1. Week #3
1.1. Theories of Learning
1.1.1. Cognitive Perspective:
1.1.1.1. Mental processes exist and they are important to learning
1.1.1.2. Thinking - Knowing - Understanding
1.1.1.3. Views children as computers
1.1.1.4. more related knowledge = better learning
1.1.1.5. Piaget
1.1.2. Behavioural Views:
1.1.2.1. Views children as blank slates, ready to be filled with knowledge and to be tough correct behaviours
1.1.2.2. Skinner
1.1.2.3. Controlling behaviour using positive and negative reinforcement
1.1.2.4. Classical Conditioning
1.1.2.5. Operant Conditioning
1.1.3. Constructivist Views:
1.1.3.1. Social negotiating is important!
1.1.3.2. Learning includes developing skills to solve problems, think critically, answer questions, accept multiple views
1.1.3.3. Self-determination is needed to further knowledge development
1.1.3.4. Goals of constructivism: problem solving, higher order thinking and collaborative work
1.1.3.4.1. How I will teach in my classroom!
1.1.3.5. Vygotsky
1.1.4. Teaching and Learning Approaches: Behaviorism, Cognitivism and Social Constructivism
2. Week #4
2.1. Establishing a Positive Learning Environment
2.2. Academic success is dependent on the learning environment
2.2.1. The goal of classroom management is to provide all students with optimum opportunities for learning so that they can be Resilient!
2.2.2. Resilient Children:
2.2.3. - Good self-esteem, Sense of competence, Optimistic, Good self-efficacy and Good self-regulation
2.2.4. When planning I must consider: Learning profile, Interests and Readiness of students
2.3. Classroom Management:
2.3.1. Keys to the Bump System: Proximity , Touch , Student’s Name , Gesture , The Look , The Pause , Ignore , Signal
2.4. Video: The Myth of the Average - Todd Rose
2.4.1. Teaching to the "average" hurts both the brightest students and those that are struggling
2.4.2. The teacher should teach to the "edges" of the classroom
2.4.3. There should be flexible seating in the classroom to make this possible
3. Week #5
3.1. Making instructional decisions
3.2. Bloom's Taxonomy
3.2.1. Six levels 1. Knowledge 2. Comprehension 3. Application 4. Analysis 5. Synthesis 6. Evaluation
3.3. Play is a key aspect of learning!
3.4. Textbook Chapter 4: How people learn
3.4.1. Knowledge Centredness
3.4.2. Learner Centeredness
3.4.3. Community Centeredness
3.4.4. Assessment Centredness
3.5. Inquiry Based Learning > Direct Instruction
3.5.1. Allows for teaching for critical thinking
3.6. Universal Design Classrooms
3.6.1. Zoe Branigan-Pipe - Letting Students Hack Their Lesson Plan
4. Week #7
4.1. Student differences - Intellectual Challenges and Abilities
4.2. Intelligence
4.2.1. Ability to learn from experience and learn from one's environment
4.2.2. Measured using aptitude and achievement tests
4.3. Exceptionalities
4.3.1. Special Education
4.3.2. Importance of using people-first language
4.3.3. Often provided with different curriculum
4.4. Access to Curriculum
4.4.1. Physical Access: sensory and motor access
4.4.2. Cognitive Access: understand assignments, plan and execute approaches to tasks
4.5. Schools should adapt to students, Students shouldn't have to adapt to schools!
4.6. Inclusive Education
4.6.1. Addressing and responding to diversity of needs of all learners through increasing participation in learning, cultures and communities, and reducing exclusion within and from education
4.6.2. All children are different, and all children can learn!
4.6.3. Programs should be based on diversity, multiculturalism and social justice
4.6.4. Including Students with Exceptionalities -Dr. Sheila Bennett
4.6.4.1. Leads to advocacy and more accepting attitudes
4.6.4.2. Increases academic achievement of both those with exceptionalities and their peers
5. Week #9
5.1. End of the School Year - Standardized Achievement Test
5.2. Standardized Testing
5.2.1. Criterion-Referenced : Student’s score determined by comparing performance to established criteria
5.2.2. Norm-Referenced : Student’s score determined by comparing performance to that of other students
5.2.3. Criticisms: Biased, Stressful, Takes up too much time, Does not enhance student learning, Content of tests does not reflect instruction
5.2.4. Standardized tests should: Enhance teaching and learning, Improve curricular design , Be minimally intrusive
5.2.5. To Prepare Students:
5.2.5.1. Convey positive attitudes about testing
5.2.5.2. Familiarize students with test questions and time limits
5.2.6. Reading: What is the Value of Standardized Testing?
5.2.6.1. Provides opportunity for comparison across boards
5.2.6.2. Allows officials to assess strengths and weaknesses in the system
5.2.6.3. Can assess curricula and how effective it is within schools
5.3. "HAPPY, HEALTHY CHILDREN & YOUTH TODAY... CARING, CREATIVE, RESPONSIBLE ADULTS TOMORROW"
6. Week #1
6.1. Instructional Approaches:
6.1.1. Teacher Centred Approach: Teacher determines content, provides direction, and sets academic and social tone
6.1.2. Student Centred Approach: Teacher adopts constructivist perspective and acknowledges that students actively construct their own understandings
6.2. The Role of Educational Psychology in the Classroom
6.3. Educational Psychology: Uses knowledge and methods of psychology and related disciplines to study teaching and learning
6.4. Effective Planning:
6.4.1. Leads to: Excellent instruction, enhanced student learning, exemplary environments
6.4.2. Student Centred Approach
6.4.3. Top-down approach to teaching
6.5. Reading: Learner’s in the Driver’s Seat — Chris Watkins
6.5.1. Learners must drive their own learning
6.5.2. Leads to: greater engagement and intrinsic motivation in students, setting higher challenges, better evaluation of work and better problem-solving skills
6.5.3. Autonomy!
6.5.4. Growth Mindset
6.6. Textbook: Chapter 1
6.6.1. Schwab's 4 Commonplaces of Education
6.6.1.1. 1) The Teacher
6.6.1.2. 2) Topic/Curriculum
6.6.1.3. 3) Setting (Classroom)
6.6.1.4. 4) The Student
7. Week #2
7.1. Executive Functioning:
7.1.1. Controls decision-making, goal setting, controlling attention, cognitive flexibility, information processing, and managing risk-taking
7.2. When a student is having difficulty ADJUST:
7.2.1. - level of difficulty - amount of structure - materials - time/place - number of steps - forms of expression - level of dependance
7.3. Video: Carol Dweck on Growth Mindsets
7.3.1. The power of yet | Carol S Dweck | TEDxNorrköping
7.3.2. Leads to the desire to learn and therefore the tendency to: - embrace challenges - persist in the face of setbacks - see effort as a path to mastery - learn from criticism - find lessons and inspiration in the success of others
7.4. Constructivism
7.4.1. Learners are active in constructing their own personal knowledge –they actively seek meaning
7.4.2. Zone of proximal development
7.4.3. Scaffolding
7.4.4. Applications in the Classroom:
7.4.4.1. - Dialogue & Instructional Conversations - Inquiry Learning - Problem-based Learning - Teacher and Peer Learning - Cognitive Apprenticeships - Collaborative Learning
8. Week #6
8.1. Assessment
8.1.1. “Assessment should focus on learning for improvement as opposed to simply measuring for “the mark”" - Ruth Sutton
8.1.2. You must link assessment to instruction!
8.1.3. Is used to find out what students already know
8.1.3.1. It is used to help students improve their learning
8.1.3.1.1. It is used to allow students and their parents know how much the student has learned
8.1.4. Backward design allows you to attain assessment
8.1.5. Assessment and instructions are inseparable because effective assessment informs learning
8.2. Understanding by Design
8.2.1. Teaching for understanding
8.2.2. Video: Understanding by Design
8.2.2.1. teach and assess for understanding and transfer
8.3. Importance of Differentiated Instruction and Assessment!
9. Week #8
9.1. Socio-cultural Considerations in the Classroom
9.2. Building a Culturally Responsive Practice
9.2.1. Broad cultural knowledge and instructional base that grows and changes
9.2.2. Teachers must know how to develop teaching approaches and curriculum to meet needs of culturally diverse learners
9.2.3. Must create links across cultures
9.3. Be knowledgable of stereotype threats
9.4. Multicultural Education
9.4.1. Content integration, Equity pedagogy, Empowering school culture and social structure, Prejudice reduction , Knowledge construction process
9.5. Aboriginal Students
9.5.1. Protective factors: Early intervention , Resiliency , Positive self-image, Family engagement, Community involvement, Relevant programming , Aboriginal role models