PSY FPX 6100 Assessment 2 Create an Instructivist Lesson Plan

Student Name

Capella University

PSY FPX 6100 Introduction to Educational Psychology

Prof. Name:

Date

Create an Instructivist Lesson Plan

The government mandates that teachers ensure their students meet state and federal guidelines, aiming to leave no child behind. Adhering to these guidelines is intended to provide each student with an optimal educational experience, which is achieved by effective teaching. Barak Rosenshine and Norma Furst conducted studies that found teachers who gave clear and concise instructions had higher success rates. Their students tended to rate them more positively and learned more compared to others (Woolfolk, 2019). Effective teachers also use a proven instructional method known as Direct Instruction. This paper will identify key elements of Direct Instruction and provide examples of its findings. Additionally, an example lesson plan will be included in the appendix to visually explain Direct Instruction.

Direct Instruction is a teaching method that varies in delivery. Research on this method surged in the 1970s and 1980s. It is a classic method of teaching, often referred to as traditional teaching (Woolfolk, 2019). Traditionally, the effectiveness of this method is measured by the “average improvement in standardized test scores for a whole class or school” (Woolfolk, 2019, p. 563). However, focusing on group data may overlook some students, leading to a decline in their achievement (Woolfolk, 2019). Nonetheless, effective teachers can implement Rosenshine’s Six Teaching Functions as a guide for teaching basic skills (Woolfolk, 2019). Rosenshine and his colleagues highlighted six strategies to achieve effective instruction: reviewing and checking the previous day’s work, presenting new material, providing guided practice, giving feedback and correctives based on student answers, providing independent practice, and reviewing weekly and monthly to consolidate learning (Woolfolk, 2019). These strategies do not need to be used in chronological order to be effective. Most importantly, the teacher must consider the students’ needs to ensure the functions are properly executed. Similarly, there are three learning theories used to provide effective instruction to students.

PSY FPX 6100 Assessment 2 Create an Instructivist Lesson Plan

Primary learning theories that have emerged over the years include operant conditioning, cognitive information processing, and social learning theory. Operant conditioning occurs when behaviors are directly influenced by reinforcement or punishment (Cherry, 2020). If a behavior results in a favorable outcome, it is likely to be repeated. For example, “Babies kick their legs to make the mobile above their cribs move” (Woolfolk, 2019, p. 262). This theory is also known as Skinnerian conditioning or instrumental conditioning (Cherry, 2020). Operant conditioning involves changes in behavior due to the effects of external events on the individual. Examples include students sitting quietly in one spot and raising their hands before speaking (Woolfolk, 2019). Another learning theory is cognitive information processing, better known as classical conditioning.

Learning in this theory occurs when students associate naturally occurring stimuli with previously neutral stimuli (Cherry, 2020). Ivan Pavlov discovered classical conditioning during an experiment on dogs’ digestive systems (Cherry, 2020). In this experiment, the dogs salivated upon hearing a bell, which stimulated their hunger cells in association with food. Lastly, social learning theory suggests that learning occurs through observation (Cherry, 2020). Observations can happen at any time and rely on the interaction between social, cognitive, and environmental events (Cherry, 2020). Albert Bandura indicated that learning is a direct result of observation. For instance, children learn from the actions of those around them, particularly those in their microsystems. These imitated actions can be positive or negative. Overall, effective teachers who use learning theories usually proceed with caution, considering students’ needs to provide an optimal education.

Conclusion

In conclusion, effective teachers utilize a proven instructional method known as Direct Instruction. This form of instruction, also referred to as explicit instruction, is not easily defined. The paper identified key elements of Direct Instruction and provided examples of its findings, including the theories of learning. These theories are operant conditioning, cognitive information processing, and social learning theory.

References

Cherry, K. (2020, July 28). Learning theories in psychology: An overview. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/learning-theories-in-psychology-an-overview-2795082

Woolfolk, A. (2019). Educational psychology (14th ed.). Pearson Education.

Appendix

Instructivist Lesson Plan

Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson? The student will be able to identify the phases of the Brain State Model.
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson? The student should have prior knowledge of vocabulary.
Language Arts Vocabulary: attention, time management, organization, prioritization, working memory, impulse control, flexibility, empathy, metacognition, goal achievement, task initiation, emotional regulation
Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students? Pre-assessment: Students select the vocabulary words they know and record the definition. Students make a list of vocab words that are unknown and hypothesize what they think these words mean.
Engagement: Students will role-play situations to exhibit impulse control.
Procedures:
1. Student writes out the correct definition of the terms on index cards/in a notebook.
2. Student draws pictures that form in their minds next to the words that apply.
3. Teacher identifies and explains each brain state: survival (safety), emotional (connection), and executive (problem-solving).
4. Teacher reviews combined tools and presents an example of each to the whole group.
5. Student and teacher practice the skills.