Educational Psychology - Angie Andrus

QUESTION: "How does the teacher work with the students' information processing systems to promote learning? For example, how does the teacher focus students' attention, help them rehearse new information, and encourage them to encode and transfer information? Evaluate the teacher's use of wait time as part of this process. Cite specific examples and be sure to include a reference in your response." Mrs. O isn't very good at this whole information processing system understanding and incorporation into her lessons. To get her students attention she yells or teases them. To help them rehearse new information she writes it on the white board for them to see. To encourage them to encode and transfer the information she repeats herself. A lot. I've watched this semester as she has students consistently not show up to class prepared and I recently helped her grade tests for her CE Theater class that the students didn't do very well on. Overall, I don't ...

THE QUESTION: "How does the teacher use behaviorist techniques (e.g., shaping, Premack Principle, token reinforcement systems, etc.) to help students learn? Cite specific examples and be sure to include a reference in your response. How do students respond to this instructional method? *Note: this question refers to learning rather than motivation." Mr. J teaches US History to juniors and CE US Government and Citizenship to seniors. He and I have sat down many times and talked about classroom management. He is a firm believer in routine, a form of classical conditioning. He firmly believes and has stated that if students know exactly what to do and what's coming next then there aren't behavior issues. He uses the example of having a substitute come to class and being instructed by the students on what comes next because the students have basically been conditioned and know what to expect. Mrs. O is little less structured in her classroom. She has told me that she ...

THE QUESTION: "Based on your field experience observations to this point, what are the students' needs with regard to: Cognitive Development (include concepts from both Piaget's and Vygotsky's theories) Physical Development Identity Development (include concepts from Bronfenbrenner's, Erikson's, and Marcia's theories) Moral Reasoning For each of these areas, write a robust paragraph or two analyzing the students' needs and how you plan to address those needs when you teach your lesson. Use and underline vocabulary from the theories as you complete your analysis and to justify your plan." Cognitive Development The students I observe are exhausted in their other classes. Sitting in lectures for hours takes a toll. The great benefit of coming to a theater class is that they get some time to play. Piaget and Vygotsky both emphasized the importance of play and that children learn as they play. Through this play they experience assimilation, a...

THE QUESTION: Which of Erikson's psychosocial crises are the children in the class facing (may be more than one)? Which of Marcia's identity states seem(s) to be most prevalent? What specific teacher behaviors do you observe that either help or hinder the students to successfully navigate this crisis? What more could or should be done? Be sure to include a reference in your response. I am currently observing three different cooperating teachers. Mr. J teaches CE US Government and American History. Mrs. O teaches across the spectrum of theatre classes, including one CE Theatre class. Mrs. M teaches Study Skills and other remedial courses. I see a wide variety of students in every class. A surprise to see is how many students actually struggle with autonomy. Many students have no desire to do their homework on their own. Mr. J actually related several cheating stories to me and I witnessed Mrs. M confront two students on sharing homework. Mr. J related that many of them don...

THE QUESTION: Describe how the teacher implements a consideration of the students' physical development and/or Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Model into instruction, assessment, and/or procedures. What more could/should the teacher do in this regard? Provide specific examples and be sure to include a reference in your response. Mr. J teaches CE US Government and American History. We discussed several of Bronfenbrenner's different systems. First we discussed the rampant technology and how that effects his classroom. The chronosystem of these students is starkly different than ours especially in regard to the technology we both had. Mr. J put it this way, "It is challenging because as soon as the class becomes boring or they lose interest, the students go to their screens. I’ve tried finding a policy for the classroom that best suits my needs. You’ve seen kids in my classes on their phones. My current policy is when we are actively doing a lesson, phones are gone. When...

THE QUESTION: "What evidence do you see of specific teacher behaviors that are geared toward Vygotsky's theories of cognitive development? Cite specific examples and make clear connection to Vygotsky's work. Be thorough in your coverage of the theory, addressing multiple concepts to demonstrate your understanding. Be sure to include a reference in your response." As I contemplated the use of Vygotsky's theories I realized that the teachers I'm observing are falling short in their use of his concepts. Vygotsky places emphasis on culture, social factors, and language. He discusses the zone of proximal development. It is the ZPD that I would like to focus on and analyze as a part of my thoughts. To get an understanding of this concept, here is an overview: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_of_proximal_development  from Wikipedia. This concept really struck me as something that rings true in my own experience as a student. I was a smart enough student to do som...