Assignment 4

Teachers Think Systematically About Their Practice and Learn from Experience
We all know about the pendulum swing in education. Because of the
pendulum swing it is sometimes difficult for teachers to get on board with a new philosophy
about education. However, there is becoming more and more reliable research about education
that we can look to in order to decide what to get on board with and what to leave behind. Two
learning theories I have come to accept in my teaching practice are the constructivist theory and
the social theory.
According to Hickey (2014) the social aspect of learning is extremely important.
Students are social creatures and as teachers we can tap into that to reinforce learning. Talking
about their learning helps them to think about it on a deeper level and gives them the opportunity
to learn from each others experiences. The social learning theory has dramatically impacted the
field of education. Teachers used to not acknowledge the importance of students talking about
their learning. Two of the biggest ways education has changed since the social learning theory
has become accepted are an increase in group work and less time lecturing with more discussions
during lessons. A specific example of how I use the social learning theory in my classroom is by
the way I have my classroom set-up. I always have students arranged in groups so they can
easily discuss an idea during a lesson or work with other students on a project or assignment.
Another way I use the social learning theory in my classroom is through the think, pair, share
method. When using the think, pair, share method students are given time to think about a
concept, then they talk with a partner pair, then the pairs are asked to share their discussions
with the group. This method allows students to think for themselves about their learning, but
also gives them the chance to discuss with a classmate and hear other peers ideas.

According to Juvova, Chudy, Neumeister, Plischke, and Kvintova, (2015) the

constructivist learning theory is based off of Piagets ideas about cognitive development.
Students must build off of what they already know and have experienced to develop their new
learning and ideas about how the world works. Although the idea of constructivism has been
around for quite some time, it didnt really take off in the field of education until more recently.
This learning theory has most obviously impacted the subject areas of science and math within
the field of education. There has been a push for inquiry based science and math. This push has
asked teachers to re-think the way they are teaching these two subjects. When adhering to the
constructivist theory of learning teachers create an environment in which their students can
construct their own learning about both science and math concepts. One way this theory has
impacted my own teaching practice is that I am not scared to let students develop their own
learning. Quite often students need guidance so they dont develop misconceptions about the
concept, but if they discover it for themselves they are much more likely to remember it in the
future. Another way this theory has impacted my own teaching practice is that I take the time for
students to do hands-on activities. It is tempting to just lecture and read through a unit because it
seems I would get through more content in a shorter amount of time. However, I have found
students learn the content better when given the chance to discover it for themselves with
guidance.
One instructional model commonly used among teachers is direct instruction.
Direct instruction is the more traditional method for teaching. According to a study by Naeimi
and Chow Voon Foo (2015) vocabulary is most effectively taught using a direct instruction
model. Direct instruction definitely has its place in education. One way direct instruction has
impacted the field of education is because it is one of the most commonly used methods of

instruction. Another way direct instruction has influenced the field of education is though
research. There have been many research studies comparing direct instruction to other methods,
in order to determine the most effective method of teaching. Many educational experts have
developed modified versions of direct instruction. Direct instruction has had a huge influence on
my teaching practice. I use some form of direct instruction every day in the classroom,
especially when teaching reading strategies.
Another instructional model is inquiry learning. Inquiry learning is when the
students discover the learning for themselves. According to a study by Lazonder and WiskerkeDrost (2014) guided inquiry is more effective than unguided inquiry. This means that it is still
important for the teacher to play an active role in the students learning. We should not just give
our students an inquiry project with complete free reign. The teacher must guide the students to
the correct concepts in order to prevent misconceptions from forming. Inquiry learning is
definitely a method getting a lot of attention from educators lately. Inquiry learning has been
suggested for use in all subjects, but there has been a huge push for it in science and math. One
way I have used this method in my classroom is by giving my students fraction bars and
allowing them to come up with as many ways to make one whole as they can on their own. I
follow their inquiry with direct instruction to make sure every student came to the correct
conclusion.
As teachers we are always looking for ways to motivate our students. Typically,
we fall to extrinsic motivation because its one of the few things in regards to motivation that we
seem to have control over. However, According to Schaffner, Schiefele, and Ulferts (2013) the
answer we are all looking for is to completely remove extrinsic rewards in order increase our
students intrinsic motivation. Their study examined the relationship between students amounts

of reading and if intrinsic motivation or extrinsic motivation was used. The results of the study
determined that students who had only extrinsic motivation for reading did not read as much as
those who had only intrinsic motivation. Also, according to Gillard, Gillard, and Pratt (2015) the
best way to increase students intrinsic motivation is to completely remove extrinsic rewards
from the situation. One way the ideas of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation has had an influence
on the field of education is by an increase in the use of motivational strategies. Most schools and
classrooms have extrinsic rewards for behavior and reading. Another way the ideas of extrinsic
and intrinsic motivation has impacted the field of education is by an increase in motivation
research. Everyone is looking for answers about how we can motivate our students, many
educational experts are conducting research projects on the topic. A way intrinsic motivation has
influenced my teaching practice is that I allow my students to make their own reading choices.
When students are allowed to choose what they want to read, I believe it increases their intrinsic
motivation to finish the book because they are interested in it.
According to a study by Allison (1992), students understand and remember what
they learn better when confronted with cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is when
students are given true information that conflicts with something they have believed to be true in
the past. Especially in science, many fourth graders are confronted with cognitive dissonance
every day. One way I use it in my own teaching practice is by telling my students a fact at the
beginning of a lesson that I know is commonly misunderstood by their age group. I have found
when I do this they pay better attention to the lesson and therefore remember what I teach them
during that lesson. Cognitive dissonance has impacted the field of education because it changes
the way students learn. When students are confronted with cognitive dissonance they begin to
think in depth about the topic and when they resolve that dissonance they have a deeper

understanding of the concept. Another way cognitive dissonance has impacted the field of
education is that many teachers encounter cognitive dissonance at some point during their
teaching profession. Especially during a major shift in the commonly believed best practice in
education teachers will feel cognitive dissonance and have to determine which belief is actually
correct. Hopefully, when a teacher encounters cognitive dissonance they dig deep into the
research on that topic in order to resolve their dissonance.
Sources:
Allison, S. T. (1992). Promoting Systematic Information Processing in the Classroom. Teaching
of Psychology, 19(4), 234-236
Gillard, S., Gillard, S., & Pratt, D. (2015). A Pedagological Study of Intrinsic Motivation in the
Classroom Through Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose. Contemporary Issues In
Education Research, 8(1), 1-6.
Hickey, G. (2014). The Importance of Learning Philosophies on Technology Selection in
Education. Journal of Learning Design, 7(3), 16-22.
Juvova, A., Chudy, S., Neumeister, P., Plischke, J., & Kvintova, J. (2015). Reflection of
Constructivist Theories in Current Educational Practice. Universal Journal of
Education Research, 3(5), 345-349.
Lazonder, A. W., & Wiskerke-Drost, S. (2015). Advancing Scientific Reasoning in Upper
Elementary Classrooms: Direct Instruction Versus Task Structuring. Journal of
Science Education and Technology, 24(1), 69-77.
Naeimi, M., & Chow Voon Foo, T. (2015). Vocabulary Acquisition through Direct and Indirect
Learning Strategies. English Language Teaching, 8(10), 142-151.

Schaffner, E., Schiefele, U., & Ulferts, H. (2013). Reading Amount as a Mediator of the Effects
of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Reading Motivation on Reading Comprehension.
Reading Research Quarterly, 48(4), 369-385.