Creating a Positive learning Environment

To have a productive and a pleasant learning environment the first thing need to be done by the teacher is setting classroom rules with inclusion of students’ ideas. Through these rules, they can be guided and roadmap can be shown to build their behavior in the class. Teachers may discuss the general rules for the class room and paste it on the wall to create effective behaviors in the class. 

Moreover to have a better concentration and for a meaningful learning environment, learners should be motivated by adding reinforcements like appreciating when they give the right answer.  Self-esteem of the students has to be developed through speeches and modeling. Students should learn inter-personal skills, and cooperative learning methods have to be developed to improve social skills of the students. Group works and other collaborative learning methods like circle the sage have to be conducted with mixed ability students.

Ways to gain Students corporation

• •         Dealing with misbehavior,
• •         Planning activities,
• •         Having materials ready,
• •         Making appropriate behavioral and academic demands on students,
• •         Giving clear signals,
• •         Accomplishing transition smoothly,
• •         Foreseeing problems before they start,
• •         Selecting and sequencing activities so that the floor and interest is maintained.

Expression of disappointment to use in the class.

• Loss of privileges.

• Time-out: exclusion from the group/

• Written reflection on the problem.

• Visit to the Principal’s office.

• Detention.

• Contacting parents

Roza, I. (2012, April 26). Creating a Positive learning Environment. Unpublished lecture notes, the Maldives national University, Maldives

Assessment and Evaluation

In order to have a meaningful learning and to see whether the objectives are being achieved, it is essential to incorporate a wide variety of assessments and evaluations in to teaching. Formative assessments serve as practice for the student and a check for understanding during the learning process. It also guides the teacher in making decisions about future instruction. 

According  to Catherine, G. Michael, E. (2013) in order to a have a formative assessment, teacher can observe the students while they are on work, pose questions orally as well as in the written form, can set the criteria or goal for students’ tasks and also can have self and peer assessment methods etc

Summative assessment can be given periodically to determine at a particular point in time what students know and do not know. These can be mostly used as part of grading process like end of unit or chapter tests and end of term or semester exams.

Use of assessment methods improve the metacognitive thinking of the students and keeps them on track by evaluating themselves while providing effective teaching methods based on students level to the teacher

Catherine,G. Michael, E.(2013).  Formative and Summative Assessments in the Classroom. Retrieved May 02, 2013, from http://www.amle.org/publications/webexclusive/assessment/tabid/1120/default.aspx

Applying Effective Instructional Techniques and Strategies

It is true that the use of effective teaching strategies create a positive learning environment. Motivating the students towards their learning, thinking critically and to increase their productivity. Students have to be communicated effectively with both direct and indirect instruction strategies. However when applying these strategies, individual difference have to be taken in to account. Teachers have to consider the students with different ability and different learning style.

Direct instruction strategies

Accordin to Nazira (2013), it is a strategy in which the teacher are the major information provider.

With the use of this strategy, it is easy to keep the students on track without deviation.

Teacher’s role is to pass facts rules or action sequences on to students in most direct way possible.         

The direct instruction model includes presentation and recitation, as well as teacher-student interactions.

Indirect Instruction strategies

According to Nazira (2013), in indirect instruction, the learner acquires information by transforming stimulus material into a response that requires the learner to rearrange and elaborate on stimulus material.

It is approach to teaching and learning in which concepts, patterns, and abstractions are taught in the context of strategies that emphasize concept learning, inquiry, and problem solving.

Reference

Nazira, H. (2013, February 21). Effective Teaching Methods: Teaching Strategies for Direct Instruction.  Unpublished lecture notes, the Maldives national University, Maldives 

Nazira, H. (2013, February 21). Effective Teaching Methods: Indirect Instruction Strategies.  Unpublished lecture notes, the Maldives national University, Maldives 

Student diversity

Some of the differences we notice from classrooms are:

Dress style, gender, race, age, ethnicity, physical abilities, family history, religion, political beliefs, intellectual ability and learning styles. (Roza, 2013)

Overview

• Gender differences and gender bias.
• Cultural and socio economic diversity.
• Students with special Needs.
• Designing teaching to allow all the students to learn their fullest potential and demonstrate proficiency towards the standard

Understanding Learner characteristics and learning style.

Dunn and Dunn (1992),learning styles as the way "each learner begins to concentrate on, process and remember new and difficult information" Only by examining each individual’s multidimensional characteristics, can we identify that person’s learning style. “an individual’s learning style is the way that person begins to process, internalize and concentrate on new material” Each person learns in a unique way. Howard Gardner's (1993) theory regarding the nature of intelligence stresses the importance of not viewing intelligence as a uni-dimensional construct, like the "general-factor," but rather as a series of independent intelligences:

 (a) verbal/linguistic

(b) logical/mathematical

(c) visual/spatial intelligence

 (d) bodily/kinesthetic

(e) musical/rhythmic

 (f) interpersonal

(g) intrapersonal

 (h) naturalistic

Motivation

Internal  and external factors that stimulate desire and energy  in people to be continually interested and committed to a goal oriented behavior.

According to business dictionary (2013) Motivation results from the interaction of both conscious and unconscious factors such as the

(1) intensity of desire or need

(2) incentive or reward value of the goal,

(3) expectations of the individuals and of his or her peers.

These factors are the reasons one has, for behaving a certain way. An example is a student that spends extra time studying for a test  because he or she wants a better grade in the class.

Types of motivation

1.       Extrinsic Motivation: Occurs when learner does something to earn external reward.

2.      Intrinsic Motivation: Occurs when learner does something to experience a satisfying result.( Roza, 2013)

Motivation theories

·         The behavioral view of motivation

·       The social-cognitive view of motivation

·         The humanistic view of motivation

·         Motivating students with technology. ( Roza, 2013)

Reference

Motivation. Retrieved April 1, 2013 from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/motivation-theory.html

Roza, I. (2013, April). Motivation. Unpublished lecture notes, the Maldives national University, Maldives.

Interpretation of Teaching Perspective Inventory (TPI) scores.

Interpretation of the result in relation to TPI frame work.

For the better elaboration of the results appendix 1 shows a graphical representation of the results. According to the chart it shows the apprenticeship perspective is dominant. So according TPI, it can be agreed that I give importance of socializing students. Good teachers understand the learners and vary the instruction methods in relation to their level of learners understanding.

More over transmission perspective also shows as a back-up perspective which is very near to dominate. With TPI, It can be agreed that teachers can be outstanding only if they have mastery of subject content.  This enables the teacher to best practiced subject applications and improve higher level thinking of the students.

Constructivist perspective

People learn by actively exploring the world around them, receiving feedback on their actions, and drawing conclusions. (Roza, 2013).   Prior experience plays an important role in constructing new knowledge of an individual. Learners should be active to build understanding and sense of information. students have to be made self responsible in their learning with guidance from the teacher. So activities like role play, presentation, projects and other cooperative learning practices have to be conducted in the class. As a result students will be able to accumulate more information by themselves and with peers by assimilating and accommodating more.  So teachers should give guidance to the students in their learning despite spoon-feeding them every part of the explanation.

Reference

Roza, I. (2013, March 28).  Constructivist perspectives. Unpublished lecture notes, the Maldives national University, Maldives

Teaching philosophy

In my opinion teaching is more than covering the subject syllabus. Teachers should be live models to the students and to the society. They should be ethical, respectable and self-motivated. A job like teaching has to be done with passion. It is about making a difference and producing an ideal generation both theoretically and practically.

Social cognitive learning theory

    Have you learned behaviors or skills from observing others? Maybe you have learned from observing a teacher, friend, or supervisor. We acquire new knowledge and skills from a variety of methods.

Social cognitive learning theory focus on learning which occurs within a social context. Models play a critical role in the learning process.

Within a social context learners observe new behaviors and skills from a model. They may internalize or demonstrate these skills or sometimes not. Social cognitivists also believe people and their behavior become self-regulated. Observers form expectations about reinforcements and punishments based on what they observe happening to a model.

Cognitive learning theory

Two main theorists
                                                       

1.      Jean Piaget (1896-1980)

2.      Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934)

From a cognitive learning theory perspective:

• Learning involves the transformation of information in the environment into knowledge that is stored in the mind.

• Learning occurs when new knowledge is acquired or existing knowledge is modified by experience

Behavioral learning theory (developed by two theorists, B.F. Skinner and Ivan Pavlov)

·        Operant conditioning by B.F.Skinner in 1953

·        Classical conditioning by Ivan Pavlov in 1920s

Definition: learning is exhibited by a change in behavior where environment plays a big role. Contiguity and reinforcement is central to explain the learning process and conditioning enables the acquisition of new behavior.

Contiguity: Association of events because of repeating pairs

Questions to be answered

"learning occurs if only the child add something new to the present information". one of the dimensions of Pedagogy is correlating the prior knowledge with new knowledge. The big question comes as who are responsible to construct the knowledge of these students which sometimes later can be defined as prior knowledge of the students. so is it the responsibility of them or the environment they live?  We being secondary teachers are able to meet them when they reach only to secondary grade. so does students current level  really makes a difference for us to be an effective teacher? Do primary teachers have more responsibility in nurturing their students to be more  ideal than secondary teachers?

learning theories

I believe no one is perfect, neither we can apply all the learning theories we have learned, in our teaching. But it is our responsibility to identify the individual difference of the students we teach and hence apply the best method for them in teaching even if it correlates with learning theories or not. These theories are not facts which cannot be changed by anyone. Every theory alone by it self has its own assumptions. so we are the people to change our situations through multiple theories