Week 6 - Schema Theory

What is learning?
Learning begins with this hard-wired power strip in our brains called "schema." As we learn, we plug in smaller cords to the schema. The cords begin to branch out and overlap. If we try to learn something that is similar to a cord that is already plugged in, the learning sticks.

How can learning be best effectuated by the teacher?
When teachers teach new concepts, they need to continually make references to things that might already be in a students' schema. For example, BJ mentioned in his lesson plan how coterminal angles can be taught using skateboarding/snowboarding tricks. I often refer to slope as climbing a mountain or driving on a steep road. Another example I used recently, when trying to explain absolute value inequalities, was that sometimes your mom keeps you on a leash (this stemmed from a story of my husband and I going to the state fair and seeing a large number of children on "leashes") so you stay within a certain distance while other times your mom may say that you need to not bother her for a minute and must stay at least a certain distance away (like "I'm fixing dinner and I need you to stay out of the kitchen"). By bringing up these abstract, yet common ideas, students can better understand the math concepts.

Week 5 - Meaningful Learning

What is learning?
During Week 1 I wrote that in order to really learn something, you must synthesize it to what background knowledge you already have. After reading about Ausubel and Meaningful learning theories, my ideas have been justified. Learning is still an active process, but if you want the new information to "stick," it has to stick to something that's already in your brain.

How can learning be best effectuated by the teacher?
Teachers need to use graphic organizers, get students brainstorming and thinking about what they know before they are taught anything new. The other day we were talking about absolute value inequalities in my Algebra 2 class. I used the analogy that "at most" is like your mother saying you can go out and play, but you can't leave the yard. You can go any direction from the door you want, but you have to stay within a certain distance. Similarly, we said the "at least" is like your mom asking you to stay out of the kitchen while she's fixing dinner. She doesn't care where you are, but you need to be a certain distance away, or further. This was sort of a funny situation and as a class, we elaborated on the stories and added details to them from our own thoughts and experiences. But, in the end it helped the students better understand the concept.

Week 3 - Functional Behavior Analysis

What is learning?
Learning is still an active process. I don't think I'm going to change my opinion on that anytime soon. I guess the question is what can we do as teachers to better engage and activate students who are distracted with their own behavior issues?

How can learning be best effectuated by a teacher . . . for students with behavior issues?
In my short teaching career, I have always taught the lower-end math students. For whatever reason, there seems to be frequent connections between lower-end math ability and poor behavior. Through this week's readings and videos, I have realized that I do a lot of informal FBA's already. I am always looking for what might set a student off and what I can do to intervene before it happens. I am also on the look-out for things that students are doing well and I try to build a positive rapport with each student, but especially the more difficult ones. This comes from frequent and respectful communication with the students, as well as explicit directions and clear expectations. I also realized this week that I could improve by keeping better track of data, writing out formal behavior assessments and working more closely with a "team" of teachers who may share the same students and the same frustrations.

Week 2 - Skinner and Behaviorism

What is learning?

I still think that learning is a very active process. To really get it, you have to think through it and apply it. I think there is a strong intrinsic value to real learning. Skinner would probably disagree. According to Skinner, learning is very extrinsically motivated. Skinner's version of learning occurs when a person performs a task and the task has a subsequent response. Based on whether that response is positive or negatively reinforced, the person will choose to do the same task again or not. After this processes is repeated, the person learns what is the expected behavior.

How can learning be best effectuated by a teacher?

As a classroom teacher, I tend to disagree with Skinner because Skinner's tactics have proven to be less effective for my own teaching style. I don't like students doing good things for the wrong reasons. For example, I don't want them to turn in their homework for a piece of candy. I want them to turn in their homework because they know it's important. I want them to feel that sense of gratification that comes from working hard and doing something well!

In addition, I often get frustrated with the idea of behaviorism because there ARE a lot of extrinsic motivators out there for students, but not all students are taking advantage of them.

For example, many high school students in Utah know that if they do well, they can pick a really cool prize from Ken Garff's Keys to Success program and even earn a chance to win a car. I think the Ken Garff program is great and it rewards good kids with cool prizes. There is nothing wrong with that.

However, my question is, "Why doesn't every high school kid do well if there is something as big as a car at stake?" The answer is that there are a lot more complexities to individuals than Skinner's ideas lead you to believe. Extrinsic motivators are clearly not enough to get all students to learn. In addition, I strongly believe that most students who do well (including those who win the cars) would do well even without the car. They are motivated by things that run much deeper that these simple reinforcements.