Elementary Education Case Study:
You engage your third grade students in cooperative learning activities at least twice a day, changing heterogeneous group members once every four weeks. You have agreed upon routine procedures that your classroom community uses within their small groups, including the roles and responsibilities of group members. Lately you have noticed that one small group always seems to have difficulty grasping material and completing their project in an acceptable manner. You observe this group carefully and find that Lisa seems to be the catalyst for their problems. She gets angry with others if she does not get the job she wants and refuses to do her part in contributing to the group’s learning. She constantly interrupts others in her group. She does not pay attention when her group prepares for class presentations.
There are several ways in which self-efficacy and self-regulation might contribute to Lisa's intervention plan. Lisa may be behaving inappropriately during group work because she does not feel as if she is able to do the work or reach the academic goals set for her. In order to improve Lisa's self-efficacy, I could express confidence in her abilities. This would include expressing confidence in her strengths and making an effort to turn her weaknesses into strengths. For example, I might tell Lisa that I know that she is capable of acting appropriately in her cooperative learning group. Giving Lisa a way to see her progress over time is also important when it comes to increasing self-efficacy. One way to track her progress would be to make a CLG Activity Chart for Lisa. Each time that Lisa exhibited appropriate group behaviors, she would get to place a sticker on her chart.
I would also emphasize the importance of self-regulation during cooperative group work. As previously stated, I would make a behavior contract with Lisa in order to improve her self-regulation skills. Lisa and I would create the contract together so that she would fully understand what is expected of her. After the creation of the contract, Lisa would be expected to self-regulate with minimal teacher assistance. This could involve asking herself if she is staying on task, noticing when she is getting upset, and thinking of positive ways to get her feelings across during group work.
Click here for an article that I found on the connection between self-regulation and homework. I had never thought about this connection before, but I think the article makes some interesting points.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
PLE #8: Behaviorism
Elementary Education Case Study:
You engage your third grade students in cooperative learning activities at least twice a day, changing heterogeneous group members once every four weeks. You have agreed upon routine procedures that your classroom community uses within their small groups, including the roles and responsibilities of group members. Lately you have noticed that one small group always seems to have difficulty grasping material and completing their project in an acceptable manner. You observe this group carefully and find that Lisa seems to be the catalyst for their problems. She gets angry with others if she does not get the job she wants and refuses to do her part in contributing to the group’s learning. She constantly interrupts others in her group. She does not pay attention when her group prepares for class presentations.
There are two tools that the behaviorist could use to discourage Lisa's undesirable behaviors during heterogeneous group work. One possible tool is presentation punishment, or the presentation of a stimulus to decrease a behavior. In order to decrease Lisa's behavior, the teacher could scold her or give her a particularly harsh look. It is important to note that scolding her or giving her a less than pleasant look can only be considered presentation punishment if they cause a decrease in Lisa's inappropriate behavior during group work. Another possible tool is removal punishment, or the removal of a stimulus to decrease a behavior. In Lisa's case, the teacher could lower her individual grade on the group assignment, have her complete her work individually while the rest of the class is at recess, or have her move her card down a level on the classroom behavior chart. All of these are examples of removal punishment.
Click here for an interesting article on using punishment appropriately and effectively in the classroom. The article explains how to include punishment in a classroom management plan and gives examples for when it is appropriate to use punishment in the classroom.
A constructivist would likely approach Lisa's undesirable behaviors in a completely different way. A constructivist classroom is generally more student-directed, and this would likely be evident in the way the teacher handles Lisa's misbehavior. The teacher might put on a emphasis on teaching Lisa to self-monitor and self-regulate her own behavior during the group. Making a behavior contract might be one way to encourage this type of self-monitoring. Lisa and her teacher could come up with a list of appropriate behaviors during heterogeneous group work and create the contract together. After the creation of the behavior contract, Lisa would know what was expected of her and be expected to self-monitor her behavior with minimal teacher assistance. The focus would be on Lisa as an autonomous individual with the ability to regulate and change her behaviors during group work. If this was not effective, then some form of logical consequences would follow as stated in the behavior contract.
You engage your third grade students in cooperative learning activities at least twice a day, changing heterogeneous group members once every four weeks. You have agreed upon routine procedures that your classroom community uses within their small groups, including the roles and responsibilities of group members. Lately you have noticed that one small group always seems to have difficulty grasping material and completing their project in an acceptable manner. You observe this group carefully and find that Lisa seems to be the catalyst for their problems. She gets angry with others if she does not get the job she wants and refuses to do her part in contributing to the group’s learning. She constantly interrupts others in her group. She does not pay attention when her group prepares for class presentations.
There are two tools that the behaviorist could use to discourage Lisa's undesirable behaviors during heterogeneous group work. One possible tool is presentation punishment, or the presentation of a stimulus to decrease a behavior. In order to decrease Lisa's behavior, the teacher could scold her or give her a particularly harsh look. It is important to note that scolding her or giving her a less than pleasant look can only be considered presentation punishment if they cause a decrease in Lisa's inappropriate behavior during group work. Another possible tool is removal punishment, or the removal of a stimulus to decrease a behavior. In Lisa's case, the teacher could lower her individual grade on the group assignment, have her complete her work individually while the rest of the class is at recess, or have her move her card down a level on the classroom behavior chart. All of these are examples of removal punishment.
Click here for an interesting article on using punishment appropriately and effectively in the classroom. The article explains how to include punishment in a classroom management plan and gives examples for when it is appropriate to use punishment in the classroom.
A constructivist would likely approach Lisa's undesirable behaviors in a completely different way. A constructivist classroom is generally more student-directed, and this would likely be evident in the way the teacher handles Lisa's misbehavior. The teacher might put on a emphasis on teaching Lisa to self-monitor and self-regulate her own behavior during the group. Making a behavior contract might be one way to encourage this type of self-monitoring. Lisa and her teacher could come up with a list of appropriate behaviors during heterogeneous group work and create the contract together. After the creation of the behavior contract, Lisa would know what was expected of her and be expected to self-monitor her behavior with minimal teacher assistance. The focus would be on Lisa as an autonomous individual with the ability to regulate and change her behaviors during group work. If this was not effective, then some form of logical consequences would follow as stated in the behavior contract.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
PLE #7: Complex Cognitive Processes
Consider a second grade math lesson plan on solving addition problems with three or more addends. The objective for the lesson and the Tennessee state standards are listed below.
Objective:
The student will solve addition problems using three addends.
0206.2.3: Use efficient and accurate strategies to develop fluency with multi-digit addition and subtraction
SPI 0206.2.10: Add three two-digit numbers.
Several metacognitive skills and abilities are involved as students gain knowledge in this domain. Covert learning strategies, such as identifying important information and comprehension monitoring, are certainly involved in this lesson plan. Students must understand the key concepts and ideas involved in the addition process. I will assist my students in identifying important information by writing the objective for the lesson on the board and reading it aloud to the class. Comprehension monitoring will also be involved because my students will need to be able to self-monitor. They will not know that they understand how to solve this new type of addition problem without being able to monitor for comprehension. Finally, students will use transfer and problem-solving skills (such as algorithms) in order to gain knowledge from this lesson. Students will already know how to solve simple addition problems. They will merely apply this knowledge to new, complex addition problems. This type of transfer is known as specific transfer. Problem-solving skills, such as algorithms, will also be used because students will learn that following a specific sequence of steps will help them to find the right answer.
The following video is a metacognition song performed by an elementary school classroom. This seems like a great way to introduce the concept to younger students.
Objective:
The student will solve addition problems using three addends.
0206.2.3: Use efficient and accurate strategies to develop fluency with multi-digit addition and subtraction
SPI 0206.2.10: Add three two-digit numbers.
Several metacognitive skills and abilities are involved as students gain knowledge in this domain. Covert learning strategies, such as identifying important information and comprehension monitoring, are certainly involved in this lesson plan. Students must understand the key concepts and ideas involved in the addition process. I will assist my students in identifying important information by writing the objective for the lesson on the board and reading it aloud to the class. Comprehension monitoring will also be involved because my students will need to be able to self-monitor. They will not know that they understand how to solve this new type of addition problem without being able to monitor for comprehension. Finally, students will use transfer and problem-solving skills (such as algorithms) in order to gain knowledge from this lesson. Students will already know how to solve simple addition problems. They will merely apply this knowledge to new, complex addition problems. This type of transfer is known as specific transfer. Problem-solving skills, such as algorithms, will also be used because students will learn that following a specific sequence of steps will help them to find the right answer.
The following video is a metacognition song performed by an elementary school classroom. This seems like a great way to introduce the concept to younger students.
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