Learning Theory week 1

The first day of class needed to cover a lot of ground. We started with some introductory ice-breaker discussion which helped everyone get comfortable with oral participation.
We had a lot of group work, in pairs and later in larger groups. It is interesting and enlightening, or "broadening" to compare one's own answers to those of other people: it is a good method to give people a chance to see from different viewpoints. The collaborative group work is educational on several levels. First, the sum of experience and ideas is always greater than those of the individual. The collaboration process itself is useful too to strengthen our skills at partnering with others.
I found it very significant that only a small portion of our time and energy was spent on writing and listening to the instructor "lecture". Rather, most of our time was spent thinking, discussing and building on what was said and done earlier in the day.
When the class period extends for such a long time (6 hours), it is extremely helpful to have a variety of activities, involving changing partners, group discussions, even moving furniture! All that change and activity helps keep energy and interest from flagging.
I enjoyed and appreciated that the people in our class, including the instructor, were able to express, and listen to, varying and sometimes opposing viewpoints, without judgement or prejudice.
I think maintaining a classroom atmosphere where people respect and listen to each other and feel free to comment or question what's been said is a great way to reinforce the learning process.
It's helpful to me, and I'm sure to the others in class, to observe specific techniques that were used by the instructor that we can use later in our own teaching. Cold-calling is a way to make sure everyone has an opportunity to participate. More flexible group discussions are also important as the flow of ideas and contributions happens naturally then. Asking students to write some reflections or responses then turn them in, is a good way to evaluate (assess?) students' understanding  of the day's lessons.
Assessing students' performance is clearly a continuous process, not one that is done at particular fixed points in the day or term. The instructor needs to be aware of each student's participation and interest level, as well as their understanding of the material and its significance and connection to other concepts. Today was a long, busy day., but an extremely productive one. Subsequent class days have a lot to build upon.


If people have a strong passion and desire to grow and excel, then, even if they come from different environments and experiences, they will be motivated to succeed in learning. Sources of motivation for our class members are varied. They include supportive families, teachers with enthusiasm and high expectations, love of children (our own or others) , desire to make a difference to people who need help and more.

If a teacher employs a wide variety of learning activities throughout the daily lesson, then students will successfully learn because they have processed the lesson through a variety of senses and experiences which will connect to students' different strengths and preferences.