Reflections for EDAT 6115

I laughed a little while reading this chapter when the authors commented on teachers who think, "Why should I reinforce them? They're just doing what they're supposed to do!" because I have definitely felt that way before. It can be frustrating in the class at times when students who have been in school for a few years already seem to not know how to follow school expectations in common areas like the hallway. It feels like they shouldn't need reinforcement because these are the expectations and they should already know them. That is probably because of my upbringing -- my parents did not reward us for following the rules or expectations given to us. We were just expected to do it. I remember one time asking my parents if we could be paid for good grades like a friend of mine was and they said no, because good grades were the expectation. However, as a teacher -- especially as a teacher of primary school students -- I have to remember that my students are very you...

  I have always been fascinated by personality tests. Gaining insight into your actions, thoughts, and outlook, or those of others, is so interesting. While they are not perfect, and some would decry them as nonsensical or inaccurate, they can help us see ourselves and others in new ways. They offer opportunities to understand others in a deeper and more complete way. Educational theories, such as those presented by Piaget, Vygotsky, and Bronfenbrenner, among others, are similar. They are not perfect, but their theories of development offer us a way to understand people more deeply. This is especially true if we look at each of the theories as one component of development. Each theory offers us a piece of the development puzzle; together it is a more complete picture.  Piaget's stages of cognitive development give us building blocks for understanding how children's brains develop. Children do develop in phases, but not in firm stages dependent solely on age. Vygotsky's theo...