HEIZEL J.
ANTONIO
MAED-ECE-204 PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATION IN EDUCATION
REFLECTION PAPER ON
UNIT VI- PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING PART II
The significant learning, I have gained in this lesson is that although what it
means to be a good and effective teacher might vary from person to person, I think
there are fundamental qualities that all good educators have. Passion is the first quality.
Teachers must have a strong sense of passion for their work in order to give it their all
every day and guarantee they are providing the finest possible instruction. Teachers that
are passionate about their teaching and are consistently excited to teach provide the
best results for their students. Being involved is another quality of great educators. No
meaningful learning can occur without enough student involvement, which typically
requires more than a lecture to achieve. I still concur with these qualities of effective
teachers today as I did at the start of the semester.
My understanding of what makes a good teacher has changed, and this includes
how knowledgeable and informed they are. This includes being an expert in their
particular field of study as well as having knowledge of current affairs, modern
technology, innovative teaching methods, and identity-related problems like race,
ethnicity, socioeconomic status, ability, etc. For instance, teachers are not limited to
teaching math to their students. Numerous additional topics and skills can be introduced
into the classroom.
I can honestly say that this course has helped me become ready for most of the
teaching standards. In particular, this caught my attention: "Teachers comprehend that
children learn differently”. I believe a significant portion of our course was devoted to
learning this standard. The teacher "understands how pupils differ in their approaches to
learning and the barriers that impede learning and can adapt instruction to meet the
diverse needs of pupils, including those with disabilities and exceptionalities." In
addition to race, children range greatly in terms of ability, socioeconomic situation, and
other factors. We learned a great deal about these differences and how they affect how
students learn. We gained a lot of insight into the necessity for educators to be
adaptable and design lesson plans and tests that can be modified to meet the academic
needs of students with various levels of ability.
The most important lesson I've taken up this semester—one that will help me get
ready for my future as a teacher—is definitely how to be more understanding with my
children. This means that I have discovered the value of getting to know my pupils
better on a personal level in order to better manage the classroom and determine what
works and doesn't for them. Instead of criticizing the students for their behavior, it is our
responsibility as educators to identify the causes and determine how we may better
support them in their learning. Some children may lack motivation, concentration,
fundamental skills, etc., but it is likely not their fault. The learners' obvious lack of
interest in what we were doing in class would sometimes make me unhappy. To
understand how I could increase the children's engagement and motivation, I had to
step back and think about why this might be happening and what these children might
be going through.
In order to improve learning and make it simple to discuss with children, we talked
about Gagne's conditions of learning. As we read his theories, we see how they are
more comprehensive than the traditional approach to teaching. The following nine
events of instruction are important in proper teaching:
1. Gaining attention –attracting students' attention through engaging motivational
strategies.
2. Informing the learner of the objective – Providing the learner with the correct
information about the material being presented can help ensure that they understand
the conversations.
3. Stimulating the recollection of prior knowledge- helps students remember earlier
lessons and draw connections to current topics.
4. Presenting Stimulus – Provide a related activity or definitions for the covered
topics.
5. Providing learning guidance – Offer a realistic demonstration and a visual
presentation that meets their topics.
6. Eliciting Performance – Have the group participate in an activity and write their
responses on the board to demonstrate the work they have done.
7. Giving feedback – entails letting the teacher educate students when they are
mistaken or show appreciation for their efforts.
8. Assessing performance – Allow each student to respond to the activity to
evaluate their understanding, quizzes, oral recitation, and motivation for their response.
9. Enhancing retention and transfer – Giving more drills to practice newly learned
skills will improve retention and transfer.
To sum it up, teachers and administrators can learn a lot from Gagne's theories.
Applying Gagne's nine-step model is a great technique to guarantee an efficient and
organized learning program because it gives lesson plans structure and a teaching
perspective that is holistic. We must remember that the specific arrangement of these
events cannot be planned in advance for all classes; rather, it must be chosen for each
learning purpose. While our goal is frequently to assist students to understand, the
performance that is most frequently expected of them is the ability to recall. We can
accomplish this goal by giving the lesson plans' objectives more structure. As Gagne
himself puts it, "organization is the hallmark of effective instructional materials."
