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Educational psychology is a distinct discipline that has helped shape the key
understandings about education, teaching and learning (Woolfolk & Margetts
2013). I believe that teaching and learning is an integrated process. Psychology
related to development, learning and cognition gives rise to awareness and
understanding about the different dimensions of learning, and therefore, of
teaching (Woolfolk & Margetts 2013). Every students development cognitively,
morally, emotionally, and socially at different stages of growth and maturation
are unique and dissimilar (Woolfolk & Margetts 2013, Graduate School of Arts &
Sciences Center on Teaching and Learning 2015). These characteristics not only
affect each other, they also impact on and are impacted by the environment
(Woolfolk & Margetts 2013). The theorists and theories covered in this course
have made me consider and reflect on my thoughts, behaviours and dispositions
towards teaching and education. There are many elements that come into play
that can either enhance or hinder learning. As a future teacher, I aspire to
practically use and apply the knowledge and insight that I have and will continue
to acquire, to create positive and enriching learning experiences in everyday
teaching situations, as well as to support my professional development and
experience.
Piagets
stages
of
cognitive
development
emphasize
the
Theorist 1: Piaget
Piaget believed that all children undergo four stages of cognitive development in
the exact same order, each of which is associated with qualitatively distinct
cognitive abilities (Santrock et al. 2008, Woolfolk & Margetts 2013). According to
Piaget, it is not the extent of knowledge that defines one stage from another, but
the childs understanding of this knowledge (Santrock et al. 2008). The four
stages identified by Piaget are: the sensorimotor stage (0-2 years), the
preoperational stage (2-7 years), the concrete operational stage (7-11 years) and
the formal operational stage (11 years-adult) (Woolfolk & Margetts 2013). The
students for which this lesson plan was designed would be around the ages of
nine to ten, and therefore would fall into the concrete operational stage
(Santrock et al. 2008, Woolfolk & Margetts 2013). At this stage, intuitive and
egocentric thinking is replaced by logical reasoning to achieve the correct
conclusions, provided reasoning may be applied to concrete, definite examples
(Santrock et al. 2008, University of California Berkeley Graduate Division 2015).
For this reason, this stage is also known as the hands-on thinking stage
(Woolfolk & Margets 2013). This is evident in the lesson plan, as the students use
scaled instruments to measure the dimensions of their rooms and then of the
drawings of their rooms and the furniture within them. The ten items they choose
to purchase for their dream bedrooms are also cut out and glued into their
books. This use of concrete materials and visual aids helps students apply
developing concrete operations. Additionally, the measurement of their rooms
provides students with a familiar example around which to develop more
complex ideas, and this facilitates their ability to progress from a what is
approach to thinking, to a more abstract what might be approach to thinking,
characteristic of the final stage of development (Woolfolk and Margetts 2013).
Another key principle underlying Piagets theory is equilibration (Woolfolk &
Margetts 2013, University of California Berkeley Graduate Division 2015).
According to Piaget, equilibration is the process by which internal self-regulation
takes place (Woolfolk & Margetts 2013). This process involves two mechanisms
of adaptation, which is the tendency to adapt our thinking to include new ideas:
assimilation and accommodation (Woolfolk & Margetts 2013, Santrock et al.
2008).
Assimilation
occurs
when
new
information
or
experiences
are
incorporated into existing cognitive structures (Santrock et al. 2008, Webb 1980).
In this lesson, when the students try to work out the perimeter and area of their
individual rooms, they are assimilating. The students have no prior experience in
calculating perimeter or area. According to the Australian Curriculum, students
are only expected to be able to calculate perimeter and area by the end of Year 5
Lesley KONG . 100096415 . EDUC 5160 . SP2 2015 . MMET (Primary)
2014,
ACMMG037,
ACARA
2014,
ACMMG290
&
ACARA
2014,
in
memory processing and learning (Woolfolk & Margetts 2013, Huitt & Monetti
2008). It is not specified in the lesson plan whether or not the activities to be
carried out such as measuring the bedroom, drawing the birds-eye view to scale,
and the mathematical computations involved are modelled by the teacher. As
vicarious learning can be a very effective learning process, it should be
encouraged in the class through modelling by the teacher (Woolfolk & Margetts
2013, Huitt & Monetti 2008). To ensure students pay attention to these important
features of the lesson, the teacher can demonstrate how to accurately measure
using scaled instruments by measuring the classroom. The teacher can also work
out the mathematical computations involved in the lesson on the whiteboard to
provide a visual aid for students to focus on. Retention, the next element of
vicarious learning, involves the observer retaining the model's actions or
behaviour (Woolfolk & Margetts 2013, Huitt & Monetti 2008).
Retention is improved by practice or repetition, and this is demonstrated in the
lesson plan when students are asked to convert between different units to
measure length and area. The third element, reproduction, involves the observer
carrying out the observed behaviour or action (Woolfolk & Margetts 2013, Huitt &
Monetti 2008). The teacher can provide assistance in this step by helping any
students experiencing difficulties and also by giving them encouragement. This
Lesley KONG . 100096415 . EDUC 5160 . SP2 2015 . MMET (Primary)
is evidenced in the lesson plan: students are asked to show all their working,
which will allow the teacher to give them subtle points or indications about
where they went wrong. That students are allowed to use a calculator takes the
pressure off those students who are driven by the desire to simply produce the
correct answer and encourages them to understand the processes involved
instead. Motivation and reinforcement, the last element of observational
learning, describes the incentive for the observer to perform a behaviour or to
carry out an action, and the change in their behaviour resulting from observation
of the performance or consequences of models (Woolfolk & Margetts 2013). This
element is not presented in the lesson plan, however the teacher's role in
motivating and reinforcing particular behaviours or actions is crucial.
The triadic reciprocal causation concept is one of the hallmarks of Banduras
social cognitive theory (Woodrow 2001). Bandura's theory describes human
behaviour as an interaction between cognitive/personal, behavioral, and
environmental influences that is continuous and reciprocal (Woolfolk & Margetts
2013). Self-regulation or self-regulated learning, which is learning that occurs as
a result of an individuals self-generated behaviours and dispositions oriented
towards
the
fulfilment
of
specific
learning
goals,
can
influence
the
regulation (Woolfolk & Margetts 2013, Bandura 1994). Throughout the lesson
plan, evidence of the teacher creating and strengthening self-efficacy is evident
through the use of phrases such as try to and if you can. This is very important
because while success is very effective in building and developing a strong sense
of personal efficacy, successes that come effortlessly eventually result in
students expecting immediate results (Bandura 1994). This may cause some
students to feel discouraged by failure, which can be detrimental to learning
(Bandura 1994). Although not specifically mentioned in the lesson plan, it may
be assumed that the teacher will encourage and support the students who
experience difficulties during the lesson. Students who overcome their difficulties
through perseverant effort develop a resilient sense of self-efficacy and
recognize the importance of sustained effort when faced with setbacks or
difficulties when it comes to their learning (Woolfolk & Margetts 2013, Bandura
1994).
The teacher should also encourage the students to work with and to observe
their peers. This is based on Bandura's research and findings about modelling.
Modelling is a method of teaching whereby specific behaviours, attitudes,
emotional reactions or ways of thinking are demonstrated (Woolfolk & Margetts
2013). According to Bandura (1994), if a student observes another student whom
he/she sees as similar to himself/herself succeeding in a specific activity or task,
that student may develop an increased self-efficacy about his/her ability to
perform that activity or task (Woolfolk & Margetts 2013, Bandura 1994).
However, the impact of modelling on perceived self-efficacy is greatly influenced
by the observer's perceived similarity to the models; the greater the assumed
similarity, the more persuasive the models' successes and failures (Woolfolk &
Margetts 2013, Bandura 1994). This means that the teacher should exercise
caution when deliberately applying and implementing modelling in the class, as
students who observe other students fail at a given task despite high effort
lowers that student's judgment of their own efficacy, and undermines their
efforts (Woolfolk & Margetts 2013, Bandura 1994).
Conclusion
The process of analysing this lesson plan involved reading the lesson plan
thoroughly, and making a note of the areas or activities in the lesson plan that I
thought could be related to particular theories or key ideas of individual
theorists. This was followed by a review of my knowledge of several different
theories/theorists. Upon deciding to focus my lesson plan analysis on Piaget's
stages of cognitive development and his concept of equilibration as well as
Bandura's social cognitive theory, I researched their backgrounds and their key
concepts to gain a better understanding of their work and the implications of
their findings and theories. I then related these to several aspects of the lesson
plan and identified evidence to support my analysis and association of these key
ideas with the lesson plan. During this process I realised that having knowledge
of these theories and their implications is valuable, however, the process of
analysing them, and considering the advantages and criticisms of each theory in
order to decide on a theory/theories to guide and stimulate teaching is extremely
difficult. Additionally, different teachers have different approaches to teaching
that best fit their unique, individual educational style and their own strengths
Lesley KONG . 100096415 . EDUC 5160 . SP2 2015 . MMET (Primary)
processes
and
the
environment
which
shape
learning
and
2652 words
References:
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), Australian
Curriculum v7.4, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), viewed 26 th May
2015,
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/mathematics/curriculum/f-10?layout=1
Bandura, A 1994, Self-efficacy, Encyclopedia of human behavior, vol. 4, pp. 7181, Academic Press, New York.
Blake, B & Pope, T 2008, Developmental Psychology: Incorporating Piagets and
Vygotskys Theories in Classrooms, Journal of Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives in
Education Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 59 67, viewed 26 th May 2015,
http://jcpe.wmwikis.net/file/view/blake.pdf
Lesley KONG . 100096415 . EDUC 5160 . SP2 2015 . MMET (Primary)