Read Chapter 2 of your textbook. It covers the behaviorist, cognitivist and constructivist theories. Think back to your K-12 days as a student – select one of the teachers you had in the area you plan to teach in the future. (Example – if you are going to be a middle school teacher, select one of your previous middle school teachers; if you are going to be a high school math teacher, select one of your previous high school math teachers)
Which of these theories did that teacher use? Give an example of a class experience that demonstrates the teacher using that theory. Will you use this theory in your classroom? Why or why not? Provide criteria/support for your choice.
Post your response here on the class blog page by 5:00 pm, Thursday, January 26, 2012. Respond to one of your classmates' responses on the class bog page by 11:59 pm, Tuesday, January 31, 2012. You must log into your blogger.com account in order to post your response as a comment here on the class blog page.
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ReplyDeleteWhen asked to choose a previous teacher that demonstrated one of the three perspectives on learning, it surprised me that all of my most memorable teachers seemed to have had a behaviorist perspective. Whether that is a common theory, or whether I, as a student, connected better to this theory, I found it interesting that all these teachers had a common approach. One teacher who really stands out in my mind as a behaviorist is my old kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Carmichael.
ReplyDeleteIn Mrs. Carmichael’s class everything was a reward/penalty system. From the little things like getting to pick out your favorite sticker to put on a paper that was well done, to knowing you might have to sit in the Red Chair if you talked out during story time, there was always something to look forward to or be cautious of in her class. The most prominent of her rewards in my mind was something we called “The Q & U Wedding”. At the beginning of the year Mrs. Carmichael explained to the class that Q & U always went together as a couple, but a lot of people had had a hard time remembering it in prior years. To help us remember this we were presented with the opportunity to earn The Q & U Wedding. We could do this by all getting a specific grade on the Q & U test. This event was considered to be a big deal by everyone at the school. All the children would dress up representing a certain letter and Q and U would have a short ceremony, though it was more like a lesson on why and where they go together, binding them for life. Afterwards there was a large party with cake, punch, and other snacks. To everyone in the class this was the ultimate goal, and this could easily be seen by the performance it encouraged us all to show.
Because of my experiences in Mrs. Carmichael’s class and the positive behavior/progress it encouraged, I would without a doubt take on the same behavioral perspective. I believe this approach allows the teacher to encourage positive performance through a way that can correct the child without upsetting him or her to the point where they are too discouraged to try again, which is extremely important. For example, it may put a smile on the child’s face to see their progress tangibly through the representation of a sticker, but if they do not receive one they will most likely not be heartbroken enough to never want to attempt a like assignment. I believe this perspective may also be more easily applied to the young children I plan to work with. Overall I think the behavioral perspective is a wonderful tool and outlook on learning and teaching.
Abigail I defently agree that this perspective would be the best way to go with Kindergarden. Their little faces after doing something that fun would be unforgettable. I think that giving the behavioral perspective would give them the chance to go and learn to the best of their ability. I would also do the sticker idea, they would respond very well with that.
DeleteThe teacher that I chose was my favorite teacher, my first grade teacher. As I read about the different theories, I was surprised to find out that my first grade teacher had a behaviorist perspective. Throughout my entire first grade year, my class learned that good behavior would be rewarded. These rewards varied from candy, to stickers, to even extra recess time. One type of reward system that I remember vividly was our “popcorn jar”. My teacher would put a large scoop of popcorn kernels in a tall tube-like jar labeled “popcorn jar” each time the entire class cooperated well and participated in activities. Once the jar was completely filled to the top with popcorn kernels, our class was rewarded with a popcorn/movie party on a Friday afternoon of my teachers’ choice. We, the students, would work hard to fill this jar and behave well in class in order to have these exciting popcorn/movie parties.
ReplyDeleteI have remembered this behavioral technique since I was six years old, because I thought it was an incredible way to keep children on task, wanting to learn, and also allowing them to have fun in the classroom. I believe that behavior is such a huge part in a classroom setting, especially for younger ages. I believe that in my future classroom I will definitely use the behaviorist perspective to manage my classroom. Young children work better if they are rewarded for their good behavior. This does not mean they need to have candy after every correct answer they give, but it means that in the long run, whether it is a pizza party, or a special movie they get to watch, students should know that their good behavior has been recognized. Overall, I believe that the behaviorist theory is a key aspect to any early childhood classroom.
Katie
DeleteI had the same experience as a young student and I agree that the behaviorist theory is a key aspect of the early childhood classroom. Most of my teachers all the way up to fourth grade would always reward us for something we accomplished. They had a strong belief in rewarding us students for a job well done and we bought into it. We always tried to be on our best behavior and get everything turned in on time so we could get our reward. I can’t remember any specifics off the top of my head but I know I have had some pretty cool rewards before. When I wrote my blog I never gave this a thought and now it brings back memories. The early childhood teachers strive in this theory because it is the best way to get their students to listen and do as they ask.
Brett Ziegler
Katie,
DeleteWhen I looked back at my teachers, especially in elementary I found that I had a lot of teachers who used behaviorists methods as well. In elementary I found it was more common for teachers to use that theory, especially because of the reward system. They way your first grade teacher applied the behaviorist technique was very good, with the popcorn rewarding good behavior and then a final reward when the task was complete. I also agree, that it is one of the best ways to keep children on track because they are able to make a decisions whether to be good or not and earn that reward. Another point you made about your future classroom and not rewarding students every time, is also a good idea in my opinion because then children do not only do a good behavior for a reward.
Thanks for your input!
Katie,
DeleteThe popcorn jar is an awesome way of rewarding students! My first grade teacher did something very similar. From what we have experienced, it seems as though that is a very successful way of doing things.
I think that it is great that you are going to take the things you learned from the first grade and use them in your own classroom. That just goes to show that teachers like that can make a huge impact on your life.
Thanks for the post! It was great.
My high school math teacher used the constructivist theory many times throughout my high school career. Everybody learns in a different way so she would teach some of the material many different ways. She would also do some hands-on activities that got us involved in the class and helped us remember the material better. During these hands-on experiences each student would encounter many different ways to do the activity and each unique way would help that student remember what was being taught. For example, in geometry we would cut out a shape and trace it on a piece of paper then reflect, or rotate it. This would help us remember what rotation and reflection is. This helped many students in my class especially since it was a math class and there isn’t much a teacher can do to teach math.
ReplyDeleteI will use this in my classroom because I have witnessed some of the ways that students learn and they are definitely not all the same. I will vary my teaching so that everyone can understand it and I won’t be doing the same thing day after day. I have had teachers that teach the same way every day and many students don’t take anything from that teacher’s class because that teacher didn’t teach a way that reached out to more students.
Brett,
DeleteI think the constructivist theory is an important aspect throughout any classroom as well. Many students learn differently than others, and I believe that several ways of teaching should be implemented in classrooms so that all students have the opportunity to learn. Switching up the way you teach is also important because it will keep students interested and more willing to learn the curriculum. I think that the constructivist theory could be used throughout all age groups, because if a teacher teaches using the same method day after day, the students will lose interest fast.
Katie Switzer
Brett,
DeleteThe teacher you described seemed to understand how to teach math in different ways. My high school math teachers did not understand that. They just worked right out of the book and assigned homework, without using any manipulatives or hands on activities to explain the concepts. For students who really dislike math, having a classroom like the one you descibed would make math understandable and enjoyable. Hopefully more teachers will teach math in the way she did (:
Brittany Molnar
My high school science teacher used Constructivist theories for her teaching. I know this because we would do a lot of hands on experiements. Such as looking and bacteria under microscopes and determining what they were. This is how I will also teach in my classroom because I find it the best way to learn information and new things with a hands on approach. I’m the type of person that learns best when actually doing something not just reading it out of a book or being told how something should work.
ReplyDeleteRobert,
DeleteI think that constructivist theory is very important for teaching too. My science teacher did the same thing pretty much, allowing us to learn more hands on. I also agree with being able to learn more hands on than just sitting through a lecture, I think that it allows the students to stay focused and not wanting to fall asleep during lecture.
Robert,
DeleteI had also had some experiments like that in my high schools years. In my biology classes our teacher did a lot of experiments where we would have to learn by finishing the lab. He wouldn't just go out and tell us the answers and he would make us work to find the correct answer. This was a very productive strategy and i believe that if you would use this in your classroom you can success as a great teacher.
My high school literature teacher used constructivist theory my senior year. I know this because everyone learned in a different way and he would go about teaching in many different ways but still over the same subject so that everyone could understand.He put together different activities and homework assignments.
ReplyDeleteI will use this theory in my classroom because I believe that it is important to make sure that all the students are able to understand the material not just certain ones. I believe that it is better to teach differently everyday to keep the class involved and interested.
Holly thats a great way to teach since every student will learn a different way and at a different speed then others
DeleteThroughout my primary education, I witnessed a variety of teachers using different techniques in their teaching. In elementary, I witnessed a lot of behaviorist techniques such as reward systems, and as I grew older I noticed more constructivist techniques. I am becoming a Special Education teacher, and although I was never in a Special Education classroom my mother taught it, and I would often go into her classroom and watch her teach. While she used a combination of the three theories, the most prominent theory I saw her using was the constructivist theory.
ReplyDeleteShe knew that every student learns differently, especially when they need to be placed in a special education classroom. One year she had three students from the same reading class come into her classroom for an hour to work on their reading skills. She would read the book to all three of the girls, then have them do different assignments on their own with her aid. One girl was having trouble pronouncing the words, so she had her listen to an audiotape of the book and repeat the words. Another child had dyslexia so my mother worked on letters and working on sequencing with him. The last child had trouble with comprehension, so they would be answering questions about the book. In the end, each child was working on their reading skills, and even though they were in the same reading class they were not all the same level readers, and required different techniques while reading. My mother used the constructivist methods with these children because she always used different techniques to help a child learn, and she also used a lot of hands on activities to aid them in their learning.
In my future Special Education classroom I know that I will be using the constructivist methods. Students who require special education often have difficulty learning in a regular classroom environment and require the help of a special education teacher. While these children may be learning the same subjects, each student has a different academic level, and needs to be taught using different methods. While this might be hard in a regular classroom because of the number of students, I believe this is the way I will teach in my classroom because I will have more one on one time with my students, and I will be able to teach them in different ways, using different methods.
Caiti, I think it is great that you recognize how special education students learn and are planning to adjust your teaching technique to their individual needs. That should make you a very effective teacher!
DeleteThe teacher I chose was my high school history teacher, Mr. Lukasko. He utilized the constructivist theory when teaching. Mr. Lukasko was a great teacher and he realized that not all of the students in his class learned the same way. He was very talented at mixing up the lesson plans to accommodate each students unique style of learning. Examples of some of the variety of lessons are power-point lectures, review games, group work, and other various activities. He also realized that for a student to truly reach their maximum potential they must first be dedicated to furthering their knowledge. Since Mr. Lukasko realized this he tried to give everything that he taught a sense of importance or value so that students would want to learn. A great experience from Mr. Lukasko's class is when he showed us how history often repeats itself through the use of a timeline. This gave his history an added sense of value and I could tell students became more interested. I will definitely use the constructivist theory in my classroom because Mr. Lukasko showed me how valuable it is when utilized correctly.
ReplyDeleteClay,
DeleteMr. Lukasko seems like a very great history teacher! I think it's important to have great history teachers like Mr Lukasko. It's important because like Mr. Lukasko said, history often repeats itself and it's very important that students be informed and know history because of this reason. I had a history teacher like Mr. Lukasko in the 8th grade and it really made a difference. He made learning fun and made me interested in learning more about history.
Clay,
DeleteMr. Lukasko sounds a lot like my history teacher did in High School! He was my teacher my sophomore year and thats how he taught. It's really nice when the teacher actually makes the information their teaching interesting. Also accommodating to everyones needs is awesome. It also makes it more interesting to the class as a whole mixing the lesson plans up and not doing the same thing every single class.
I chose my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Franklin. Her teaching style and methods were from the constructivist approach. Mrs. Franklin was one of the reasons I wanted to become a teacher. In her classroom the students are encouraged to learn and build on their own knowledge. The students also work mostly in groups which encourages social interaction and the exchanging of ideas. Mrs. Franklin always asked her students questions to keep them thinking about different senarios and ideas. Her students were always engaged in the lessons and wanted to learn more. We did many projects in her classroom that were to be created on our own. She gave us guide lines, but we had to come up with the ideas on our own. I would use this approach in my classroom because it is important for students at a young age to develop communication skills and social skills to be able to work with others. Also this type of learning gets the students involved in the way they learn and get them engaged in lessons as well as makes learning creative.
ReplyDeleteBrittany,
DeleteI think its great that Mrs. Franklin talked about scenarios when teaching your 4th grade class. I seriously think this is one of the best ways students can learn because they can relate to it. I don't know about you but more me this approach worked really well because I could put myself in there shoes. I also think its great that your teacher gave you guidelines but then allowed your class to be creative and learn the best possible way you could. I hate when teachers tell you EXACTLY what you have to do. When they leave it open, its so much more inspiring/entertaining/original. Last semester I took a creative drama class where our teacher left our assignments pretty open and it was so interesting to see what people came up with for projects and assignments!!!
Have a good one & see you in class
The teacher I chose was my high school Spanish teacher Mrs. Chmiel. I had Mrs. Chmiel all four years of my high school career. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher but was unsure of what subject I wanted to teach. When I got to high school I then decided that becoming a Spanish teacher was the career path for me. Mrs. Chmiel really influence my decision on becoming a Spanish teacher. Mrs. Chmiel used the constructivist approach in her classroom. As a teacher, Mrs. Chmiel made it her goal to make sure each student understood the material being taught. She always switched it up in class. We did many different activities that made class fun and enjoyable each day. In her class, we participated in many different group activities. We would also sing songs in Spanish which made our verb tenses easier to remember and understand. When I become a Spanish teacher in the future, I hope to be a great teacher like Mrs. Chmiel. I will make sure to use many of the same activities as her, and also make it my goal to make sure each student understands the material but at the same time is enjoying learning Spanish.
ReplyDeleteLindsay,
DeleteI found it very interesting that you want to teach a foreign language, I have never known of anyone wanting to do that so more power to you. It is very cool that you had the same teacher for all four years of high school, I imagine it is rare these days to be able to build that type of relationship with teachers, especially at the high school level. Best of luck to you on building that same relationship with your students some day.
The teacher I chose for this assignment is my former high school English teacher, Ms. Dubb. Ms. Dubb used the Constructivist perspective to teaching. She would have us work in groups to figure things out and we would also have open class discussions about the books we were currently reading. She also had us do many hands-on activities that correlated with the information we were currently learning. One thing Ms. Dubb had us do was write a few sentences in iambic pentameter when we were learning about Shakespeare.
ReplyDeleteMs. Dubb was one of my favorite teachers and I will most definitely use the Constructivist perspective when I become a teacher. I, personally, found her methods of instruction very helpful so I feel that it would be a good thing to do with my own students.
My favorite high school teacher was Mrs. Elwer, she was awesome. She used the Constructivist perspective when she taught us. She would have something fun for us to do to help us understand something better. When it came to vocab all the pages in our book were due on Wednesday, because on Thursday's we would play "baseball". Then the test was on Friday. Then when we were reading Romeo and Juliet she would have us read a chapter for homework. Then the following day we would read that section in class and in groups we would answer the questions to the best of our ability. After that was done we discussed the questions as a class. Although I would have to say the project she had us do with it would be the best one we had to do my whole high school life. We had to make a game out of it, but we got to choose our partners. My partner and I did the theme of LIFE with it.
ReplyDeleteI would definitly use Constructivist as my teaching style, because I think it works best for the high schoolers. They respond better to it than the early childhood children would.
The teacher I've decided to use is my senior year of highschool AP Literature teacher, Mrs. Cargin. She used the Behaviorist Perspective in her teaching, though her version of a reward was nothing more than a pat on the back, and her punishment for a bad grade was making us stay after class. We were reading Heart of Darkness in class and were having a graded discussion, an in depth one so she would know if we had read or not, and if anyone said something that was intellegent, she herself would get into the discussion, and if something was said that she didn't like, she would right your name down in her notebook and you would be asked to stay after class.
ReplyDeleteI won't be using the behaviorist perspective in my teaching because I felt like I learned nothing from Mrs. Cargin while she was using it. I think I will use the constructivist perspective as my approach because it gets the class more involved and I feel it would teach the students much better.
Christine,
DeleteThe teacher I also chose to write about used the behaivorist approach, but in a positive way that I plan to use in my future classroom. She would use a star chart to monitor our grades and behaivor and at the end of two weeks whoever had the most stars got to go out on a lunch date with her. I dont have any memories of her "punishing" us.
Your teacher was kind of harsh, so I can see how the approach might turn you off.
Good luck!
-Stephany
One of my favorite teachers was my 6th grade Language Arts teacher, Mrs. Peters. Along with many other teachers, my teacher also taught from a Constructivist perspective. The reason I feel this way is because she got down on my level and didn't try to make herself smarter to impress us. Instead she "dumbed it down" and made the learning relevant and applicable. In Chapter 2 it says that this theory relies on inquiry-based learning and social interation which is all Mrs. Peters did. She made sure that everyone was on the same level before we moved on to a different topic. She also made sure that we learned from one another as well as through instruction. It also helped that her son, Sean was in my class. I think that him being there helped her realize the level we were at whether it was a high level of understanding or a low one.
ReplyDeleteI absolutley plan to use this approach in my classroom because I believe it is the most influential in education. I feel that my students will learn best by the varied instruction constructive theorists talk about. I found her teaching styles really helpful and useful therefore I plan to teach this way as well.
Megan,
DeleteYour sixth grade teacher seems like she's awesome. I want to be able to use the constructivist perspective in my teaching like you described your teacher to have done. It sounds like she did a very good job at teaching her students. That is something I am sure we all hope to accomplish when we are educators. And I agree with you when you say it is the most influential in education.
-Christine
I chose one of my high school English teachers, Mrs. Laura Poje, as my example of a teacher. She definitely followed closely to the constructivist perspective on teaching. When we went about reading a new book we not only would focus on just reading the story but rather would dig deeper into the story by learning more about the history surrounding the book and biographical information on the author. Through doing this our grade was not only dependent on how well we would be able to read and analyze the book but rather on that in combination with our ability to apply the information we learned through group projects, tests, worksheets, and essays. That way everyone was offered a more fair chance at a better grade just in case they could do one of the things better then another, for example one student may do better on the interpretation of the book in terms of the actual story for a test, while another could take the biographical information of the author and apply it to the context of the story in an essay.
ReplyDeleteI can definitely see me using this theory in the classroom, especially for high school students. This variation in the curriculum and allowance for differentiated learning would allow for a better environment in the classroom and better opportunities for my students to succeed.
When I was in high school I took a psychology and a sociology class, and my taecher, Mr. Harris, always seemed teach using the constructivist theory. He liked to teach us new material mainly by basing it off of what we had already learned. Also, he would typically be able to relate new material to some of our past experiences. Once I begin my teaching career, hopefully I can use constructivism as effectively as Mr. Harris. I am also a big fan of behaviorist and cognitivist approaches but I feel that a constructivism is the best way to get the students involved.
ReplyDeleteThe teacher I chose to write about is my 7th grade English teacher Mrs. Speicher. She always seemed to teach using the constructivist theory. She really communicated with us well, trying to test us on was she knew that we were doing well in her class and how we were understanding the material she gave us. She was able to get us to apple each and everything we did to something we did in every day life. We read multiple books in her class and we were always doing different things to prepare ourselves for the tests she would give us. There were times that she set aside for me to come up to her room and discuss the book with her. She also respected that each one of us learned a different way and she would mix ways to help each and everyone of us.
ReplyDeleteAs I pursue my dream of becoming a teacher, I hope to take some of the material she used in her class and be able to use it in my career. Even though I want to teach younger children, I feel like this is where you really need to adapt to different things.
As I pursue my dreams of becoming an elementary teacher my 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Poulus strikes a familiar cord. Mrs. Poulus definitely used the behaviorist perspective when teaching. An example is how she kept a chart with everyone’s name and based upon turned in homework, grades and behavior you would get a star, the child with the highest stars at the end of two weeks would get to go out to lunch with her at a restaurant of our choice. This reward would then make us children want to try extra harder to be the best student so that we could go out to lunch instead of eating the cafeteria food. When I obtain my own classroom I will for sure use this particular theory because I love to see motivated happy children, giving a child a reward for good work is necessary as that it feeds into their own self esteem. The children in my class that tried extra hard to win that lunch date, were probably more successful as their education career progressed. Some may say it may be a way of “spoiling” the child, but everyone loves a reward for a job well done.
ReplyDeleteStephany,
DeleteI agree that there is nothing more fun in a classroom than trying extra hard to win some kind of reward. Every classroom I've been in where this theory was used the students seem to learn a lot and love the rewards. I wrote about a teacher who was more hands on and used the constructivist theory, but after reading your post I'd like to use both in my future career.
Good luck,
Heather
I completely agree with the behaviorist perspective. It is what most all of my teachers used in elementary school, and it is what I hope to use. Just as you had mentioned this theory motivates the children to do better because of the incentive, and I believe it does it well.
DeleteGreat post,
Abigail Benninger
My favorite teacher had to be my middle school Physical Educstion teacher Mr. Hannah. He taught his students through the constructivist theory. Mr. Hannah was all about building on what we had already learned and with physical education most of the things we did were hands on. I remember a time when Mr. Hannah took the class from learning to dribble a playground ball, to showing us how to play basketball. We were building on a skill that we had all learning to master. I will use this theory in my gym in the future because it seemed to work very well and the students seemed to enjoy the class.
ReplyDeleteIn fifth grade our teacher used the behaviorist theory - using a reward or punishment for behavior-. We had a punishment called the 'conduct log' and if we acted out in class or did not do our homework we had to sign it. One day in class my friend and I were having a conversation while the teacher was talking so she made me get up in front of the whole entire class to sign the conduct log TWICE. It was extremely embarrassing and punishment enough for me to keep my mouth closed the next time. I may or may not use this method in my classroom. When I was the one signing it, it was horrible, and I do not know if I want to put kids through that. The up side to it is that it usually worked to weed out the problems.
ReplyDeleteRose,
DeleteI really liked how your teacher would have punishments and rewards for your behavior. I think it is a smart idea to have them. It lets the kids you can have fun but they have to be serious at the same time. Seeing how this was used, i would like to use it when I begin teaching.
Jamie
When I was in high school my English teacher used the constructivist theory. She relied on hands on activities, projects, and group work in her lesson plans. I will use this theory in my classroom because I agree that learning is a unique process and it depends on each individual person and their experiences. If a student doesn't put in as much effort, they will not learn as much and also if they do not collaborate with other learners they will not get other perspectives on the topic.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you on the idea that if a student dose not put forth the effort to learn and collaborate with others then that student will not grow academically.
DeleteMy Freshman Algebra, and Sophomore geometry teacher was Mr. Sunderman. In his class he used the cognitivist perspective as well as a constructivist perspective. He demonstrated the cognitive ways in class by writing notes up on the board and having us follow along and he would give examples to us on the board. He then printed out the notes so we could view them and make mental notes on them. I don't think I will use this in the classroom because I know some students are hands on learners and they must be writing down and participate to learn the ideas. Sunderman showed his constructivist approach when he did projects because students were actually working together as a team to make something such as a dart board in our class. I will definitely use this perspective in a class because it gets the students involved and they learn very well from it.
ReplyDeleteWith going into to the field of becoming an intervention specialist teacher, I would use Howard Gardner Theory of Multiple Intelligences. This is the idea that there are a multiple of intelligences that each person possesses and each person is stronger in certain areas then others. There are nine different areas of intelligences, which are, linguistic (language smart), logical-mathematical (number smart), musical (music smart), spatial (visual smart), bodily kinesthetic (body/hands-on smart), interpersonal (people smart), intrapersonal (self smart), and naturalist (nature smart), and existential (the dealing with human existence). I remember a time when I would go to the academic rescores room, for my disability in reading and writing. When I was there, Ms. Clay, my reading academic teacher, always asked us what way we would like to learn today. At the time, I didn’t realize that she was using multiple intelligences. What she would do was have different stations set up. One area consisted of using images in order to understand a story. Another area would have table where you would play a game. Within the game, you would move around every time you used a vocabulary word correctly. She would also have us sit in a big group to discuss a book we were currently reading. Those are only a few of the things she would do with us. When I become a teacher, and get my own classroom, I want to use the multiple intelligences method. I believe this method is a great way to teach students because everyone does not have the same interests, and does not learn the same way. There are some students that can sit in a class, take notes, and succeed perfectly in school; however, there are other students who need visual examples, as well as, need to get up and move, in order to fully understand the concept. For those reasons, I believe the use of multiple intelligences is a great way to teach. With that, each student can learn to the best of their ability.
ReplyDeleteIn high school my senior year my history teacher used the constructivst theory in class by making us get into groups and talk about different subjects pertaining to the current subject such as world war 2 or the columbian exchange. Also my teacher would keep us moving on to different topics so we never lost focus in class and stayed attentive. This theory is one that i will most likely be using in my class room when i reach that point in my career, because i believe that it is vital for students to be attentive in class to truely get the most out of it. Kids have a short attention spand espeically when it comes to history so keeping them on task and focused is extremely important, also letting them have a little fun to be involved in groups to help one another is a good way to be productive.
ReplyDeleteThe teachers I chose for this assignment happen to be my two favorite teachers of all. They were my first grade teachers, Mrs. Guilliam and Mrs. Rufenacht. My homeroom teacher was Mrs. Rufenacht and my switch teacher was Mrs. Guilliam. The style that they both taught were more focused on behaviorist theories. For example, we had color coded wheels that consisted of green, blue, yellow, and red. The red was when we did something we were not supposed to do, the yellow was when we were in a warning, the blue was when we were being good, and the green was when we did something exceptionally well! Of course all the students tried extra hard to get their name on the green part because, back in that day, everyone thought that was the most awesome thing you could get! They also both used the constructivist approach when it came to group work. We were sorted by the colors on our tables and we would go around the classroom to each station to do something different according to a certain subject. They had us engaged and thinking each time we got to a different station. This also helped our communication skills develop because at that age working in groups or partners is very beneficial. Mrs. Guilliam and Mrs. Rufenact are the people who inspired me most to go into Early Childhood education. I will definitely use these theories in my classroom because what I remember most is that I would love to always be the first to answer in class just to get my name moved on the color wheel, which was good positive reinforcement. I also felt like I loved to learn more when we would work in our groups. I was very engaged and it always had me thinking of different ideas
ReplyDelete