EDUC 500

CUSTOMIZED LEARNING THEORY PAPER INSTRUCTIONS

Your final paper in this course will present your own customized theory of human learning and development. Everyone operates with a theory of what makes the best learning environment and how people grow and develop. The problem is that most education professionals' theories are not well informed nor are they articulated clearly. Thus, for this paper, you will articulate your idea of "the best learning environment" and support it using the theoretical perspectives of what defines the "best of" in education. This assignment will be completed in three stages: an annotated bibliography, a rough draft, and a final paper version. Your finished paper will give you a conceptual framework from which to draw strategies and practices for the success of all parties involved in the teaching-learning process. The paper should be 10 page8 pages for the body, then 1 cover page and 1 references page. It should use at least 6 references and include a solid biblical basis for your theory. If you have more than one page of references after meeting your eight-page content requirement, be assured that points will not be deducted. You may find it useful to focus on the educational area in which you intend to serve (high school, gifted, ADHD, etc). Information for your educational theory can be found throughout all the activities completed during this course. Your resources should include at least 2 of the articles you used for your Article Reviews, both your textbooks and at least 2 scholarly articles taken from the reviews of your classmates. Additional sources may be included as you see fit. Throughout the paper, it is essential that you establish your understanding of the readings and class work. You will be graded on how well you integrate one or more of the theories studied in this course; your theory must be unified and congruent. The following list is how you should design your paper: I. Introduction II. Learning Theory and its importance III. Description of an effective teacher and learning environment (Be sure to include discussions of direct instruction, technology, motivation, classroom managementsee below.) IV. Learning Characteristics: How does your customized theory address multimodalities and ability grouping? V. Personal Reflection: What is the relationship of your personal Learning Styles Profile, Study Skills Inventory, and Philosophical Methodology of Learning Profile to creating your customized learning theory? VI. Conclusion When writing your third sectionthe description of an effective teacher and learning environmentyou will gather some valuable information from chapter 1 of your Slavin textbook where it discusses an effective teacher. And think about what influence direct instruction has on your learning theory from chapter 7. How about what ability grouping methods would be most prevalent according your learning theory and why from chapter 8? Dont forget to talk about technology in your learning environment from chapter 9. And the type of motivations that would

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EDUC 500

be included in your theory could be gleaned from chapter 10. How you can prevent problems or distractions in your learning environment can be found in chapter 11. The fifth section of your paper is going to be a personal reflection on all of the different profiles you take throughout the course. You will be describing your personal learning styles and study skills. The use of first person is acceptable where appropriate. Substantiate your assumptions with authoritative references. Why is it important that you understand the way you learn to have an effective learning theory? Your annotated bibliography is due by the end of Module/Week 5 (November 24). Your rough draft is due by the end of Module/Week 6 (December 1). Your final paper is due by the end of Module/Week 8 (December 10).

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