Week 5 Blog

Big Idea: A teacher introduces a certain subject to their students. Once children have some background information on the topic, it’s up to the student to continue to explore the subject and gain more knowledge. Once they become more knowledgeable, the student participates in some type of activity that enhances that knowledge. This is also known as social constructivism. They then study all the information they have been introduced to and are tested on it.  After they are tested, the student will receive a good grade for all the work they have put in. The teacher will praise the student for receiving such a good grade. The student will then want to continue the process in order to continue to receive good grades.

Activity/Example: The teacher wants her students to learn about chemicals. She creates a PowerPoint and teachers her students the main points they will need to know about chemicals. The students will then want to explore this subject area and find out more about the topic. Once they know about chemicals, they will participate in a science lab, experimenting with different chemicals and seeing different reactions. What they learn in the lab enhances their previous knowledge about chemicals. Next, the students need to study for their test. After they take the test, they receive an A and their teacher praises them for doing such a fantastic job. The student likes the feeling of feeling smart and having their teacher be proud of them, so they repeat the process for the next topic they’re going to learn.

Reflection: My model did not change from my previous model. Originally, my model was entirely based on hands on activities. However, after reading the first couple readings and many comments, I decided although hands on activities are very important, they are not actually doing the teaching.  Hands on activities are there in order to enhance the learning process. The teacher first has to introduce the topic and teach them the background material before the students can participate in any hands on activities. This idea also goes along with this week’s reading about social constructivism. Social constructivism is when an individual constructs knowledge through an interaction between the knowledge they bring to the situation and social/cultural exchanges within that context. The student brings the knowledge from the PowerPoint, which interacts with the knowledge that is presented during the experiment. I also have a studying picture in the equation because it is important to repeatedly review the information in order to learn. After reading Module 9, I decided to add the pictures of a student receiving a good grade and a teacher cheering. In Module 9, I learned about operating condition. Operating conditioning is a theory that says that behaviors associated with good consequences are more likely to occur again in the future.  I believe this to be very true. If students are praised for something good that they have done, they will much likely do it again in order to receive that praise again. 

Week 3- Redesign of Learning Environment (Madeline Leslie)

Big Idea: A teacher introduces a certain subject to their students. Once children have some background information on the topic, it’s up to the student to continue to explore the subject and gain more knowledge. Once they become more knowledgeable, the student participates in some type of activity that enhances that knowledge. They then study all the information they have been introduced to and are tested on it.  After they are tested, the student will receive a good grade for all the work they have put in. The teacher will praise the student for receiving such a good grade. The student will then want to continue the process in order to continue to receive good grades.

Activity/Example: The teacher wants her students to learn about chemicals. She creates a PowerPoint and teachers her students the main points they will need to know about chemicals. The students will then want to explore this subject area and find out more about the topic. Once they know about chemicals, they will participate in a science lab, experimenting with different chemicals and seeing different reactions. What they learn in the lab enhances their previous knowledge about chemicals. Next, the students need to study for their test. After they take the test, they receive an A and their teacher praises them for doing such a fantastic job. The student likes the feeling of feeling smart and having their teacher be proud of them, so they repeat the process for the next topic they’re going to learn.

Reflection: Originally, my model was entirely based on hands on activities. However, after reading several of the readings and many comments, I have decided although hands on activities are very important, they are not actually doing the teaching.  Hands on activities are there in order to enhance the learning process. The teacher first has to introduce the topic and teach them the background material before the students can participate in any hands on activities. This is why I added the studying picture to the equation. It is important to repeatedly review the information in order to learn. After reading Module 9, I decided to add the pictures of a student receiving a good grade and a teacher cheering. In Module 9, I learned about operating condition. Operating conditioning is a theory that says that behaviors associated with good consequences are more likely to occur again in the future.  I believe this to be very true. If students are praised for something good that they have done, they will much likely do it again in order to receive that praise again. 

Week One Introduction with Diagram and Reflection

Hi! I’m Madeline Leslie. I’m a sophomore from Zionsville, Indiana studying to become an Elementary Education teacher. I’ve wanted to be a teacher for a very long time now and I’m so excited that I’m actually working towards that goal right now. In my free time I love to hang out with my friends, exercise, and volunteer at the local Boys and Girls Club. I’m so excited to start this class and to final gain some real classroom experience. I think it’s going to be a great semester.



Diagram:
Big Idea: Learning happens by children wanting to explore deeper into things that begin to interest them.
As a teacher, you need to provide hands on activities that can allow children to discover and learn new things.

Reflection:

I grew up in a very small elementary school. The entire 4th grade class consisted of less than 30 people. With that being said, because there were such a small number of students, my class and I were able to do a lot of hands on activities without it being too overwhelming for our teacher. For example, to learn about stalagmites and stalactites we went and visited Marengo Cave and saw them in person. When we learned about the old days and pioneers, we hosted a Pioneer day where all students dressed up as Pioneers and we learned how to cook over a fire, how to milk a goat and how to weave baskets. Then finally, when we learned about Harriet Tubman’s Underground Railroad, we reenacted the Underground Railroad to learn what it was like to be a part of it. As you can see, I grew up learning by doing. When I became involved with an activity I was much more apt to wanting to learn about a specific topic. That is why I believe students learn best by being provided with hands on activities that can allow them to discover and want to learn new things.