Theory Overview ProjectEducation 405 A

David Flores,Reyna Camacho & Anthony J. Zarate

Theory Overview Project Objective

• Our PowerPoint project is an ongoing collaborative effort to represent the Educational Research and

Theories we as novices have studied within our UCLA TEP experience.

ED425Principles of Teaching Exceptional Individuals

• Individualized Education Plan (IEP): defines the individualized objectives of a child who has been found with a disability, as defined by federal regulations. The IEP is intended to help children reach educational goals more easily than they otherwise would. In all cases the IEP must be tailored to the individual student's needs as identified by the IEP evaluation process, and must especially help teachers and related service providers (such as paraprofessional educators) understand the student's disability and how the disability affects the learning process.

• Members of the IEP Team include:

• 1. One or both of the parents/guardians

• 2. The child

• 3. The teacher

• 4. Psychologist

• 5. Counselor

• 6. Administrator

ED425Principles of Teaching Exceptional Individuals

• 504 Plan: refers to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, which specifies that no one with a disability can be excluded from participating in federally funded programs or activities, including elementary, secondary or postsecondary schooling. "Disability" in this context refers to a "physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities.

IEP vs. 504 Plan

504 plan, which falls under civil-rights law, is an attempt to remove barriers and allow students with disabilities to participate freely; like the Americans With Disabilities Act, it seeks to level the playing field so

that those students can safely pursue the same opportunities as everyone else. An IEP, which falls under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, is much more concerned with actually providing

educational services. Students eligible for an IEP, or Individualized Education Plan, represent a small subset of all students with disabilities. They generally require more than a level playing field -- they require

significant remediation and assistance, and are more likely to work on their own level at their own pace even in an inclusive classroom. Only certain classifications of disability are eligible for an IEP, and students

who do not meet those classifications but still require some assistance to be able to participate fully in school would be candidates for a 504 plan.

ED425Principles of Teaching Exceptional Individuals

• Comprehensive Classroom Management: The Tiered Approach

• I. Primary: School-wide, class-wide behavior management system that is effective 80-90%

• II. Secondary: Small group interventions 10-15%

• III. Tertiary: Individualized interventions that supports 1-5% of students for whom secondary intervention is not adequate

• PROACTIVE not REACTIVE!

• “The teaching of appropriate classroom behavior must occur before the teaching of any academics”

• “When no behavior management is in place, at-risk students have a very difficult time”

• Brown, Monica & Sayeski, Kristin. “Developing a Classroom Management Plan Using a Tiered Approach.” Volume 44, No. 1, pp.8-17, 2011 CEC

ED425Principles of Teaching Exceptional Individuals

• Six Elements of Effective Classroom Management

• I. Purposefully structure the Classroom Environment

• II. Actively support student engagement

• III. Implement Rules/Routines/Procedures

• IV. Encourage desired student behavior

• V. Use behavior reduction strategies

• VI. Use data to monitor and adjust

• Brown, Monica & Sayeski, Kristin. “Developing a Classroom Management Plan Using a Tiered Approach.” Volume 44, No. 1, pp.8-17, 2011 CEC

Universal Design for Learning! (U.D.L.)• I. Multiple Means of Representation- there is no one way to present information in a way that will make

all learners successful

• II. Multiple Means of Action/Expression- vary the methods for response and navigation; optimize access to tools and assistive technologies

• III. Provide Multiple Means of Engagement- optimize individual choice and autonomy, relevance, value, and authenticity

• Key Questions:

• How do we as educators present information?

• How do we ask learners to show they have learned?

• How do we motivate and engage students?

Psychological Theories, Ideas, and Practices/Methodologies

Psychological Education is the study of human learning. This involves studying instructional processes within the classroom setting. The study of learning processes,

both cognitive and affective, allows researchers to the understand individual differences in behavior, personality, intellect, and self- concept. The field heavily relies on testing, measurement, assessment, evaluation, and training to enhance educational activities

and learning processes.

Three major components of our studies have focused on:I. Cognitive Theory

II. Behaviorism III. Socio-Cultural

I. Cognitive Theory *Cognitive Theory/Cognition is the process involved in gaining skills or knowledge, and includes thinking, knowing,

remembering and problem solving.

*It identifies how individuals acquire new knowledge *It aims to connect and bridge new and prior knowledge together

*Jean Piaget, an influential Swiss developmental psychologist, is the Father of Cognitive Theory. His theory looks to assimilate the knowledge of the learner, as well as how to accommodate the information (into their schemata).

*Cognition and cognitive theorists emphasize children as “active learners who are able to set goals, plan, and revise… [and] are seen as learners who assemble and organize material”

* “Cognitive development involves the gradual acquisition of strategies for remembering, understanding and solving problems.”

*Cognitive approaches to learning creates free-thinking leaners!

Bransford, J. et al. (2000). How people learn; Brain, mind, experience and school. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

Huitt, W., & Hummel, J. (2003). Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University.

II. Behaviorism*Behaviorist theories are based on the beliefs that students are empty vessels, or in a tabula rasa state, and have no knowledge whatsoever. *Behaviorism thus stresses a notion of the teacher filling their minds with knowledge and information, known as the banking model. *B.F. Skinner, psychologist and behaviorist, innovated his own science of radical behaviorism*His theory of “Operant Conditioning” has been widely critiqued, as it involves positive (+) and negative (-) reinforcement/punishment as forms of learning.

Punishment: a consequence that reduces a behavior.Reinforcement: a consequence that increases a behavior.

Positive: adding a stimulus or consequence.Negative: removing a stimulus or consequence.

*Behaviorism challenges the notions of cognition because training a learner’s behavior does not provide the cognitive skills necessary to become a free-thinker!

Schwartz, B & Robbins, S.J. (1995). Psychology of Learning and Behaviour. London: NortonSkinner, B.F.. (1968). The technology of teaching. East Norwalk, CT, US: Appleton-Century-Crofts.

Behaviorism continued…Negative and Positive ReinforcementNegative and Positive Punishment

“The Four Quadrants.” Themidnightbarker.com

III. Socio-Cultural -S-C theory focuses on the roles that participation in social interactions and culturally organized activities play in

influencing psychological development

-S-C theory states that learning is a natural occurrence, and since humans are naturally social, the way we learn best is through social interaction. Learners participate in a broad range of joint activities and internalize the effects of working

together, gradually acquiring new strategies and knowledge of the world and culture. The way this is done in the classroom is through establishing a community of learners.

-Sociocultural theorists believe that everyone has something to teach and something to learn, creating fluid roles for both the teacher and the students and dispelling deficit thinking.

-- Another aspect of sociocultural theory is the importance of creating culturally relevant pedagogy through the incorporation of students' experiences and backgrounds into the classroom, as well as creating opportunities for your

classroom to become actively involved in positive community efforts.

- Adjusting curriculum so that it is diverse and relatable to students’ lives is vital .This creates an opportunity to tap into students' funds of knowledge. According to Oakes & Lipton (2003), a sociocultural theory of learning “integrates social,

historical, and cognitive processes” (p. 78).

Lev Vygotsky and ZPDVygotsky (1978) introduced the construct of the zone of proximal development (ZPD) as a fundamentally new approach to the problem that learning should be matched in some manner with the child's level of development. He argued that to understand the relationship between

development and learning, two developmental levels must be distinguished: the actual and the potential levels of development. The actual refers to those accomplishments a child can

demonstrate alone or perform independently in contrast to potential levels of development as suggested by the ZPD—what children can do with assistance.

- Vygotsky described ZPD as “the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers” (p. 85). A

way to maximize students’ academic performance is by teaching to their particular ZPD.

Zone of Proximal Development !

Notable Socio-Cultural Theorists/ArticlesChristensen, L. (2000). “Where I’m from: Inviting students’ lives into the classroom” in reading, writing, and rising up: teaching about social

justice and the power of the written word. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Rethinking Schools, 18-22.

Diaz, E., & Flores, B. (2001). Teaching as a sociocultural, sociohistorical mediator. In J. J. Halcon & M. de la Reyes (Eds.), The Best for Our Children: Critical Perspectives on Literacy for Latino Students (pp. 29-47). New York: Teachers College Press.

Lerner, R.M. & Anderson, P.M. (2003). Positive youth development: Thriving as the basis of civil society. Applied Developmental Science, 7, 172-180.

Moll, L C, Amamnti,C., Neff,D., and Gonzalez, N. (1992).Funds of Knowledge for teaching: Using a Quantitive Approach to Connect Homes and Classrooms. Theory into practice, 31 (1), 132-41.

Oakes & Lipton. (2000). Teaching to Change the World, Contemporary Learning Theories (pp. 67-94). San Francisco, CA: McGraw Hill.

Powell, R., and Davidson, N. (2005). The donut house: Real world literacy in an urban kindergarten classroom. Language Arts, 82(4), 248-256.

Rogoff, B. (1994). Developing understanding of the idea of communities of learners. In Mind, Culture, and Activity. 1-11.

Wenger, E. (1998). A social theory of learning. In Communities of practices: Learning meaning and identity. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Latin@ Critical Race Theory •LatCrit address the intersectionality of race, language, gender, sexuality, immigration, and class.

•There are five themes in LatCrit

–Race and Racism intersectionality with forms of subordination

•ex. Gender and sexuality.

–The Challenge of dominant ideology

•LatCrit challenges the education system traditional claims of objectivity, meritocracy, color blindness, race neutrality, and equal opportunity.

–Commitment to social justice

•A social justice agenda that leads to the elimination of race, gender, poverty and empowers the underrepresented minority groups.

–The interdisciplinary perspective

•Focuses on an analyze of race and racism in education through multiple interdisciplinary methods

–Centrality of experiential knowledge

•Drawing on the lived experiences of students of color ex including story telling, family history, and scenarios.

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy • Pedagogy a subject matter knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge, (Shulman 1987).

• Culturally relevant teaching is specifically committed to collective empowerment.

• Culturally Relevant Pedagogy has three criteria's

• Academic success

• For example literacy, numeracy, and technological skills.

• Cultural competence

• Having students balance cultural integrity and academic excellence.

• Using students culture for learning.

• Having students use home language to express themselves and having “translate” to standard English.

• Critical consciousness

• Developing a students ability to go beyond individual characteristics of academic achievement and cultural competence.

• Building students sociopolitical consciousness to critique the cultural norms, values, mores, and institutions that produce and maintain social inequities.

• Having students develop multiple perspectives on a variety of social and historical events.

Language and Identity• Gee, J. (2004). Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional

Schooling

– School language and Home language

• The way a child is socialized in language

• The language used in the home should be used in the school so the child can develop academic language

– School Identity related to home identity

• How the child identifies must be valid in the school in order for the child to learn

Interthinking• Mercer, N. Words and Minds How we use language to think together

• “Language does not only enable us to interact, it enables us to interthink”

• Language helps us in thinking together creating knowledge and understanding

Interthinking• Cultural and Psychological language are integrated

• Cultural “ways with words” eventually become their psychological tools

• Learning through communication to become active members in society

Critical Media Literacy • 1. Media Literacy Education requires active inquiry and critical

thinking about the messages we receive and create.

• 2. Media Literacy Education expands the concept of literacy (i.e., reading and writing) to include all forms of media.

• 3. Media Literacy Education builds and reinforces skills for learners of all ages. Like print literacy, those skills necessitate integrated,

interactive, and repeated practice.

Continuing Critical Media Literacy • 4. Media Literacy Education develops informed, reflective and

engaged participants essential for a democratic society.

• 5. Media Literacy Education recognizes that media are a part of culture and function as agents of socialization.

• 6. Media Literacy Education affirms that people use their individual skills, beliefs and experiences to construct their

own meanings from media messages.

Publications on Critical Media Literacy

- Jhally, S. (1990). Image-Based Culture. Gender, race, and class in media, 249-257.

- Kellner, D., & Share, J. (2007). Critical media literacy is not an option. Learning Inquiry, 1(1), 59-69.

- Lievrouw, L. (2011). Alternative and Activist New Media. Polity Press.- Morrell, E. (2002). Toward a critical pedagogy of popular culture: Literacy

development among urban youth. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 46(1), 72-77.

- Share, J. (2009). Media Literacy is Elementary: Teaching Youth to Critically Read and Create Media. New York: Peter Lang Publishers.