Mrs. Bobbie Proffitt - EDAT 6115 - KS&TL

Description             This weeks reading involved grouping students to best meet their ability levels, students that are labeled at-risk, and also technology in the classroom.   Analysis             Effective instruction does not involve a teacher standing up at the front of a class and lecturing for the class period.   Instead, it relies on a variety of methods to reach students with strengths in different areas.   For example, John Carroll created a model called QAIT, which stands for quality of instruction, appropriate levels of instruction, incentive, and time.   According to Slavin (2015), quality of instruction relates to “The degree to which presentation of information or skills helps students easily learn the material” (p. 216).   Traditional methods such as lecturing, questioning, and helping students with independent work can be made...

Description             This week’s readings focused on constructivist approaches in learning and students working without assistance to problem solve. Analysis             Slavin (2015) begins this chapter with a significant statement: “One of the most important principles of educational psychology is that teachers cannot simply give students knowledge. Students must construct knowledge in their own minds” (p. 190).   This tenet, the focus of constructivism, represents the movement well.   Much of constructivism builds off Piaget and Vygotsky’s principles; Vygotsky believed that student learning had more to do with social interactions than the teacher, who facilitates the learning process in the classroom rather than being an all-knowing dispenser of knowledge.             Constructivism values discover...