EDST1010 Assessment 3 - Learning Portfolio PDF

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Learning Portfolio for 2019/20 EDST1010, credit mark...

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EDST1010 Assessment 3: Learning Portfolio (40%)

Part 1: Referencing and Research on Effective Study Strategies (500 words total, 1.1 The effective study strategy that I have chosen is practice testing within a primary/elementary context.

1.2 The research articles used throughout the following assessment focus on a primary or elementary educational context.

1.3 1. Firstly, using the multisearch search engine provided by Macquarie University allowed me to gain a brief overview of the topic of practice learning in an array of different educational research journals that focus on primary education. 2. From there, I was able to focus my search down to articles that focus primarily on the research of primary school students from several peer-reviewed research articles. 3. Additionally, I used SCImago in order to evaluate the credibility and therefore usefulness of each article in my study procedure and overall outcome of my research. 4. Some useful terms that were utilised throughout the search process include: information retrieval, classroom testing methods, effective education, and examples of testing being successful in the classroom environment at a primary level.

1.4 Research study 1: Van Den Berg, M., Bosker, R. J., & Suhre, C. J. (2018). Testing the effectiveness of classroom formative assessment in Dutch primary mathematics education. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 29(3), 339–361. https://doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2017.1406376

This research study was undertaken by the University of Groningen in 2017 and focusses on the implementation of CFA (classroom formative assessment). This research study is contextually similar to an Australian primary environment as the methods of goal-directed instruction, assessment of students, and instructional feedback implemented represent the same models of teaching practice in Australian educational environments, specifically in the primary context.

Research study 2: Rohrer, D., Taylor, K., & Sholar, B. (2010). Tests Enhance the Transfer of Learning. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 36(1), 233–239. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017678

This research study was undertaken in 2010 by the University of South Florida. The implementation of testing studies is identical to the testing of primary school students in Australia. Additionally, this research article focusses on the psychological abilities of primary school students which could subsequently apply to any primary-age student on a worldwide scale within the educational context.

Research study 3: Roediger III, H. L., Putnam, A. L., & Smith, M. A. (2011). Ten Benefits of Testing and Their Applications to Educational Practice. In Psychology of Learning and Motivation (Vol. 55, pp. 1–36). Elsevier Science & Technology. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-387691-1.00001-6

This research article focusses on a number of tests and evaluates and analyses the benefits of testing methods using previous research by a number of educational researchers such as Bjork, Butler, A.C, Roediger, Carpenter, Chan, and Congleton. The benefits of testing outlined in the research report refer to primary school students from a range of educational contexts but mainly cover American students. As this article focuses on behavioural and educational outcomes associated with practice testing it is evident that the conclusions conveyed in the research would ultimately apply to primary school students in an Australian educational context.

1.5 Research study 1

Research study 2

Research study 3

1.6 Research study 1 Van Den Berg, M., Bosker, R. J., & Suhre, C. J. (2018). Testing the effectiveness of classroom formative assessment in Dutch primary mathematics education. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 29(3), 339–361. https://doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2017.1406376

Research study 2 Rohrer, D., Taylor, K., & Sholar, B. (2010). Tests Enhance the Transfer of Learning. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 36(1), 233–239. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017678

Research study 3 Roediger III, H. L., Putnam, A. L., & Smith, M. A. (2011). Ten Benefits of Testing and Their Applications to Educational Practice. In Psychology of Learning and Motivation (Vol. 55, pp. 1–36). Elsevier Science & Technology. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-387691-1.00001-6

Part 2: Classroom Video Observation and Reflection (650 words total, 15%) Overview of Chosen Video Observation Video: First Observation Lesson 4th grade (https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=1BSsIMKSmRA&feature=youtu.be) Class Level (Early Childhood, Primary, or Secondary): Primary Subject/Topic (e.g., English/Prepositions, Maths/Fractions): Science Target Student (Child A): Orange hair, white shirt, first table. Comparison Student (Child B): First from the left with jacket, first table.

Briefly explain the classroom context in this video. 1. How is the learning environment set up? (For example, seating arrangements, where teacher positioned themselves, areas of learning, signs, students’ work displays, evidence of engagement with families etc.) In what ways is this classroom context effective or not for student engagement? Tables are set up in a cluster formation that consists of sets of 6 students to a table. A large array of posters/information is evident around the room. The teacher tends to roam freely around the classroom, this allows him to engage with the students effectively. The teacher can also perform the science experiments in view of all students, this ensures that no students miss out on the information being taught.

Learner Behaviour Observation Table Student

A (+/-)

30 sec

B (+/-)

Target Student (Child A) Behaviours

Inatte -ntive

Overactiv e

Impu l-sive

Uncooperative

Anx ious

Withdrawn

-

+

+

+

30 sec 2 min

-

+

+

+

30 sec

-

+

/A

/A

-

+

A

/A

+

-

/B

+

-

/B

30 sec 5 min

-

-

/B

-

-

/B

30 sec SUM

-

+

7

4

1 min

3 min 30 sec

4 min

/A

Othe r Notes

Distracted by camera /A

/A

Agg ressive

/B

/A

/B

B Distracting others around him Disruptive /A

/B

/A

/A

/A

/A

Reflection (500 words) a. After observing this video, list three differences you noted between the target student (child A) and the comparison student (child B) in terms of their on-task behaviours.

1. Student B seems to be able to complete his work easily whereas student A has trouble with some of the questions asked. 2. Student B answers the questions asked by the teacher and engages with the class, whereas Student A shows no signs of engagement throughout the entirety of the class. 3. Student A is a lot more withdrawn compared to Student B, and as a result is less engaged with the content that is being taught by the teacher.

b. What teacher behaviours did you see increasing the on-task behaviours of your target student (child A) and comparison student (child B)?

Child A only seems to engage himself in learning when he is directly approached by the teacher and questioned about the content that has been learned so far, whereas Child B seems to be engaged from the start of the lesson. Child B still shows signs of off-task behaviour and some disruptive behaviour, but this is likely due to the presence of the camera within the classroom. The presence of the camera completely disrupts Child A though and this seems to severely affect his learning.

c. What teacher behaviours did you see decreasing the on-task behaviour of your target student (child A) and comparison student (child B)?

Asking questions directed at the entire classroom seems to cause child A to disengage. A more direct approach would be beneficial for students that tend to withdraw and lose focus. Obviously, filming the children in the classroom environment is the main factor of disruption as the camera is a constant distraction and students who have trouble focusing and engaging in classroom activities are affected, as well as students such as child B, who still loses focus because of the camera, despite appearing to complete his work quickly and answer questions consistently.

Part 3: Reflection of Observation Using Research (750 words total, 20%) The video used throughout this discussion focuses on a 4th grade Science class in an American classroom. The learning theory of behaviourism as first discussed by J.B Watson and further researched and utilised by theorists such as Pavlov, Thorndike and Skinner in a range of experiments are useful when analysing the learning environment within the classroom and the effects of both classical and operant conditioning and their effects on the students within the classroom will be discussed in order to elaborate on the theory of behaviourism. In the video, the classroom environment has an array of learning information on the walls that students can refer to and the presence of this learning material allows students to constantly learn from repetition of this material as a stimuli that creates an unconditional response where the students can consistently gather information and therefore this can allow automatic information processing. This is an example of one of Thorndike’s theories called the ‘law of readiness’ (Thorndike, 2015). This theory refers to the role of the learners physical, mental and emotional environment impacting on the effectiveness of our ability to learn. A positive environment will enable students to retrieve information and learn content more effectively as they will not be deterred by external negative influences. Therefore, it is important that students learn within an environment that is developed with the students mental, physical, and emotional state in mind. Additionally, students are learning to develop an automatic retrieval system that they can then utilise when responding to questions that they otherwise would not be able to comprehend without the presence of the positive stimuli presented throughout the classroom that encourages repetitive learning. As the students are completing their worksheets at 5:59 of the video, the teacher observes the students constantly and it is evident that the students who receive positive reinforcement for completing the objectives assigned to them continue to pay attention and therefore learn more effectively. This is an example of Thorndike’s ‘law of effect’ (Thorndike, 1918), a theory that is based on the idea that positive outcomes will most likely lead to repeat behaviour. In this case, the behaviour that is repeated is the student continuing to complete his assigned worksheet as he knows that he will now receive positive feedback from the teacher. This positive feedback is crucial when sustaining learned behaviour but must also be provided consistently in order to maximise the impact of positive reinforcement on behaviour development. Additionally, when a student is showing negative behaviour such as talking out of turn or disrupting students around them, the teacher enforces consequences that will make the disruptive student react to the negative consequences, thus reducing the likelihood of repeating this behaviour. This is an example of operative conditioning, a theory that was formed by Thorndike based on his stimulusresponse association (Kelly Y.L Ku et al. 2015) and further discussed by Skinner in the 1930s that explains the use of negative reinforcement impacting the repetition of learned behaviour in order to condition the student to modify their behaviour so they will not face consequences associated with the performed negative behaviour. Skinner’s theory of operative conditioning is based on two main concepts: reinforcement and punishment. These are vital when developing the behavioural nature of a student and can also be utilised through the implementation of various reward systems if students perform positive behaviour. This is an example of positive reinforcement conditioning students to behave positively as a reward is expected as a result.

At the 19:40 mark of the video, the teacher motions his hands above his head and requests the students do the same, this results in the students all coming to the attention of the teacher at once and ceasing their activities. This is an effective method of the use of unconditional stimuli (the action performed by the teacher) to create an unconditioned response, and as a result, the students have learned to associate the stimuli with the response automatically. This change in response is therefore a result of learning based on a conditioned response. This theory of learning was developed by Pavlov in 1902 (McLeod, 2013) and uses the idea of the psychological process of automatic learning based on his research on dogs. Pavlov would use a bell to indicate to the dog that it was time to be fed by ringing the bell and then feeding the dog every time the bell was rung. Over time, the dog would become conditioned to react to the bell, or the stimulus as described by Pavlov, by salivating. This was because the dog would come to expect food every time, he would hear the bell. The salivation is referred to as the conditioned response. This automatic response system is evident in this instance and the teacher’s physical action becomes the unconditional stimulus that in turn causes the unconditional response by the students, which is to stop what they are doing and listen to the teacher.

References Ku, Kelly Y.L, Phillipson, Sivanes, & Phillipson, Shane N. (2015). Educational Learning Theory. International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (Second Edition, pp. 238–245). Elsevier Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.92150-0 Mcleod, S. (2013). Pavlov’s Dogs Study and Pavlovian Conditioning Explained. Simply Psychology. Retrieved 17 October 2020, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/pavlov.html Thorndike, E.L. (1918). The nature, purposes, and general methods of measurement of educational products. The Measurement of Educational Products (17th Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, Pt. 2, pp. 16–24). Public School, Bloomington, IL. Thorndike, R. M. (2015). Thorndike, Edward Lee (1874–1949). International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (Second Edition, pp. 305–307). Elsevier Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.61130-3...