Scientifically no two people share the exact same genes.

Therefore, no two people are

exactly the same. This means that if no two students have the same likes and dislikes, then no
two students learn exactly the same way. Additionally no two teachers have identical beliefs;
therefore no two teachers are going to teach in the exact same way. Despite the fact that teaching
and learning occurs in different ways, all students have the right to be successful. Therefore, it is
the teachers responsibility to draw upon different theories, ideas, and methods to differentiate
their lessons in order to support each and every one of their students. I personally believe that in
order to be a successful teacher I need to draw upon the ideas presented in Skinners behaviorist
theory, Banduras social cognitive theory, Atkinson and Shiffrins information processing
theory, and finally Vygotskys social constructivist theory.
How I Believe That Students Learn:
Ive heard an old piece of advice that teachers shouldnt smile until Christmas in order to
instill order in their classroom and gain the respect of their students. However, there are a wide
variety of other ways to set expectations and have your students act in a way that you deem
appropriate. One way to achieve this is through Skinners behaviorism theory and the idea of
operant conditioning. In operant conditioning there is a series of events that takes place; a
stimulus is present which causes some sort of response that results in either a consequence or
reward. Therefore, there are ways to motivate and direct our students to act the way we want
them to while smiling. Skinner says that this kind be done through reinforcement and
punishment. I believe that positive reinforcement, adding a special incentive, and negative
reinforcement, taking away something aversive, can both be very effective ways for students to
learn and strengthen a behavior. On the other end of the spectrum, I also believe that punishment,
both removal and presentation, can be an effective ways to weaken behaviors. Reinforcement
and punishment are effective means of establishing order in ones classroom and through operant
conditioning, even while smiling students will quickly learn how to behave appropriately in your
classroom (Ormrod, 2006, pp. 298-319).
Another learning theory that provides a point of view through which students learn is
Banduras social cognitive theory. Banduras belief is that students learn and acquire knowledge
through modeling and that students base their behaviors off of those around them. The belief of
modeling is that symbolic representation can play a huge role in a students learning. This
representation can come in many different forms, such as a live model, pictorial model, verbal
descriptions, or observational learning. All are crucial aspects when taking knowledge and being
able to recall it and then use past experiences to shape current behavior. Bandura also believes
that vicarious learning takes place when one observes the actions and experiences of others.
Students will often times try to emulate such actions; therefore, it is crucial be a positive role
model and act in a way that you would want your students to act. The final component of
Banduras social cognitive theory is that students have the ability to regulate their own learning.
Students are definitely capable of setting goals for themselves, being proactive, and monitoring
their own learning. As they progress through school they will continue to develop these skills but
all students have potential to regulate their own learning (Fetsco & McClure, 2005, pp. 92-112).
A critical part of the learning process is how students actually retain the information they
have learned. In order for students to realistically commit the information to memory they have
to get it out of the sensory and working memory and into the long-term memory, there are six
different ways to do this. Encoding occurs through attention, rehearsal, deep processing,
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elaboration, constructing images, and organization. In my opinion, students learn the most
through elaboration, rehearsal, and constructing images. When a teacher elaborates on something
or students are forced to elaborate the information is processed that much more. The piece of
information becomes that much more distinct and goes into long-term memory, so for example,
instead of just trying to place a definition with a word, if students elaborate and come up with a
story for each word they are more likely to remember it. Rehearsal is also essential because the
more times you do or practice something the more it becomes almost second nature. Students
will more readily remember information if it has been engrained in their heads through repetition
and rehearsal. Finally, if we go back to the example of remembering various vocabulary words,
students will once again have an easier time accessing that information if they have a symbol
associated with each word. These are just three ways to further encode the material and aide
students in retaining and accessing the information that they learn. All methods can be beneficial
and some will most likely work better for certain students than others, but all should be
implemented in the classroom (Santrock, 2006, pp. 249-254).
In my opinion, the most effective learning is usually a result of two or more people
collaborating together. Vygotskys social constructivism theory would support my opinion
because it states that learning first occurs as the result of a social interaction between two or
more people and then the individual internalizes it and truly comprehends it. This theory is based
on the fact that teachers still play a crucial role in a students learning but that they should more
so play the role of a guide rather than solely lecturing. It is their responsibility to provide
meaningful activities, motivate students, and assess students, essentially giving them the
opportunities they need to develop and grow as learners. A huge part of Vygotskys theory is the
concept of ZPD and scaffolding. ZPD, or zone of proximal development, conveys the idea that
there is a distance between what an individual student can accomplish with the assistance of an
adult and what they are more capable of accomplishing with a peer. Scaffolding piggy backs off
of this, is the idea that the teacher should provide the amount of support that each student needs
in order to be successful within their ZPD. This is not always the easiest thing to do; however in
order to be truly effective, students need to be met at their appropriate level and not held to the
same expectations to their peers. Students deserve the opportunity to collaborate and use various
tools to effectively learn (Santrock, 2006, pp. 51-53).
How This Will Affect My Teaching:
Classroom management as a whole seems to be a concern for many individuals entering
the field of education. However, I feel as though as long as you set clear expectations from day
one, provide consistency and a routine for your students, and have a set plan to deal with
misbehaviors that one shouldnt worry. In order to prevent problems and should problem ever
arise, I plan to implement Skinners behaviorism theory into my classroom. One way I would
provide positive reinforcement to students is by having a jar to fill with marbles. I would tell
them that as soon as the jar is full, they would earn the marbles for class compliments, we could
have a party, such as a pajama or hat party, which we as a class have voted on. This would
encourage reinforce the behavior I want of acting appropriately in the hallways, in the
lunchroom, at recess, or any time when there is another adult present. I would also implement
negative reinforcement, but probably more on an individual level. For students who receive an A
on their test they would be able to omit one question on their next test. While I would prefer to
solely reinforce behaviors, I would also use punishment in my classroom when need be. I would
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mainly use removal punishment through the use of recess time. Another technique I would use is
the color card system and should the childs card turn to red, I would use presentation
punishment and weaken the behavior by having them stay after school. There are many ways to
implement operant conditioning in the classroom, but in my opinion the key is not surprising
your students and getting them into a routine and familiar with your expectations from day one.
When I think about Banduras social cognitive theory the main thing that jumps out at me
is the fact that students respond to and emulate those around them. Vicarious learning means
two things for my future classroom. Primarily it means I, at all times, must be a positive role
model and act in a way that I would want my students to act. The other side of it is that if a
student is exhibiting a behavior Im not happy with, I have to be firm and put my foot down
before it gets out of control and the other students start exhibiting similar behaviors. The other
way I will implement the social cognitive theory in my classroom is through the use of an
excessive amount of modeling. For a wide range of students, they are most engaged in their
learning when modeling is taking place. Therefore, not only will I be modeling the behavior I
want them to exhibit, but I will also be modeling my lessons every stop of the way. For example,
if I have a student who is not understanding my verbal directions, I may give them a pictorial
representation of what I want them to do while also acting as a live model and going through the
process myself. I will also make it a point to have students monitor their own learning, since they
are capable of it. I will work hard to allow them time to set goals and then reflect to see if they
have achieved said goals.
As a teacher I think one of the most frustrating things is feeling as though youre starting
from scratch each day because your students are not retaining the information. So the question
then becomes how can I, as an educator, be sure that my students are retaining the information
and committing it to not only working memory, but also long term memory. In my classroom, I
do my best to elaborate on everything. A key aspect for elaboration comes from the fact that
students will carry things from one subject to the next. If in science we are studying the solar
system, I will incorporate this into the writing, reading, and even possibly math. The other aspect
of elaboration is the fact that students will give examples, tell stories, and not be allowed to give
just one-word answers. On assessments, such as math, they will elaborate on their answer and
tell me how they arrived at that answer. This way not only can I see their thought process, but
they also have a higher chance of remembering the process when it comes to having to use it
again. One other technique I will use to achieve encoding is the idea of rehearsal. Students
cannot be expected to do something once and commit it to memory. Instead I will engage them
in a wide array of activities, ranging from large group work, to small group work, to individual
work, in order to help them to feel comfortable with the material and be able to access the
information for a long time to come. The last part of encoding I will use in my classroom is the
idea of constructing images. For example, when students are learning about a process in science,
such as photosynthesis, they will associate an image with each step of the process. Therefore,
they can picture the images in their head and then recall the words after. These three techniques
will help to ensure that the material will take up permanent residence in my students brains.
In my classroom, I encourage students to work together, collaborate, and have
meaningful discussions with their peers. However, I will not expect students to collaborate
voluntarily and direct their own learning. Instead as their teacher I will work to provide them
with activities that do this for them. The main focus of Vygotskys theory will be to present
numerous opportunities with which students can interact. For instance, instead of always reading
independently, I will have them read with a partner and then give them discussion questions so
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they can learn through one anothers thoughts. Another example will be in math, after doing a
problem I will have them spend five minutes explaining their thought process to another student.
This way they are not only better learning the material, but may learn a technique or strategy that
better fits their individual learning style from another student. Another way to incorporate this
social constructivism is in the way that I assess my students. While there will be individual
assessments and tests, I work to do more informal assessment, whether it be through temperature
checks, exit slips, or simply with talking to a student. I also use group projects and the idea of
group assessment, while making sure that each student is contributing to the project.
Overall it is essential to differentiate instruction and find a method that works for each
individual student. It takes a combination of each of these aforementioned theories to truly be an
effective teacher and impact students lives. As a future educator, I myself will draw upon the
certain aspects that I prefer from the different educational theory and use my personal philosophy
to educate my students. Behaviorist, social cognitive, information processing, and social
constructivist theories will all play an essential role in my future as an educator, but an even
more important role in my students as learners.

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References
Fetsco, T., & McClure, J. (2005). Educational psychology: An integrated approach to classroom
decisions. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Ormrod, J. (2006). Educational psychology: Developing learners (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.
Santrock, J. W. (2006). Life-span development (10th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.

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