Ch 10 Social Cognition

What
Within this chapter there are three underlining important factors. The first is how we are influenced and able to learn through observation. This factor helps people learn what behaviors might be punished or reinforced by watching others. Then as they are able to see what consequences happen from certain behaviors they will start to model their behaviors after others. The second underlying factor is how you are able to control your own environment. This happens mainly while some is self-regulating what they decide to learn and how they decide to react once they observe their environment. The last factor is motivation mostly through setting and achieving goals. In class we discussed how it is especially important now days to reinforce self-regulation because our students are the entitled generation, in other words they are entitled to get something without having to work for it. Another topic of discussion was the importance of showing them good examples of behaviors you want them to portray.

So What
As a future teacher I will be educating the “entitled generation”. This means that not only do I have to teach them in my subject but I have to help them understand how to be self-regulated so they can be prepared for the real world. Another reason why this chapter is important is because when we are teaching our students we need to be aware of outside factors that will influence their behavior. By looking at outside factors which might be influencing student’s behaviors teachers can make their attempts at classroom management more effective.

Now What

Ch 9 Behaviorism

What
Our behavior is affected by the stimuli we receive. The response we receive when we present the stimuli depends on how it is presented and the learner’s beliefs about the stimuli. Not all responses are intentional some are involuntary and the learner may not even know that they will respond that way until the stimuli is presented to them. This process of adding or subtracting stimuli in order receive certain behaviors is called behaviorism. Behaviorism can be useful when you are dealing with younger kids because they require more of an immediate reward. However, it can also be disadvantageous because the learners may become dependent on the instant gratification. If you plan on using behaviorism the best thing to do is ask your students what would be the most effective reinforcers so you will have the most efficient results. Once you have set up a system it is important that you remain consistent so your students’ results will be consistent.

So What
As a teacher we need to able to recognize when and where we need to use stimuli to achieve our desired out come. Likewise we need to recognize when we are over stimulating our students so we can decrease the stimuli. In this chapter we learn that by acknowledging a behavior at the wrong moment we might be causing more harm than good. For instance if Jonny keeps acting out in class and you ignore him for the first five minutes but eventually you ask him what he wants to get him to shut up. Then you are making things more difficult for yourself because you are setting up a higher baseline for them. However, if you address the problem right when it happens then you lower the baseline and help yourself to eliminate future problems. The hardest thing when implementing behaviorism is to be consistent. Often time’s teachers explain the consequences of a behavior but they forget to follow through once the behavior appears.

Now What
I am a huge goal setter I love to make goals and I love to achieve them even more. So in my classes I want to implement not only goals for the class to achieve but I also want them to set up individual goals for themselves. By doing this I believe the students will be more motivated to do the activities they are presented with because it implies to the personally. Setting up goal will also help me to design my lessons for each of my classes instead of having the same lesson repeated for all my classes.

Constructivism Ch7 Learning Log

What
While we grow we are constantly adding or modifying our understanding of the knowledge we have. As we modify or add knowledge we are influenced by our communities, teachers, peers, and ect because we work together to sort out and clarify the information we gain. However, in the end it is up to the students to decide what they learn and how they process. It is because of this process that each individual ends up with different conclusions. Even though each individual ends up with different view of the knowledge that you present to them it is the teachers job to asses them in a way that promotes the subject they have learned. In class we talked about the five E’s - Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate - which can help clear up or prevent misconceptions from occurring. We also discussed the importance of realizing what misconceptions might come up in your topic so you can be prepared to clarify them for your students.

So What
Even though we may be teaching one topic our students will interpret and taking different things from it. Sometime, what they understand from our lesson isn’t what we intended them to learn. For this reason it is important for us, as teachers, to know our material and recognize when what we are teaching is interpreted incorrectly. If our lesson does end up being interpreted incorrectly it is important to decide whether or not it is important to fix that particular misconception.

Now What
One lesson I could use to teach this method would be a lesson I call plus and minus world. When the kids first enter class I would have decorated with negative signs hanging from the ceiling and positive signs on all the solid objects, i.e. a desk, the walls, and ect. I would also give each of the students a big positive sign to grab their attention or engage them. Next I would tell them to pick and number four spaces in the room where no one else is. Than they would have to find or explore how they can move in interesting ways to their spaces. As they are moving I will explain to them that because the positive objects, themselves, are moving the negative space is shifting as well. Once they understand the difference between positive and negative space they will be taught a game where they can replace, add on, or invade a partners personal negative space. The students will then perform their games in front of the class to be evaluated.

Ch 6 Learning Log

What
This week’s lesson was about learning and memorization. As I was reading the two words that kept showing up throughout the text were memory and processing because when we are learning the two most important things are memory and the processing of information. Memory is important because it allows us to retain information so that we can recall it at a later date. Whereas the process allows us to perceive analyze and strengthen our connections of memorization. In the book it discusses three different types of memory; i.e. the sensory register, the working or short term memory, and the long term memory. The sensory register is where we receive information, the short term memory is where we are able to process the information, and the long term memory is where we store the processed information. Each of the memory components listed above work together to help you remember and recall information. However, in class we discussed that thanks to scientific studies on the brain, we now know that the brain works a little different from the model previously discussed. First information is filtered through the reticular activating system and is sent to the Thalamus. Then the Thalamus sorts out the information and sends it out to the cerebral cortex. Once the cerebral cortex sorts through the information and decides what is important to keep it sends it back to the hippocampus, where it is processed again and sent back into the cerebral cortex to be filed away. We also discussed how one of the most important parts of learning is the encoding of the information because that is where the information gets modified either for the good or for the bad.


So What
Although it is fascinating to learn about the brain and how it works, the most important thing is that we understand the basics of how our future students learn and process the information we provide them with. As teachers we need to make sure that are students understand our information as correctly as possible. I once had a teacher who was teaching us how to factor exponents by using a short cut method. However, when I went home that night to do my home work I looked at the book because I was confused on one of the problems and the way the book solved it was different from the method my teacher taught, so I decided to combine the two methods which really messed me. Unfortunately, in this situation my math teacher had failed to communicate to me the differences and similarities of the two different methods. So, when my brain went to process and memorize the information it became distorted and very incorrect because of the two similar methods being lumped together. By understanding how the brain works through the information it is provided we can help our students to processes our lessons in the way we meant them to be understood.


Now What
I have always struggled with memorizing specific information such as numbers and names. However, I am really good at recalling details from stories and events. One reason why I believe that it is so much easier for me to recall the stories as opposed to the names is because of the way I process the information. For instance in my kinesiology class we have to memorize what action the different muscles perform. At first I really struggled with memorizing this information because I would just try to repeat it over and over in my head. But, then I started to observe the students I teach and feel on myself what muscles contract during certain exercises. Through reinvesting what I was learning through different mediums I have seen a vast improvement in my ability to memorize what is being taught. Likewise, if I can teach my students the information I want them to learn by using different intelligences or mediums I believe that they will be able to process the information I provide them with more clearly and increase their probability of memorization just as I have.