Section 2: Theories and Models of Learning and Instruction

Section 2:  Theories and Models of Learning and Instruction

Identify a specific learning goal and how you would incorporate two learning theories highlighted in Chapter 4 to achieve this goal.

The learning goal I chose for this activity was taken from my current weeks’ lesson plans, for English II for SOL:  Students will analyze differences in characters moral dilemmas in works of fiction across different countries or cultures.  Although this concept may seem easy enough for native English speakers, when teaching an ESL class with speakers of numerous languages and varied cultural backgrounds, activating prior knowledge, taken from the Cognitive Information Processing Theory, is key to students understanding.  To do this, students are initially given 3-5 minutes to recall a time when they have had to make a moral decision in their own lives.  Students will then write one of their choices on the Smart Board.  Finally, we discuss previous readings in which the character had to make a moral decision.  Students will generally recall The Bet, The Necklace, and The Pit and the Pendulum from the first semester’s readings. 

As this lesson is predicated on a short story set in India, My Lord, the Baby, would also integrate the Situated Learning Theory.  The text defines this as, “…situated learning theory relies more on social and cultural determinants of learning than it does on individual psychology.   Specifically, knowledge is presumed to be accrue in ‘meaningful actions, actions that have relations of meaning to one another in terms of some cultural system.” (Reiser, p 40)

Find a reference that describes Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction.  Then create a table or chart that compares and contrasts those events with the first principles described in chapter 7 and describe how you would apply each of the first principles to the goal you’ve developed from the first activity in this reflection.

This chart is taken from http://education.calumet.purdue.edu/vockell/edPsybook/Edpsy3/edpsy3_instruction.htm

Table 3.2. Events of Instruction and Phases of Learning and How They Relate to Learner Activities.
Event of Instruction	Learning Phase	How Teacher or Text Does It	How Students Self-Instruct	When to Skip This Event
1 Gaining attention	1 Attention: Alertness	Sudden stimulus change. Call for attention.	Underlining Attentional  set Mood management.	When attention can be assumed - when learner is already alert.
2 Informing the learner of the objective: activating motivation.	2 Expectancy	State objectives and relate them to students’ needs and interests.	Student selects own objectives. (This usually comes first.)	Almost never - but maybe if the objective is obvious.
3 Stimulating recall of prior knowledge.	3 Retrieval to Working Memory of prerequisite information	"Remember...." Give an exercise or review activity to recall previous information.	Student looks for and retrieves relevant prior information. Often students do this without even realizing that it is happening.	Almost never - but skillful self-learners may do this themselves.
4 Presenting the stimulus material.	4 Selective Perception	Text, audiovisual, or voice presentation. Objects or demonstration materials Show distinctive features and focus attention on them.	Student seeks out and finds relevant material to provide instruction.	Almost never - although learners may acquire stimulus material on their own initiative.
5 Providing learning guidance	5 Encoding: Entry to Long-term Memory Storage	Provide meaningful context. Offer organizing strategies. Relate encoding to the objectives.	Student uses rehearsal or chunking strategies. Student selects storage structures to retain in-formation. Student employs cognitive strategies	When the learner already possesses effective cognitive strategies.
6 Eliciting performance	6 Responding	Ask learner to perform. Use review quizzes or recital questions	Student performs without prompting from teacher.	Student performs without prompting
7 Providing feedback	7 Feedback	Inform learner of degree of correctness of answer.	Student evaluates own performance	Almost never - but sometimes the student does it.
8 Assessing performance	7 Feedback	Teacher samples repeated performance and makes judgment about quality.	Student tests self and modifies strategies or plans for self-instruction as necessary.	Student may assess self and make accurate judgments.
9 Enhancing retention and transfer	8 Cueing Retrieval	Spaced reviews, including a variety of examples and applications.	Student looks for more examples of additional relationships.	Student may take initiative to seek additional examples and relationships.