Commentary On Student Characteristics And Learning Theories

Within the elementary classroom, there is a copious amount of rules, guidelines and considerations a teacher must take into account. Learning theories such as social, cognitive, and behavioral learning should be implemented to provide framework and boundaries for the children. When incorporating learning theories in the classroom, it is important to have a clear understanding of how they work and how they will benefit the child and the teacher. These particular theories allows the teacher to run an efficient and effective classroom from day one.

B.F. Skinners theory of operant conditioning is probably the most commonly used theory in practice in early years settings. Skinner suggested that people draw conclusions based on the consequences of their behaviour when exploring the environment. He divided the consequences into three areas. The first area being positive reinforcers where people are likely to get something they desire if they repeat a certain behaviour. He suggested that this was the most effective way to encourage new learning. This can be seen in early years settings where by children are rewarded for good behaviour this lots of praise, attention, stickers or treats. This will help children to carry on showing good behaviour until such a time when it is learned. Second is negative reinforcers which are used to stop something from happening but the behaviour is also likely to repeated. Just like when a child is going down a slide but doesn’t like going fast so they use their hands on the sides to slow themselves down. The third is punishers, which is a behaviour that you learn to stop doing e.g. if you receive a shock from an electric fence then you learn to stay away from it.

By tailoring lessons designed to fit each student I am able to better help them understand what they are learning. For instance, having a child very interested in kinesthetic or auditory styles of learning I can easily integrate academics while also stimulating a passion for lifelong learning.

With different children in the class you have to make sure to keep each child’s learning to their levels. Keep researching new ways for the children to learn more information each week. Make sure to stay along licensing rules. Get trained in the fields I need so that I will know everything that I need to know for the children. Making sure to have them in a safe place so that they will feel safe there is important. Make sure to learn about the children’s families because knowing that information can help better understand the children. I will make sure to let the families always know the local school hours. Let the parents know about my program’s mission. Keeping the parents and other staff up to date on what I’m planning to do. Keeping my policies up to date such as communication with parents, curriculum, discipline and guidance, drop-off and pick-ups, emergency closings, others authorized to pick up the children, fees and payment arrangements, food and nutrition, etc. One of the most important things would just be keeping everyone up to

Skinner’s reinforcement experiments conducted on rats showed the principles of operant conditioning. While working with rats, Skinner would place them in a Skinner box with a lever attached to a feeding tube. After multiple trials, rats learned the connection between the lever and food, and started to spend more time in the box procuring food than performing any other action. He used positive reinforcement, and negative reinforcement to produce or inhibit specific target behaviors. Therefore, if a specific behavior is reinforced then the probability of that behavior occurring again is increased. Based on Skinner’s view, this theory can be applied to learning because learning is nothing more than a change in behavior. Operant conditioning encourages positive reinforcement, which can be applied in the classroom environment to get the good behavior you want and need from students. One of the ways of reinforcing a student’s behavior is through praise. Also teachers can build operant conditioning techniques into their lesson plans to teach children possible skills as well as good behaviors. For example: to give a smiley face, or motivational stamps to encourage children to perform correctly and encourage them to repeat such action again.

It is easy to embrace someone who is lovable, but it is much more difficult to accept a more challenging child. I would start by demonstrating grace and patience with them, which would include forgiving their mistakes and starting with a clean slate every day. In addition, I plan to provide positive solutions which would benefit both the class and the student. I would never give up on them. Next, I would lead by example by being receptive to each child’s personal space and needs. This would include looking for facial cues and evaluating their actions to determine what a child would benefit from. Responsibility can be demonstrated by being accountable for both my successes and mistakes. For example, if I realized that I gave incorrect information, I would be honest about it to my students. Lastly, service can be displayed by going above and beyond the call of duty on a regular basis. This could mean staying before or after school to mentor a student, or making a point to give constructive positive feedback to every student.

Students have their own best way in effectively learning the lesson. With the diversity of students, the problem is each student has a preferred learning style. It becomes undeniably one of the reasons that make it difficult to achieve the best expected outcome out of teachers’ effort. However, teachers try to incorporate various teaching techniques to make every learning opportunity become productive, meaningful, and relevant for the learners.

Teaching early childhood children is not a job that should be taken lightly. At this age, you are building the foundation of learning and setting the precedence of what they see school as. It is my role as an educator to take responsibility for every child’s educational development. Each day in an early childhood classroom is full of challenges, but it is also full of laughs, smiles, and enthusiasm to learn. I firmly believe that every child is capable of learning, however, every child learns in their own pace and in their own way. Children need to feel that their teacher cares for them and is enthusiastic about their learning. This will help motivate them and maximize their learning. From there, the sky is the limit in the classroom! As an educator, I need to be conscious of learning and social development in order to reach every child and make sure they succeed. It is my job to see that every student is growing both academically and socially.

Skinner believed that behaviour is shaped and maintained by a reinforcing stimulus and that schedules of reinforcement are important factors in the learning process. There are many situations in the classroom where a behaviourist approach is likely to work well. For example, when I teach, I have started to pick out students who are making the right choices throughout the lesson. I call attention to the student who is doing the right thing and use verbal praise, which is quite an effective way to let other students realise what the expected learning behaviour is. The Year 6 students in the class are aware of the school’s reward system; ten credits lead to one merit, which is recorded in their merit book. They are also aware that bad behaviour in the class or on the playground will be followed by negative consequences. To warn against unwanted behaviour, I have seen teachers use negative reinforcers such as verbal warnings, timeouts and losing privileges.

I believe that students learn best through experiences and hands-on activities. It is my job to show the students what we are learning and why, so through my teaching, they should never question what we are doing. I want my students to come into the classroom each day excited to learn because they know that we are going to be doing something fun and exciting. Although they will be having fun, they will be learning too because I will create lesson plans that are engaging and also very full of content. I want the content and activities to be open in order for the children to make connections. In order to begin a lesson and decide what activities I will do, I will provide a pretest in order to see what the students already know and can do. The pretest will also serve as an intro into what the students will be learning, so they know what we are going to learn and what is expected from them by the end of the

When I teach students I always look at the student as an individual and want to make sure that they are able to get the information that is presents. I have a preschool classroom that students are presented with safe and welcome environment to learn in. Everyday there are many layers of scaffolding that takes place. We go over routines and schedules both verbally and visually. We have pictures of what should be done in each routine during the day. Example of what to do when students enter the classroom to what to do after they are done with lunch. These are basic ways that the classroom is setup to help ELLs adapt to an unfamiliar setting.

It is important to be reasonable and maintain realistic ideals and goals in the classroom. Understanding that you cannot always make all students happy and enjoy learning all the time is crucial because although teachers want students to enjoy learning, it is not realistic for students to always give positive feedback, but that does not mean you are not doing a fantastic job. It is also crucial to organize your life and understand that you may not have time for much else outside of the classroom and lesson planning, especially during the first year. It is important to plan on spending the majority of your time preparing lessons for your classroom. It is also important to understand that although you should always be prepared before class,

It is the duty of the educator to prepare students to live lives of quality and purpose. Intellectually, a life of quality involves being reasonable, adept, and thoughtful, and enables people to be good citizens of their community. Skills that will prepare students to live such a life include the ability to reason carefully, to think agilely, and to reflect deeply. These skills are attained best when students evaluate how others express their thinking and precisely what thinking is expressed. The students themselves attempt to express substantive ideas in clear and convincing ways. The teacher is foremost a model of that which is taught, which obligates the teacher to live that life of quality and purpose. As a model, the teacher is therefore able to act as a guide for others, serving occasionally as a source of knowledge but mostly as one who points the way for fellow explorers.

There are many theories that are relevant to classroom teaching today. Marsh (2008, p. 17) states that “each theory is nothing more than a set of reasonable suggestions”. A teacher should look at the information available to them and take what is necessary to achieve a positive learning environment in their classroom. This may mean taking a little part of one theory and combining in with another part of a different theory, there is no singular theory or theorist that encompasses everything that is required in a modern classroom. Some of the most important theories of learning are motivation, constructivism and behaviourism. Teachers choose their teaching style and strategy to complement their students, to arrive at their own personal

Successful college experiences revolve around three major areas: the transition, being successful in classes/schoolwork, and involvement. These three areas have been determined from my work in the Housing and Residential Programs Department for the past three years, as this is my first lass focusing on student development theories. The three areas are must all be present in some way, shape, or form in order for success. The first step is the transition from high school to college. This is inclusive of moving away from home, and entering into an entirely different miniature society. Incoming students need to learn to adapt to their new surroundings, develop relationships, and a find their support system. Adaptation is important, for many