Theorists
In class, we have started to discuss some theorists who were game changers in how we think about adolescents cognitive development. I found that I personally connected with aspects from Vygotsky and Kohlberg theories.
Vygotsky tries to find the, "zone of proximal development". This looks at the idea of where the sweet spot for learning is. He finds that if someone is given work in the, "comfort zone", then the student is just mind numbingly doing work over and over again with no educational. The opposite is that a student is given work that is way above their knowledge level and it brings them into an, "anxiety zone", where they not able to complete the assignment given. He stresses as teachers we need to find the, "learning zone". This is between the comfort level and anxiety level and it is the sweet spot that we are looking for. As a future math educator, that is important for me to keep in mind. I do not want to give students, "busy work" and have them in the comfort zone constantly. On the other hand, I also do not want to give them problems that they are not able to answer. I want to keep in mind to give problems that students will know how to approach and get stuck in so they can ask questions in order to get to the answer. In the long run, this would be the most beneficial way for students to learn and retain the information.
Kholberg on the other hand discusses the idea of moral development. This to me is also important to keep in mind when working with the younger adolescents. His moral development chart goes through six stages of behavior. As you go up the chart, the more moral values you gain as an individual. I find this to be important in classrooms due to the social aspects of students. Many students will only be focusing on themselves and not their peers. This could lead to fights or disagreements between them that, us as future educators, will have to help defuse. It is important that educators of these young adolescents understand the moral development within their students.
I find that these two theorist are important for educators to understand adolescents cognitive development. Vygotsky helps us understand how to challenge our students in a learning environment and Kholberg helps us understand were the students morals are. With these two theorists and their techniques, we can better understand our future students and how to approach learning.
Vygotsky tries to find the, "zone of proximal development". This looks at the idea of where the sweet spot for learning is. He finds that if someone is given work in the, "comfort zone", then the student is just mind numbingly doing work over and over again with no educational. The opposite is that a student is given work that is way above their knowledge level and it brings them into an, "anxiety zone", where they not able to complete the assignment given. He stresses as teachers we need to find the, "learning zone". This is between the comfort level and anxiety level and it is the sweet spot that we are looking for. As a future math educator, that is important for me to keep in mind. I do not want to give students, "busy work" and have them in the comfort zone constantly. On the other hand, I also do not want to give them problems that they are not able to answer. I want to keep in mind to give problems that students will know how to approach and get stuck in so they can ask questions in order to get to the answer. In the long run, this would be the most beneficial way for students to learn and retain the information.
Kholberg on the other hand discusses the idea of moral development. This to me is also important to keep in mind when working with the younger adolescents. His moral development chart goes through six stages of behavior. As you go up the chart, the more moral values you gain as an individual. I find this to be important in classrooms due to the social aspects of students. Many students will only be focusing on themselves and not their peers. This could lead to fights or disagreements between them that, us as future educators, will have to help defuse. It is important that educators of these young adolescents understand the moral development within their students.
I find that these two theorist are important for educators to understand adolescents cognitive development. Vygotsky helps us understand how to challenge our students in a learning environment and Kholberg helps us understand were the students morals are. With these two theorists and their techniques, we can better understand our future students and how to approach learning.
I really love your point about busy work. It was my least favorite thing about school! Students won't be interested in a subject matter when they know the mundane busy work is coming! However, some teachers use busy work to check students' understanding. Also, the repetition of it does help some students. For example, in math, it actually really helped me on several occassions. How will you make sure your students are understanding the material without implementing busy work?
ReplyDeleteI love your specific example for Vygotsky. How will you make sure students always see the value of the work that they do? I am glad you see the importance of moral development in the classroom. How ill you help students take the next step in their development?
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