Critical Thinking

When it comes to learning, critical thinking plays a major role. As a teacher, I think it is very important to promote and encourage critical thinking. It is a teacher's role to first teach the skills and processes of critical thinking. Then the teacher must put this to test by creating activities that involve critical thinking. There are different types of critical thinking.

Verbal Reasoning- understanding and evaluating persuasive techniques found in oral and written                                         language

Argument Analysis- discriminating between reasons that do and do not support a conclusion

Probabilistic Reasoning- determining the likelihood and uncertainties associated with various events

Hypothesis Testing- judging the value of data and research results in terms of the methods used to                                         obtain them and their potential relevance to the conclusion

It is important to understand critical thinking before teaching it. When I am a teacher I will think about all of the different types of critical thinking. I will definitely encourage my students to use as much critical thinking as possible.

Social Constructivism

Social constructivism is a theory of learning that focuses on collaboration and group work. The idea is credited to Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. It focuses on people working together and sharing ideas. I believe this is a great concept when it comes to teaching and learning. As a teacher, I will be implementing group work much of the time. I think it is great for students. My idea of a great lesson would be having students first work individually to come up with their own ideas. Then they would come together in groups and collaborate all of their ideas. Group work allows students to hear new ideas and see different points of view. It is a close parallel to real world situations. I think it is a great way for students to learn and interact.

Learning and Cognitive Processes

 

When it comes to teaching, a focus on learning and cognitive processes is very important. It is important for both teachers and students. A teacher should understand how students learn and process information. This will benefit teachers when teaching and students when learning. Everyone will benefit when a teacher understands the learning and cognitive processes.

Basic research tells us that humans are selective about what we mentally process and learn. We also know that the learner sometimes constructs meanings and understandings from within. This means that the environment does not always shape what is going on in the mind. Teachers must take this into consideration because a student could be focused on something else while the teacher is teaching. It is important for teachers to know the best methods of teaching meanings and concepts. They must know how to connect to students and access long-term memory. As a teacher, I will try to make learning as fun yet meaningful as possible. I have learned the value of connecting information with previous knowledge and finding a way to connect them. It is easier to learn and memorize when information can be grouped into categories. Repetition is also important when learning no matter what age group you are teaching. When I am a teacher I will put all of these things into practice to create a productive learning environment for my students.

Social Cognitive Views of Learning

Last week in class we talked about the social cognitive views of learning. This view says that humans can learn by observing other people and their thought process. This theory goes hand in hand with behaviorism, but it goes a little deeper. In behaviorism, most of the learning takes place through actions. In the social cognitive model, learning takes place through actions and observations. For example, if a child sees a human hitting a doll the child will probably repeat that action. This example was observed by Albert Bandura in the bobo doll experiment. The social cognitive theory says that much of our learning occurs in social environments.

I really like this theory, and I agree with everything it says. I believe that as humans, we learn by observing other people and their actions. I am a very observant person, so this theory has been shaping me and my thought process my entire life. As a teacher, it is important to use modeling to teach kids and to set an example. A teacher's actions may stand out more to a student than a lesson. It is also important for teachers to encourage self-efficacy in students. If a teacher is positive and encouraging, students will believe they can achieve tasks and reach goals. This will help the student and the teacher to be motivated. A high self-efficacy is something that students and teachers must strive for.

Restorative Justice

A lot of controversy has been made over the subject of disciplining students. What is the best way to deal with misbehaviors? Every teacher should ask this question. In order to do this, I believe a teacher needs to think about the situation from every angle. To avoid power struggles, the teacher needs to think about what is best for the student. It is important to not jump to conclusions and to view problems with an open mind. A teacher is a role model, and a student will feed off of a teacher's energy. If a teacher is calm and collected, the student will most likely handle a problem without getting out of control. On the other hand if a teacher is angry and unpredictable, the student might not handle the situation appropriately. A teacher must not just teach academics but also social skill. This includes teaching students life lessons about how to deal with problems and correcting bad behaviors.

Restorative justice is an approach to dealing with behavior that takes further action than just immediately punishing the student. It is a way for students to correct bad behavior and learn from their mistakes. Instead of just punishing a student with detention or suspension, the student must take responsibility for actions and do what they can to fix it. This is a more individualized way to deal with misbehavior, and it focuses on personal needs. It is more like the real world, and I believe it would better prepare students for the future.