Learning Model and Theories in Practice Sheila Morgan Richard R. Wiley School of Education At Walden University Abstract Education has long been the center of reform with new ideas about learning and teaching. Educators are regularly introduced to new teaching strategies, curricula and rigorous standards in an effort to provide effective instruction to students. However, the pursuit of proficiency in mathematics and reading through the use of research-based methods requires an understanding of the learning models and theories that both drive instruction and learning in the classroom. In this paper I will address the evolution of ideas about learning and teaching in education as well as address the shifts in learning in the 21st century. The Evolution of Learning Theories In the last fifty (50) years there has been significant contributions in the field of education in regards to how children learn, and the models in which learning theories have been developed and utilized within the classroom setting. Additionally, in as recent as the last twenty years the most notable of shifts has been that of students as “sponges” where teachers lectured and students listened, and took notes; to that of learning as a process of active engagement (Cuban 1993). The former paradigm being rooted in and is the basis of behaviorist-learning theories. Essentially, training the individual or student to respond to conditioned stimuli. This method proved to be an antiquated
From the day they are born, children are immersed in a social world. Rapid learning takes place and is supported not only by parents, siblings, teachers and friends but also the important values and beliefs within their culture. All of this provides the foundations for cognitive development. As trainee teachers, it is fundamental that we have a deeper understanding of how children learn and how we can support learning. In order to do this we must first look at some of the theories of learning.
Following a review of the Vark Questionnaire and Analysis, it has been determined that preferred learning style is multimodal.
The study of Educational Psychology pairs the science of psychology to educational practices and provides teachers with evidence-based knowledge to support their day-to-day decision making in the classroom (PowerPoint, Mullin). Therefore, it is no surprise that many educational psychologists focus their research and understanding on learning theories about how the human brain processes and stores new information. Learning incorporates 3 critical components; permanent, change, and experience. When written in a sentence together, learning is any relatively permanent change in an organism that results from experience (PowerPoint, Mullin). One domain of learning theories named
During this final paper, there will be a number of topics discussed. These topics will cover how I personally found a better understanding of my customized learning theory. First, I will go over the Learning Theory and its’ importance. Secondly, I will give a description of an effective teacher and learning environment. Next, I will discuss the different learning characteristics. Finally, I then will give my personal reflection on all the different things I was able to learn during this course. All of these four sections helped build a better understanding on how to be a more effective educator. Most importantly, I gained a better understanding how to build better rapport with students who have all different learning styles and ways of thinking. While managing a classroom, it is highly important to make lessons that will be appealing to the students that you are teaching interest. This will increase engagement and academic learning.
Behavioral theories define learning as a "semi-permanent change in behavior" (Culatta 2011). With that, a facilitator must take both classical and operant condioning into practical consideration focusing to encourage learning vise trying to control classroom behavior. “Behavioristic teachers see people as a collection of habits” (Watson 1930). Implementing practical applications as in class activities over the material covered will facilitate a repetitious manner in which the student can process the new information and form redundancy. This will facilitate placing new information into long term memory.
There are many theories that are relevant to classroom teaching today. Marsh (2008, p. 17) states that “each theory is nothing more than a set of reasonable suggestions”. A teacher should look at the information available to them and take what is necessary to achieve a positive learning environment in their classroom. This may mean taking a little part of one theory and combining in with another part of a different theory, there is no singular theory or theorist that encompasses everything that is required in a modern classroom. Some of the most important theories of learning are motivation, constructivism and behaviourism. Teachers choose their teaching style and strategy to complement their students, to arrive at their own personal
Overview: Schema Theory is part of the cognitive theories of learning module and deals with how the brain processes new knowledge (Chalmers, 2003). Schemata are packets of prior knowledge that have been stored in a learner’s memory. Each learner has developed schemata that are based on prior experience and knowledge. Learners seek to connect new information with prior knowledge and use generalizations to assist in organization of information. Schema Theory is focused on conceptual learning and states that knowledge seeks organization in order to develop meaning (Anderson, 1984).
The way in which people learn has been the focus of educational psychology for hundreds of years. Educational psychologists will often discuss in great detail the best way for children and adults to learn. While some believe that children could learn on their own through play, others believe that children have to be in a classroom setting with directed learning. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/200808/brief-history-education
Mary Ainsworth further developed Bowlby’s theory into “attachment behaviour” which is linked to modelled behaviour by insecure children ,in an effort to re-establishing or establishing an attachment to a present care-giver.
A. The fourth grade class as a whole did a fairly good job on this Social Studies Unit, though it was quite the long journey to get to the end. This unit was formatted very similarly to their other units, focusing on the western region of the United States. Their goals as a class is to learn the states and their capitals of each region, as well as identify the states on a map from memory. Their text book focuses on the geography, climate, and the natural resources and economy of the West. There is a fairly scripted attack used to cover Social Studies units, utilizing the book lessons, quizzes, and chapter test. Covering states and capitals is integrated in different ways throughout the unit. We also added an enrichment project students completed researching an individual state. The pretest for states and capitals was pretty much universally tanked, with a couple exceptions who did fairly well before we began learning the states and capitals for the West. This was a good indication that everyone could benefit with some practice learning states and capitals. I was very proud of my class as a whole, they showed tremendous growth, gaining about 90% of the material overall that was presented. There were a few outliers, but almost every student had successfully retained the states and their capitals, as well as where they were located on a map. The group as a whole struggled the most with the comprehension aspect, which was
There are a few revelations that I have learned while student teaching that I was not aware of beforehand. First, I have learned that having high expectations for students truly motivates them to work hard and please their teacher. I knew this approach worked with my own children, but I saw first-hand while student teaching how a classroom full of students will work to reach the goals you set for them. All it takes is setting goals that are within their reach, providing them with the steps they need to be successful, and enforcing their hard work with positive motivation. Second, I had absolutely no idea how many children are pulled out of a classroom to receive services with the various interventionists and
The types of Work- Based Learning Strategies are used as one of our indicators under the variable Work- Based Learning, in order to support and provide its validity. The following activities are the strategies used by teachers/facilitators in order to help the students acquire knowledge easily and effectively in a specific area especially in skill related subjects.
The world is constantly spinning. The environment is constantly changing and human beings are constantly evolving. These statements are what I consider to be facts. Why is it then that it is so difficult for our country's education system to understand these facts and react accordingly? What I find to be interesting in my recent readings of Friere, Noddings and Chapter 6 of How People Learn is that the authors seem to be desperately trying to make the reader (or the world in general) aware that times are changing and that we must change with them. It is not enough to put state of the art computers in our classrooms and say that we are doing what we can to keep up with times. So much has happened in our world since the "behavioral
The model that I found the most effective for instruction is guided discovery because of its many benefits in the classroom. In the book (2012) Learning & Teaching Research-Based Methods, it said, “We know from our own experiences that we are more motivated and learn more when the instruction involves us in learning, and research into student learning supports thing contention. Students learn more and retain information longer when they are put in active roles than they do when passively receiving information from others.” This quote leads me to believe that even research agrees that discovery learning is one of the most effective instructional models because it places the learners as active participants. Discovery learning actively engages students in the learning process. This means that the student is participating with the knowledge as they interact with authentic learning experiences.
Inquiry is an interactive way of learning. Students are actively engaged in their studies. Inquiry involves student-centered activities focusing on questioning, exploring, and posing explanations. The goal of inquiry is to introduce a new way of learning where students can learn about the world around them through active engagement in real-life examples. Inquiry based learning can be incorporated into all academic subjects throughout the curriculum. Science could possibly be the most effective subject to incorporate inquiry.