Running head: CUSTOM LEARNING
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Customized Learning Theory: Learning Model Designed for Secondary Classrooms in a
Christian Academy
Jackie D. Farmer
Liberty University
ED 500
Dr. Tom Crites
December 4, 2009
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Abstract
Christian educators desiring to honor God and influence learning rather than presenting facts
must possess knowledge of how students in their classroom will learn. The true teacher will
strive to master their subject disciplines, will plan lessons carefully, and create an atmosphere for
learning. Unfortunately, the normal achievement of learning atmospheres generate from trial and
error experimentation. This paper addresses learning styles, the stages of development, and the
various phases of learning. Also addressed is how the educator’s personality plays a vital role in
balanced presentations of course materials designed to reach each type of potential student. The
learning theory presented applies to Christian educators in the area of private education.
Christian educators have a sacred trust delegated from the parents of their students whom God
commanded to teach their children diligently and to raise children in the nourishment and
admonition of the Lord. Trial and error learning is therefore unacceptable and a violation of trust
and integrity.
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Customized Learning Theory: Learning Model Designed for Secondary Classrooms in a
Christian Academy
Purpose
Customized learning theories act as mission statements for educators. Every Christian
teacher who desires to honor God will design a classroom that ensures students have every
opportunity to reach their maximum potential. The utilization of a learning theory is the first
step in being a great steward with God’s reward to parents, their children. In preparing a
learning theory, the Christian realizes that the author of Ecclesiastes was correct when he stated
that there is nothing new under the sun. Therefore, the principles of education psychology
discovered and theorized by non-Christians can serve as an effective guide to understanding
potential students. For this reason, all educators must understand the different types of learning
styles, the developmental stage aspects of their particular age group, and the various stages of
learning that drive education models, and their own personality. Each topic presentation is for
understanding. The final point of examination is the particular model adopted by the author.
Types of Learners
Dr. Leonard Parker of Liberty University describes three different types of learners that
fit into two categories. He classified all learners as independent or dependent kinesthetic,
auditory, or visual learners (Parker 2007). Every one fits into these models of learning to
different varying degrees. Seldom does one-person fall strictly into an only one style or a true
balance between styles. Generally, a person will demonstrate dominance in one area. The
dominant area is the learner’s natural style that requires little development. However, as the
author learned through taking the computerized learning assessment, a student can, with practice,
reduce the disparity between styles and become a balanced learner. This expectation is not
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realistic in the secondary classroom, so the educator must learn how each style functions and
look for learning style signs early in the year to maximize a student’s potential learning. One
simple observation that will provide the educator with potential insight is to allow the students to
pick their seats at the first of the year. Once picked, the seats can be the assigned seats until the
student violates the privilege of sitting in the seat of choice. The auditory learner will likely
choose a seat in the back of the classroom. The visual learner will gravitate to seats located near
the front of the classroom. The kinesthetic learner will fidget regardless of seat location, for they
require movement in order to learn. Since the visual learner requires a seat free of distraction
and the auditory learner simply needs to hear the lesson, the kinesthetic learner can act as a
buffer between the other types. Each of these types will also demonstrate to varying degrees a
need for guidance or a resentment of guidance. The students who begin assignments without an
overabundance of instruction are likely independent learners. Since these styles may become
less pronounced or disguised as students progress through the stages of development, lessons that
strictly target on style at the sake of the others might be useful in the first two weeks of school to
discover a students learning style.
Developmental Stages
Three men have laid the foundation for educational psychology. Piaget described stages
of physical development that develop before cognitive learning. Vygotsky stated opposition to
Piaget’s theory of development claiming that learning skills can accelerate cognitive learning
beyond physical limitations by targeting what he called the Zone of Proximal Development or
ZPD (Slavin, 2009). However, for the educator of the secondary classroom there is little
difference between the two theorists. While Vygotsky may subdivide the adolescent years, the
skills of an eighth grade student and a high school senior offer little variance within this stage of
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development. Furthermore, as discovered in private research, Christian education that focuses
on moral absolutes can disguise the exact placement of students within a particular stage of
developmental norms (Farmer, 2009). However, Erikson’s work has the greatest impact on
learning in secondary classrooms. Social interaction can determine a student’s attitude toward
learning (Hartnett, 2007). This desire for interaction can drive a visual learner to join an auditory
friend in the back of the classroom. Accordingly, it would be wise to develop, within a learning
theory, social interaction opportunities that reinforce learning objectives without feeling
traditional. These interaction times can serve as the catalyst for reinforcing that all learning
stems from the knowledge of God and His eternal principles (Van Brummelen, 2009). Christian
educators must also maximize the desire for peer acceptance to instruct those who would oppose
themselves (Phelps, 2008). Since middle and high school students require interaction to feel
complete, group homework and discussion assignments can meet this need while guiding the
student through the third learning phase.
Phases of Learning
The secondary educator must become familiar with social learning theories in order to
capitalize on teenage tendencies. Bandura’s observational learning model serves as a basis for
understanding observational learning by the teen community (Slavin, 2009). This model states
that each teen moves through four stages of learning;

First something catches their attention.

Second, the student then recreates inwardly toward that which caught their
attention.

This produces action that are evaluated against the attention grabber,

Finally, if approved by a person of value, that which first simply caught the
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attention becomes a part of the student’s life.
Therefore, it is vital that educators prepare lessons that will garner the attention of the students,
then present that lesson in a clear and precise manner, allocate practice time for the student to
reproduce the desired response, and then offer pointed positive reinforcement. The United States
Army utilizes such a training model for their combat units. They call the stages instruction,
crawl, walk, and run. Students are instructed on task, condition, and standards, moved through
step by step demonstrations, allowed to practice the drill at an increasingly faster pace until they
are running the drill at full speed. When educators take the time to target each phase of learning,
students will move beyond the performance base mentality of rote learning to mastering skills
that transcend classroom assessments (Deemer, 2004).
Educator’s Personality
The last element that an educator must factor into a learning theory is his or her own
personality and learning style. The educator who does not assess where their strengths and
weakness exist will fail to develop themselves into balanced learners. This failure will translate
into a failure within the classroom. The educator will unknowingly favor one set of learners over
another set. Such behavior will alienate demographics that do not fall within the educator’s
normal social groups. The educator will then fail to offer proper lesson presentation, guidance,
and counseling to the entire spectrum of students placed under his or her care (Studer, 2007).
This unintentional favoritism will lead certain peer groups to reject the educator and the system
that he or she represents (Deemer, 2004).
Furthermore, the educator must analyze his or her learning style, in order to learn the
other learning styles that do not come naturally. Through an inventory of learning skills this
author discovered perceived weakness already identified were now at a level that others assess as
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a strength. However, skills that are not natural to an individual can be classified as perishable;
therefore, exercises that reinforce the perishable skills should be conducted frequently. When an
educator develops his or her weaknesses into strengths, he or she will be ready to guide all
learners through the murky waters of education. General Sun Tzu once wrote in the Art of War
that the person who achieves victory is the one who knows themselves and their enemies. The
educator who will achieve vicarious academic victory knows the material, themselves, and their
students. Victory is students who master the skills necessary to perform at the next level of
development. Only properly executed education models afford the greatest probability of low
attrition rates and high success rates.
Adopted Learning Theory
The proliferation of technology in society dictates that students benefit from learning
theories that incorporate technology in the classroom. Therefore, technology plays a central part
in this learning theory. The learning theory follows the United States Army pattern of
instruction, demonstration, practice, and performance. Again, educators must know their
strengths and utilize them to develop weaknesses. Others may use the phase names of other
theorists.
Pre-Instructional Phase
Educators must plan to teach. While that may be a simple statement, it is not always an
easy task. Learning is not accidental but intentional. With each lesson, the educator’s
imperative is to determine what concept should be the central focus. Once the task is
determined, the conditions for learning must be established and replicated. Finally, utilize task
rehearsal to determine previously unseen variables before lesson execution. The QAIT (quality
of instruction, appropriate level of instruction, incentive, and time) model serves the what,
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where, and when of proper planning.
When preparing the quality of instruction the educator must determine how each of the
three learning styles will perceive the initial instruction. Pure visual or auditory lessons only
reach one third of any given classroom. If the educator received a grade for designing lessons
that reach their students, this type of lesson would achieve a thirty-three percent (33%). Thirtythree percent successes makes for a hall of fame career in baseball, but equates to massive failure
in the realm of academia. Traditional classrooms normally focus on either the visual or auditory
learner and thus rarely achieve a success rate higher than sixty-six percent, no matter what the
grade states. It is the observation of the author, through interaction with family members that
secondary students learn independent of educators out of necessity. Therefore, grades only
reflect a portion of the teacher’s ability to reach all students. Lesson plans require visual,
auditory, and action elements in order to receive a rate higher than sixty-six percent.
Next, lesson planning must consider the level of education of the current student body.
An educator cannot expect to begin working on mastery level skills if the majority of the student
body has not developed the required fundamentals. Teaching for prolonged periods above the
classes ZPD will only destroy class morale and frustrate the educator. Appropriate learning
levels garner confidence that allows for stretching the envelope periodically throughout the
lesson.
Incentive planning is the core of leadership. Leadership is the ability to influence others
to accomplish an objective through purpose and direction. The educator must determine why
this lesson is important outside of the classroom walls. Convey this in lesson introductions and
presentation. The author remembers before entering Bosnia for Operation Joint Endeavor, to
implement the Dayton Peace Accord of 1995, that over seventy percent of the country contained
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an undetermined amount of landmines. This provided the incentive to pay close attention in
landmine training sessions. Secondary students are determining their level of independence;
they need to understand why they must learn a discipline. Provide incentives by developing real
life illustrations of success.
Finally, prepare for time constraints. The social nature of teens means that transitions
will involve the temptation to sneak in some socializing even among the best-behaved students.
Planning for transitions will prevent frustration and feeling rushed to accomplish all tasks.
Technology can serve as a time extender.
Instruction
Based on a forty-five minute schedule it is the opinion of the author that fifteen to twenty
minutes of concept instruction is sufficient, if properly conducted. The utilization of PowerPoint
slides provides visualization for the visual learner. Lecturing through the slides allows the
auditory learner the opportunity to thrive. Educators that roam the classroom while lecturing,
allow kinesthetic learners to move in their seat in a manner that is not disruptive. Since, this type
of learner is going to move, it is wise to utilize their style in a productive manner by letting them
following the movement of the teacher.
Crawl Phase
This is a five-minute phase, which reinforces the fundamental concepts, and sets the stage
for the walking phase, which relies heavily on cooperative learning. Ask each student one
question, requiring that the answer come directly from the book verbatim. Once again, each
style of learner is engaged in their preferred manner of learning. The visual learner is looking at
the text, the auditory learner is talking, and the mover is turning pages. When each student
answers the question correctly, reward him or her with a satisfactory participation grade. This
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gives positive affirmation and ensures the student will make an effort for meeting the base
requirements for passing the course. The class is ready to transition into a non-traditional
learning setting.
Walk Phase
The walk phase involves various activities that allow for social interaction designed to
reinforce the learning concepts. Review games that provide competition among heterogeneous
groupings that allows the stronger learners mentoring opportunities, by helping the weaker
learners in fundamentals. Discussion group utilization allows for the introduction of incentive
concepts through forcing them to develop practical applications of the lesson for their social
settings. Reenactments in history force students to relate to historical figures and the enormous
pressures those historical persons faced daily. This phase may transcend a traditional class
period thanks to technology. Utilization of discussion boards through web-based programs offer
tremendous advantages for social cooperative learning. Without school-supported web-based
programming, this concept is well suited to social networking sites such as Ning and Facebook.
Run
Finally, a lesson ends when the student body presents their findings. The discussion
groups rejoin for one last presentation. Allowing students to share what they learned through
reenactments completes the run phase of learning. These last few minutes of class are critical
because it serves two purposes. The students leave with a sense of achievement and usually a
conversation that goes beyond the learning period, and it allows the educator to assess the
accomplishment of goals and which ones need reemphasis.
Conclusion
Customized learning theories are critical to all educators. These learning theories serve
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as mission statements to ensure that God receives glory through the actions of the educator.
Each student receives the opportunity to learn in a manner that reflects his or her particular style
and skills. Therefore, all educators are encouraged to research further the benefits of educational
psychology to develop their own customized learning theory and classroom model. Learning is
not accidental it is intentional. Learning theories force educators to be intentional.
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