Co-operative Learning

Cooperative learning occurs when students work in small groups to help each other learn.  For my self personally, I find small group discussions help me to see things in different perspective; group work also help to me to remember facts when there is a discussions on the topic.  Cooperative learning emphasizes the social context of learning and the mutual construction of knowledge.  There are five components of cooperative learning.
1.Positive interdependence is dependent in the success of the whole group.  2.Positive face to face interactions helps to build on individuals team skills.  3.Interpersonal and small group interactions help students learn to take on specific roles in a group to ensure all tasks are done to complete project.
4.Individual accountability it is important to assess both the group and individuals so there is no slacking done by members of the group.
5.The last component is critical thinking this step includes taking a step back and thinking about what you learned in the group and reflecting on it in order to turn what you did into knowledge.

Memory

Memory is the interplay of encoding, storage and retrieval of information over time.  There are three stages  to the processing of  information into memory: Encoding, storage, and retrieval.  Encoding has five parts to it:
1.Rehearsal, the conscious repetition of information over time to increase the length of time that information stays in memory. 
2.Deep Processing is when you think about information deeply and the pattern makes sense.
3. Elaboration, the extensiveness of information processing involved in memory such as thinking of examples to elaborate on information. 
4.Constructing images, this is when you imagine a visual representation to help you remember and last of all,
5. Organization, when students organize information while their memory encodes it their memory benefits. 
 The way memory is stored can be classified in three types: sensory memory, short term, and long term memory.  Sensory Memory holds information from the world original moment and for only an instant.  Short Term information is retained at most for 30 seconds and long term memory hold enormous amounts of information for long periods of time.  The last stage of memory is retrieval this stage has 3 types:
1. Cue-dependent forgetting, is when you learn something you give it a label when you go to remember you have for forgotten the cue.
2. Interference theory, the new stuff you have learned is getting in the way of the old stuff you have learned. and,
3.  The decay theory, knowledge you have stored is not used so it begins to decay.

Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory and Observational Learning

The Social cognitive theory states that social and cognitive factors as well as behavior, play important roles in learning. To support this theory Bandura developed the reciprocal determinism model this model consists of 3 main factors behavioral, person and cognitive factors and environment. Bandura states these factors can interact to influence learning.  Each of theses factors can effect the individual directly or can influence one of the other factors.I find that this is true if something affects me in my environment it contributes to how I feel my behavior and mood. 

                                                      

Observational Learning is learning that occurs when a person observes and intimidates someone else`s behavior. We have all learned by observational, as children we learn how to act by watching our parents or adult figures around us or learn to perform a particular task such as making our beds. Myself personally learn best by watching someone else preform the task and then attempting the same task.

Cognitive information- processing apprroach

Cognitive information- processing emphasizes that students manipulate information, monitor it and strategize about it.  One way to think about cognitive information- process is to think of the mind as a computer; the 3 functions  a computer preforms are:
Input, information going into the computer system,
Storage, the brain organizes and stores the information and,
Output, the brain is able to to retrieve and use the information that was stored.  One important fact to remember about cognitive information-processing is that it deals with the return or retreat inward meaning it is concern with the internal and a very individual approach.

The main Characteristics of the information-processing and approach described by Robert Siegler:
Thinking-  the processing of information
Change Mechanisms- there are 4 main mechanism to create changes in students
          Encoding- taking raw information and encoding it within your system
Automaticity- the process of something becoming automatic, when we can think,
          or perform a cognitive activity with out thinking about it
Strategy construction - doing thing consciously and finding effective and                           efficient way to processing
Transfer- is when we can apply knowledge, learning, info from one situation                  to another.
Self-modification-how we can change our own developmental active process.

Functional Approach

When dealing with students behavior you need to always ask why is the student acting this way what is the purpose for them acting in this behavior.  Functional analysis examines a students inappropriate behavior as well as it's antecedence (what comes before) and the consequences; by examining these behaviors to determine the function that these behaviors may serve for the student.  After identifying the purpose of a behavior you can provide alternate ways for the student to achieve the same purpose in an appropriate manner, this is called positive behavior support.  The 5 strategies for creating a functional approach are:
1. Directly teach desirable behaviors
2. Consistently reinforce
3. Try to set up predictable routines
4. Provide frequent opportunity for choice
5. Provide adaptation to support academic success

During my school years to many times I observed teachers getting mad a students for acting out in class and would not take the time to find out what was causing this behavior. I believe that knowing this will help to create stable learning environment for all my students and help me to help students find an outlet for their frustrations. 

Operant Conditioning

Operant conditioning is a form of learning in which the consequences of behavior produces changes in the probability that the behavior will occur.  When using operant conditioning, the teacher needs to be aware what kind of stimulus they are using are they adding something (positive) or taking away (negative). They also need to consider what is the direction of the behavior change the stimulus is creating more (reinforcement) of the behavior or less of of the behavior. The main mechanisms of operant conditioning are reinforcement and punishment, reinforcement is a consequence that increases the probability that a behavior will occur and punishment is a consequence that decreases the probability that a behavior will occur. These create the four elements of operant conditioning: Positive reinforcement the frequency of a response increases because it is followed by a stimulus an example would be a teacher gives praise to create more of a certain behavior. Positive punishment involves the administration of an unwelcome consequence such as a teacher gives as a detention. Negative punishment involves the removal of a valued item an example of this would be taking away a recess from a student. Negative reinforcement is the frequency of a response increases because the response either removes a stimulus or involves avoiding a stimulus.  The goal of all these strategies is to increase the frequency of a targeted behavior.

Generalization in operant conditioning means giving the same response to similar stimuli.  Especially of interest is the extent to which behavior generalizes from one situation to another, an example of this would be your student behaves well in the class you want them to continue this behavior in the hall so u use a similar stimulus  to create that response.

Extinction in operant conditioning occurs when a previously reinforced response is no longer reinforced and the response decreases.  This is when reinforcement is stopped all together, there is no reaction to their actions you just ignore the student.

kolbergs's levels and Stages of moral development

Kohlberg's believes that there is three levels of moral development Pre-conventional, Conventional, and Post Conventional with two stages at each level.  A key point of Kohlberg's theory is internalization the change from behavior that is externally controlled to internally controlled.  In the pre-conventional stage the child has not yet obtained conventional thinking moral reason is controlled by an external rewards and punishments examples of this would be being rewarded by getting a cookie or being given a timeout for not listening.  The Conventinal stage internalization is intermediate, but essentially the standards are imposed by other people such as parents or society, example of this would be trying to uphold a reputation like good girl, good boy; the other side would be law and order (following rules).  The last stage post-conventional morality is completely internalized and not based on external standards, Includes social contract such as unwrittern agreements and rules and universal ethical examples would be Martin Luther King, Jesus.

                                          

I think that Kolberg's theory is a template for moral development but believe that we can be in many stages at one point in time for many people they know what is right and wrong but need that external reward or law and order to insure they do the right thing.  There is also certain situations where a person knows that there are certain rules, but reason beyond their control they also believe that doing the opposite would also be accepted.  Moral reasoning is different in every situation,culture, and between genders which makes it difficult to classify

Differenatiating Instruction

Differentiating instructional is an individual process of teaching and learning based on the developmental readiness, interest, and learning style of all students within a classroom.  The students readiness is based on their zone of proximity; where the student is at, what do they know and what can they do. Using the child's interests to help them to learn the curriculum, ensures the child will be more willing to put the effort into learning the subject when they can relate it something they are interested in. it is also important that the teacher to know that in order for the student to understand what is being taught a teacher has to take into account each individual learning profile how the student learns best: are they a visual, verbal, or audio learner.    The teacher can differentiate instruction by either modifying the content, modifying the process of learning or modifying product or any combination of the three.  The focus of differentiated instruction should be on the knowledge and skills that students bring forward to the learning process.