Module 1- Activity 4 - Behaviourism

The most powerful lessons that I learnt about learner behaviour during this activity:

• learning is built upon previously learned behaviours
• positive reinforcement of the desired behaviour generally produces the same behaviour
• promt feedback is critical to learning
• My learners performed better when they were given positive reinforcement
• Lots of drills helped in their retention

I was forcibly reminded that corporal punishment encourages violence in the society. 

I observed that lots of my colleagues discussed using cooperative learning in the classroom.  I am still trying to effectively use this type of learning with the students that I teach - Kindergarten, Grade 1 and older students facing literacy challenges.  Any suggestions?

Module 1 - Activity 3 - Social Cognitive Theory

After the activity:

The most powerful lessons that I learnt from my learners during this activity about learning and teaching: ·         My learners observe my behaviour and model what they see.  As an educator, I need to be mindful that I am not sending contradictory messages – I should not ask my students to read during DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) time but when they look at me, instead of reading they see me marking books or doing other activities. ·         My students pay attention to what I do and say in order to imitate me. Retention is enhanced when I give clear and vivid demonstrations. Students store my actions in their memory for future retrieval.  To ensure that attention and retention take place students need lots and lots of feedback and practice for production of my action. Students need to be motivated to produce the desired behaviour.  Giving them praise or even praising a classmate can reinforce the behaviour I want them to learn and at the same time increase production of that behaviour.

(Optional) – Thoughts from self-activities

If failure may be interpreted as not meeting particular students with special needs then I may respond “yes” I have ever felt like a failure as a teacher.  For instance, when I started teaching Kindergarten in the mid nineties I taught the alphabet by rote – students looking at the letters and repeating after me.  I expected that by the middle of October all the students would have learned the alphabet and know the sounds since a letter was done each day. When I assessed the students, using paper and pencil that was not the case especially for one student.  I remember thinking, how can this particular student not able to identify the letters and produce the sounds – even those letters in his name?  It did not occur to me that students have various learning styles and I needed to have gotten the interest and attention of my student.  Today, that student is still struggling in literacy because I did not give him the solid foundation that he needed – I did not teach him the way he learned. I remember that same kindergarten class (my first time teaching Kindergarten) of 44 students packed into a classroom that was built to house 20 students.  I think the needs of these learners were too much responsibility for me to have understood or dealt with especially because of inadequate space, lack of resources and because they were of a tender age, just beginning school because they were so many in the class, they did not get the attention that they needed.  After some years when I looked back at that experience I think I have shortchanged the students. When I was going to school, I had no care, I did not look back to the past, neither did I look to the future.  Instead I stayed in the present.  When I look at the students on the playing field, they are so happy – they don’t worry, they live for now.

(Optional) – Other comments

If I want to have great readers I should ensure that my students frequently encounter pleasant stimuli in Reading class such as a warm, friendly atmosphere, books at their reading level and interest, questions that do not frustrate them and varied strategies for learning,  e.g games.

While reading Joshua's I couldn't help thinking of an inspirational story I read sometime ago.  Click here to read that story.

Module 1 - Activity 2 - Information Processing Approaches

(Optional) – Thoughts from self-activities

When the material is linked to something of interest it is easily retrieved from the LTM.  From the activity with the coin, I was not able to draw everything but there were some images that stood out in my mind that I was able to produce.  The second activity did not really make sense to me so I was not able to remember much.  The final activity I was able to make association and so I remembered even hours after I looked at it.

(Optional) – Other comments

If the learner is actively involved in his learning he is more likely to recall and demonstrate an understanding of the topic than the student who is passive.  The active learner is able to connect easily what he knows with the new concepts and is able to make application without much challenge.

Module 1 - Activity 1 What is learning?

After the activity:

The most powerful lessons that I learnt during this activity: As educators we underestimate the potential of the children who come to us.  Children come to us with a deep desire to embrace new knowledge and skills.  We should therefore create an effective learning environment where teacher and learner are “equal partners” in the teaching learning process. I recognize that a number of group members from their comments were willing to be taught, examine their current practices and in the process make the necessary adjustment, they were open minded and think that it is important to be engaged in professional development.

 (Optional) – Thoughts from self-activities

I was grateful for the guide questions which aided my reflection and kept me on target as I read.  Activity 1.2 was very interesting,   I especially liked creating the mountain. I completed this activity using a kindergarten class, teaching the sound of “ Tt” in the being area  I had the students say the names of pictures that they were shown, they were asked to say what sound they heard at the beginning of each picture then say what letter made that sound. In the doing level, they followed a path with letters, every time they met a “Tt” they had to give the sound that the "Tt" makes.  They also coloured the letter “Tt” and repeated the sound while they did this. They were also given some pictures with “Tt” and otherwise.  They were to run a line through those pictures that did not give the “Tt” sound. At the knowing level they were shown the “Tt” and I  gave a picture clue and the sound and they repeated after me – table /t/ The questionnaire “Myself as a learner” was interesting and mind boggling.

(Optional) – Other comments

  I also liked the ideas of the summaries given at the end of the readings.

Activity 0

From the twin island state of Antigua and Barbuda, I am Rosemarie Roberts, an educator of twenty nine years.  As an educator I have facilitated learning at the pre-k, primary, secondary and tertiary levels. Currently, I have been serving as the literacy (Language) teacher at the Pares Primary school while managing the operations at the Literacy Centre. 

I have been using technology in the teaching learning process and having completed the previous two modules, I gained new knowledge and skills which I have utilized in my instruction and have shared with other educators.

By continuing with the CCTI and specifically these courses, Learning, Teaching and Thinking with ICT and Assessing ICT Integration I hope to keep on gaining knowledge so that I would continue to assist my students to think critically and independently and to also share with and aid my colleagues to do the same with their students.