Learning Episode 1: Educational Theories

Name of Observer Drew Genesis N. Bo

Name of School Manggahan Elementary School
School Address Manggahan, General Trias, Cavite.
Name of Teacher Mrs. Rachelle G. Cantilado
Date(s) of
November 13-27, 2022 Time Observed 18 hours
Observation

OBSERVATION 1.1: Behaviorist Theory in Learning

Introduction: What educational learning theories are utilized by the teachers in class?
How are these used in the teaching practice?

In ancient Greece, Plato, asked the question “How does an individual

learn something new if the subject itself is new to them”. and ever since,
many theorists have emerged regarding how students learn. These
theories of learning or educational theories are a set of principles that
explain how best a student can acquire, retain and recall new
information. Basically, learning can be viewed into two perspectives:
objectivism and constructivism.

Regardless of the perspective, the fact is that there are so many

educational theorists, but they can be clustered in to three major
groups: behaviorism, cognitivism and social learning theory. For this
observation, we will focus on behaviorism. So, let’s get started.

Learning At the end of this module, I will be able to:

Outcomes:
 observe behaviorism applied in the conduct of class
 identify part of the lesson/teaching behaviorism is applied
 analyze how behaviorism is utilized in teaching-learning process
 synthesize the advantages and disadvantages of behaviorism
in the classroom
Observation Guide 1. Locate a classroom setting where a class is ongoing.
2. Ask permission to the teacher-in-charge that you will be conducting
an observation.
3. Observe the class and be guided by the provided checklist
OBSERVATION REPORT
Strength of Concept Concept Strength of Concept
Not Not Effective Highly
present effective Effective
CONDITIONING
Is there a stimulus being presented to the
Classical learner that elicits a response alongside a
Conditioning
stimulus that does not?
Is there a reward or punishment being
Operant introduced following a desired or undesired
Conditioning
behavior?
STIMULUS
Example of Something introduced into the environment
stimulus
that the learners can respond to
Variety of media Multiple ways to introduce new material:
recordings, photos, text, etc.
Variety of Multiple ways to teach a desired behavior:
strategies aural, visual, kinesthetic, etc.
REINFORECEMENT
Examples of Token reward system in place, verbal or visual
reinforcement positive reinforcement or punishment
Reinforcement Is the teacher consistent with the rewards and
schedule punishments they are presenting?
Shaping/Chaining Does the teacher break the desired behaviors
down to manageable parts?
Does the teacher provide timely feedback
Immediate when a student performs
feedback appropriate/inappropriate behaviors?
Reward contingent Do the rewards/punishments coincide with the
on behavior behavior the teacher is trying to encourage/
discourage?
STUDENT/TEACHER BEHAVIOR
Learner active Are learners engaged in the learning? Are they
participation asking questions and on task?
Teacher Is the teacher asking questions that the
questioning-Check learners can relate to the objectives?
for understanding
 STUDENT OBSERVATION NOTES

The maximum number of students in each lesson is 6, which I find really useful since it keeps
the room from being too crowded. According to what I've seen, all of Teacher Rachelle's pupils
are highly active and eager to learn every day. I think it's a wonderful thing, but occasionally
their energy causes them to do things like yell, tap the couches, and make fun of their peers. I
witnessed one of the kids hitting his friend with a pencil, and as a result, Teacher Rachelle
urged the student to get up, take his classmate's hand, and apologize. He did so, and instructor
Rachelle seized the pencil as well. When the student is not acting properly, he is not permitted
to take it.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Instructions: Answer the following questions. Write your answer on the space provided.

1. Did the teacher use reinforcement in the class? Which part of the teaching-learning process it
was observed?
- Teacher Rachelle, from what I've seen, employs reinforcement throughout the teaching
and learning process. She made certain that every kid who completed the exams, properly
answered the questions, participated in class, and even behaved nicely throughout the
lesson received reinforcements. Because I've seen that if the children receive praise from
instructor Rachelle, they are driven to pay attention, engage more, and perform well in all
of the activities that their teacher has planned for them.
2. What kind of reinforcement was observed?
- Teacher Rachelle stressed the importance of recognizing every effort made by children in
every activity at school. That's why I observed she emphasized every effort made by the kids
by rewarding them with praise. She employs social reinforces such as saying or writing
"Good job" or "Excellent work" to convey praise for a behavior, and she also uses physical
reinforces such as letting the kid use a stamp or magnet when the student exhibits good
conduct. She also gives extra time to the students who behaves well and even letting them
have extra time for a recess.
3. Did the teacher use punishment in the class? Which part of the teaching-learning process it
was observed?

- When the pupils misbehave, it usually occurs at an inconvenient moment. It happens at

moments when instructor Rachelle is discussing the subject, offering examples, or even
addressing evaluations provided to students. Everything is unexpected, but thanks to
instructor Rachelle, every condition is manageable and the session runs as well as
possible.

4. What kind of punishment was observed?

- Teacher Rachelle administers both positive and negative punishments when children
misbehave, depending on the scenario. She occasionally offers more tasks or asks more
questions to the pupils as positive punishment, or she makes them clean their belongings
when they get untidy. Teacher Rachelle, on the other hand, is withdrawing some of their
privileges, taking away the things that the children are interested in, giving them a timeout,
and even taking away the advantages or services that they may access.
5. What kind of conditioning was utilized by the teacher? Is it effective?
- Teacher Rachelle employs both operant and classical conditioning. based on how she
manages each class she has with different kids She ensured a pleasant learning atmosphere
for her students by treating them with warmth, conspicuously encouraging them, and
establishing safe and respected connections with them, and I believe this is how she
employs classical conditioning. On the other hand, she employs operant conditioning by
rewarding some forms of behavior and punishing others.

6. What stimulus was introduced by the teacher to elicit response from the learners? How it was
done?

- Across the whole 18 hours of observation in several classes with instructor Rachelle, she
employs a variety of stimulus changes. Throughout the teaching and learning process,
she displays those cues in a very natural and effective manner. Students with ADHD and
ASD, in particular, will occasionally exhibit disruptive behaviors such as screaming and
tapping at inconvenient moments. I noticed how she uses purposeful movements to
explain diagrams and organizers to the students, how her gestures change depending on
the situation, how her speech varies to help her give information to the students, and how
she uses the interaction style more frequently to elicit responses from the students while
asking questions.
 KEY INSIGHTS

Instructions: Describe the three most important learning you have in using behaviorism in the
teaching-learning process.

1. Keep track of the students’ progress- According to my observations, it is

critical to build a system for tracking student progress since it can assist
identify what they are strong at and what they are weak in, and it can also
help instructors know what they can do to intervene if difficulties occur.
2. Communicate academic and behavioral expectations to students - I
believe that communicating academic and behavioral standards to students
is critical because students will understand what results their instructors are
expecting. It can also drive pupils to perform better since they are aware that
their teachers want the best from them.
3. Praise positive behaviors- According to my observations, praising positive
behavior has more positive outcomes than pointing out poor behavior. This
will also assist to limit disruptive conduct since reinforcing positive behavior
makes children think that all of their good behavior will win them rewards
while disregarding slightly unpleasant behavior and regularly enforcing
punishments for breaching rules.
 PORTFOLIO SECTION

Instructions: Provide documentation of your observation. You may include photo documentation,
materials utilized in the observation, technology used and other relevant documents
 Learning Episode 1: Educational Theories
Name of Observer Drew Genesis N. Bo
Name of School Manggahan Elementary School
School Address Manggahan, General Trias, Cavite.
Name of Teacher Mrs. Rachelle G. Cantilado
Date(s) of
November 13-27, 2022 Time Observed 18 hours
Observation

OBSERVATION 1.2 Cognitivism in Learning

Introduction: The Cognitive Learning Theory describes learning as an internal
process of making connections between previously learned material
and new information, thereby creating meaning to that information and
making it more easily retrievable. The students are always active in the
learning, always building off of previously learned information,
rehearsal, retrieval, and review are necessary components of the
learning process, and meaning is often built into the process, all of
which help students retain newly acquired information.

For this observation, we will focus on cognitivism. So, let’s get started.

Learning At the end of this module, I will be able to:

Outcomes:
 observe cognitivism applied in the conduct of class
 identify part of the lesson/teaching cognitivism is applied
 analyze how cognitivism is utilized in teaching-learning process
 synthesize the advantages and disadvantages of cognitivism as
applied in the classroom

Observation Guide 1. Locate a classroom setting where a class is ongoing.

2. Ask permission to the teacher-in-charge that you will be conducting
an observation.
3. Observe the class and be guided by the provided checklist
 OBSERVATION REPORT
Strength of Concept Concept Strength of Concept
Not Not Effective Highly
present effective Effective
HELPING STUDENTS TO ORGANIZE KNOWLEDGE
Teacher uses The instruction includes materials that
advanced organize the content in a logical way to help
organizers the student learn.
Teacher signaled The teacher highlights important information,
to important either through verbal instruction, graphic
information organizers, or gestures.
Teacher uses a The content is delivered in an organized way,
concept
related material is grouped together when
map/knowledge
map introduced and the instruction is sequenced.
BUILDING ON PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
Teacher activates The teacher encourages the students to think
prior knowledge in about they already know, through questioning,
students thought exercises or activities.
Teacher relates The teacher helps learners draw connections
new information to between new information and previously
learner(s) learned information.
SCHEMA AND DUAL MEMORY
Students were Students respond to new information through
required to discussion, writing exercises or presentations.
verbalize new
information
Students were Students practice recalling information
engaged in repeatedly through activities, assessments
rehearsal, and discussions.
repetition and/or
review of new
information
Students enacted Students physically demonstrate their
new information understanding of knowledge.
Students were The teacher engages the students in thought
asked to visualize exercises, discussions and activities that
new information require them to imagine the information in a
visual way.
Students were The teacher plans activities that require
asked to students to compare and contrast two or more
make connections related concepts.
 STUDENT OBSERVATION NOTES
I've observed how instructor Rachelle ensures that all of the lessons she teaches her pupils are
simple to grasp and remember. She also made certain that she studied past classes before
beginning new ones in order to create connections. Since her classroom does not yet have a
television, she creates a visual aid using cutouts and schema maps. She even provides real-
life examples and data to help pupils understand what she is saying. Teacher Rachelle also
provides a variety of examples, and she ensures that all of her examples are applicable so that
the student understands. She frequently reminds students of vocabulary phrases or things they
need to know, such as important words of a topic, so they may readily recall when they are
questioned.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Instructions: Answer the following questions. Write your answer on the space provided.

1. How did the teacher connect previous knowledge of the students with the new lesson being
introduced?

- Teacher Rachelle uses a laptop to ensure that the PowerPoint presentation she
created for the classes is seen by her pupils. Before beginning a new session, she will
show various visuals, videos, or sentences related to their last lesson. Then she would
try to ask her kids questions about what they are thinking or remembering. When the
kids recall the prior lesson, she will question how important it is to know if they
mastered it in the previous lesson, and each student must respond verbally. When
instructor Rachelle receives the required response, she will display another picture
related to the current lesson and ask what the relationship is between the two. That is
when she may begin discussing the new lesson. She always made a point of explaining
the relationship between the teachings and their significance.

2. In which part of the teaching and learning process does activation of prior knowledge observed?

- According to my observations, the activation of students' prior knowledge occurs when

the instructor selects the topic or during the early portion of the teaching-learning process.
It is claimed in teaching sayings that teaching must be from known to unknown. That is,
the pupils will have prior information, and when a new idea is offered to them in reference
to their prior knowledge, they will comprehend the notion more easily. And I feel that here
is when the students' past knowledge comes into play, albeit their knowledge is exercised
throughout the teacher-learning process by answering the instructors' questions, taking
assessments, and reflecting.

3. How did the teacher help students in organizing the lesson in the class? What strategy(ies) did
the teacher utilized?

-Teacher Rachelle employs a variety of teaching strategies with her students. First, she
split the classroom into groups or centers to assist students learn from one another and
focus on subject that is appropriate for their knowledge level. The teacher can circulate
among the groups, giving individual directions and assignments to each. The second
strategy is establishing expectations; this strategy is effective because it encourages
students to lay out all academic and behavioral expectations in a precise manner, such as
instructing students to raise their hand before speaking or asking people for verbal
consent before doing something. The final step is to break down steps to ensure that the
specific lessons are manageable.

4. In which part of the lesson did you observe elaboration? How did the teacher facilitate this?

- Teacher Rachelle, in my views, elucidates every topic, especially when presenting a new
subject. When she connects prior and new themes, she ensures that she clarifies
everything by providing fresh material that produces sophisticated knowledge. She
encourages elaboration by asking questions and using organizers, vocabulary phrases,
or cards to assist her pupils picture what she is presenting. She also produced images
that corresponded to terms related to what she was discussing. Following that, she
considers more instances to ensure that the pupils fully get the lesson.

5. Did the teacher utilize scaffolding? Describe how scaffolding was done.
- Teacher Rachelle's classes regularly make use of scaffolding. Students assimilate
knowledge more rapidly when she relates new learning to earlier life experiences. She also
provides time for her students to reflect on what they have learnt. She also uses
technology to demonstrate to her pupils various methods of connecting with their themes.
Teacher Rachelle additionally ensured that knowledge on a topic was broken down into
pieces so that pupils could progressively absorb all of the information. She also chats to
her pupils while they are taking an assessment, and she provides them tips and techniques
on how to finish what they are working on effectively.

KEY INSIGHTS

Instructions: Answer the following questions

How assimilation is different from accommodation? If learning is considered as a relative

permanent change in mental process or schema, how can we determine if there is a change?

- Assimilation is a subjective process. It occurs when an individual uses prior

knowledge to understand or make sense of new knowledge. For instance, the
child may have a schema about a particular type of animal. The child's only
exposure to dogs is through their pet dog, and he is aware that dogs have four
legs. This child comes across another dog one day. Based on his previous
experience with his dog, he recognizes the new animal as a dog. Assimilation
of the animal into the child's dog schema is demonstrated by labeling it as a
dog. While accommodation is a process of adaptation in which the pre-existing
schema is changed to accommodate new knowledge. This occurs when
existing knowledge is incorrect. A child, for example, is aware that a dog has
four legs. When the child first sees a horse, he refers to it as a dog because it
has four legs. Assimilation occurs when he integrates the new animal into his
existing knowledge. However, when an adult point out that it is a horse, not a
dog, the child changes his perception that all four-legged animals are not dogs.
You'll be able to tell the difference between the two this way. In Assimilation, a
child's schema is not changed; it is only modified; in Accommodation, the
schema is altered; a new schema may be developed. When it comes to new
ideas, assimilation occurs when there are related ideas and concepts, whereas
accommodation occurs when there are opposing ideas.
 Learning is a broad term that refers to a change in behavior, knowledge, and
skills as a result of practice. According to what I've seen, the difference was
noticeable throughout the teaching-learning process. When students absorb all
of the information that teacher Rachelle is explaining, especially when she asks
them questions or asks them to share their experiences or reflections on the
topic, and how they can successfully complete the assessments. That is where
I can say that the students' schema are being modified and changed.

PORTFOLIO SECTION

Instructions: Provide documentation of your observation. You may include photo documentation,
materials utilized in the observation, technology used and other relevant documents