Social Learning Theory

The reason I became an English teacher is so I could have in depth class discussions about the material we are reading. I like to hear everyone's point of view and make the students think when they hear a classmate's perspective or idea. Dr. Orey said it best when he stated Two people looking at something together never actually see the same thing in the same way" (2001). This approach corresponds perfectly with the social learning theory. I love having meaningful and productive class discussion to teach and understand the material. This makes time fly for
the students and also for me! The intriguing conversations make the class fun to be in.

Constructivism

Constructivism is exactly how I believe learning occurs the most. When students have to think about the material rather than be told about it they tend to better remember the information. I can still remember some of the class discussions I had in elementary school and high school because the teacher asked a good question and we tried to "construct" and answer based on our thinking and reasoning skills. It was like trying to solve a mystery. All of us students were racking our brains to solve the answer. That is an experience that is not easily forgettable. That is why Project Based Learning is phenomenal. It is a way for students to collaborate and be actively involved in learning the material. Ann Marie Thurmond said, "constructionism asserts that people learn with particular effectiveness when they are engaged in "constructing" personally meaningful artifacts". This is why I will always have my students learn the material by thinking and understanding rather than through lecture and notes.

Cognitive Learning

This week we are learning about the ideas behind cognitive learning. Dr. Orey highlights a few examples in his video lecture such as using more than one of the 5 senses to teach ideas to students. The authors of "Using Technology With Classroom Instruction That Works" (2007) say that questions and cues work by "triggering students' memories and helping them to access prior knowledge". This is very similar to the cognitive learning theory regarding episodic memory and instruction. This is when students can think back to a specific event that relates to the material being taught. This will better help them grasp the concept. So many times I find myself giving a cue or asking a question such as, "think of the time when you were most proud of something...". Then I would go into a dicsussion relating the material to the students' experiences. These researchers have all discovered similar ways to enhance the learning experience for our students.