Educational Psychology: Windows on Classrooms Essay

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How do memory, cognitive processes, and metacognition link to the learning process in today’s classroom?

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Learning ultimately involves the retention of information through memory, and any information that the learner acquires is retained in memory for subsequent retrieval and application. The learners’ ability to process and hold the information learned onto long-term memory determines their level of classroom competence. Cognitive processes involve the learner being keen on the information by paying attention and consciously perceiving the stimuli (Iiyoshi, Hannafin, & Feng, 2005, p.282).

The learner then rehearses and re-learns the information intensely in order that he/she may ‘store’ or commit the information to long-term memory. As such, the classroom setting should be arranged in a manner that minimizes all distractions that may interfere with the concentration and information rehearsing and storage process of the learner(s). Learners benefit by rehearsing the information both visually and orally. Metacognition enables the learner to become conscious of how he/she processes information (learns). Therefore, a good learner uses metacognition to create a classroom environment where he/she is able to acquire knowledge optimally, and in a fashion that suits his/her personal and individual style of acquiring information.

Regardless of where teachers sit in their thinking around constructivism, most teachers would do similar things in their classrooms:

  • specify learning objectives
  • prepare learning activities
  • design assessments

While considering those teacher roles in the classroom, identify how each of them would ‘look’ in a traditional classroom compared with how they would ‘look’ in a constructivist setting.

In a traditional setting classroom, the teacher’s role in specifying learning objectives is singular and is solely the teacher’s domain. The teacher in a traditional classroom sets uniform objectives and does not factor in the different socio-economic backgrounds and learning abilities of the students. However, in a constructivist setting, the teacher sets learning objectives while factoring in each of the student’s diverse backgrounds and the learning capabilities of each – differentiated objectives and instructions. Learning activities in a traditional classroom typically involve the teacher giving a lecture on the concepts to be learned and the actual learning involves note-taking by students. In a constructivist setting, the learning activities prepared are entirely interactive and involve discussions between the teacher and the students, and amongst the students themselves (Akar & Yildirim, 2009, p.402). The constructivist setting mainly involves students studying in groups to foster interaction. In a traditional classroom, assessment is mainly through classroom tests and exams, while in a constructivist setting, assessment involves group-discussion participation, field trip report, and classroom presentation of concepts learned.

Think about the ways that students learn new ideas and concepts.

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Referring to the theory in your text, discuss strategies that could be effective for tutors in this unit to use to keep students motivated and engaged with this topic.

Students in a classroom acquire new ideas and concepts mainly through an introduction to the ideas and concepts by a tutor, and through discovery via research assignments, field trips, and critical analyses. Moreover, students can be motivated either intrinsically or extrinsically (Martens, Gulikers & Bastiaens, 2004, p.382). Students can be motivated and engaged to keep interested in a topic intrinsically by being challenged to achieve certain goals of the topic by the tutor, through the creation of fantasy situations to pique the learners’ interests, and by the tutor presenting the topic as a curiosity to be satisfied by the students. Extrinsically, the students can be given rewards (prizes and gifs) for attaining certain pre-set high standards of learning, and thus be motivated by the rewards to maintain the standards achieved, or aim even higher.

The authors describe six principles for intervention when behavior problems occur in the classroom (p 372 – 374). In what way could some of these principles also be valid outside the classroom (i.e. where else/when else can they be used and why)?

Some of the six principles of intervention when behavior problems arise can be applied in the political world and in a marriage setting. Many political debates often degenerate into arguments and shouting matches, and they could well use the principle of avoidance of arguments and maintaining the dignity of the opposing political opponents (Eggen & Kauchak, 2010, p.373). This will tone down the political atmospheres that are sometimes unnecessarily vitriolic especially during elections. The use of I-messages and active listening in the case of a disagreement between spouses can be effective in maintaining a sober tone in arguments, where accusatory ‘You-messages’ tend to worsen the argument.

Why is effective classroom management important and what sorts of things do teachers need to consider when planning for an effective classroom?

Effective classroom management is the wholesome incorporation of various dynamics of the classroom including the physical set up, the behavior of the students, set principles, the role of parents, and managing serious problems like violence in the classroom in a holistic approach that ensures the learner’s and learning goals are achieved. Teachers need to consider the arrangement of the classroom environment to bring out the best in each student and enable the teacher to exercise adequate control in the classroom. Furthermore, the teacher should consider the importance of communication with parents regarding their children’s learning progress, and such communication should be established early and maintained throughout school life. Additionally, the teacher should factor in the measures to be taken in the instance of violence or extreme aggression in the classroom.

What is the benefit of national testing? In what ways can these assessments contribute to student learning?

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Education stakeholders and educators gauge the overall learner progress and subsequently assess the strengths and weaknesses of various students as compared to other students in the nation through national tests. Necessary intervention measures can therefore be taken based on the assessment of performance in national exams, and students who perform poorly can be placed in appropriate programs and classes aimed at improving their performance (Aidla & Vadi, 2008, p.75). Conversely, students who perform exceptionally in national exams are placed in programs that utilise their skills, abilities, and talents to further their learning progress. National exams also provide insights to teachers and evaluators on the specific areas and subjects that require improved teaching or a change of mode of instruction based on information gleaned from national examination statistics.

References

Aidla, A., & Vadi, M. (2008). Relations between attitudes of school administrations towards school performance criteria and the national examination results in Estonian schools. FRAMES: A Journal of the Humanities & Social Sciences, 12(1), 73-94.

Akar, H., & Yildirim, A. (2009). Change in teacher candidates’ metaphorical images about classroom management in a social constructivist learning environment. Teaching in Higher Education, 14(4), 401-415.

Eggen, P., & Kauchak, D. (2010). Educational psychology: Windows on classrooms (8th Ed.). New York, NY: Prentice-Hall.

Iiyoshi, T., Hannafin, M. J., & Feng, W. (2005). Cognitive tools and student‐centred learning: rethinking tools, functions and applications. Educational Media International, 42(4), 281-296.

Martens, R. L., Gulikers, J., & Bastiaens, T. (2004). The impact of intrinsic motivation on e-learning in authentic computer tasks. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 20(5), 378-386.

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IvyPanda. (2021) 'Educational Psychology: Windows on Classrooms'. 12 April.

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IvyPanda. 2021. "Educational Psychology: Windows on Classrooms." April 12, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/educational-psychology-windows-on-classrooms/.

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IvyPanda. "Educational Psychology: Windows on Classrooms." April 12, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/educational-psychology-windows-on-classrooms/.

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