Make sure to reflect on 5 of the following questions after reading and referencing our text book (when the appropriate chapter is assigned and in the summary). E.g.:
1)
What is the role of educational psychology in understanding
teaching and learning? How can we use research to understand and improve
teaching?
Educational
psychology is useful in understanding teaching and learning because it is
important to understand how children learn and the best ways and methods to
teach them to learn. I enjoyed reading the first chapter that talked about the
relationship of students with their kindergarten teacher predicting their
future educational success. I always liked reading what was involved in being a
successful teacher, for example: having high expectations, being sensitive to
needs and providing feedback. As teachers it’s important to give and teach
students the skills they need to know not only about math and science but about
how to develop good social and emotional skills. If we know where children are
developmentally, we as teachers know the best way to help them and what they
need. In elementary school children are developing physically, personally,
socially, and cognately, so following academic psychology research you can
incorporate methods that have been proven to be helpful.
2)
Describe, in detail, Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development.
Kohlberg’s Moral
Reasoning contains six different levels of how children develop moral skills. Level
one is Preconvention Morality and is contains the two earliest stages. Stage
one is Obedience and Punishment is when children see rules as absolute. In
stage two Individualism and Exchange children begin judging decisions based off
individual needs and off different points of view. Level two is the
Conventional Morality and is contains stages three and four. Stage three is
Interpersonal Relationships refers to the “good-boy or good-girl” orientation
that has to do with living up to the expectations of others. Stage four is
Maintaining Social Order which takes into accounts society’s view of what is
right and wrong. Level three is the Post
conventional Morality contains stages five and six of moral development. Stage
five is Social Contract and Individual Rights this is when rules are followed
because they are the law. And lastly, stage six in Universal Principle and is
the final step of moral development. In this stage morals are decided based off
the universal ethical principles and abstract reasoning (Woolfolk, 2013).
3)
According to your text, what does intelligence mean?
How is intelligence measured? What should teachers know about intelligence?
Have you ever known someone "really smart"? What were they like? Was
everything "easy" for them?
Intelligence is defined as the ability to learn from our past
experiences and acquire knowledge, and to use resources to adapt to new
situations or to solve problems. (Woolfolk, 2013). Intelligence is usually
measured through IQ test and other standardized test. These tests are normally
norm references or criteria referenced. Norm references are the average
performance of all who have taken the test. Criteria referenced means it is
compared to pre-established standards (Woolfolk, 2013). Teachers should know
that there are different types of intelligence and that there is not a set
label or image of what is looks like. Intelligent students normally only mean
the gifted and talented students and often students with disabilities are left
out of this category because they do not fit the mold of what many people and
teachers consider intelligent. Students with special gifts excel in some way
compared to other students of the same age. There is much debate how giftedness
or intelligence should be measured by. I have known someone that was “really
smart”, I don’t think it was that they already knew everything but that they
always wanted to know more and do things in a new way. I don’t think everything
was easy for them but they kept trying and thought of innovative ways to go
around a problem. I think intelligent people like working together and building
off of other people. They are normally good at communicating on topics that
interest them and dive deep within subjects.
4)
Discuss Token Reinforcement Programs that apply to the classroom.
Token
Reinforcement Programs in the classroom improve student motivation and to
manage behavior. Students who are motivated and engaged are more likely to
learn, so using token reinforcement in the classroom to reinforce or reward
positive behaviors will make it more likely to occur again in the future. In
token reinforcement it is used as a system of collecting so many of something
in exchange for something later. You must first know what behaviors you want
and want you want to change. Once target behaviors are established you must
find out what is reinforcing to each student in order for the reinforcement to
be affective. It is also important to define the behavior clearly to the
student so they know exactly what is being asked of them. Token Reinforcement
can be praising students, sticker systems, prizes for so many stickers
collected. Tokens should not be thought as currency and should be given more
than one at one time or for one behavior. And it is important to never taken
away tokens students have earned, you must only not give any for undesirable
behavior (Woolfolk, 2013). I think Token Reinforcement Programs are especially
helpful in the special education classroom. It clearly sets desired behaviors
and gives reinforcement right after the behavior. It is similar to operant
conditioning, which is consequences, rewards and punishments after a desired
response or behavior.
5)
Does anxiety promote or inhibit learning? Should anxiety be used
as a stimulus for learning?
Anxiety inhibits
learning and should not be used as a stimulus for learning. In the classroom
you want students to feel safe and comfortable because this in the best
environment for them to learn. When students are anxious they are less like to
perform well. Test taking can cause anxiety and limit the performance on tests.
When we are anxious attention and focus are decreased. Students must feel calm
and safe about learning. During my observations I observed a practice state
test being administered, the teacher played alpha waves for her students during
the test. Alpha waves are calming and it is similar to the music played during
yoga which is supposed to calm students and make it easier to focus. References
Woolfolk, Anita (2013). Educational psychology. (13th ed.) Needham Heights Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon.
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