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