K-12 schooling is like a bizarre patchwork quilt of theory and research influences. Learning is so complex, so multifaceted, that no one theory or set of research findings can possibly cover all of it. And large-scale institutional change is a very slow process, so just because some new ideas get adopted doesn’t mean the old ideas automatically go away. So we have a situation in which different educational practices, across all subjects and age levels, many informed by different theories and findings about learning, exist side-by-side and simultaneously. Your own memories of your K-12 schooling experiences are probably reflective of this variety, complexity, and lack of cohesion.   

There are many learning theories and research findings that we have and will examine in the first part of this class: Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Intelligence and IQ, Constructivism, Metacognition, and Transfer. All of them have influenced (and are still influencing) education a great deal. Your job is to examine your own K-12 schooling experiences and come up with three to four examples that illustrate the influence of different ideas from the concepts and readings just mentioned, covered during the first part of the quarter. For each concept, describe the learning activity or classroom practice (behavior management and explicit learning/teaching are both fine) and then connect it up with the theory or concept from the readings.

Your essay should be 5-6 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font.  Outside references are not required, but you should cite the texts themselves (use in-text citations as well as a Works Cited heading).  We do not care what citation format you use – whatever you are familiar with and have used in previous classes is fine. We also do not care if your citation format is perfect – just that you are citing! You should also describe in detail the research study or specific concept in the text you are referring to. If you are directly quoting, make sure you include the page number. Submit to Canvas.

You Need a Professional Writer To Work On Your Paper?