Post 1

Discovery learning means that the teacher does not provide the students with the information, but the students are required to find the information on their own. I think this has a lot to do with behaviorism because if the students are not motivated to do it they may not. The teacher could change their behavior by having consequences for the students if they do not do the assignment. With direct instruction the teacher directly tells the students what they are supposed to do. This could deal with the social cognitive theory. The only way the teacher would have the student’s attention is if the students are listening to the teacher (model) and performing what she shows them or what she tells them to do. By doing this the students should learn whatever it is the teacher wishes them to.

I think that there are many theories that are valuable. I have had different teachers use multiple ones and I think a lot of them can be successful. I think discovery learning is important because it causes the student to find things on their own. The information is not presented to them, so their thinking may be expanded since they might know nothing about the topic. Since they don’t know much about the topic it may cause the students to think deeper about it and actually question the topic.

A lesson I could use in class for discovery learning is giving the students a topic and making them research it. I would make them hand in some notes they took and then require them to write a paper or do some sort of project. I would choose this because if I told them all about the topic they would not have to research it as much and would probably put in less effort since it is given to them .This will make the students learn more about the topic because they would have to be reading things about it. My learning objective would be for the students to become familiar with the topic. By looking at their notes I can see if they are in the right direction and if they are not I can help them and lead them another way. The students would accomplish learning about the topic by their exploration. 

Planning For Instruction (Prompt 1)

Mastery learning can be tied in with Brain Research.  The reason that mastery learning can be thought to have come from brain research is for the simple fact that Brain Research is about mastering certain aspects of knowledge.  Brain research focuses on how the brain has neurons and people can make new connections between neurons and strengthen the neurons.  Someone has to start from the basics in order to make these new connections and to eventually strengthen those synapses.  This is the same for Mastery Learning.  Mastery learning makes the student starts off with the basics and will eventually master the knowledge through doing many different and challenging tests that will make new synapses and strengthen current ones.

            Cooperative learning can be connected with Vygotsky.  He would advise all teachers to use cooperative learning in the classrooms.  Vygotsky believed that people do not learn alone, but that everyone learns from someone else.  So he believed that all students should not just learn from the teacher, but that they are able to get a different type of learning from their classmates.  Cooperative learning is this exact type of learning.  It is learning by being in groups with classmates trying to achieve one goal.  The students are able to learn from each other to find the best way to achieve the goal.

            I would say I like Vygotsky theory of students learning from other people.  I believe that all students cannot just work alone because all people will eventually have questions that they need help with.  The best teaching method is mastery learning because it says that all students can learn if given the right steps and done in a progressive manner.  These two can work because many students need a little instruction at first, but then can do a lot on their own, but eventually get stumped.  At that point it would be useful to have the students to work together and learn the best way to figure out the complex problems or questions.

            I would have students use cooperative learning in order to work in groups to work on a big project at the end of the year such as a science experiment.  This will give them a chance to not just learn about their science topic, but also on how to make arrangements to work on it together and to be willing to learn from other students.

Prompt 1

In direct instruction, a teacher will tell the students what they are to know. This could be linked to the social cognitive theory of learning. The teacher serves as a model, with credibility due to the position of authority in the classroom. The students then know that they are to imitate the teacher, learning the information that he or she knows.

Cooperative learning has to do with what Vygotsky believed about using heterogeneous groups in learning. These groups can cooperate to bring different skills sets and experiences to the group. The whole group will benefit and have a more well-rounded learning experience.

I think that inquiry learning is extremely valuable. This allows students to discover on their own and to ask questions. Often, students are interested in what they are doing because they are answering their own questions.

In an inquiry based lesson, students may collaborate to come up with questions. They would then research and experiment to explore the question. Finally, they would draw some sort of conclusion based on their observations.

Teacher Controlled 1

Mastery Learning- can be related to the brain research theory. Mastery Learning is just what it says it is; it the mastery of a certain thing or to learn a certain bit of information to the fullest extent possible. This deals with brain research theory because it accompanies the creation of connections between information both new and old and allows for people to mylineate what they know in order to master the skill. By creating such strong connections within the brain people are able to master a subject and recall it whenever they need to.

Cooperative learning can be related to Vgotsky's learning/developmental theories because he was a strong advocate of using groups to help students learn. Vgotsky believed that social culture was going to help students to learn the best which is extremely closely related to cooperative learning. Cooperative learning deals with putting student's together in order to do an assignment, project, gain new information, etc. Vgotsky would have thought this was a perfect style of learning because it allows for students to work together and collaborate while allowing each students to become a mentor for another.

The learning theory I found most intuitive was definitely surrounding the whole motivation theory. Working with students and phrasing things in particular ways, that I normally wouldn't have thought of was realy something I liked and am going to be using in my classroom one day. To do motivation, I could just have the students do an activity and go around encouraging them and just making sure to focus on their accomplisments while also pointing out their failures (so to speak) in a not so harsh way.