Reflecting on what I have learned about the Developmental Learning Theory, I feel I am really beginning to understand the concept of breaking things down into their most concrete forms. This doesn’t simply mean their most basic forms, it means their most familiar and real forms. The way I view it, it is a process of taking difficult concepts, finding their most relatable parts, and having students work with those parts because they can best identify with them. I am beginning to see how Professor Kruse uses it in class every day, and I definitely felt like I was strongly grasping the concept after we had our lesson on the phases of the moon. I have also found that I really love the idea of going from concrete to abstract, then back to concrete, and so on. I am someone who loves being pushed to think outside the box and if the entire lesson was concrete I don’t think I would be very interested (if it was entirely abstract I wouldn’t know what was going on)!
Today we learned about the Social Learning Theory. I’m glad we’re starting work on another theory so I can learn how to intertwine multiple ones! The part of the Social Learning Theory that I found the most interesting was the term “most knowledgeable peer.” I think this is a very accurate term and it is probably not widespread enough throughout the realm of education. The term doesn’t sound demeaning and is completely correct in it’s definition—it is simply a peer who has the most knowledge in the area. I can also understand why language is such an important part of the Social Learning Theory since language is a social construct. How we word things is extremely important when teaching!
You have a clear understanding of both LT's, now consider how they fit together and support each other.
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of the term "Most Knowledgeable Peer" before class on Tuesday. It makes perfect sense to me as I was constantly the one helping my classmates in elementary school, and am the oldest child in my family, so this sort of taking the lead due to experience ties into both aspects of my life. In middle school, however, it was a different story in the fact that I was now the one being shown how to do things as I did not understand the directions the first time around. The rolls again switched on me once I hit high school, and now I feel I am somewhere in the middle. :) I am also glad that we have begun to learn a new LT, but am a bit nervous as to how they will all tie into one another!!!
ReplyDelete