Week 4 T2P Simmons et. al Structure

If a teacher approaches her students as individuals with large and robust schema then, (because) the student will be able to incorporate the information the teacher presents with their own unique understanding. This will allow the student to realize that there isn't just one way of interpreting information, but rather that it is the (because) culmination of ideas and how you choose to interpret them that is the goal of learning. This will allow the student to feel that they have something to offer the class and they can share their unique perspectives to build a class discussion.(evidence) Piaget suggests that allowing students to build off existing frameworks will create better understanding because the student will be able to assimilate information into these frameworks. It is important to approach students at the proper cognitive level so that they will be able to understand the concepts which may be too abstract or out of their age group. In this scenario, the (decision) teacher and student both take turns in being the one who teaches and the one who learns, and (moral implication) I believe this reciprocal sharing is the essence of teaching. Where a student feels confident enough to share how they view a topic, and a teacher is confident in her own abilities and the cognitive and developmental abilities of her students to provide strong arguments for why they believe this. In doing so, the teacher has succeeded, as the student has learned that the ideas and implications of the material taught in-class(context) extend far beyond the scope of classroom and help us to understand the many facets of life.

T2P Self-Determination
If a teacher plans a lesson focusing on his students feelings of autonomy, competency, and relatedness, then the teacher will foster results which will support students understanding and appreciation of the material. (Because) Students who feel that they have an active part in the classroom, including control over the content, the ability to research topics which are discussed, and have the ability to share new ideas and understands, will gain the motivation and skills it takes to be a successful learner. (Moral) I believe a teacher who teaches through the ideas of self-determination and who allows students to gain autonomy will discover that their students become more creative and engaged in the material. This creativity will lead to new discoveries and appreciations for the topics which the teacher might feel are necessary to teach. In addition, the teacher should be willing to learn from his or her students as well. (Evidence) Vicky Davis promotes self-determination in her students by allowing the to direct their own learning. She approaches her classes as unique and that every student can succeed. She raises her students autonomy by showing them that have the ability to succeed and allowing them to direct their own learning. Self-determination creates these feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness within the classroom, but can branch out to all areas of the world. Students will be able to reach the most distant locations and connect to people of many different cultures and beliefs. The limits of self-determination are unending as students can continue to explore more and more topics which lead to further understanding and greater enrichment of these ideals.

End of Class T2P:
If a teacher builds upon the curriculum as the students develop throughout the semester, then the teacher will provide a better learning opportunity for his students. Teacher's who approach every class the same and have the curriculum laid out in advance are not able to build upon what the (because) students are learning each day and how they change as a result of the interactions and understanding that goes on in the classroom. (Evidence) As Lave's Theory of situated learning states, learning occurs in an environmental context and we create this knowledge as we go along. Everyday students are learning something new, so it is important to understand the goals of the classroom, but also be flexible in changing them from day to day as students reorganize their thinking and expand upon existing views. (Moral) I believe students who only reflect upon a learning experience and never revisit these ideas, or teachers who are so focused on the curriculum that they skip important learning opportunities are focusing too much on content instead of the process of learning. It is important for students to understand the process of learning and focus on metacognition, as this will make them better learners in the future. If the curriculum seems so inflexible that students are just going through the motions instead of being competent in any area and they feel constrained by demands of the teacher and it inhibits learning. However, if the teacher is flexible and allows for unplanned learning opportunities, students will learn that understanding is a process and it cannot be defined by time limits

Week 4 Essay Reflection:
In today's class we continued to look at key theories in education and formed theories to practice incorporating these new theories to expand our pedagogical methods. These new theories present new way's of examining the role of teaching, being a student, and the purpose of education in our society. While there are many area's which overlap, each theory provides new insight into the idea's of education which help to shape our own views of how the classroom should function.
The ideas of Deci & Ryan and Self-Determination Theory focus on human motivation and personality. They examine the extrinsic motivational factors which motivate students as well as the intrinsic factors which reflect our own interest and core values. The theory goes on to state that it is the extrinsic forces action on a persons intrinsic motives and needs that are inherent to human nature. In any environment there are many forces acting upon us which affect our ability to learn, and in order to foster learning we need three main conditions. The first is that we need autonomy in the classroom, where students feel free in their own abilities. The second is that we need to develop competency and a high level of understanding and mastery, and last we need to feel relatedness and connections to others. If these 3 conditions are met, then the Self-Determination Theory states that we will develop enhanced performance, persistence, and creativity within our students. We also learned how these same principles can apply to our use of technology in the classroom as displayed by Vicki Davis. Davis promotes self-determination in her students and builds competence in technology while allowing a free range of self-exploration in topics, and relatedness between the classmates and other classes around the world.
After lunch, we came back to class and finished preparing our presentations before we presented them in front of the class. Each group presented the main ideas about learning, the role of the teacher, the student, the content, context, and the relevance to today's classrooms, for each of the theorists. While some theorists ideas were controversial in nature and limited the students abilities to experience a wide array of learning techniques (Gardner), other theorists focused on political issues and the idea of overcoming social boundaries. In general, most theorists believed that the key to a strong education depended upon social interactions and building off of those interactions.
All in all, the class was very insightful and helped to clarify what we are to get out of researching so many theorists. It helped to clarify my picture of what my own theories of education are, and also helps to refine and change my interpretations of how I view education. By incorporating the bits and pieces of each theory that I feel are relevant, I am able to build a stronger picture of how I believe an effective teacher educates his or her students.

Theorist Spreadsheet