Chapter 10

Which of the learning activities/skills can you think of that lend themselves to learning through modeling?

Modeling is a change in people that results from observing others. I can think of a million ways to model in the classroom, however, I am just going to focus on a few. 

Since I plan (hope) to teach third grade, I can be fairly sure that they have been exposed to school rules, rule following, etc. However, I may need to correctly model classroom procedures that are characteristic of my classroom. For example, one of the teachers I have observed gains classroom attention by clapping a pattern and having her students mimic it. I really liked this idea, and plan to model it to my future classroom. 

Another major thing to model in elementary school involves math computation. Students do not just automatically know how to correctly multiply two digit numbers. I will need to show many interactive examples and talk my way through the problem, complete a guided practice, and then let children do individual work as I monitor. This is true of any math skill. 

 Through this method, hopefully we can avoid this!!

I love the sequence of modeling that focuses on I do: You watch, I do: You help (together), and You do: I watch. I think when introducing any new concept, this sequence is really  important.  

How might self-efficacy and self-regulation contribute to the intervention plans you use in your case study?

 

You engage your third grade students in cooperative learning activities at least twice a day, changing heterogeneous group members once every four weeks. You have agreed upon routine procedures that your classroom community uses within their small groups, including the roles and responsibilities of group members. Lately you have noticed that one small group always seems to have difficulty grasping material and completing their project in an acceptable manner.  You observe this group carefully and find that Lisa seems to be the catalyst for their problems.  She gets angry with others if she does not get the job she wants and refuses to do her part in contributing to the group’s learning.  She constantly interrupts others in her group.  She does not pay attention when her group prepares for class presentations. 

 I would first begin by teaching self-regulation to the whole cooperative learning group. For example, if you know you are getting off task or distracting other students get up and go get a drink of water to focus. I would teach them to make a time-table together, to show what they need to complete each day in order to complete and turn in their project on time and in an acceptable manner. 

Next, I would speak with Lisa individually. I would encourage her in order to raise her self-efficacy, because maybe her problem lies with feeling inadequate and being lost when the other students are working together so she acts out to compensate. I would try to get to the bottom of her issue while also encouraging her. I would then work on self-regulation tasks and we could brainstorm together ways to regulate her behavior if she gets angry. I would also want to come up with some system of job delegation so everyone gets a chance to do everything, which may help Lisa by realizing she will get a chance to do the job that she wants as time goes on. I will tell her if she wants to interrupt then raise her hand or pass a not to the person speaking, this way she is still getting to make her point without being rude to other students. In this situation, I think the key would be to let Lisa be an active participant in brainstorming ways to self-regulate and working together to implement this behavior in her small group setting.