Week 4 T2P

Week 4 T2P 1: Revisited T2P  
     If students are presented with a complicated, trying task then it is important to provide an opportunity for collaboration and discussion in small groups because often it is other views and other ideas that may be foreign to individuals that provides the most interesting answers. With a plan of the day calling for various groupings of students, this approach allows people to practice transmitting information as well as mixing the views of different content areas together. Its always a shock to hear how people, without the same skills and background in History that I have, explain theories to me from their own views with connections that I would not have made. That kind of collaboration is always different, but in-keeping with an Gardner's theory of teaching, working with different learning styles. This type of planning also incorporates an central idea of Vygotsky's about the importance of dialogue in learning. Allowing students the opportunity to collaborate gives them the ability to dialogue with other individuals with differing ideas and experiences, as well as building confidence in their own abilities in a small group, rather than the intimidating collection of the whole class.


If, Then, Because, Evidence, Context, Moral/Ethical, Instructional event




Week 4 T2P 2: Case Study
If a teacher desires for their students to posses the Big Three criteria from the Self-Determination Theory, Autonomy, Competence and Relatedness, then the teacher must be willing and able to foster these ideals as allow the students to pursue them on their own. Fostering these three ideals of the SDT allows students to have more control and involvement in their learning than standard practices in Education. Its impossible to "teach" autonomy, if you could then the word would have a different meaning entirely. Vicki Davis's pedagogical practices that help to foster and improve the Big Three in her classroom include allowing students the opportunity to experiment with learning styles and find the best style(s) for them (Autonomy) and having students instruct their peers on different topics of the class (Competence). By fostering and pushing students to gain the three concepts at the basis of the SDT, teachers can increase their students intrinsic motivation and help develop content mastery more throughly.

If, Then, Because, Evidence, Context, Moral/Ethical, Instructional event


T2P 3

If a teacher or pre-service teacher wants to be the most effective educator possible then they need to be familiar with the multitude of educational and learning theories because it helps them to understand the individual needs and strengths of their students and working towards enhancing those strengths through different applications of various learning theories. Effective teachers come in many packages, and each possesses a common ideal, that they should do anything possible to reach and effectively teach their students. 

Excel: Theorists