Understanding and utilizing theories on cognitive development, social development, and behavioral development is essential to be an effective teacher. Therefore it is equally important to be well versed with the prominent theories and methods of educating that are available today. However, not only is it important to know the theories and what they mean, but also to utilize those theories in the classroom. Many of the theories of development will be utilized in my classroom, but Lev Vygotsky’s, Lawrence Kohlberg’s, and B.F. Skinner’s theories will all have a home in my classroom and its development.
According to Vygotsky, learning occurs before development. Vygotsky believed that learning involved acquiring knowledge from others …show more content…
The materiel in the lesson units will be gaged to fit into the correct zones of proximal learning for my class not only as a while, but as individuals. When new material is presented, assistance and explanations of concepts will be high and then slowly diminish until the student is able to both understand the process and relate it to others. Also, through the use of cooperative learning I plan on using peer to peer learning and group work while developing groups that will work well together yet challenge each other’s development therefore combining both mediation and cooperative learning strategies. Group learning will be an important factor as students tend to understand a concept and to perform better while working in groups, even among students who previously claim to prefer working alone(French, Walker & Shore, 2011). All of these aspects of Vygotsky’s theories will be utilized in my classroom and help me to adapt to better meet each students need in order to optimize learning.
Lawrence Kohlberg was a theorist that elaborated and expanded on Piaget’s theory of moral development. In Kohlberg’s theory there are six stages of moral development that belong to one of three levels. Each stage and level is more sophisticated than the last. Kohlberg’s emphasis was that the answer is not as important as the journey that was taken to get there. As a secondary teacher most of my student will fall into the conventional stage though some pre-conventional stages can be seen as well. To be an effective teacher it is important to understand what the conventional stage of moral development