JOT2 Task 2Alicia Bates

A. Three Learning Theories

What do they each mean? When are they each beneficial to students?

1. Behaviorism 2. Cognitivism 3. Constructivism

Benefits of Behaviorism

Kindergarten students are given a reward for lining up at the door in a straight line and staying quiet. The students are able to learn expectations for lining up properly.

Elementary students are not allowed to go out for recess if they do not behave in class and complete their work. The students are able to learn the proper in-class behavior and learn to focus on completing their work in class.

High school students are given detention if they enter the classroom after the tardy bell has rung. Students learn to manage their time in between classes so that they are not late for class.

Definition: A learning theory that has the focus of reinforcing learning behaviors with positive and negative consequences and reinforcements.

When is it beneficial for learners? Examples

Benefits of Cognitivism

Students answer a bell ringer question at the beginning of class that helps to retrieve the information that they learned in the previous lesson. This helps the students with retaining the previous lesson and building upon that knowledge in the new lesson.

Having students write an exit slip to indicate what they learned from the lesson that day. Students are able to repeat the day’s lesson in their own words to help with retaining the information.

Students are using the mnemonic device of PEMDAS to help remember the the order of operations for a mathematical problem.

Definition: A learning theory that has the focus on the reception, organization, storing, and retrieval of information in the mind.

When is it beneficial for learners? Examples

Benefits of Constructivism

Having students work in teams to build a model of a bridge they designed to learn about various structural issues. This will help them to learn about structural areas of weakness and strength and how to solve structural design problems.

Having students work as a group to create an advertising campaign to help increase sales of the yearbook to Freshman students. This will allow the students to develop the skill of working as a team to solve the problem of low yearbook sales among the Freshman student population.

Having students utilize the Socratic Seminar method to discuss and ask questions about a current societal issue. From which they will reflect upon by writing in a journal. This will help the students to consider other opinions and points of view, as well as, learn how to disagree or ask questions in a respectful manner.

Definition: A learning theory that focuses on making meaning, which is created by one’s own experiences by utilizing critical thinking and problem solving skills.

When is it beneficial for learners? Examples

B. Lesson PlanLesson Description (click here for link to lesson plan) After reviewing budgeting terminology as a class, “students work in pairs to participate in a “Track Star” game that illustrates positive and negative spending behaviors. Each pair analyzes the game results, identifies effective and ineffective budgeting behaviors, and generates a list of budgeting principles” (Ballard et al., 2014).

ObjectivesStudents will:

• “define budget, income, expenses, variable expenses, periodic expenses, and fixed expenses;

• give examples of effective and ineffective budgeting behavior;

• give examples of variable, fixed, and periodic expenses; and

• Explain why some emergency savings is important when implementing good budgeting (Ballard et al., 2014).

B1. Lesson Plan TheoryLearning Theory UsedThe learning theory used in this lesson is Cognitivism.

ExplanationThe lesson plan built upon the students’ knowledge of terminology. The game further enhanced the meaning making of the terminology by helping the students to organize the terminology in a logical, simulated real life manner. The game enabled the students to be interactive with the terminology and how it applies to real life.

C. Lesson Plan AdaptationLearning Theory AdaptationThis lesson could be adapted from Cognitivism to Constructivism.

ExplanationInstead of having the students play a game that was designed by someone else, the students would work collaboratively in groups to develop their own games. They would need to design the game so that it resembles real life in regard to income and expenses and the real world situations of unplanned and planned expenses. This would require that the students figure out how to get the information they need in order to develop the game to simulate real life. For example, they might decide that they should interview their parents and other adults; they might decide to investigate other similar games to see how they were designed.

D. Lesson Plan VersionWhich version would be more beneficial learner?The Constructivism method would be more beneficial to learners because it requires that the student construct their own knowledge based off of their interpretations from their research into the real life household budget.

The students would work collaboratively to create a game that would be fun, interesting, and educational in regard to creating and maintaining a household budget.

According to Blooms Taxonomy “learning objectives that require higher levels of cognitive skills and, therefore, lead to deeper learning and transfer of knowledge and skills to a greater variety of tasks and contexts” (Adams, 2015). The students will be able to learn more deeply the issues faced by the typical family and will have a much deeper and relatable understanding of why maintaining a budget and planning for planned and unplanned expenses is necessary.

E. Theories of DesignHow do theories of design help in the adaptation and development of effective instruction?

Following a design theory helps a teacher to consider all aspects of what the students should be learning when planning lessons. Following the chosen design theory helps a teacher to stay focused on developing the lesson plan because there are solid steps that the teacher will know to follow while planning. Additionally, a teacher can identify the steps in which accommodations/modifications will need to be made for students with educational needs. Identifying those points will allow the teacher to be prepared for said students.

F. Strengths and Limitations

What are the strengths and limitations of Wiggins’ Theory of Backward Design? Strengths: The strengths of backward design are that students are able to garner a deeper understanding of the material because “they are provided with complex, authentic opportunities to explain, interpret, apply, shift perspective, empathize, and self-assess” (What is, 2015). This allows, too, an opportunity for the teacher to be flexible with how a student learns while allowing the students to be creative.

Limitations: The limitations are that it might be difficult to set clearly defined goals. If there are no periodic assessments, it will be difficult for the teacher to know to guide the student back on track. If there is only one “big idea,” then there is no room to take a different course should learning lead that way.

F. Strengths and Limitations

What are the strengths and limitations of Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction? Strengths: The strengths of Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction are that there is a clearly defined protocol for daily interaction. There are many times where a lesson takes two or more days to cover. So this helps to organize the day-to-day schedule. Students will know exactly what to expect each day.

Limitations: The limitations are that in a real classroom, there are constant interruptions, which interrupt the smooth flow of events. Students arriving late will disrupt the attention that was gained in the beginning of class, which causes the teacher to have to regain attention, thus, delaying the remaining steps. Providing feedback during the lesson can also be very difficult when the class has over thirty students who are all needing attention from the one teacher.

F. Strengths and LimitationsWhat are the strengths and limitations of Elements of Teaching for Understanding? Strengths: The strengths of Teaching for Understanding are that a teacher can be creative with set curriculum by bringing in real world examples, with which students can connect. There are intermittent goals of understanding that are to be met, which allows for modifications along the way. There is a focus on the entire process of learning and not just the end goal. There is constant feedback and opportunity for reflection.

Limitations: The limitations are that in large class sizes, in-depth feedback on a continuous basis can be very difficult. Teachers might have difficulty getting some students to “buy into” the need for continuous improvement and goal-reaching.

G. Design ProcessWhat is the most appropriate design theory for instructional setting?The most appropriate design theory for the adult learners in my online classroom will be Teaching for Understanding. This is because they will all be working on their own household budget and will be meeting small goals that I will set for them to complete. These small goals will begin to instill good budgeting habits for them to follow and continue with even after the unit is complete.

They will also be able to take the small goal accomplishments from the unit and use it as a model for meeting goals within their budgeting. For example, meeting a goal of paying off a credit card, or saving for a vacation.

The adult learners will actually be able to use their own situations to develop their budgets so it will be very personalized and they will see real time results.

ReferencesAdams, N. E. (2015). Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Objectives. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 103(3), 152-153.

Ballard, D. B., Conner, D. C., & Suiter, M. C. (2014). It's Your Paycheck: Lesson 4 Your Budget Plan. Retrieved July 5, 2019, from https://www.econlowdown.org/

What is Understanding by Design®? (2015). Retrieved July 5, 2019, from https://www.authenticeducation.org/ubd/ubd.lasso