G. Lehmann-EDAT 6115

Description: As teachers begin to move beyond the traditional lecture style instruction, a variety of methods and formats become available. Several important considerations arose from the work of John Carroll in “A Model of School Learning” (1963, 1989), and Slavin eventually identified the following four elements of instruction: “Quality of instruction, Appropriate levels of instruction, Incentive, and Time” (1995). Using these four elements as a guide, teachers may find that they can better serve their students by grouping students, differentiating the content, or adapting instruction through technology. Research has found that the benefits of these structures varies greatly depending on the manner and context in which they are used.  Programs, such as Title 1,  that are intended to support struggling students have demonstrated limited positive impact (Slavin, 2018), and in some cases, such as when students are “retained” or held back, can even have a negative impact on ac...

Description : Even the most capable and talented teachers know that in order for students to maximize and deepen their learning, they will need to take on some of the “heavy lifting” of the learning experience. Constructivist theories recognize that students need to be given opportunities to discover, explore, and apply new knowledge (Slavin, 2018). Students need to take an active role in instruction through student-centered strategies such as cooperative learning and problem solving. While the teacher is removed from the center of instruction, her role is still vital to  design meaningful and relevant activities and provide the appropriate “scaffolding” so that all students are able to engage in the learning. Designing an activity that is within a student’s “zone of proximal development” requires consideration of Vygotsky’s theories of social learning and Piaget’s stages of cognitive development (Slavin, 2018). Analysis: Much emphasis has been placed on student-centered learni...

Description :  In Chapter Six, Slavin (2018) outlines the framework for effective lesson planning and the instructional practices that facilitate learning in the classroom. Learning can take place through “direct instruction”, when the teacher is delivering information and explaining the concepts of a stated objective (or learning standard) or through more student-centered activities such as discussion, independent practice, problem solving, or collaboration (Slavin, 2018). Many available lesson frameworks have a clearly defined progression with similar parts. Slavin’s (2018) seven step lesson plan looks like this: 1. State  learning  objectives  and  orient  students  to  the  lesson.  2. Review prerequisites.  3. Present new material.  4. Conduct learning probes.  5. Provide independent practice.  6. Assess performance and provide feedback.  7. Provide  distributed  practice  and  review. (p...

Description : In addition to behavioral theories of learning, research has been done about how the brain receives and processes information and how this impacts learning and memory. There are a variety of approaches to Instructional design that involve the connection of learning objectives, instructional technology and student motivation. These cognitive learning theories have been shaped by the research of Edward Thorndike, John Dewey, Robert Gagne, B.F. Skinner, and Benjamin Bloom among others (Wiburg). With each decade in the history of American education, a deeper understanding of brain function coupled with changing cultural attitudes about the nature and purpose of education has shifted the thinking on effective teaching. The results of this research and a deeper understanding of how information makes its way into the long-term memory has provided a variety of effective instructional practices for teachers so that they can maximize the effectiveness of their  instruction an...

Description : Understanding the ways that students learn and adopt behaviors will help teachers make choices about how they manage their classrooms that can lead to more successful learning for all students. Chapter 5 of Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice (12th edition) outlines social and behavioral learning theories and how they operate in the classroom (Slavin, 2018). Learning takes place  in a variety of ways, but it is related to the connection between a stimulus and a response. Ivan Pavlov famously studied what takes place when a conditioned stimulus causes an unconditioned response and how that process can be manipulated, or what is now called “classical conditioning” (Slavin, 2018). B. F. Skinner continued this work by exploring “the use of pleasant and unpleasant consequences to change behavior”, referred to as “operant conditioning” (Slavin, 2018, p.99). Albert Bandura explored what children learn through social experiences and modeling and how it changes beha...

Description : Chapter 2 in Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice (12th edition) by Robert Slavin (2018) explains theories of development in children. This is an important consideration of effective instruction in K-12 education. Teaching should be developmentally appropriate, understanding that it will be necessary to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of individual learners in the classroom who will be at different developmental stages. The chapter explores the theories of Piaget, Vygotsky, and Bronfenbrenner, including where these theories differ and where they may overlap. The chapter ended with an examination of language and literacy development as it is one of the most important aspects of development. Analysis: It is essential for teachers to understand how children grow and develop physically, emotionally, and intellectually in order to facilitate effective learning, and much research has been conducted about this topic. The theories of two psychologists, Jean P...