Learning Theories T2P: Week 5

Today, we started with a structured plan in the morning: first we wrote a blog entry which I found difficult as it was first thing in the morning and my brain was not prepared to think in that capacity. However, I did find it "got the juices flowing" and was a good basis for our second task for the morning, which was going over the three theorists from Week 4 in relation to Dan Pink and the article on motivation. We used class participation to brainstorm about what we know and then to explore the connections between the theorists, which along the lines of a modified K-W-L (what do you know, what do you want to know, what have we learned) in the direction of our discussion.

As our teacher felt we had a good enough basis on learning theories, we were allowed to vote democratically on how we wanted to spend the afternoon: expanding on our knowledge, applying our knowledge, or incorporating new knowledge about the adolescent brain. As we learn about school as a reflection of the overarching democratic society, this was a good example of voting and democracy in class. It is also a way to make sure students are engaged - by teaching what they want to know. Curriculum for the afternoon was created/modified to incorporate the new lesson plan.

So, while our morning was very structured around a set plan of material to teach, the afternoon was open. Balancing structure and openness/adaptability is important in the classroom. There is a certain level of trust and security that comes with some structure or routine. For example, knowing that your teacher is going to shake your hand when you enter the classroom everyday and say "Thank you for being here, Marisa" creates an expectation that you are on time to greet the teacher and that you are welcomed and appreciated. How to structure a class is very subjective and will benefit or provide a disadvantage for some students; the important part of this is to be aware of how your structure and control (or lack thereof) is affecting your students, all of your students, and not just the vocal ones.