One topic addressed in the text was formal conversations without the teacher. It addressed that when students are released to have group discussions, there needs to be an individual to direct conversation and ensure the discussion is kept on topic. I think group conversations without the teacher are a necessary part of the classroom. The individuals who have led class discussion have been able to build on their leadership skills. I have found it useful in our class discussions. It allows students to discuss with one another and expand their knowledge on a topic. It allows for students to hear different viewpoints on a topic. Students learn how to respect others and their beliefs through these discussions. I’ve thought about things differently from hearing other individuals in our class share their opinions.
The behaviorist theory states that language is defined as the observed and produced speech that occurs in the interaction of speaker and listener. I believe this is somewhat true of us. I believe that you are what you surround yourself with. However, is this true of every student? What are the benefits of this theory? What are the disadvantages of this theory?
The theories that I most identify with are The Piagetian and Vygotskian Theories along with The Constructivist Theory. The Piagetian and Vygotskian Theory is built on the idea that children develop through their activities. I believe that children learn through others. They pick up on social cues from one another and learn how to interact. The Constructivist Theory is built on the idea that children are the creators of language on the basis of an innate set of rules or underlying concepts. It focuses on the fact that children make errors and that this is an important part of learning how language works. I think students make mistakes and once they realize it is wrong they are able to improve. It is natural of individuals to self assess themselves and work on their weaknesses.
Overall, I am in agreement with this post. The connection that you made about having student run discussions without the teacher and then later mentioning the Constructivist Theory was an excellent reference. Looking back, I recall how I looked forward to student run book discussions when I was in school, although, they rarely occurred prior to High School. It is one way that a student can work on their leadership skills, but another thing they are able to work on is their analyzing and questioning skills. Student that run or participate in discussions usually have to create their own questions and/or come up with the answers that were asked of them. However, it is important to occasionally allow the teacher to run discussions. One reason is how the Piagetian and Vygotskian Theory notes how children learn by others. Even though students should learn from their mistakes, they should also learn from a model example on efficient ways to lead discussions, in case the students continue to not learn from previous mistakes of previous discussions. There are times when the students will continue to not fix their errors.
ReplyDelete