AEDU 303 Educational Psychology - Summer Session, 2019

This week's reading consisted of Chapter 12, 14, and 15. However due to this week's quiz on Chapter 12 which required an indepth look, I will briefly recap what the chapter was about.   Chapter 12, Learning and Motivation, focused on motivation. The chapter covers motivation; what motivation is, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Think back to the rewards and why a student is performing different tasks. A big part of the Chapter is Maslow's HIercachy of Needs, this talks about autonomy and how these needs related to teachers. It is important to be able to identify students need in a classroom setting. As featured in the quiz this week. I had a student last year Damien, who loved to be the first one done. This was due to one day he got right to work and was the first one to finish. The cooperating teacher and I moved his clip up and celebrated his success. We did not make it clear that his clip was moved up because he was focused and motivated to learn, instead he received...

We made it!  Module 5 was the culmination of so much we have learned during this five week class.  This last week was stress as I was balancing this class, another Trinity class and my full-time job demanded overtime this past week, which was a first in a very long while.  I have learned so much regarding assessments.  I will admit I am intimidated to writing test questions and reading the various approaches and following Bloom's Taxonomy did help reduce my anxiety.  Once I was able to write my first two or three assessment questions, I found I was able to get in the right mind set to address the topic I wanted to test.  I tried to be creative and think of questions or scenarios that would test the students knowledge by applying, understanding or evaluating the material.  As a future educator, I am excited to work with the students.  When I inform friends that I am changing careers, many observe my enthusiasm, knowledge and caring for the subjec...

Chapters 12, 14 & 15 Chapter 12 started by explaining what motivation is. It described how in psychology motivation focuses on five questions. It then proceeded to explain about needs and self-determination, Maslow called four lower-level needs deficiency needs which are survival, safety, belonging and self-esteem. Once they are met the motivation for fulfilling them decreases. What stood out to me in this chapter is how goals are most motivating when they are specific and attainable. When I make specific goals that are difficult yet attainable, I get very motivated to accomplish it. On the other hand if I make a general goal, I do not attain it most of the time. Chapter 14, started with research on teaching and what methods have been used to study teaching. It then talks about what makes a good teacher, generally teachers that get proper training and certifications tend to perform better. I worked at a pre-school center at that time I had my associate and was in school for my ...

For my interview I chose my aunt her name is Kifah Soheil she has been an ESL teacher for 9 years. She is the one that recommended Trinity College to me. She seriously is one of my inspiration. Kifah went back to school when she was forty years old, all her kids were in high school when she started. She went through the adult program and graduated with her associates, bachelors, and masters in education.  I asked her many questions about her experience in school, students and also her classroom management. She then replied with no matter what I learn every single day. Everything you do as a teacher is a learning experience. This really stuck out to me she then told me every time you step in the classroom you should be ready for a challenge. I never really expected an answer like that and I was shocked. After the interview we talked about views of the classroom and I wish I had this recorded, but she said that no matter what your students are going to look up to you because you a...

Chapter 12 discussed motivation in learning and teaching. The chapter also talks about goals and needs as in Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. The book really went in depth with intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Growing up I never had a teacher that used intrinsic motivation they were always bribing us at the end of the week with something. Becoming a teacher that is what I thought I needed to do in order to gain the attention from my students, until I read this chapter. Students need to have motivations of intrinsic. Some students are so used to rewards they expect one every time they do good. Another subject this chapter talks about are goals.  Chapter 14 talks about preparation for teachers. I enjoyed this chapter and related to it. When you are in school and learning to be come a teacher it's not the same as when you're in the classroom in front of your own students. Chapter 14 discussed how we should be ready for assessments, feedback, instruction, piles of work on us, a...

This week in chapters 12. 14, and 15 Woolfolk covers motivation, different approaches to teaching, and classroom assessments. My favorite chapter in this section was chapter 15 because I did not know that much about assessments from the teacher's side. I think it was difficult to find the t and z scores, as well as the standard deviation. If this is what teachers have to do then I have to see my math professor as soon as possible! It was a great eye opening experience because I thought teachers made the test and then just entered in the grades. I did not think that there was more to it than that. In  chapter 14 Woolfolk discussed approaches to teaching. My favorite section was on page 579 where Woolfolk discussed using assistive tech to students in class. I have seen this in action during my current field placement and it is really cool to see. One student has trouble talking sometimes so he has this iPad app where there are phrases for him to use if he wants to communicate. I loo...

   Chapter nine was mainly about Metacognition, learning strategies, problem solving, and critical thinking. All these strategies are used in a classroom in many ways. When I think of different learning strategies I try to think out of the box because you want your students to be engaged with your teaching. Students learn better when teaching becomes real world scenario's. Critical thinking and problem solving is an important step in metacognition it often contains direct instruction. Chapter ten was about constructivism and creating the right learning environment for your students. As a teacher you sometimes need to change your teaching strategies and students need to learn different learning methods that fit their learning. When I was younger I always had trouble with memorizing and had to fix my learning to understand my teachers teaching strategy. Little did I know she would teach me how to prepare myself with flashcards and play a game with it. It all depends on the abi...

This week we read chapter 7 and 13, they were really good. Chapter 7 was about understanding learning and behavior strategies. Learning occurs in different ways. I like how the book stated, "When we think of learning we immediately think of subjects or skills to master." We don't necessarily think of the other ways of learning such as babies kicking if they need something, learning the lyrics to new songs. We learn every single day, but we just don't realize it. When I was little my mom use to say we learn something new everyday because she taught that now and then I look back through my day to realize what I did actually learn. Even if it's something small like learning a new lyric of a song or how to pick up fruit I feel grateful that I am able to learn these things. Sometimes I feel like students at school don't understand how lucky they are to be in school when kids their age are dying to learn something that small all around the world. Chapter 7 also d...

This last week of reading and blogging covers chapters 12, 14 and 15.  Chapter twelve talks about motivations and since I just wrote my paper about his topic I have a lot to say about motivation in the classroom.  This chapter also talks about goals and self-worth which are also very important in the classroom and they all go hand in hand.  As a physical education teacher, getting the students to change their ways of thinking to have that growth mindset (p. 478).  Getting the students motivated to get active and to start accomplishing small. smart goals will help increase their self-esteem and self-worth and hopefully get them to keep trying newer and bigger goals, as well as get them to understand that there is always something more to accomplish.  Moving onto chapter fourteen, this section of the book talks about what it talks to become an expert teacher and all the different approaches.  It also talks about adaptive teaching, which in physical education ...

Chapter 12 is Motivation in Learning and Teaching. This chapter is particularly interesting because it talks about what motivates people to learn. Some people like to learn intrinsically which would be for their own satisfaction or to challenge themselves. (Pg. 463) Intrinsic motivation is the natural human tendency to seek out and conquer challenges as we pursue personal interests and exercise our capabilities. Other people like to learn extrinsically where they are looking for a reward or a trophy. (Pg. 463) Extrinsic motivation is motivation created by external factors such as rewards and punishments. I have always thought of myself as both because I like to challenge myself and do good for my own self-worth, but I also like seeing a good grade when I try hard in school. As a teacher, I think it will be hard to motivate students who are not interested in a lesson, but I guess we will have to figure out ways to change their views. While observing last semester the teacher had me he...

Chapters 12, 14 and 15 is what I read this week! Chapter twelve was about motivation in learning and teaching. It seemed very informational and I did my research unit on this chapter. It was descriptive of different students and how their behavior is but a symptom of what is really happening inside to motivate, reinforce positively or negatively. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is explained and it seems to shed light into how both types of motivation can be useful but intrinsic is longlasting and will allow the person to overcome obstacles and hardships more than rewards which are temporary immediate and elusive. I was interested to see ow the Maslow's hierarchy of needs explain how certain needs are more pressing than others at certain times. I had learned about Maslow's theory and thought it was sequential. Physiological come before safely, love and belonging, esteem, cognitive, aesthetic and finally self-actualization (466). It is interesting to learn that these needs do...

Chapter 12 was very informative to me. I had read Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs several times in my academic career. Each time with a different focus and always learning something new. I learned that it's not just the needs of my students that I need to focus on, but my own needs as a teacher, as well. I can make sure that the deficiency needs: Physiological, Safety, Love and belongingness, and Esteem needs are met first. once those are met, then the higher level needs of Cognitive, Aesthetic, and Self-Actualization can actually be achieved. These needs play an important role in education because a person's success in school, is directly tied to their needs and how well they are being met. A person will not be motivated to learn, if they are not healthy or living in a stable environment. If a person does not value themselves (esteem), then they will not find the beauty in nature or the outside world. As a teacher, it is my job to recognize the needs of my students and to prov...

Chapter 12 discussed motivation in learning and teaching. The topics included Maslow's Hierarchy of needs, goals and goal orientation, attributions and beliefs about knowledge, ability, and self-worth, and topics about learning (interests, curiosity, emotions, and anxiety). There was one section that made me furrowed my eyebrows. It is on page 479 in Mindsets and Beliefs About Ability section. It was about the choir director who put the students who had the worst singing ability in the back rows while the ones that were the best, he put up front. I have heard of concepts like this before and it offends me. That should not be the way one organizes a choir, let alone a choir of students. The best way is to mix it up in terms of ability. Have a stronger singer stand next to a weaker singer. This helps the weaker singer with matching and builds their confidence. The stronger singer will also benefit by being able to balance their sound so they won't be as overpowering. This is how ...

Chapter twelve talked about motivation in learning and teaching! Just like the title says, this chapter full with information about motivation in the classroom and how to get our students motivated. There a couple of things that I was able to take away from this chapter, for example, I was not familiar with the technical term intrinsic (a motivation associated with activities that are their own reward) and extrinsic (a motivation created by external factors such as rewards and punishments), obviously, as a student I have witnessed both of these during my education. Intrinsic motivation is the one that everyone as a teacher wishes to accomplish, it's very hard though, as a student I find hard to really get into certain subjects, biology for example! ugh, just by writing it I'm already bored, but some people are not! I am a music teacher and believe it or not, there are people who just do not like music, learning how to play an instrument, reading notes, history of music, etc (sh...

Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset Chapter 12 *** It is hard to fail but it is worse never to have tried to succeed. Theodore Roosevelt***               The mind is a place full of limitless wonder and potential but what happens when that potential is limited by belief—belief set in a fixed state. A fixed mindset is a state of mind that limits growth and potential. When I consider the fixed mindset, I consider people who exude signs of cognitive dissonance. These people hold onto their beliefs, even when new information is presented—there is no growth or evolution of thought. The Woolfolk text describes students with fixed mindset as exhibiting performance avoidant behaviors. These students aim to protect their self-esteem by setting easy goals and seeking out situations that make them look smart. This mindset occurs often within students who experience learning disabilities. Decreased motivation is a di...

I had the pleasure of observing at Hazelgreen Elementary School which is a part of District 126 in Alsip.  This is a public school in the south suburbs of Chicago.  Normally this school follows the traditional public education model, however, because it was summer time I got to observe in a unique setting.  This district offers summer school for students who need more enrichment and assistance before moving up to the next grade level, and this happens in July.  There are 4 schools in the district, three of them being elementary schools.  The elementary schools rotate yearly who hosts the summer school program and this year it was Hazelgreen.  For the first time ever though, the district held a program in June that was completely optional and open to all students, not just struggling learners.  This program offered many different fun and educational options that students got to choose from.   They included a math class, photography, conversati...