Module 1: Introducation to Learning Theory and Linda-Hammond Videos

Introduction to Learning Theory:

  • The Learner: It is important to consider what the students need to learn (outcome), where they are academically (prior knowledge), and how to implement the lesson to meet the intended outcome-hands on activities, visuals, inquiry, multiple learning styles.
  • The Learning Environment: It is important for the teacher to consider the learning environment by helping students feel a sense of community and understanding/awareness where students feel safe in their environment to share personal experiences with each other.
  • The Process: It is important for the teacher to guide students throughout their learning by empowering students to engage strategies on their own (metacognition). 
  • Interactions of Theories: It is important to motivate students and create a school culture that enables engagement of a broad spectrum of learning through the utilization of theories and methodology.
  • Students who learn to think as experts are able to understand the big ideas and how they are connected.
  • Teachers must guide their students through their learning by modeling the process and guiding students through the process to ultimately lead to independent learning/thinking.
  • Students need to be given multiple avenues of learning including first hand (hands-on, prior knowledge of self) and second hand learning (passage, video, prior knowledge of others).
  • Students who do will retain.
Reflection:
These videos show the components of effective teaching. Much like the article, the theories of the past and present are combined in order to create this puzzle of effective learning strategies. In my classroom, I want to become more intentional with my teaching my focusing less on the "curriculum" and more on the components of the process that enable my students to obtain and learn the curriculum.

Resources:
Hammond, L. (2002). Introduction to learning theory. Annenberg Media.

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