Learning Theories Week Two T2P 2

Today in class we examined multiple sources of educators in either their teaching environment or through their reviews and observations of different teachers or practices. Through each teacher, we observed as well as reflected what their personal teaching philosophy is. We asked this through reflecting on how they believe people learn, as well as asking how they think competency is developed in the subject area. Through the examples, we witnessed a large spectrum of philosophies which included Robin Williams' character in The Dead Poet Society, who encouraged creativity, risk taking and mutual respect and then later viewed the whole brain teaching concept in the mathematics course, where the teacher valued a dominant role as teacher, repetition, structure and performance.
From these observations, I started to reflect on what philosophy I will develop as a teacher and how should I structure (or not structure) my classroom. What boggled my mind and perhaps others and altered immediate views after the whole brain teaching video, was the fact that that style of 'teaching' may not actually invoke learning, but rather regurgitation for a short termed performance.
This lead to the formation of my if..then..because statement, in which I really needed to focus down on the  essentials of the acquired material from class. From the two papers we read for homework and discussed as well as the video clips we viewed together as well as the individual video (science is messy), I needed to invoke my personal philosophy to gather a statement based on what we learned. This lead me to the hypothesis of , 'If a teacher provides an environment that contains enthusiasm and mutual respect (which includes reciprocity),  to a relevant/reflective curriculum, then an optimal amount of learning can take place in the classroom.' I learned through the evidence in class that enthusiasm is a basic tool that invokes a positive attitude and encourages students to participate. Mutual respect, including reciprocity is a tool that 'humanizes' the teacher, and allows the students to connect on a 'deeper level' which has been found to instill trust and a desire to learn. If the teacher is respected and trusted, the student will not only pick up on the regular curriculum, but also recognize the hidden curriculum topics from the value-laden model (the teacher), whom the students will recognize as the mature expert. Of course the teacher must also show trust within the students as part of reciprocity, because the teacher must give back at least as much as he receives to maintain a mutual relationship. From this, the teacher will also assume the role as master learner and will grow from each and every minute in the classroom.
All together, the journey of life and learning will be continued, because each day learning takes place under many curriculums, and self actualization is furthered. The learning map we created portrayed this concept, and showed me that learning is not only a formal study, but is always attained through personal reflection and environmental settings. While this is separate from formal schooling, as we portrayed on the map, it is all interconnected into a higher goal, which is to grow from every experience in life. All of the forms of development we reviewed (cognitive, psycho-social, emotional, etc.) are altered through each second of life through content and context, in which we as teachers are largely responsible for providing.

3. If a teacher employs a wide variety of learning activities throughout the daily lesson, then … because …

If a teacher employs a wide variety of learning activities throughout the daily lesson, then the students in the classroom will become more responsive to the curriculum because each student has a primary learning medium, whether it be physical, verbal, audial, etc. The variety of learning activities will appeal to different students, and will encourage engagement because the students will respond better to their stimulus of choice.