Group Differences Forum

At the end of this course, we had the opportunity to participate in a group differences forum. This was a really neat experience, as we were able to chose a topic that was of particular interest to us and share our thoughts and questions on the topic with our peers. For my group, we read an article called, "The Myth of Pink and Blue Brains" by Lise Eliot. This article focused on the ways in which the gender gap between girls and boys could be closed. Honestly, prior to reading this, I had not given much thought or attention to why the gender gap exists and what affect this has on boys and girls. I found it surprising that the article mentioned, "the range of performances within each gender is wider than the difference between the average boy and girl" (Eliot, 2010, p. 32). In my mind, I have always pictured the difference level to be greater between boys and girls than between girls and girls/boys and boys. However, reading this helped put it into perspective of how little the difference levels actually are between genders.

One of the suggestions that Eliot provides for reducing the gap that I thought was so obvious, yet is not always practiced in classrooms, is to avoid stereotyping. All children, regardless of gender, should be invited to participate in the same activities. However I have seen it common in classrooms to invite girls to play in imaginary play and dress up, while the boys are invited to play with blocks or participate in physical activity games. Teachers treat these boys and girls differently, and thus results in the gender gap.

After reading the article and discussing it with the class, I realize that I would have loved to have heard more real examples of ways the gender gap has been addressed in classrooms. How are teachers in the field currently working to limit this gap? Or are they doing anything at all?

Another topic that we discussed during the forum that intrigued me was race, and how to modify student's racial attitudes. I wish there was more time to have spent covering this topic because I would love to have heard more practical and ethical ways to help students have a positive attitude towards their peers of different races. I believe it can personally all start with creating a classroom community of trust and openness; however, I am always looking for more strategies to have when I enter into my teaching!

Having heard each of the topics presented during this forum, I believe I will be more aware and conscious of the numerous differences I will encounter among my students. My objective will be to seek out resources and advice from mentors and fellow teachers to address the differences and meet each of my student's individual learning needs.

Chapter 3 Learner-Generated Questions

1. Using your prior knowledge and the list of strategies Ormrod describes on pgs. 87-90, explain how you would address the issue of bullying in your classroom. [Applying]

2. Break down (explain and describe) the different types of peer relationships Ormrod discusses on pgs. 77-80. Do any of these relationships have an affect on or interrelate with one another? i.e., Is there an interrelationship between friendships and romantic relationships? [Analyze]

Chapter 2 Questions.

1) Summarize the four key points Ormrod explains about the brain's role in learning and cognitive development. [Understanding]

2) Refer back to your CSEL case study for this question.
Evaluate the student in your case study in terms of Piaget's stages of cognitive development. What stage would you say the student is in? Justify your answer. Is this the stage Piaget would say the student is in based upon age? [Evaluate]

Chapter 5 Questions

1. Recall the six ways to adapt instruction for students with learning disabilities discussed by Ormrod in this chapter. [Remembering]


2. Imagine in your classroom, you have students that demonstrate naturalist intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, and linguistic intelligence. Create a classroom lesson that you could use to incorporate all of these students' different learning styles. [Creating]

Field Trip

For my field trip, I chose to attend a screening of the film, Girl Rising. 

• In this film, the audience was given an eye-opening account of the daily hardships, struggles, and obstacles young women and girls are facing throughout the world today. This documentary shared with us the personal accounts of nine different girls from countries including: Haiti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Nepal, India, Peru, Sierra Leone, and Afghanistan. The stories shared told of natural disasters, violence, slavery, arranged marriages, and death. In the midst of all of this sadness, many of the girls described their hope and admiration for a better life, revolving around receiving an education. 

• A central theme running throughout this documentary was the impact that education has on individuals, particularly girls. Many statistics were given such as, 50% of all sexual assaults happen to girls under the age of fifteen, 14 million girls under the age of eighteen will be married this year (majority not by choice), girls have a 1 in 4 chance of being born into poverty, and the number one leading cause of death for girls between the ages of fifteen and nineteen is child birth. However, the film suggested that if more girls around the world were able to receive an education, numerous positive changes would occur. For example, women with an education are more likely to have educated children and children that live longer. Furthermore, more girls attending school and becoming educated could result in less HIV cases, a slow down of AIDs and a growth in the global economy. Thus, I believe this film hoped to show how by educating women, they can become empowered! 

• After watching this documentary,  I realized just how much in life I take for granted, particularly with my education. Constantly I am complaining about a homework assignment I have to complete or an exam coming up, without thinking how lucky I am just to have the opportunity to do these things. In the film, girls were fighting for the chance just to go to school. This really put  into perspective how fortunate we truly are! With that, I want to work better to not complain and fuss about things related to school, when I know there are girls out there that would do anything to be in my position. 

To elaborate on my first point, I want to share the story of one of the girls in the film that really resonated with me. Wadley is a young girl from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Prior to the earthquake in 2010, Wadley was fortunate enough to have the means necessary to attend school. However, after the devastating earthquake occurred, her home and schoolhouse were destroyed, forcing her and her mother to move to a tent city. During this time of change, Wadley became responsible for going to fetch water each day; one day while out, she noticed an outdoor classroom had been set up and her former teacher was teaching students. When Wadley tried to join the class, she was turned away because her mother was not able to pay the required fee. However, Wadley was so determined to go to school that she came back, sat with the class, and when the teacher asked if she had payed the fine, she said, "No." When the teacher told her to leave, Wadley refused, saying she would come back each and every day until she was allowed to stay. It was such a beautiful thing to see the teacher allow Wadley to remain in the schoolhouse! I was drawn to this particular story, as in 2010, I had the opportunity to visit Haiti and work in orphanages after the earthquake. I was surrounded with children, like Wadley, who remained so optimistic and happy about life, despite the heartbreaking circumstances taking place around them. It was so great to see in this film how excited and passionate this young child is about her education and that is so encouraging as a future educator of children! 

The following link, Girl Rising, is the website linked to this documentary that provides even more information about the film, and the movement to educate girls. 

Chapter 8 Questions

1. Ormrod (2011) discusses transfer as, "the extent to which knowledge and skills acquired in one situation affect people's learning or performance in a subsequent situation" (p. 261). Can you summarize the five instances/perspectives of transfer Ormrod goes on to discuss? [Understanding]

2. Prior to reading this chapter, what thoughts would come to mind when hearing the word "metacognition?" After reading chapter 8, what new ideas and understandings do you have about this process? [Synthesizing]

References 

Ormrod, J.E. (2011). Educational Psychology: Developing Learners. Boston, MA: Pearson.

Service Learning: An Application of Constructivism

In the chapter on constructivism, one idea that really stood out to me was authentic activities. These are activities that are integrated into a classroom and represent similar activities students are likely to encounter in their day-to-day world. I found this to be interesting because I want my students to be able to apply what they learn in the classroom to their daily lives; I feel this is a perfect way to help my students do so! A type of authentic activity that I could picture using in my future classroom is service learning. Ormrod (2011) describes service learning as, "Projects that directly or indirectly enhance the quality of life in the outside community" (p. 232).

An example of a service learning project I could engage an elementary classroom in would be recycling. We could begin by having discussions on what recycling is, what exactly can you recycle, and how recycling is beneficial to our environment. As a class, we could then begin to brainstorm ways in which we could incorporate recycling into our classroom. After the students have ample time collecting recycled goods, a trip could be planned to visit a local recycling center. Here, the students will be able to see what happens next to the things we recycle, as well as would provide a chance for students to turn in all of their recycled goods.

I believe that the students would respond in a very positive manner, as they may be very excited to help the environment! I also feel that when students have some control in the planning process, they become more engaged and interested in what they are doing. For instance, as the students are the ones coming up with the ways to incorporate recycling into the classroom, they may have more motivation to participate than if the teacher was just to assign the student's roles.

One of the obstacles I feel that I could encounter with this project would be fitting it in with the state standards. If it does not align with any of the standards, could I find time in the schedule to incorporate it? Would my administration be okay with a project that does not align with the standards? These are questions I would have to address. Further, scheduling a field trip to visit a recycling center may be a great obstacle in itself, with getting approval, costs of transportation, and finding chaperones.

However, the rewards of a service project like this would be so great as, "we help students discover the reasons that they are learning academic subject matter" (Ormrod, 2011, p. 232), as well as the students will be contributing to the quality of their community.

The following video clip I found is an introduction to an outdoor preschool in Norway. I feel that this is a great example for authentic activities, as the children are learning to do things such as use real tools and create their own boats - activities they are likely to encounter in their real lives outside of school.

References: 

Ormrod, J.E. (2011). Educational Psychology: Developing Learners. Boston, MA: Pearson.

"Arctic Outdoor Preschool - Intro." Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIi1WkFhGvc 

CSEL Intervention-Behaviorist and Social Cognitive Viewpoints

When considering my CSEL intervention case study, there are several tools from a behaviorist view that I could apply to encourage more productive behaviors and discourage undesirable behaviors from Willard. The first behaviorist strategy I may use would be positive reinforcement, which Ormrod (2011) describes as, "whenever a particular stimulus is presented after a behavior and the behavior increases as a result" (p. 294). For example, I may set up a system in which for each learning activity Willard stays engaged in and does not get up to wander around, he receives a sticker. At the end of each day, if Willard has received five stickers, he will have the opportunity to engage in an activity of high interest to him (activity reinforcer). The goal of this would be that Willard will be more likely to act in appropriate behaviors if he is being positively reinforced with the chance to participate in something he enjoys. 

Another behaviorist strategy I could use with Willard would be cueing, or reminding him of what behaviors are expected of him. For instance, I may introduce to the class a song that will played each day when it is time to go outside to play. This song will cue to Willard when it is the appropriate time to go outside; if he asks, "Teacher, when can we go outside to play?" I will remind him to listen for the song, and when it hears it, then it will be time to go out. Another example of cueing that may work with this child would be explicitly reminding Willard of what he should be doing, "Willard, we are working on a math activity at the table. I need you to have a seat." 

Ormrod (2011) states, "People are more likely to engage in certain behaviors when they believe they will be able to execute the behaviors successfully-that is, when they have high self-efficacy" (p. 335). Therefore, for Willard to engage in more productive and appropriate behaviors, he may have to develop a greater self-efficacy. As his teacher, I could use scaffolding to help him with his behaviors until he is able to succeed and express more positive behaviors on his own, thus improving his self-efficacy. One way I could help scaffold Willard would be to model how to work on tasks for extended periods of time or raising a hand and asking to get up if he needs to move around. 

One of the main goals I would have in my CSEL intervention plan would be to help Willard develop self-regulation of his behaviors, i.e., asking the same question multiple times, wandering around during activities, and leaving the classroom without permission. One method to help this child would be to teach him how to use self-instructions as a way to remind himself of appropriate actions. As his teacher, I would engage in the following steps: 
1) Cognitive modeling- I would read instructions aloud, "I need to stay at the table while completing an activity," while modeling the action. 
2) Overt, external guidance- I would repeat these instructions while Willard works on an activity at the table. 
3) Overt self-guidance- Willard would repeat the instructions while working on an activity. 
4) Faded, overt self-guidance- Willard whispers the instructions to himself while working at the table. 
5) Covert self-instruction- Willard thinks about the instructions to stay at the table while he completes the action. 

In this technique, Willard may begin to think about what it is that he is doing, and will result in less impulsive acts. 


In sum, I found the following resource for educators on responding to misbehavior; it provides several goals and strategies for responding to misbehavior, from both a behaviorist and social cognitive viewpoint. 

References: 

Ormrod, J.E. (2011). Educational Psychology: Developing Learners. Boston, MA: Pearson.

Responsive Classroom (2011). Responding to misbehavior. 
https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/article/responding-misbehavior

Classroom Environments Conducive to Learning & Responding to Misbehavior in the Classroom

When creating a classroom environment conducive to learning, my first goal will be to help my children feel welcome and have a sense of belonging. Anderman (2002) expresses, "Creating a sense of community engenders feelings of belongingness. Students see themselves as important and valued members of the classroom" (cited in Ormrod, 2011, p. 463). Several strategies I could use in an early childhood setting include displaying photographs of children's families to provide comfort and setting up cozy, homelike spaces for children to relax and feel at ease, either alone or with peers, teachers, or family members.

Another strategy I could use to help my classroom become an optimal learning environment would be to arrange the furniture, provide materials, and set up activities that encourage collaboration and communication among my children.
     

For example, in this photograph, children were given open ended materials to build with; this sparked their curiosities and invited children to work together to achieve a common goal-building a fort (Curtis & Carter, 2003, p. 55).

Thirdly, I would take my student's interests into account when planning activities and lessons for children, as these will help to engage and motivate students to learn. Further, Curtis and Carter (2003) state, "When children are offered flexible furnishings and open-ended materials, they engage in the range of activities that foster their development and learning-moving, manipulating, investigating, building, representing, creating, communicating, and problem solving" (p. 57). I want my classroom environment to support and facilitate these skills and abilities for children!

An e-portfolio I found, Creating a Positive Classroom Environment, provides real examples of ways in which a student teacher fostered an effective learning environment during her student teaching experience. I think it is important to see the ideas and perspectives of teachers currently working out in the classroom setting!

Early Childhood Education Case Study

It has been one month since the school year began and most of your 25 kindergarten students know class procedures, such as the schedule of learning activities, where they are supposed to be for each learning activity, where they are supposed to keep their personal items, and how they are expected to move about the room and the school building in order to ensure a productive learning environment.  But then there is Willard.  He must ask 20 or more times a day, “Teacher, when can we go outside to play?”  In addition, he often does not stay where he should to work on a given learning activity.  Instead, you find him wandering around the room and getting into other children’s personal things.  Three times this past week you looked up just in time to see Willard walking out of the classroom without permission.  Some of the other children in your classroom community have started making fun of Willard.  Others are beginning to become less engaged in their learning.

In this situation, I feel that Willard needs more guidance and redirection. The first step I would take to help Willard would be to set up the environment in a way that would be supportive to this child. For example, providing a visual schedule of the day to remind Willard of what he should be doing and a picture chart with the classroom rules and procedures. These reminders may be drawn to Willard's attention during a morning meeting or group time. During this time, I would also address the topic of bullying and making fun of others with the whole class, perhaps through role playing with puppets or finding a quality children's book that discusses the importance of respecting your peers. 

If Willard's behavior continues, I would begin to give him cues. For instance, if I notice he is wandering around the classroom, I may give him a stern look that demonstrates his action is not acceptable or give him a verbal directive, "Return to your table." Ormrod (2011) describes this response, "Effective classroom managers handle such minor behavior problems as unobtrusively as possible: They don't stop the lesson, distract other students, or call unnecessary attention to the inappropriate behavior" (p. 486). 

If his behaviors continue to persist and are interfering with other student's learning processes, I would sit down and have a one-on-one conversation with the child about the class procedures and explicitly state to him my expectations; for example, "I expect you to stay at the table when working on an activity" or "It is not appropriate to walk out of the classroom without permission." It is expressed by Ormrod (2011), "Private conversations with individual students give us, as teachers, a chance to explain why certain behaviors must stop. They also give students a chance to explain why they behave as they do" (p. 487). 

After all three of these strategies have been implemented and there is no change in behavior, I may reach out to the parents and discuss his routines at home. Is he able to follow a routine at home consistently? If so, I can seek out ideas from his parents about what takes place at home and incorporate these ideas at school for Willard.

References: 

Curtis, D. & Carter, M. (2003). Designs for Living and Learning: Transforming Early

            Childhood Environments. St Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.

McLaughlin, J. Creating a positive classroom learning environment.
http://sitemaker.umich.edu/mclaughlin_portfolio/creating_a_positive_classroom_environment

Ormrod, J.E. (2011). Educational Psychology: Developing Learners. Boston, MA: Pearson.

Theories of Motivation

What exactly is motivation? Ormrod (2011) states, "Motivation is something that energizes, directs, and sustains behavior; it gets students moving, points them in a particular direction, and keeps them going" (p. 362). When I think of motivation, I think about what it is that makes me want to do something or is making me stick with a task. The types of motivation that are most instructive in my life are extrinsic and intrinsic, as well as the sociocultural theory of motivation.

I am extrinsically motivated when outside, unrelated factors are motivating me to perform a task. For example, I can think back to class review games, in which my teacher would reward the winning team with extra credit points on our exams. By being provided with an external reward, I was motivated to actively participate and succeed in the task at hand. Extrinsic motivators, like rewards and good grades,  can be enticing to students and encourage them to perform as a means to an end.

Intrinsic motivation comes when I, myself am motivated to do something without outside factors influencing me. For instance, I am motivated to volunteer with children's ministries simply because I find pleasure in working with this age group. Therefore, when I find a classroom task to be enjoyable and intriguing to me, that is all the motivation I need to complete it. An article I found, Several Ways To Engage Students Without Carrots & Sticks, highlights several ways in which teachers can help tap into student's intrinsic motivation. Some examples of how this could be included in my classroom are the following: build strong, secure relationships with my students and help them to know that their learning is most important, provide opportunities for children to have a choice and make decisions in their learning, and incorporate the student's interests into my curriculum to create relevancy.

The sociocultural theory also explains aspects of my motivation as, "Many aspects of motivation are the result of social and cultural factors, such as the norms for behavior that parents, peers, and others communicate and encourage" (Ormrod, 2011, p. 363). As a child, I worked hard in school to receive good grades to meet the approval of my parents. However, the importance and act of doing well in school eventually became an internalized behavior, without any pressure from my parents to do so. This enhances motivation as initially a child may be doing something because of the expectations of others, but over time, the child may see the importance of the task and become intrinsically motivated.


Ormrod, J.E. (2011). Educational psychology: Developing learners. (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson  
         Education, Inc.

Post Two: Forms of Assessments

Paper-pencil vs. Performance Assessment:

Paper-pencil assessment: In this form, I would give students homework, a test, or a task that involves a written response to some type of question. For example, if we are working on word problems in a lesson, I would have the children work out practice problems afterwards or for homework. By having the children show their work, I may be able to better assess if the children understand how to solve word problems, or see where the students are having difficulties and need more instruction.

Performance assessment: With middle school or high school students in a literacy class, I would invite them to create a script to be acted out, corresponding to a book read for class. With this task, the students will demonstrate their perceptions of the book within their scripts; they may also be more focused while reading the book, paying attention to aspects they want to incorporate into their drama scenes. Further, this form of assessment may be more engaging to students, rather than a book report or quiz.


Standardized Test vs. Teacher-developed Assessment: 

Standardized test: Some examples of standardized tests that are used within many different classrooms and schools include the TCAP, ACT, SAT, GRE, etc. These types of tests are used to assess a student's level of achievement, in general terms. Standardized tests can be useful to teachers, as they provide insight as to whether or not children are meeting state standards and objectives.

Teacher-developed assessment: With a toddler classroom I taught in, I created a classroom checklist to gauge children's learning of a specific objective; for example, classifying objects. This form of assessment was both practical and beneficial for my lesson planning. By keeping the checklist readily available, I am always able to take note if I observe a child demonstrating knowledge or a specific skill. Further with a checklist, I am able to see where children demonstrate achievement or need more guidance and practice; by having this knowledge, I can plan further lessons based upon the needs of the children.

Criterion-referenced vs. Norm-referenced Assessment: 

Criterion-referenced assessment: After a math unit on long-division with third graders, I could have the students complete a test on long-divison problems. On the test, I would include problems with different levels of difficulty. By seeing how many questions the children correctly worked out and the level of difficulty they were able to solve, I can gauge if they have mastered the skill of long-division or if I need to provide further instruction and more experiences with this math topic.

Norm-referenced assessment: In an elementary school, each of the fourth grade teachers could give their students the same weekly spelling test. Each teacher can then compare the results of his or her students with those in the other classrooms. This form of assessment demonstrates how one student's performance (spelling ability) stacks up against another.

Traditional vs. Authentic Assessment: 

Traditional assessment: In a classroom with older toddlers, I assessed whether or not they were able to sort objects into separate categories, such as rocks, sticks, leaves, etc. In this assessment, I could determine if the child could sort objects or not, based upon how he or she grouped the materials. For example, if the child grouped rocks with leaves,  it would be determined that he or she has not yet mastered the skill of sorting and needs more experience and practice.

Authentic Assessment: With this form of assessment, I would work alongside children to help them create a portfolio of their work to share with peers, teachers, and families at the end of a semester or school year. In the portfolio, children collect artifacts, including samples of their writing, journal entries, tests, drawings, recordings of presentations, and photographs. By using a portfolio as a means of assessment, I am able to have meaningful conversations with children about their work, progress, and development, as well as am able to see the children's accomplishments over time, Further, as children create their portfolios, they may reflect on the work they have completed as they choose what to include.

Informal vs. Formal Assessment: 

Informal assessment: In a classroom, this form of assessment will continually be taking place on a daily basis. For instance, during a class lesson, a child responds to a question I ask. By observing and taking note of the child's comment, I am assessing his or her understanding of the question. These informal observations can be used to gauge what children know and understand, and inform teachers of the areas in which children need further support.

Formal assessment: This method of assessment could be used in a fifth grade classroom through the form of journal writings. It could be planned to have one day a week in which the children are prepared to write about a topic that was covered in class that week. Children may discuss in these journals new things they learned regarding a topic or demonstrate they have a clear understanding of the topic. Journal entries provide children the opportunity to fully express their knowledge, perhaps more than an end of the unit multiple-choice test.

Post One.

Reflecting back upon our first class session, I thought the introduction activity was an interesting way to both become acquainted with one another, as well as to introduce, integrate, and begin thinking about some key course questions. I felt that this also helped us to begin to feel comfortable talking and discussing aloud with our peers. Further, after hearing a brief overview of what this course will entail and reading through the syllabus, I have seen several topics that I am interested in learning about during this semester. I am particularly interested in learning about creating productive learning environments; I’m curious to discuss the topic of working with parents and other teachers, as well as learning how to deal with problem behaviors in the classroom. Another topic I am interested in learning more about is how children construct knowledge and strategies I can use as a teacher to help children construct knowledge.

From this course, I want to take away information, as well as strategies I can use to be an effective teacher for young children. Specifically, I would like to come away from this class with strategies for classroom management and working with parents and families of children. This class will be beneficial to my future profession of teaching young children in preschool – grade three as it focuses on providing information, insight, and research on how to effectively teach children. Furthermore, this class will provide me the opportunity to practice teaching a group of people, through the teaching project assignment. In sum, I’m looking forward to this course and learning new ideas and theories that may be incorporated into my own teaching practices.