Principles of teaching and learning: Exploring pedagogy, curriculum and instruction

1. Principles of teaching and learning: Exploring pedagogy, curriculum and instruction By Nicole Wilson, Logan Altman, Cortney Williams, Brooke Williams, Diana Wilson, and Serina Thompson

2. Introduction • Chapter 4 thoroughly examines the meanings of pedagogy, curriculum, and instruction. We will be introduced to the four learning theories and the importance of being active listeners as teachers, and also helping students work with others to meet goals. Often times people say say that teaching is an easy task, “Can anyone teach?” is a common question that is explored and answered throughout this chapter. In schools today, a curriculum is a requirement in any classroom and we will become more comfortable with how to plan and present the material that we are given.

3. Learning Theory • Learning Theory: An explanation of how learning typically occurs. • Behaviorism-When teachers structure their lessons around clear objectives that state what students will be able to achieve by the end of the lesson. Example: When you get an answer right, the teacher rewards you with a smile or candy.

4. Piaget’s Four Stages of Cognitive Development • 1) Sensorimotor stage- 18 months to two years -Learning is done through movement and sensory impressions • 2) Preoperational stage- two to seven -Learning to use words and symbols • 3) Operational stage- seven to eleven -Learning to have an understanding of simple concepts from personal experience • 4) Formal Operational stage- eleven and older -Learning how to manipulate concepts

6. Curriculum • Formal Curriculum: A plan of studies that includes the ways instructional content is organized and presented at each grade level Example- Having specific learning objective on solving linear equations • Informal Curriculum: Learning experiences that go beyond the formal curriculum, such as activities the teacher introduces to connect academic concepts to the students’ daily lives Example- Teacher bringing in a newspaper article of video related to the current lesson but was not planned. • Hidden Curriculum: Consists of the social rules and values schools and teachers transmit to students Example- dress code, conduct rules, relationships

7. Window Curriculum Window Curriculum: • Curriculum that you provide must give students windows into the world of others. This will help students learn of other people and other cultures. Example: When I was in China they wanted me to read stories about Americans. They wanted to be educated and smart like Americans. They thought if they knew more about America then they would have more power. They loved the book “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” and “Olivia”. They also loved Art from the Americans.

8. Mirror Curriculum: • Curriculum must also provide a mirror of learning into their own reality. It should connect them to their culture. This will help them understand where they come from. Example: I had a boy in my class that only spoke Spanish and it was hard for him to connect. I would find books that would have Spanish words and he would get so excited. We would also talk about the different foods that he ate and the things he liked to do. He was able to feel connected after he saw I cared about his culture. We would read stories with “Dora” and “Colors in Spanish”.

9. Questions • Do I really know the background of my students? • How can I make this curriculum more relevant to the students in my classroom? • What can I ask the parents to bring in to help with their families’ culture? • Will everyone understand the story and lesson? • What do my students like to do or what would they like to do?

10. Assessment • Assessment- documentation of each students progress to determine where they are learning • Embedded Assessment- classroom assessments reflecting students’ knowledge from the lesson being taught. Classroom assessments can be used as a resource to see which developmental stage each student is learning at. Example: Testing preschoolers on how many sounds, letters, colors and shapes they know. • Authentic Assessment- requiring students to demonstrate a task that is based on a real life issue they have already encountered. Example: Asking preschoolers to identify if a toy car is larger or smaller than a kick ball. • Performance Assessment- part of authentic assessment. When students are required to demonstrate a task, which is a performance. Example: When the preschoolers participated in the exercise of is a toy car larger or smaller than a kick ball, they completed a performance assessment because they completed the act.

11. Definitions • Pedagogy- The art and science of teaching; all that you know and believe about teaching. • Instruction- The act or process of teaching; the way your pedagogy becomes enacted in practice. • Subject matter knowledge- The teacher has an expert knowledge in that particular subject such as math, language arts, social studies, science, and foreign language. • Pedagogical content knowledge- Teachers integrate, transform, and represent subject matter in ways that are understandable to students. • Curriculum- A plan of studies that includes the ways instructional content is organized and presented at each grade level.

12. Four Learning Theories • Behaviorism: -A teacher- centered approach -External stimuli in the environment trigger a response from the students. -Desired responses are regulated by strategically planned reinforcements and punishments. • Cognitive Learning Theory: -Somewhat learner- center -Knowledge is not passively received; it is actively built up. -Symbolic mental constructions in the minds of learners help them process information. • Social Cognitive Learning Theory: -Somewhat learner- centered -Internal mental processes and experiences shared with others are both important aspects of learning; Learning is social and individual • Constructivism: -Learner- centered -We all construct our own view of the world based on our own experiences. -We make sense of new information by adjusting our mental mode toe incorporate new experiences.

13. Which theory is most consistent with your own perspective? • The social cognitive learning theory is most consistent with my perspective. I believe that it is important for learners to process information mentally, but also to learn from social interactions and experiences.

14. Rubric • A scoring guide for an authentic assessment or a performance assessment, with descriptions of performance characteristics corresponding to points on a rating scale.

16. Conclusion In the content of Chapter 4, we learned: -How to define, compare and contrast pedagogy, curriculum, instruction, and assessment. -Formal ideas about how students learn, otherwise known as learning theories. -The factors and differences of formal, informal and hidden curricula and how to adapt it to your students. -Ask yourself: Who are my students, how can I best teach them? -Preparation is a prerequisite for successful teaching!

17. References • Textbook- • Koch, Janice. So You Want to Be a Teacher?: Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2009. Print. • Images- • Crayons. N.d. Yahoo Images. Online Image. 08 Feb. 2016 • Student Learning. N.d. Yahoo Images. Online Image. 08 Feb. 2016 • 1+2+3+4. N.d. Yahoo Images. Online Image. 08 Feb. 2016 • Piagets Four Stages. N.d. Yahoo Images. Online Image. 08 Feb. 2016 • Question Marks. N.d. Yahoo Images. Online Image. 08 Feb. 2016 • Window and Books. N.d. Yahoo Images. Online Image. 08 Feb. 2016 • Mirror and Book. N.d. Yahoo Images. Online Image. 08 Feb. 2016 • Book Work. N.d. Yahoo Images. Online Image. 08 Feb. 2016 • Teacher and Student. N.d. Yahoo Images. Online Image. 08 Feb. 2016 • Waving Bye. N.d. Yahoo Images. Online Image. 08 Feb. 2016