CUR+503+Learning+Logs

**Learning Log #2 Ch 3**
Reading chapter 3 was rough going first. I recalled a lot about behaviorism and many of the key term and psychologists, but I still have difficulty remembering all of the terms and exactly what they mean. I am enthralled to learn how all of the research and information transfers (or doesn’t) to my classrooms and school. I am most interested in how these theories can help me to improve my teaching and my students’ learning. It makes sense to me that “research shows that students given behavioral objectives have better verbatim recall of verbal information compared with students not provided with objectives” (Schunk, 2012, p. 104). The learning objectives are also important to the teacher to help plan units (2012). In my unit, weekly, and day to day planning I use the Learning Focused Schools format of key learning and essential questions. My classroom has a large copy of the Student Learning Map hanging for the student’s reference and each student also receives a copy of it to help them to know what we will be covering during the chapters. I feel that this is the same idea as the learning objective idea mentioned on pg 104. Environmental variables play a large part in my student’s learning and it is very evident to me on any given day. I teach classes that have learning support students, gifted students, and regular education students, one with all three present. This mix keeps me on my toes trying to gather information and assess each of the students’ learning time. Each of these students has different amounts of time they will spend trying to learn the information and how much effort in that time is a factor as well (2012). In my school we have a programs called ASAP (after school assistance program) and we utilize Compass Learning (a computer based program, or programmed instruction) to help student to reach mastery learning. Both of these work well for our students.

**Learning Log #2 Ch #4**
Chapter four was such an interesting read. After reading I feel good about a lot of the activities, expectations, and teaching strategies I use in my classroom.“Students’ behaviors and classroom environments influence one another in many ways” (Schunk, 2012, pg. 120) is certainly a statement I find to be true. I work very hard to make my classroom have a positive and happy atmosphere where students are not afraid to share answers or to take risks. I also do not allow any disrespect to me or any of the other students. I model respect and I hope it gets through to my students. Observational learning is prominent in my classes. I work very hard at getting and keeping my student’s attention. I subdivide activities into parts (pg. 127) for all of my students but make sure to divide down even more for my learning support students. One way I help with retention is by having the students complete an activity called Stop and Draw. In this activity, the students read a section in the text and draw a picture that will help them to remember what they learned. I also make a pictorial vocabulary sheet for the learning support students. I walk around the room when students are doing class work and provide feedback so they know what they have done well and can improve on. One reward I give to students who do something well, answer questions correctly, simply try to answer a question, or are prepared for class, is the opportunity to hit the Easy Button. This simple reward is very motivating for sixth graders. Fostering a good self efficacy is something I feel strongly about. I believe it is important for success and for motivation. I hope that I am able to reach the students.

**Learning Log #2 Ch #5**
Something that I found particularly interesting in chapter 5 was the statement, “Attention is a necessary prerequisite of learning” (Schunk, 2012, pg. 172). I see this in my classroom every day. I try very hard to make the activities in my class interesting. I have often had students tell me that they do not like social studies but they like being in my class so I must be doing something correct. Table 5.1 on pg. 174 explains things that I strive for. I often use timers, count downs, and certain signals during sharing shape time (a class discussion) that helps students know when to move on to a different topic in the discussion on their own. I move around my classroom to make sure that students are completing activities correctly and understand the assignments. I am very animated in my teaching, using gestures and vocal intonation changes to keep students’ attention. By changing activities on a daily basis I keep my students from becoming too bored. Most of the class work in my room encourages the students to be responsible for their own learning. For each chapter I teach I provide the learning support students with a vocabulary sheet that gives the word, definition, and a visual representation of the word. At the beginning of each chapter I preview this vocabulary with all students so I am providing many ways to help the students retain information in their working memory so they can learn it. The preview of vocabulary at the beginning of the chapter also allows me to encourage elaboration because the class discusses what the word is, what it means, if it was learned in a previous chapter, and what is already known about the word.

=Module #3 Learning Logs=

**Learning Log Ch #6**
Constructivism is an epistemology that learners create their own learning (pg. 230). Many different theorists have differing view on constructivism but some basics stay intact throughout all the thoughts. Piaget’s theory makes sense to me in my classroom. I try to keep my students active in their learning by having them actively involved in their learning. I almost never stand in front of the room and “teach” to my students. I would consider that my anticipation guides create an incongruity since the students must figure out what is wrong with certain statements. Students in my classes are provided with a lot of social interaction. Every day in class we have partner, group, or class discussion, and often all three. The main proponents from Vygotsky’s theory present in my classroom are the social interaction and ZPD. As previously mentioned, students often have social interaction during my classes. I often consider the zone of proximal development when creating lesson, especially for my learning support students. Self regulation, language, and cultural transmission also occur in activities in social studies. I believe I have a constructivist type of learning environment occurring in my class. I, of course, can’t have a totally constructivist approach. All learning in social studies revolves around the five themes of geography and the culture, history, government, and economy of the World. Students are often asked their opinion and point of view and they are used as discussion points in the classroom. Activities often revolve around metacognitive skills requiring students to explain their thoughts and answers. I constantly reflect on what I am teaching and how. Sometimes I change how I teach from one class to the next because something didn’t work in the first class or because I know the students in the next class. I have a level of personal knowledge, professional knowledge, and I plan and assess before and after every lesson (pg. 273). Constant reflection and change, as well as attending classes and in-services to improve my teaching skills, are part of my routine as a teacher.

**Learning Log Ch #7**
This chapter had me evaluating my teaching. I kept questioning myself and my teaching and how I can possibly problem solving strategies into my lessons. I revisited certain lessons and tried to determine if I have any problem solving in my lessons. I use strategies such as brain storming and giving clues that help students develop problem-solving skills. I also give students an activator question at the beginning of most lessons to get them thinking. I believe it is very important to teach students to problem solve and to transfer their learning from one day, class, or subject to another or from school to home. My team works hard to use the same terminology, graphic organizers to aid in transfer. I also encourage students to make connections in my class so that they can “see” how our class and what we study relates to the real world. I am very pleased with how the students offer and share ideas that connect to other classes and their lives outside of school. The statement, “If you want to understand how to become more skillful in an area, closely study someone who performs that skill well,” is of utmost importance in my classes. I model activities and sometimes pair students so that one is learning from the other. I understand that the modeling isn’t a guarantee that the students are going to learn the material or how to do something but they will at least see what needs to be completed and how. My students complete some type of metacognitive activity almost daily. One of my favorites is Stop and Draw. Students read a subsection then draw a picture that will help them remember what it was about. In the partner and class discussions, after the reading and drawing time, the students must explain WHY they drew a particular picture. I believe Stop and Draw covers the finding main idea, forming associations or images, and organizing material parts of metacognition. The students are also engaged and motivated to do this because it is fun and they are communicating with their classmates. Multimedia is used in my classroom often and I am working on adding more hypermedia. I learned how to use Activotes and have used them to play games with my students. I also have used my Wiki from time to time to have the students do activities. Our school uses a program called Compass Learning which is very interactive.

=**Module #4 Learning Logs**=

Ch #8
“Motivation and learning can affect one another” (Schunk, 2012, pg. 356). In my opinion, this statement cannot be more true. This chapter covered the history, models, and theories of motivation very extensively. The main points that I was able to retain were that as teachers, we need to be doing everything in our power to keep students motivated so they can possibly learn better. We need to be giving feedback, both positive and constructive, considering a student’s personal life, ability level, and self-efficacy, help students set reasonable goals, and hold high expectations. In the process of all of this, we are going to hit some road blocks and unmotivated students. One bit of information that I never considered was that students may be going through a reactive depression, which could attribute to learned helplessness (Schunk, 2012). I feel like I deal with learned helplessness rather frequently. Many of my learning support students have a lower self-efficacy and motivation. I work very hard to squash these types of attitudes in my classroom. I often scaffold students and give them frequent feedback about their class work. I will not tolerate anyone telling me they “can’t” do something. I tell them they are all capable but they may be having some trouble doing a specific activity. I try to build their self confidence. “Students who are confident of their learning abilities and feel self-worthy display greater interest and motivation in school, which enhances achievement” (Schunk, 2012, pg. 385). The relationship I build with my students is noticeable when one enters my room. Most students are putting forth a lot of effort on their work. I think that by differentiating activities I enable students to hold themselves in higher esteem because they can all feel like they have accomplished something.

**Ch #9**
I found this chapter very interesting. I found the statement, “Children develop theories about their competence relative to their peers” (Schunk, 2012, pg. 430) very interesting. I knew that students constantly compared themselves to each other and that peer pressure played a big part in children’s learning and motivation, but this really put it in perspective. I try to help my students form a good self-identity by trying to find something good to tell students about their work even when they do something wrong or the answer is incorrect. I like to validate their thi nking and keep them from a having a bad self image. I feel that I am a model to the students so I behave in a manner that will help them to know how to behave in my classroom and in life. I model respect, as well as the activities that the students are expected to accomplish in my class. I also teach a writing class once a day and I feel very good about how I structure my classes after reading this chapter. The students are given a prompt to write to every day. After about 20 minutes of writing I will have random students share what they have written. The class then shares about 2-3 things that are really good about the writing and 1-2 things that “could be improved on if there was more time to work on it.” I have seen this be a terrific experience for the students and the kids are so excited to share their work. I see how true, “Establishing a classroom environment that builds self-efficacy is conducive to improving writing” (Schunk, 2012, pg. 439.