
develop teaching strategies that satisfy the needs of students from different backgrounds, and know how/when to use them appropriately
learn how to mediate cultural incompatibilities and make links across different cultures
create a classroom curriculum that includes multiple cultural representations and contexts
differences within identified groups- while social identity factors can be related to race/culture/gender/socio-economic status (SES) and have impacts on learning, it is important to remember that this is not always the case and there is significant variability in groups
SES- the factor with the greatest impact on academic achievement, however it is necessary to remember variability within groups
stereotype threat- the fear that acting in a certain way will confirm an existing stereotype of your group; important for teachers to avoid the enforcement of this in their classrooms
cultural identity- it is important to be aware of the cultural diversity in your classroom, but not necessarily to completely understand all students’ cultural identity
Aboriginal education- factors that encourage success in Aboriginal students: early intervention, resiliency, positive self-image, family engagement, community involvement, relevant programming, Aboriginal role models
What is a standardized test?
What is the controversy behind standardized tests?
What are some of the significant issues linked to standardized testing?
How can we design better standardized tests? (Popham's 5 Essential Elements)
PROS
CONS
allows comparison of academic success between schools/provinces/countries
can aid in determining the specific strengths/weaknesses of a school/provinces/countries
can help students identify where they stand academically in comparison to their peers
causes many teachers to ‘teach to the test’
too much focus on literacy/numeracy, ignoring creativity, critical thinking skills, technological ability
can trigger student disengagement
often culturally biased
a test given to a large group of learners that is comprised of all the same questions, given at the same time, and assessed in the same manner
purpose is to assess effectiveness of instruction within a given area
source of student/teacher stress (can impact results)
focusing on preparing students for said tests takes up valuable lesson time
takes away teacher autonomy related to selecting learning topics
- The test must assess important curricular goals
- The curricular goals must be teachable
- The assessed knowledge and skills must be clearly described and accurately reflect effective learning
- The test must be specific enough to directly guide instruction
- The assessment process must be minimally intrusive on classrooms
I believe is arguably the most important skill a teacher can have, and that it should be part of any teacher's daily routine- reflecting on how individual lessons or activities went, in addition to entire units and semesters. Doing so can only strengthen one's practice and will ultimately benefit future students!
I would say that this is the most recurring subject throughout the course, linking to almost every week in some way. I plan to implement UDL in all of my classrooms, starting small if necessary, and working up to organizing my entire classroom in this way.
After working as a nanny and tutoring 3 children every evening, from my experience, I can confirm that these are the most important learner needs. Without these, it is unlikely that a student will be motivated to complete their work, or have any desire to succeed.
I believe it's important to incorporate each of these types of learning into each lesson as often as possible! Without assessment, it is impossible to know how your students are doing, and impossible to engage in reflective practice to determine how you can change your practice to encourage further student success.
Having worked closely with a student possessing a low-incidence exceptionality, I recognize the importance of providing special education to these learners. Without it, many of these children are not just at a slight disadvantage in terms of their capacity to learn, but many will not be included in formal education of any sort.
As my goal is to work in a largely Aboriginal community, this TED Talk was thought-provoking regarding how we can be successful in approaching Aboriginal education.This is area that I hope to learn more about throughout this program, as well as one that I plan on doing some of my own research into.