Introduction:
My name is Amanda Durheim; and I will graduate in 2015 with a major in
elementary education from Briar Cliff University. I am preparing to teach students in
kindergarten through sixth grade. In preparing my lesson plans, I will include teaching
my students the values of respect, honesty, and responsibility. Helping my students learn
these values will give them a good foundation to learn more effectively throughout their
school years. Students in my classroom will also learn appropriate social skills so they
can interact with others. I chose to become a teacher because I want to inspire my
students to learn and reach for their dreams, just like my past teachers have done for me.
Cultural Transmission:
In developing my lesson plans I will use different techniques from various
theorists and include the values of honesty, respect, and responsibility. To teach the value
of honesty, I will ask the students to define what it means to be honest. I may have them
role play or perform a skit to help them learn why being honest is important both in and
out of school. I will also teach the value of respect in my classroom. I will explain that
respect is being helpful, kind, and courteous towards others. I will then have the students
give examples of how they can be respectful in school. I will then write down their
examples and post them in the room for everyone to see and follow. The last value I
would like to teach in my room is the value of responsibility. To teach the value of
responsibility, I will explain to my students that to be responsible is to finish assignments
on time, work hard, and always do your best. I will include goal setting, decision making,
and learning healthy habits, as a part of my lesson plan because these are critical
components that every child should learn to help them become more responsible.
Finally, I will teach my students appropriate social skills. I will help them
understand that to be more social doesn’t mean how many friends you have on face book
or twitter. Learning appropriate social skills will help each student become well rounded
in their education and give them confidence to participate in group settings. A few of the
social skills I will teach in my classroom will be asking questions, sharing ideas, and
organizing their work. To teach the social skill of asking questions, I will make sure that
every student knows that any question is a good question and they should never hesitate
to ask if they need help or don’t know what to do. I will also teach them the appropriate
and most respectful way to get my attention is to raise their hand and be called upon. I
may allow them at times to ask other students for help as well. Sharing ideas is another
important social skill that I would like my students to learn. To help my students
understand how to share their ideas, I will give them an in class activity that will get them
thinking on how to solve a problem. I will then ask my students to share their ideas. I will
make sure to involve each student and show them how important it is to listen to every
idea when solving a problem. I would also like to teach the social skill of having my
students organize their work. I want them to be able to put important things first, like
homework, reading, or chores. Play time and hanging out with friends should come after
the paperwork is done. Teaching students the importance of keeping work organized will
help them keep their desk tops clean so they can have a clutter free work space and get
assignments done and handed in on time. Teaching students the values and social skills;
of honesty, respect, responsibility, asking questions, sharing ideas, and organizing work
is important to me because it gives every student the tools he or she needs to succeed in
their education and in life.
Who you will teach:
Theorists play a huge role in how we, as teachers, teach our students. Piaget’s
theory of cognitive development can help us, as teachers; understand how children
cognitively develop and how they see the world. Piaget places these children into four
stages of cognitive development. The first stage is called the sensorimotor stage. In this
stage, children from birth to two years of age develop their sensorimotor skills. In this
stage, the children create an understanding of their world by coordinating sensory
experiences with physical actions. The second stage also known as preoperational stage is
for children ages two to seven years. In this stage, children begin to represent the world
with words and images. The third stage, also known as the concrete operational stage, is
for children ages seven to eleven years. In this stage, the children develop reason and
how to classify objects by name. The last stage is known as the formal operational stage
and this stage starts at age eleven and continues through adulthood. In this stage, students
are now able to think in more abstract, idealistic, and logical ways. Piaget’s theory of
cognitive development would be useful for me in both the preoperational and concrete
operational stages. I could use these stages with my students when I am teaching math,
science, or reading because they would be able to use Piaget’s methods without even
knowing that they are using them.
Bloom’s taxonomy of questioning is another tool that is useful to teachers. In
Bloom’s taxonomy of questioning, there are six different levels of questioning that build
off of each other. The first level of questioning is called Knowledge. In this level,
students answer recall questions that the teacher gives them. I would use this level to get
my students attention and to have them recall what we learned yesterday and try to apply
it to today’s lesson. The second level of Bloom’s taxonomy is comprehension. In this
level, students show their understanding of new information by putting it into their own
words. In my lesson, this would be used when I ask the students questions on what we
just learned. The third level is application and in this level students put their newly
learned information to use. They try to figure out how they can use this newly learned
information in and out of class. They try to apply it to their lives. The fourth level is
called analysis and in this stage students take apart the new information they have learned
and look at it individually. In my classroom, I would use this level in history or science
because they could research how different things have happened and what caused them to
happen. The fifth level is known as synthesis. This level is used for students to take the
information they have learned and analyzed, and put it back together in a new way. This
level I would use to get my students to think creatively and try to come up with new ideas
about problems they may face every day. The last stage is called evaluation. In this stage,
students defend their own ideas that they have made by coming up with supporting
details for their answer. I can use this stage when my classroom is having a debate on an
issue or topic that affects them. Bloom’s taxonomy of questioning is very helpful and
useful to teachers because it helps the teachers develop their students’ ability to think and
reason logically.
Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development has eight stages that we follow
through our lives. The first stage is trust versus mistrust and this stage begins from
infancy to one year of age. The second stage is called the autonomy versus shame and
doubt. This stage is for children from one to three years of age. In this stage, children
begin to develop their own behaviors. The third stage is called initiative versus guilt and
includes children from three to five years of age. In this stage, children develop more of
their feelings and encounter new challenges. Industry versus inferiority is the fourth stage
in Erikson’s theory. The children in this group are in middle to late childhood. In this
stage, children work on mastering knowledge and intellectual skills. The fifth stage is
called identity versus identity confusion. This stage includes children from age ten to
twenty. In this stage, children develop and come to know who they are and what they
want to become. The sixth stage is called intimacy versus isolation. In this stage, it
includes early adults from age twenty to age thirty. In this stage, young adults try to find
and develop a relationship with another person. The seventh stage is generativity versus
stagnation. This stage takes place during middle adulthood and includes adults from the
ages of forty to fifty years. In this stage, the older adults try to help the younger adults
develop and lead a useful life. The last stage of Erikson’s theory is called integrity versus
despair. This stage is for adults in their sixties and up. In this stage, the adults reflect on
their past and see if they have achieved what they had hoped to achieve. Teachers can use
Erikson’s theory to help them understand how their students are changing and developing
while in their classrooms.
Gilligan’s theory of moral development was developed after Kohlberg developed
his theory of moral development. The difference in Gilligan’s theory is that it applies to
girls rather than boys. She bases her theory and stages off of Kohlberg’s stages. She
changes her theory a little to help apply it to girls rather than boys like Kohlberg did.
Kohlberg created his theory based on what he observed from boys and it didn’t include
girls. In Kohlberg’s theory there are three levels with six stages. Level one of Kohlberg’s
theory is called the preconventional level and includes stages one and two. Stage one is
called punishment and obedience orientation and stage two is called individualism,
purpose, and exchange. The second level is called the conventional level and includes
stages three and four. Stage three is called mutual interpersonal expectations,
relationships, and interpersonal conformity. Stage four is called social system morality.
The final level of Kohlberg’s theory is called the postconventional level. In this level it
includes stages five and six. Stage five is called social contract or utility and individual
rights, stage six is called universal ethical principles. Gilligan and Kohlberg’s theories
can be used by teachers to understand how their students are developing reason in their
minds.
The last theorist that is helpful to teachers is Vygotsky. Vygotsky’s theory of
cognitive development is a theory that emphasizes how culture and social interaction
guide cognitive development. Vygotsky’s theory implies that children learn by actively
constructing their knowledge. Vygotsky believed that it was important for students to
learn by working hands on and also learning through their peers. Vygotsky’s theory of
teaching is helpful to teachers when the teacher doesn’t want to help out the student the
whole time. In Vygotsky’s theory, the teacher offers encouragement and keeps the
students on task. The work in the classroom is geared more towards students helping
students. Vygotsky also wanted teachers to incorporate real world problems so the
students can learn what the world is like.
Theorists play an important part in how teachers and schools teach information to
their students. The theorist I would like to use in my room is Bloom. Bloom’s theory of
questioning is a six level theory that helps students learn how to question, analyze, and
evaluate ideas that they learn in the classroom. Bloom’s theory will apply to my students
by helping them develop their ability to ask and answer questions, develop research
skills, and learn how to tell information in their own words. In my planning to use
Bloom’s theory, I will have to develop questions and research projects for the students.
By having Bloom’s questioning in my lesson plans, I can help my students feel confident
in what they believe in.
How you will teach:
Teaching in my classroom is very important and to help me teach effectively I
will use both the behaviorist and Constructivist theory. The behaviorist theory will be
helpful when I need to control what my students learn and how they will learn certain
information. This learning type is teacher centered because the teacher is asking the
questions and telling the students what to do. The behaviorist theory can be helpful when
the students need help with learning new material or other important skills. The
constructivist theory will be helpful when the learning is student centered. I will use this
theory in my classroom when my students can build off of information they have learned.
This theory will help me by getting the students involved in their learning and trying to
come up with answers on their own. In my classroom, I will try to teach to both the
global thinkers and detailed thinkers. My global thinkers are those who see the big
picture but have a hard time seeing the small picture. My detailed thinkers see the small
picture but not the big picture. To help my students, I will set up my lesson plans to
include both global and detailed thinkers. My students will also develop and use their five
memory paths. These paths are semantic, episodic, procedural, automatic, and emotional.
I will help my students develop these skills by including these paths in my lesson plans.
Bloom’s theory will play an important role in my classroom because I will use his theory
to help my students develop their thinking and researching abilities. In my classroom, I
will need to use direct instruction to help guide my students through their reading and
other tasks that they will be learning about in my classroom. By using these different
teaching skills, I will be able to help all of my students and give them a foundation of
learning to grow from.
Educational Psychology Concepts:
Besides using different theorists to help aid my teaching abilities, I plan to use
other helpful psychology tools to help guide my instruction. I plan to use the zone of
proximal development to help my students learn, because students learn best when
material is presented to them at their levels of learning. Scaffolding and Meichenbaum’s
model of self-regulated learning will help me teach my students and guide them while
they do their work in class. I will use the QAIT model to help guide the quality,
appropriateness, incentive, and time will help guide my lesson plans for my students. I
also plan to use learning probes, and the information processing theory to make sure that
my students understand what they are learning in the classroom. By applying these
different concepts in my room, my students will be able to learn and understand the
different subjects that I will be teaching throughout the day. These concepts will also
help guide my instruction, by making sure that my lessons are fully developed and I take
into consideration all the student’s needs.
Assessment Concepts:
In my classroom I will use both instructional and objective goals to help provide
direction for myself, and to help guide what material will be placed in the assessments.
These goals will ensure that each assessment is appropriate and purposeful. In creating
my objectives, I will use the ABCD method created by Armstrong and Savage. I will use
both summative and formative assessments in my classroom. I will use summative
assessments to help measure the level of success or proficiency that has been obtained at
the end of an instructional unit by my students. I will use formative assessments to help
gather feedback that can be used to guide improvements in teaching and learning context
of the students and myself. When I create assessments for my students, I will be sure to
use different layouts, so my tests aren’t exactly alike each time. I will use a variety of
test tools such as, alternative response, matching, short answer, multiple choices, essay
and various interpretive exercises. Using these various testing tools I will be able to
assess my student’s knowledge and higher order thinking skills. Assessments are vital to
have in the classroom, because they allow the teacher to ascertain what the students have
learned and what they do not yet know.
Ethics:
Teaching is a privilege, not a right. To be a teacher you need to follow the rules
and regulations set forth by the state and your school. I will follow these rules in order to
keep my job and to have a safe and caring classroom environment. By following these
rules and regulations I will ensure the safety of my students and myself.
Closure:
Teaching is a big dream of mine. I want to help my students reach their dreams
by teaching different values and social skills. By teaching my students values and social
skills, they will be able to develop into the person they want to become. I also believe
that theorists play a big role in how I teach my students and I will include Bloom’s
taxonomy of questioning because it will help my students develop the skills to think,
question, and respond with what they have learned. I believe that teaching the values of
respect, honesty, and responsibility will help my students mature to be well-rounded
individuals. Teaching is a great joy and honor, because you get to help shape the minds
of future generations and there is nothing better than finally seeing your students succeed.
References:
Santrock John, J. W. (2010). A topical approach to life-span development. (Sixth
Ed.). NewYork, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies