Module 1
This week's readings were from Chapters 1 and 2. Chapter 1 talks about learning and teaching Educational Psychology. The chapter breaks down student's diversity today, and the standards that teachers are held to. The chapter then talks about what makes a good teacher. Effective teachers prepare and plan, create a great classroom environment, meet all instruction requirements, and complete profession responsibilities. It also talks about the role of Educational Psychology, that it is not just common sense. That it can be conducted in many ways, through experimental research, case studies, and many other ways. Woolfolk ends with ways that Educational Psychology can be used teaching, like using and understanding development, learning, motivation, and teaching.
Chapter 2 focuses on cognitive development. Woolfolk by first explaining the human brain, from neurons to white and gray matter, to lopes and cortexes. She discusses then development of the brain and the connects it make brain development to instruction. These ideas introduction Piaget's Theory, a model that describes how humans go about making sense of their world by gathering and organizing information. It is broken down into basic tendencies and the four stages of cognitive development; sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete-operational, and formal. Woolfolk then compares Piaget to Vygotsky. Vygotsky's perspective is that human activities take place in cultural settings and they cannot be understood apart from these settings. Three of Vtgotsky's themes were spotlighted; social sources of individual thinking, cultural tools and cognitive development, and the role of language and private speech. Again Woolfolk ends with tying these philosophies into teaching.
Three concepts stuck out to me in these week's chapters. The concept of Educational Psychology common sense, how the brain can teach us about education, and scaffolding. On page 14, When speaking of the principles of effective speaking, Woodfolk says. "People are tempted to say, and usually, 'Everyone knows that?'' She gives examples like should students help their students. Common sense would say that "Yes of course teachers should help their students." However, when you look at research it shows that teachers who help their students without their students asking for help actually make their student feel and look incapable of achieving on their own. This stuck out to me because I have the tendency to walk around my classroom, and when I see a student struggling I jump into help versus letting them ask for help. My student Jaleria, always asks for help now, and says she can't do it on her own. I feel terrible that I could even partially at fault for having her think she is incapable. In actuality she is very bright, it just takes her a little longer to understand concepts. I hope that in the future I can be available to help my students and wait for students to ask me for help. Having students take ownership of their learning and not taking over for them.
The second concept that stood out to me was the neuroscience behind education. Woodfolk takes the time in Chapter 2 to break down the human brain. She starts with the basics of neurons and covers synapses and brain cortexes, she brings it all together by talking about how humans uses their brain in education. On page 39, she uses the example a study that was done to show how the same activity can create activity in different areas of the brain based of culture. "...when Chinese speakers added and compared Arabic numbers, they showed brain activity in the motor (movement) areas of their brains, whereas English speakers performing the same tasks had activity in the language areas of their brains." This concept interested me because I was able to see that neuroscience is something that we need to pay further attention to. Woodfolk also talks about how these studies can help aid students with learning disabilities. I know some of my students learn better because they see numbers as unit or visual objects. Connect areas of the brain for further understanding is something I plan on looking further into and work to emerge it into my teaching.
The last thing that stood out to me about the reading this week was scaffolding. Scaffolding is a technique that was popular with Vygotsky. He "believed the child is not alone in the world 'discovering' the cognitive operations of conversation or classification." This area was paired with assisted learning, the idea that teachers should guide their students when needed. The concepts push toward adapting a students learning for their current levels not where they should be. I think this style of learning stuck out to me. Growing up I remember being identified as gifted. I was pulled from my classes and show things beyond my levels. This was so fun for me because I was able to really care about learning because I had to put work into it. I was challenged in a way I never was before. I think this is something that often gets over looked, even in my school the program only lasted two years before the funding was cut. I would love to be a teacher who was able to pull students and give them more challenging work. This is often overshadowed by the need to help underachievers, which obviously should come before the overachieving students. however I just visited a school that creates ILP, Individual Learning Plans. That way all students needs are being address, I would love to work in a school like that.
Chapter 2 focuses on cognitive development. Woolfolk by first explaining the human brain, from neurons to white and gray matter, to lopes and cortexes. She discusses then development of the brain and the connects it make brain development to instruction. These ideas introduction Piaget's Theory, a model that describes how humans go about making sense of their world by gathering and organizing information. It is broken down into basic tendencies and the four stages of cognitive development; sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete-operational, and formal. Woolfolk then compares Piaget to Vygotsky. Vygotsky's perspective is that human activities take place in cultural settings and they cannot be understood apart from these settings. Three of Vtgotsky's themes were spotlighted; social sources of individual thinking, cultural tools and cognitive development, and the role of language and private speech. Again Woolfolk ends with tying these philosophies into teaching.
Three concepts stuck out to me in these week's chapters. The concept of Educational Psychology common sense, how the brain can teach us about education, and scaffolding. On page 14, When speaking of the principles of effective speaking, Woodfolk says. "People are tempted to say, and usually, 'Everyone knows that?'' She gives examples like should students help their students. Common sense would say that "Yes of course teachers should help their students." However, when you look at research it shows that teachers who help their students without their students asking for help actually make their student feel and look incapable of achieving on their own. This stuck out to me because I have the tendency to walk around my classroom, and when I see a student struggling I jump into help versus letting them ask for help. My student Jaleria, always asks for help now, and says she can't do it on her own. I feel terrible that I could even partially at fault for having her think she is incapable. In actuality she is very bright, it just takes her a little longer to understand concepts. I hope that in the future I can be available to help my students and wait for students to ask me for help. Having students take ownership of their learning and not taking over for them.
The second concept that stood out to me was the neuroscience behind education. Woodfolk takes the time in Chapter 2 to break down the human brain. She starts with the basics of neurons and covers synapses and brain cortexes, she brings it all together by talking about how humans uses their brain in education. On page 39, she uses the example a study that was done to show how the same activity can create activity in different areas of the brain based of culture. "...when Chinese speakers added and compared Arabic numbers, they showed brain activity in the motor (movement) areas of their brains, whereas English speakers performing the same tasks had activity in the language areas of their brains." This concept interested me because I was able to see that neuroscience is something that we need to pay further attention to. Woodfolk also talks about how these studies can help aid students with learning disabilities. I know some of my students learn better because they see numbers as unit or visual objects. Connect areas of the brain for further understanding is something I plan on looking further into and work to emerge it into my teaching.
The last thing that stood out to me about the reading this week was scaffolding. Scaffolding is a technique that was popular with Vygotsky. He "believed the child is not alone in the world 'discovering' the cognitive operations of conversation or classification." This area was paired with assisted learning, the idea that teachers should guide their students when needed. The concepts push toward adapting a students learning for their current levels not where they should be. I think this style of learning stuck out to me. Growing up I remember being identified as gifted. I was pulled from my classes and show things beyond my levels. This was so fun for me because I was able to really care about learning because I had to put work into it. I was challenged in a way I never was before. I think this is something that often gets over looked, even in my school the program only lasted two years before the funding was cut. I would love to be a teacher who was able to pull students and give them more challenging work. This is often overshadowed by the need to help underachievers, which obviously should come before the overachieving students. however I just visited a school that creates ILP, Individual Learning Plans. That way all students needs are being address, I would love to work in a school like that.
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