Learning Theories Week 4

If/Then/Because statement, Evidence, Pedagogical Terms, Morals/Ethics, Context/Events

"The readings for today's class helped me to grasp what is going on inside my own little learner's brain: I think my personal framework concerning teaching, i.e. the way I've been instructing for the past ten years, differs from all the new input I'm trying to understand. As Piaget might say, I'm having difficulty discerning between what can be assimilated into my previous framework, and what needs to be accommodated. There is so much to soak in, so much responsibility involved in making sure I understand how it all connects - responsibility to myself, as a learner, to my peers and future colleagues, and to my students! I just want to do it right.

Is there a right way to do it all? Or is it not juggling, but a balancing act?

I laugh at myself a little, and then I continue to laugh, because I know that

this is just the tip of the iceberg, my friends.

Bring it on."

Week 4 Edit

If a teacher's own previous conceptual frameworks differ, even slightly, from the pedagogical frameworks associated with new input (theories, concepts, methods), then they may have trouble assimilating and/or accommodating that data, as Piaget suggests learners do with all new knowledge. There is so much to soak in, so much responsibility involved in making sure I understand how it all connects - responsibility to myself, as a learner, to my peers and future colleagues, and to my students! I just want to do it right.

Case Study - Vicki Davis

Davis’ believes that as teachers, we don’t have to be experts on what we are teaching so much as enable our students to learn on their own, with guidance. If a teacher is not completely competent in an area of content s/he is teaching, then looking to students who may have a leg up on that concept is a valuable tool for use in the classroom. As Vygotsky's social theory suggests, students (and in this case the teacher) may be at different ZPD levels; social interaction, in this case sharing with the class how to perform certain aspects of a computer task, enables learning on many ZPD levels. Davis focuses on students' strengths and weaknesses in this way, which also inspires confidence in her students, and also enhances their competence levels by sharing what they understand with others. Her use of the Wiki and DigiTeen provides her students with connections around the world - bringing to the table a level interaction that may foster feelings of relatedness that may have been absent or unclear just on the classroom scale.


Week 4 Theory to Practice


The more theories that are presented for consideration, the more it all seems interconnected. If an educator can merge the basic concepts of multiple learning theories into a theory to practice, they are more likely to reach and engage more students. For example, it is helpful to understand Vygotsky's idea that students may come in with different conceptual frameworks and ZPD levels, but when merged with the theory put forth by Yero that teachers' past experiences shape the way they themselves teach, it gives another angle to consider. When an educator hits a roadblock in the classroom, the more theory and experience they have to reflect on the more efficiently they can solve the problem.


theorists spreadsheet