FINAL LEARNING LOG

What?

After taking the test to see how i believe people learn best, I found that I believe in Cognitive Development the most. In the cognitive chapter I learned about the different elements of getting information and how and where it goes. Encoding, retrieval, and storage are all part of the process. We looked at the model of how memory is processed and stored. Information goes through a series of processes in order to be used as short term memory, long term memory, or is lost. You can promote short term memory by using mnemonics, chunking, and massed practice. To gain more long term memory you can try doing more hands on activities and distributed practice.

Information goes into the brain and then is processed. First there has to be some sort of stimuli or input that wants to go into the brain. These stimulus' are entered through our senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, etc). Then the information goes through a process of sensory registry and it is quickly scanned for importance and precoding. Some information is lost here. After a processes called Attention (which is focusing on a particular stimuli), information goes into the working or short-term memory stage. Here is where maintenance rehearsal takes place along with coding and recoding. Some information is lost again. Then through the process of encoding, information is passed down to the Long term memory stage where it is stored and used in the future.

Memory is very much so connected with emotions and senses. Think about when you were a child. Visualize the sights and smells of a particular place. Now today if you were to smell that same smell, you would be taken back to that place as a child. Remember detail. The one down fall of memory is that it is always changing and reinterpreting. This leaving room for misunderstanding and confusion. Learning is a semi-permanent change in the mental process and it's mostly due to experience. There are many different reasons why people sometimes can't remember information but the most common reasons are because you may not have completely decoded the information, there is interference because something else is in the way of that memory, or because of decay, the idea of use it or lose it.

Encoding is an important process to help retain information for the future. There are several different ways to encode, here are a few:

Rehearsal
Meaningful learning (previous knowledge)
Organization (chunking)
Elaboration
Visual Imagery
Enactment
Mnemonics

I really liked this chapter and found it really helpful. Before this assignment I thought I believed in the Behaviorist Theories the most, however, I have learned otherwise. I liked behaviorist because I truly believe in the idea of motivation of students or people in general. People won't do things without knowing that there is something in it for them, so it's important to give students those motivations and also train them on how to behave.

So What?

This chapter is important for me to understand so I can better utilize different skills in my classroom. Understanding how the brain works and how my students are going to remember or recall the information that we give them in class will help me as a teacher know how to help students retain or recall that information. I know that most of the information that students learn in my class is lost shortly after the class is over; however, I believe that if we help them use different memorization skills and do activities that will help students store that information in different parts of the brain, it is more likely that they will be able to use it in the future. Memory is a process and not something that just happens, so I believe it is important to help steer the information in the direction that I want it to go.

Now What?

I have found the Educational Psychology class to be really helpful and informative for me. I loved learning about all the different ways in which students learn because that will be a key component to how I structure my lesson plans. I would like to better understand the aspects of Erikson's Psycholsocial stages of development. I know the eight stages, but I want to be able to work with students in these stages to better understand the impacts of actually dealing with issues in those stages. Some students will be in different stages in my class such as industry lv. inferiorityl, initiative v guilt, identity v. role confusion. Erikson says that my students will only be in Identity v. role confusion, but I think that they may fall into a couple different categories at once and it will be interesting to learn more about that and see if my theory is correct!

Group Differences Learning Log

What?

In this chapter we learned about being able to recognize the differences between students. There are natural barriers between students that occur just because of age, sex, race, or social status. It is important to notice these differences and work with them to the best of our ability. It is not smart to be colorblind in the classroom. You just need to be sensitive. There are also students that are at high risk which means that they have a high probability of dropping out of school or failing. We need to pay special attention to these individuals and make an extra effort to help them succeed. Many times these student don't have a good parent figure that gives them the confidence to do well in school, so it may be out job to be there for them to support and encourage them. We can't teach to one group of students or be bias in any wayl. We need to be sensitive to these different groups and be a nuetrlal player. Everyday as teachers we look through our cultural lens; our cultural background. We neeld to keep an open mind and by willing to learn about other cultures in order to better understand our students.
There are a few gender differences between boys and girls. First misconception is that one gender is not better in math or writing then the other. This common misconception is false and we must not gleltl trapped in guiding our student's in directions that are not always good for them. Boysl do seem to express themselves in a more phsyical aggressive way while girls are more emotional aggressive.

So What?

This topic is really important. That is why we devote a whole class to this very issue. Students in the United States all have come from different backgrounds and cultures. This is unlike a situation as if you were living in Japan where everyone had the same culture. Teachers need to be aware and do their best not to label students before you get to know them. Just because their asian, doesnt mean their smart. And just because their black, doesnt mean they play sports. These are common assumption, but we can't label students. Give them a clean slate and really get to know them. If there is a cultural mismatch, as teachers we need to be flexible and willing to work it out with the students so they don't have to compromise their culture, but still are learning in your classroom.

Now What?

As a future teacher, I think it would be benefical to start to get to know other cultures NOW. Why wait. Be outgoing and chatty and get to know those I assiciate with better and learn about their culture. This will not only allow me to get to know my friends better, but I will be better prepared for the day that I have something come up in my classroom! I think it is smart to look up the demographics of the school I'm going to be teaching at to know how many student's are on free or reduced lunch because that effects their socioeconomic status. this information will give me a heads up and I can be sensitive to that.

Individual Differences and Special Educaional Needs Learning Log

What?

During chapter five we learned about Individual Differences which means the variability in abilities and characteristics(intelligence, personality, etc.) among students at a particular age. There are multiple different ways in which students may learn or grow within a classroom. It is out job as teachers to take this knowledge and make sure that every student has an opportunity to learn with their best learning styles. Intelligence is the ability to modify and adjust behaviors to accomplish new tasks successfully; involves many different mental processes and may vary in nature depending on one's culture. There were five different studies that we covered in class dealing with individual differences. Spearman's G deals with general factors that influences one's ability to learn and perform in a wide variety of context. Catell's Fluid and Crystallized deals with things that come easily or innate,l and using prior knowledge to quickly adapt new information. Sternberg's Triarchis Theory is a complex theory involving two elements, Environmental context, Prior Knowledge, and Cognitive Process. Under each element holds different elements that fall into each category. Distributed Intelligence basically says that anyone will be more intelligent if they use aspects of their physical, cultural, or social environments. These include, technology, charts and graphs, and team work. The last theory that wel discussed in class was Gardner's Multiple Intelligences. In this theory they believe that there is eight different ways to learn including, lingustic, logistics, spacial, music, bodily, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist. This is one of the most qualified and used theories around.
Concerning students with special needs, we discussed that resources students have including, IDEA (individuals with disabilities Education Act), IEPl's (Individual Education Plan), and Inclusion. These are programs that have been developed to help those students who need extra attention or accomadations in order to succeed in school.

So What?

This chapter was important because it is crucial to understand that students all learn in different ways and that they may have certain natural talents in one area, when someone else has a talent in another. As a teacher is would be fun to get to know students well enough that you can allow them to use their talents for their benefit but also get them to do things they are not comfortable with as well to push them to reach their potential and help them find thier identity. Concerning students with special needs. This is always going to be a struggle to make sure these students don't fall behind or are so bored in my class that they hate it. There needs to be a balance between the two and as a teacher I need to make sure that I'm well aware of my class and their success and progress throughout the year. It's important to be aware of how IEP's work so that I can play an active role in my students success.

Now What?

Now as a teacher I think that it's important to know how our students learn; that is the biggest key. Being aware of this will guide you in what you decide to teach and how you teach it. It's always a smart idea to ask questions as a new teacher and get ideas from other more experienced teachers. Never be afraid to clarify with someone else. If I am struggling reaching a student, ask other teachers that have that student what they do to help them and see if those strategies help me.

Behaviorism Learning Log

What?

In chapter nine we explored the concepts involved in the behavior of students. Much of this chapter seemed rather familiar from my psychology class a few years ago. Being able to condition behavior in your classroom is what will save you as a teacher. Classical Conditioning is a common form of learning in order to get students to do what you want. Students come into your classroom with unconditioned responses from their past experiences. For example, you mention a pop quiz, and many students freak out and get really flustered. This is unconditioned, little do they know that the quiz could be simply writing their opinion about the past class period, an easy task, however they have already overreacted. It is the teacher’s job to be the reinforcer in most cases. Positive reinforcement is always a good strategy; however, negative reinforcement is also a very beneficial application. I personally find negative reinforcement more motivating for me. When I have a big project due, I get stressed out and I often times get it done early so that I don’t have to stress over it anymore and joy my time. That is an example of negative reinforcement. A positive reinforcement would be getting extra credit if it was done early or something like that. Often times that is unrealistic.

The definition of Learning when associated with Behaviorism is SEMI-Permanent change in behavior. The biggest misconception found in this unit is the difference between Negative Reinforcement and Punishment. Reinforcement ALWAYS INCREASES behavior, while punishment DECREASES behavior. Overall Behaviorism is successful because is to goal oriented and frequently shows success which increases self-esteem.

So What?

This is a very important chapter when studying Educational Psychology. It is very beneficial to be able to learn how to better train our students. From my experiences growing up and teaching, I have learned that it is easier to get the desired behavior you want if you make the students think it is their idea or repeatedly training them until it is second nature to them. I believe that Reinforcers are the best way to get the desired behavior from my students. Kids want recognition, so positive reinforcements will come in handy and really boost students work ethic and self-esteem.

Now What?

As I prepare to enter the work force, I need to come prepared with ideas of how to use these reinforcers to gain the behavior that I want from my kids. I need to come up with a system that my students may follow and allow it to become second nature to them.

There are many different ideas of reinforcers that we can use as teachers to get the behaviors that we want in our classroom. You can provide short periods of free time, spend one on one time with your students that need the attention or who seem isolated, or provide explicit feedback about what things students have done will. Also in older grades levels it is helpful to acknowledge student’s concern about getting good grades, acknowledge student’s involvement in extracurricular activities or sports in the local media, or provide opportunities for independent decision making and responsibility, especially when students show that they can make wise decisions. All these examples will help me in the future. As I do my Teacher Work Samples and Observations, I need to really look out for different ways in which teachers condition their students and gain that desired behavior.

Knowledge Construction Study Guide

What?

Within Chapter 7, Knowledge Construction jumps into different strategies which are good for student learning. We learn that students come in with different ideas of concepts that come from their prior knowledge and life experience. It’s stressed that as teachers we need to address these different ideas and help students understand that their misconceptions are not adequate. In the chapter they discussed the importance of prototypes and their role in the classroom. Prototypes are good for students to understand the typical example of the concept, but they also need to know that they are NOT the only example. Student’s misconceptions are dangerous and crucial to be cleared; however, there is a special way to go about it. When correcting a student, you don’t want to ruin their self-esteem.

Learning is an active process based on prior knowledge and experience. The more you can personalize the activity the more fun it is for the students; however, you may recieve some misconceptions along the way that you need to be watching out for. There are many different misconceptions that can pop up during teaching but there are a few rules to follow as you correct a students misconceptions. They are as follows:

• Identify existing misconceptions before instruction begins.
• Convince students their beliefs are inadequate.
• Motivate students to know the truth.
• Maintain high self-esteem.
• Monitor what students say and write for persistent misconceptions.

If you follow these simple steps you will find it easier to help students better understand the material.

So What?

I believe that this chapter is an important part of our curriculum because it's crucial to know that students may come into my classroom with preconceived notions about the topics that I cover. i need to be prepared to know the different misconceptions that will arise and then be prepared to help students get over that obstacle. The biggest challenge will be telling the students that they are wrong without killing their self-esteem. This could potentially ruin a teenager if they are humiliated in the classroom. That's why it's so important to understand the steps to get students to look at it from your point of view and almost manipulate them to think that it was their idea that it was wrong. If you word it in a way that they feel like they came up with the correct answer, they will more likely accept it!

Now What?

One way to implement Knowledge Construction in the classroom is by doing the 5 E's activity. Each of the 5 E's describes a phase of learning, and each phase begins with the letter "E": Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate. The 5 E's allows students and teachers to experience common activities, to use and build on prior knowledge and experience, to construct meaning, and to continually assess their understanding of a concept.

Engage: This phase of the 5 E's starts the process. An "engage" activity should do the following:

1. Make connections between past and present learning experiences
2. Anticipate activities and focus students' thinking on the learning outcomes of current activities. Students should become mentally engaged in the concept, process, or skill to be learned.

Explore: This phase of the 5 E's provides students with a common base of experiences. They identify and develop concepts, processes, and skills. During this phase, students actively explore their environment or manipulate materials.

Explain: This phase of the 5 E's helps students explain the concepts they have been exploring. They have opportunities to verbalize their conceptual understanding or to demonstrate new skills or behaviors. This phase also provides opportunities for teachers to introduce formal terms, definitions, and explanations for concepts, processes, skills, or behaviors.

Elaborate: This phase of the 5 E's extends students' conceptual understanding and allows them to practice skills and behaviors. Through new experiences, the learners develop deeper and broader understanding of major concepts, obtain more information about areas of interest, and refine their skills.

Evaluate: This phase of the 5 E's encourages learners to assess their understanding and abilities and lets teachers evaluate students' understanding of key concepts and skill development.

To implement this into a history context wouldn't be to hard. Say you were learning about WWII and the Genocide that occurred in Nazi Germany. You could start off by engaging the students in a videos clip that really catches the attentions of the students. Then they can explore the topic using a Web quest provided by the teacher. I made one in my Instructional Media class that would work great. Part of the Web quest would allow students to help explain what finds they have found and ask questions to the teacher. In this particular Web Quest they are asked to create a scrapbook of the different aspects of the holocaust. This is where they could really elaborate and be creative in their research. In groups they would present their scrapbook to the class and I could evaluate their understanding based on the scrapbook and presentation!

Cognitive Development Learning Log

What?

In this chapter we learned about the different elements of getting information and how and where it goes. Encoding, retrieval, and storage are all part of the process. We looked at the model of how memory is processed and stored. Information goes through a series of processes in order to be used as short term memory, long term memory, or is lost. You can promote short term memory by using mnemonics, chunking, and massed practice. To gain more long term memory you can try doing more hands on activities and distributed practice.
In the figure above, you can see the process of which information goes into the brain and then is processed. First there has to be some sort of stimuli or input that wants to go into the brain. These stimulus' are entered through our senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, etc). Then the information goes through a process of sensory registry and it is quickly scanned for importance and precoding. Some information is lost here. After a processes called Attention (which is focusing on a particular stimuli), information goes into the working or short-term memory stage. Here is where maintenance rehearsal takes place along with coding and recoding. Some information is lost again. Then through the process of encoding, information is passed down to the Long term memory stage where it is stored and used in the future.

Memory is very much so connected with emotions and senses. Think about when you were a child. Visualize the sights and smells of a particular place. Now today if you were to smell that same smell, you would be taken back to that place as a child. Remember detail. The one down fall of memory is that it is always changing and reinterpreting. This leaving room for misunderstanding and confusion. Learning is a semi-permanent change in the mental process and it's mostly due to experience. There are many different reasons why people sometimes can't remember information but the most common reasons are because you may not have completely decoded the information, there is interference because something else is in the way of that memory, or because of decay, the idea of use it or lose it.

Encoding is an important process to help retain information for the future. There are several different ways to encode, here are a few:

Rehearsal
Meaningful learning (previous knowledge)
Organization (chunking)
Elaboration
Visual Imagery
Enactment
Mnemonics

So What?

This chapter is important for teachers to understand so we can better utilize different skills in our classroom. Understanding how the brain works and how our students are going to remember or recall the information that we give them in class will help us as teachers know how to help students retain or recall that information. We all know that most of the information that students learn in our class is lost shortly after the class is over; however, I believe that if we help them use different memorization skills and do activities that will help students store that information in different parts of the brain, it is more likely that they will be able to use it in the future. Memory is a process and not something that just happens, so I believe it is important to help steer the information in the direction that I want it to go.

Now What?

Knowing this information now, it is a good idea to start using it. As you plan lesson plans and activities, build ones that are going to help the learning process. One of the biggest ideas is that we remember better if there are a lot of pathways to that information. That requires learning it different ways. I think we need to implement that into the classroom. Give students the chance to learn the same material in different ways. Also I really found it helpful when Professor Cox made up a mnemonic for us for the different stages of moral development. That is something that I would have NEVER done on my own, but was very helpful. I still could remember it today, where my normal habits of just cramming it in better I walked into the testing center would have been gone by now. As teachers I think it is smart to introduce these different styles of memorization to our students, even if we have to do that work for them. Or maybe after you have demonstrated a style for them, on the next assignment you have them make up their own mnemonic for homework. This will help students practice those different strategies and also help them for your unit test. I think it's a win-win situation!!

Moral & Social Development Learning Log

What?

In this chapter we discovered the roles of relationships and the emotional needs of students within the educational field. The primary point that we discussed were Erikson's Psychosocial Stages of Development. Erikson’s model of psychosocial development: Erik presented 8 different stages of psychosocial development in the span of a lifetime. The first stage is Trust versus Mistrust (infancy) which is an infant learns whether or not they can trust their caregiver for food, comfort, and affection. (Like when some babies don’t like strangers holding them?) The 2^nd stage is Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt (toddler years) which children can either develop a sense of accomplishment when they can finally feed themselves and go to the bathroom alone, but if parents are too demanding of their children doing things alone, the kid may feel doubt. The 3^rd stage is Initiative versus Guilt (preschool years) which is children begin to try to make plans for themselves and gain that independence, but if parents allow students to over do it and plan things that disrupt or are unattainable, the child may feel guilty. The 4^th stage is Industry versus Inferiority (elementary school years) is when students develop self confidence. Parents and teachers can make or break a child’s confidence. The 5^th stage is Identity versus Role Confusion (adolescence) is when they try to find their identity and place in the world. The 6^th stage is Intimacy versus Isolation (young adulthood) is after people have their identity but are looking for long term commitments or marriage. The 7^th stage is Generativity versus Stagnation (middle age) is having a sense of contribution to a family or society. The 8^th stage is Integrity versus Despair (retirement years) is the final developmental task. Seniors look back on their life with happiness that they did a lot and were successful, or they look back sad and wish they had done more. The other theorist that we talked about was Kohlberg's stages of Moral Development. His ideas included 3 moral levels and 6 stages within those morals. The stages are as follows, Stage 1: Punishment-avoidance and obedience, Stage 2: Exchange of Favors, Stage 3: Good Boy/Girl, Stage 4: Law and Order, Stage 5: Social Contract, and Stage 6: Universal Ethical Principle. Overall, in chapter 3 we learned why students get their insecurities and why they behave as they do during different stages of development.

So What?

This information is important for teachers to know so that we can be prepared. Understanding that Erikson's stages are not set in stone in regards to the age of which we experiences these stages, but to know that these stages to exist and that we need to be aware of them and looking for them in our students. As students begin to search for their true identity by figuring out their sense of self, we need to be a helping hand and give them a sense of direction when needed. As a future teacher, understanding that cliques and gangs are in my classroom, I can do the things necessary to create a community in my classroom.

Now What?

As a future teacher, this information will come in handy to better understand my students. Like I mentioned before, I want to create a community in my classroom and but doing that I need to be able to split up the cliques and gang members so that everyone can work together and maybe someday be able to understand one another. I can do this by creating a lot of group work in my class and separate the three girls in the back of the class who are always together and the 2 football players that hang out all afternoon. Doing this may create larger friendships and maybe allow students to learn about one another. As a grow as a teacher, I will be able to learn from fellow co-workers and possibly workshops that will help me learn more about reaching all different types of students and learners.

Cognitive Development Learning Log

What?

Throughout this chapter we have discussed the impact of neruonetworks and how it relates to learning. I have learned that the more you 'strengthen' or use your brain, the more it will be useful for the future and be able to make more connections later. Cognitive Development, or the ability to think and make connections, is associated with the kinds of life experiences we have and our brain plasticity (whether we have a fixed or growth mindset). In this chapter we went over two different theories. Piaget's theory consist of four different stages of child cognitive development. These stages included Sensorimotor- ages 0-2, Preoperational-ages 2-7, Concrete Operational-ages 7-11, and Formal Operation-ages 12+. Piaget believes that cognitive development involves Biological maturation (or that of Nature), active exploration of the physical environment (nurture), social experiences, and equilibration (self-regulation). Equilibration is the process of which when you are presented with new information or a troubling situation, you are in disequilibrium and your brain uses assimilation or accommodation to find that equilibrium again! Assimilation is relating that information to what you already know, and accommodation is finding a bran new folder for it in your brain. This is also related to the idea of schema! Vygotsky is the other theorist who centralized on the development of the adult learner. The main differences of these theorist is that Piaget involves individual constructivism, the role of the environment, and the interactions with peers. Vygosky, however, focuses on social constructivism, the role of culture, and interaction with adults. Both theorist, however, do derive their ideas from observation.

So What?

This chapter is beneficial for future teachers to learn about because it helps us understand the different levels of comprehension and cognitive development of our students. With Piaget's four stages of development, you would think that our students in the junior high and high school level will all be in the fourth stage or even higher, however, unfortunately, there will be students, even in the high school level, who are in the 2nd and 3rd stages. It is nice to know the different levels of development so that we know what to look for as we're assessing students and know where the students need special attention. I found that the fixed and growth mindsets are very important to know as a teacher and we need to find ways to motivate students and let it be known to them that the sky is the limit. That there is no 'I can't' or 'I won't' attitudes. These are devastating words to hear from students and it's our job as teachers to give the students the confidence they need to believe in themselves. If a student has a 'fixed' mindset, we need to help change that!

Now What?

I think I've already covered part of this question when I talked about fixed mindset. I will take that information and be aware of it in my classroom. No one likes to see students struggling or failing, and many times that is because they don't believe in themselves. I know from experience that happens with reading and writing. It wasn't until last year (junior year in college) that I finally became confident in writing a report or research paper. I always thought my writing was elementary and no good. Same with my reading, however, I still feel that way with reading sometimes. I HATE reading aloud. This is a fear that I've grown up with all through school and still haven't overcome unless I have prep time to go over it. Sometimes I get embarrassed for being so insecure about that, however, in the past semester I have realized that I'm not alone and that there are others that feel the same. Once I get in the classroom I will definitely understand those students who feel as I did growing up, however, I will do something to help them. In school, if I didn't volunteer to read aloud, I never would get asked to and so I never had to face my fear and get over that. As a teacher, if I see a student in this position, I will allow them the "opportunity" to get over that insecurity. Giving students a heads up about when I want them to read until they get more comfortable with it will help them past that log in the road so they can progress sooner than a junior in college. ;)

Assessment Learning Log

WHAT?

Throughout the last week, we've studied the importance, usage, and structures of assessments in the classroom. Assessments have many purposes in the classroom. It is considered a processes where we as teachers observe a sample of student's behavior and draw inferences about the student's knowledge and abilities. Assessments are not a means of grading, more importantly they are a way to help teachers make judgments of students. There are various forms of assessments including formal, informal, paper-pencil, and performance. All of these models have their time and place within the classroom. Formal assessments are preplanned to determine what the student's have learned. These can include homework assignments, quizzes, tests, etc. Informal assessments are the evaluations that the teacher does throughout the day without the students even aware of it. These observations help teachers gauge how the students are doing in the class and help evaluate the teachers' instruction. Paper-pencil assessments are written responses to written items, for example, when a teacher provides a topic or problem to solve, and the students have to respond in a written format. Performance assessments are something that you actually do with the students. They are asked to 'DO' the subject in a real world setting. These assessments allow students to be creative and can perform what they have learned in class. When creating or using an assessment, it is important to evaluate the four aspects of an assessment. These include, R.S.V.P. or Reliability, Standardization, Validity, and Practicality. Reliability refers to the assessment having consistent questions and grading. i.e. no bias or tricks. Standardization refers to consistent implemention of the information, meaning that the assessments are given and scored similarly for everyone. Validity refers to the alignment. Validity means that your assessment actually measures what it is intended to measure. And finally practicality refers to how easily you can correct the assessment and receive feedback. This also infers that the assessment is cheap and easy to use and takes only a small amount of time to score. These four aspects of assessments help teachers determine if the assessment should be used. There is not a 'perfect' assessment because no matter the assessment you use, it will have positive and negative effects on the four aspects of assessments.

SO WHAT?

Learning about assessments is a crucial aspect of teaching. We need to know best possible ways to assess our students and what works best. It is a waste of time to give students paper-pencil test over and over again because you lose out on some of the other things they are learning. Student's need to be given the opportunity to show what they have learned in different ways. Learning about the R.S.V.P. has been very helpful because it will help me realize what is a good assessment and what needs some adjustment. When I was doing my work-sample in Professor Cooks class last semester, my assessment was the worst part of my experience in the classroom. My assessment was too easy for the students and didn't really test what i had taught them. This information will come in handy as I become better familiar with the designing of assessments in my classroom.

NOW WHAT?

As I learn more about assessments, I will be able to understand how to effectively administer tests to my students. Becoming familiar with assessments may take some trial and error, however, it will be smart to show your assessments to co-workers and other students to ask their opinion and suggestions. It will be beneficial to go to seminars and workshops to learn more about building strong, effective, fun, assessments that engage students and truly evaluate their knowledge and abilities in my classroom. When I begin making my own assessments for student teaching, I will keep the R.S.V.P. in mind so that I can hold myself accountable for the assessments that I create and the ability to make judgments about my students progress.

Brain Learning Log

What?

Throughout the past two weeks in class we have covered the parts of the brain, their functions, and how those are related to teaching and education. Researching thirteen different parts of the brain, we discovered what part of the brain controls what and how it does it. I found the most interesting areas of the brain were the frontal lobe which controls our personality, our behaviors, memory, and problem solving. This area happens to be the last to fully develop in humans and that plays a significant role in the behaviors and decision making in young students in the secondary schools. Their brain isn't fulled developed until the ages of 25-35 years old. This could explain why students/youth make dumb decisions a lot of the time! :)

Although the Frontal Lobe is the primary part that controls problem solving and personality, it's important to understand that the brain all works together. No one part of the brain control something all by itself. Unlike popular myths about the brain, the brain actually uses 100% of its capacity at all times. As students' brains develop, during the adolescent years, students make judgments using their emotions rather than logic and that can explain certain behaviors.

So What?

I believe that this is an important topic to cover in Ed. Psych because it is the scientific explanation for student behavior. Although student's can not get away with poor behavior just because their brain hasn't fully developed, it is something that should be in the back of teachers minds to help stay patient and understanding of the students. The last thing you should do as a teacher and become so hard and unforgiving of students for their behaviors, however, without this knowledge it could be easy to become that way after become so frustrated in the classroom. This information will assist me in becoming a GREAT teacher because I will be able to better understand how students' brains work and be patient with them. No one is perfect and students make a lot of mistakes growing up. This bit of information will help me realize that it's not always the students fault for their behaviors...they are just underdeveloped! :)

Now What?

I think the most important information to take with me into the classroom. If I have students with special needs in my class, I can refer back to the information received about the different functions of the brain and hopefully be able to better understand their disability. Right now, there isn't any extra information that I'd need to research, however, it'll be important to keep posted on all the new research that comes up to always be educated on how the development of the brain effects learning so you can implement that into your classroom!

WebQuest Reflection

What?

Chapter 1 presents an introduction to Educational Psychology and then also presents different types of research that can be conducted in the classroom or for behaviors. The four types of educational research includes Descriptive Studies, Correlational Studies, Experimental Studies and Action Research. Descriptive Studies actually describes a situation using percentages, frequencies, or averages. You can tell how long something has happened or how often. Descriptive allows you to draw conclusions about the current state of affairs that are going on in a particular setting. Correlational Studies explore the possible relationships among different variables. You can examine how two characteristics are associated with one another or might give us information about the consistency with which certain human behaviors occur in conjunction with certain environmental conditions. After we make correlations we can use those to predict other events. Unfortunately correlation doesn't tell us why the causes or effects of the behaviors it just merely tells us that relationships exist. Experimental Studies is when the researcher changes or manipulates one or more aspects of the environment (independent variable) and then measures the effects of such changes on something else (dependent variable). The dependent variable is usually a student behavior of some sort. This type a research is harder to conduct, however, it allows you to know why and how behaviors come about and allow you to see what corrections are available and useful for gaining success. Action Research is the act of having you as the teacher conduct the research on your own in your classroom or within you school. You may conduct a study of any of the previous examples but do it in your own class with issues that are addressed with your students. The hardest thing about this method is having the resources to accurately perform the experiment and having enough time to do so.

So What?

It is important to learn about the different methods of conducting research so that you can utilize them in your classroom in the correct manner. It's important to know the validity of the research and if they are appropriate for your classroom and your group of students. Research is always changing. If you chose to experiment in your own classroom, it's crucial to understand the components of research so that if you want to share your findings with others you know how accurate your research is for all students...not just your class.

Now What?

As it is mentioned in the text, research is always changing and a theory is rarely ever set in stone and is almost always flexible. With that in mind, I always need to be keeping up with the new research and technology that is available for my classroom and students. Teachers all over the world are desperately trying to find newer and better ways for students to learn and retain information in order to succeed in society. I need to learn more about the studies that have been discovered so far and start to prepare to implement them into my future class, but remembering to always keep an open mind and be willing to revise my own theories when ideas come to the surface. As an educator I will use educational research to assist me in my instructional strategies and ability to understand my students behaviors. As a researcher I will be willing to experiment in my class to hopefully find better ways to present information to my students. There is not one way to teach in your class, however, some things may work better than others, so it's valuable to be able to reflect and adjust according to what works for you and your students!

Course Contract - Hidden Assignment

Goals for Ed Psych:

1. Receive an 'A' in the course itself.
2. Obtain a variety of ways to motivate my students and learn how their mind works so I can better relate and understand them as students and individuals.
3. After this class, I want to be able to demonstrate how to effectively organize my instruction in such a way that will reach all my students' learning styles.

Weekly Prep:
Every week I plan on completing all of the assigned reading prior to coming to class. In addition to that I will check the class schedule every Sunday night in order to make sure I don't forget any upcoming assignments that are due (that gives me an extra day to finish something if it happens to slip my mind). Normally I'm the type of student that if I start an assignment, I finish it the same day if possible because I get on a role. I make sure that I give myself enough time to do so. So in the case that a smaller assignment is coming up, I will get it done quickly instead of drawing it out for a long time!

Study Strategies:
When I read out of a text book I have found that the best way for me to remember the material is to highlight key points in the book or interesting statements, as well as, writing out an outline of the information so that I can reference back to it in the future. As far as studying for a test, I tend to be one that crams at the end of the term, but I am going to make a conscious effort to really learn the material and place it into my long term memory so that I will be able to come back to it once I'm in the classroom! It may take more work for me now, but it will have a better payoff in the long run!

I'm Confused!!!
If I were to stumble over something that I found confusing or difficult to understand I would start off by highlighting it in the book and writing a question in my notes. I would possibly head to the Internet to get clarification or a second opinion if necessary. If I was still confused I would address my question to my professor during the next class period!

I Will Reach My Goals in This Class By: not procrastinating on assignments and keeping up on my readings. If I were to miss a class, I would take the necessary steps in order to gain the information that I missed from a peep. If I do have questions I will address them to the Professor or ask a classmate. I will be to class on time and actively participate in the discussions!

Motivation

1. Why are you here (in the teacher education program, in this class, at UVU)?
   

• I came to UVU initially to play soccer. I was recruited to play on the Woman's UVU Soccer Team. Once I got here I fell in love with the school and the atmosphere of Utah County! Coming into college I was set on becoming a chiropractor because I loved to help people and I thought it would be a good profession and high paying job. After my first 2 years here at UVU, I realized that I really wanted to be a teacher in the secondary level. I loved coaching and working with kids, and I loved the teacher work schedule. The pay?...Not so much, but I believe that working in the schools is one of the most rewarding professions out there. To be able to effects peoples lives and really make a difference in the world is a great opportunity! I also picked the teaching profession because it is a rather stable career and good for those with families! I am in this class in particular so that I can become a better teacher and better understand my students and how they learn and why they behave as they do! :)
  

2. What motivates you?

• I am the type of person that works better under pressure, for the most part. I'm ashamed to say that I'm NOT much of a self-motivator, so I tend to rely on external support. As least that is what I found in my athletic career. In the classroom, however, I am very motivated to get good grades. I was raised that good grades was a must and luckily I never rebelled in that area! That being said, things that really motivate me are those that have a reward in the end, whether it's emotionally rewarding or physically they are the same for me. I am a rather competitive person so I tend to pick up my game when I have competition. If it is something that I really truly and sincerely desire, I will go after it and achieve it! Nothing can hold me back if I really want something!
  

3. Why do you succeed?

• I succeed because I really want something! I succeed when I put my mind to the task and give myself a reason for my hard work. I need to have a purpose and I will succeed! And if I happen to fall short, I try again until I do success! Throughout my career in school and sports I have been given many opportunities to learn how to succeed and how to fail. Fortunately, I have succeed so far in life and I'm proud of my accomplishments thus far!
  

4. Why do you fail?

• I believe I fail mostly because I lose focus on my purpose or I don't have purpose at all. If I keep my goals in mind and always remind myself why I'm there, I rarely will completely fail. Even during a soccer game; If I lose a game but still play my best because I stayed focused, I still believe that I won to an extent. I think that applies to real life as well. If I put the effort in and do my best I'm still a winner. If I don't reach my maximum goal that I desire, I can evaluate myself and continue to strive for my goal! Life is full of mistakes, it's only if you quit trying is when you truly fail.
  

5. How do you need to change your motivations and mindset for this class in order to become a great teacher?

• I need to realize that not all students are motivated that I am. It is important to understand that concept and learn the different ways in which students are motivated and differentiate for that purpose. I obviously need to be a self-motivated person as a teacher because it won't be often that other teachers or principles are watching and evaluating me. I need to keep an open mind to new ideas and strategies in order to gain more tools for my toolbox!!!