Class on 6/25

Monday, June 25th

Caleb and Anne

Our first activity on June 25^th involved an article titled “A Fan’s Brain,” which explored the psychological perspectives of two groups of fans, one from Dartmouth College and the other from Princeton University, respectively, watching the same sports game. The article reflected Confirmation Bias among the two groups, showing the differences in how the fans saw theirs and the other team. We then moved on to a group activity in which groups recalled theories of teaching and learning that we’ve covered so far in the course and identified those that are most applicable to our teaching positions. Relevant theories discussed across the groups included the Pygmalion Effect; Kohlberg’s Stages of Morality; Vygotsky’s Mediated Learning Experiences; and Piaget’s Developmental Stages.

Two new theories of learning were introduced:

1. John Carroll’s Model of School Learning

This theory states that learning is a function of time, as illustrated by the following equations:

School Learning = F(time spent/time needed)

Time spent = opportunity and engagement

Time needed = aptitude + ability to understand instruction + quality of teaching.

As district 75 teachers, our model is probably more skill-oriented, while a general education teacher would take a more holistic approach. This is a very functional model to use when looking at teaching and learning. Students with special needs will never catch up unless they are to be given more instructional time. However, it can be difficult to find the line between effective additional time and excessive amounts of added instructional time. 

2. Weiner’s Attribution Theory

We discussed the following prompt: How do you attribute your success in life so far?

Responses included family and social expectations, the value of education in upbringing, public school with historically high achievers, and the freedom to explore. We watched a video entitled ‘Motivating Adult Language Learners.’ This video outlined differences between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. There is a very important emotional connection between what happened in the past and what we think will happen in the present and future. In other words, our brains retain emotions.

The four major attributes: Ability, Task, Effort, and Luck. We should frame students' thinking so that they believe that their success is attributable to their effort. They will have more long-lasting achievement than if they think their success is due to ability.

Parenting styles were discussed next. We watched an interview with the author of the book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. The author suggested that parents should ideally self-question, listen to their children, and never expect that their children are weak at anything (in other words, have only the highest expectations). Then we discussed the controversy surrounding ‘Tiger Mom’ parenting styles. Viewpoints ranged from communicating extremely high expectations, practicing moderation in expectations, keeping children’s individual needs and learning styles, abilities, disabilities, etc. in mind. As presented in our textbook, there are four main parenting styles: authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and uninvolved. Authoritative parents most consistently raise their children to be balanced, well-rounded, successful members of society. These parents are loving, supportive, communicate high expectations, explain behaviors, and enforce household rules. Children from authoritative homes grow up to exhibit the most positive characteristics.

Tonight’s presentation was on Applied Behavior Analysis and whether it is good or bad. Bea and Teresa’s presentation explored the evolution of ABA as well as the controversy surrounding the use of ABA. When it comes to implementing ABA, “Doing the Right Thing” does not necessarily mean following all the rules. Doing the right thing involves: creating a therapeutic environment, having the overriding goal be personal welfare, implementing programs that teach functional skills, and enforcing accountability. 

At the end of the presentation, we partook in an activity that measured how good we are at Behavioral Analysis. We watched a video and were asked to observe and describe good AND bad behaviors in a segment of a class period.

Take-aways from the presentation:

1. Do the right thing

2. Consider individual rights

3. Extensive professional development

4. Understand our students