EDUC 613 Reflection

Meghan Williams

George Mason University

 This entire course has taught me a lot about student learning processes and factors. It

began with the study of the learning theories and then followed by looking at how they play a

part in the learning factors. Prior to this course, I believed that most classrooms follow one

learning theory, but have learned since that this is not always the case. For example, I realized

that in the beginning of the year my classroom follows the behaviorist learning theory and then

towards the end of the year is more of a constructivist classroom. This is because my

Kindergarten students are very young and some are entering school for the first time. They need

constant modeling and conditioning, which are components of the behaviorist theory of learning.

As the year goes on, I encourage my students to build their own knowledge and build off their

prior experiences. According to the constructivist learning theory, students can strengthen their

level of understanding when they utilize background knowledge (Adams, Cummings, Purman, &

Williams, 2016).

Another take away from this course was learning the difference between learning styles

and learning factors. Hattie & Yates (2014) state that there is no real evidence that suggests that

knowing our students learning styles will help us teach them any better. Hattie and Yates remind

us that learning styles are not the same as learning strategies and that is what teachers need to

remember when planning for their students. I learned that there will be times that content needs

to be visually taught not because some students have better visual memories, but because all

students need to see certain things to learn (ex: geography). So that doesnt mean that the

students are necessarily visual learners. All of my students benefit from learning in multiple

ways as the multiple intelligence theory suggests. I have learned that all students have a

combination of intelligences and do not learn best in one particular way, as the learning style
theory suggests. It is our role as teachers to teach and assess in multiple ways for the benefit of

all our students.

My work in the case study shows that I am committed to my students

and their learning. Throughout the project, I collected and analyzed data to

create meaningful goals for my student. The goals were not only for my

student, but they were also goals that I had to meet as her teacher. While

analyzing and planning, I had to use my knowledge of the learning theories

and factors to plan the goals. These components of the project also show

how I mange and monitor my students learning. It is through the use of

multiple data sources that I can discover my students strengths and

weaknesses. The case study showed me how learning more about a

students background and interests can change how you view them. It allows

you to see why they may be struggling socially or academically and tell you

where to go next. As I was learning more about my students background

and planning goals for her, I was taking into account the needs of culturally,

linguistically, and cognitively diverse learners.

So far my core courses have taught me a lot about the importance of reflection and how it

can impact my teaching. I learned about the different levels of reflection in EDUC 612, but

EDUC 613 has allowed me to put my reflection in to action. I reflected in several ways during

the course of EDUC 613 and during the PBA (case study). I reflected on student data as well as

my own learning about the APA learning factors to create goals for my case study. In the

reflection portion of the case study, I reflected on the entire process as well as my own teaching.

This shows that I am systematically thinking about my practice and learning from experience. In
the future, I want to take more time to reflect on my teaching as well as student learning. I will

do this by taking an inquiry stance on teaching. Taking an inquiry stance can enhance my

learning, improve student learning, and create more equity for all students (Cochran-Smith,

2011).
 References

Adams, K., Cummings, S., Purman, K., Williams, M. (October, 2016). Constructivist learning

theory: Learning theory group project. EDUC 613, George Mason University.

Cochran-Smith, M. (2011). Does learning to teach ever end?. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 47(1), 22-

24.

Hattie, J. & Yates, G. (2014). Visible learning and the science of how we learn. New York, NY:

Routledge.