Principles_of_Psychology

Module 4:- Professional discussion Learning outcome 1.-Theories/principles of psychology and communication. Throughout my short teaching career I have looked at certain learning theories, implemented them and sometimes disagreed with some of them as to their worth within my subject specialism area which is within the school of Technology. Carl Rogers employed a humanistic approach to psychology and communication which I have tried to employ when planning my lessons but I do disagree with many aspects of his theory. Rogers argues that “self directed learning increases curiosity encourages students to take responsibility for their own development and learning and promotes personal growth”. (Petty, 2009, p371). Personally I disagree with the above statement from Carl Rogers and although it may work with other students self directed learning certainly does not work with my level 1 and 2 motor vehicle students. If they are set self directed learning tasks they are more often than not likely to not complete the task because they lack focus and are used to being spoon fed answers. More often than not when completing self directed tasks many students will return with the bare minimum and this severely affects their development. During my portfolio lessons students have to complete task sheets but without my input and constant reinforcing of what they need to complete, the task sheets would not be completed and as such the students would fail. Rogers also suggests that self actualization is a natural process which I tend also to disagree with because if it was a natural process then why would we need facilitators or tutors for the process to occur .Rogers ideas tend to be a little too individualistic and I think that too complement each learner and in order to improve the learning and communication process people need each other. Rogers’s theory focuses on self determination and individualism which I feel could have a negative impact on learning and inclusivity. Students need to be shown in which direction to lead as not everyone is motivated enough to come up with his or her own goals and how to reach them. Rogers also suggests that “it is in our nature as living things to do the very best we can.” (Rogers, 1994, p314). I have taught many students who do the bare minimum that they can get away with and show no sign of pride in achieving anything other than a pass”. Shannon and weavers model of communication is a simple one based on the transmitting and receiving of information and to me is clear and includes a lot of common sense but I feel that it is over simple. Shannon and weaver assumed that by sorting out the transmission of the message and how accurately it was sent then this would result in no problems in the way the message is conveyed and how the received message affected behaviour. I believe this to be a slightly naïve approach because sometimes no matter how clearly I transmit a message it can quite clearly be conveyed in different ways by different levels of students. Sending and receiving messages involves not only talking but also body language and the way we say things and Shannon and weavers model does not mention anything about how these can so easily affect the thought process. I feel that Shannon and weavers communication model is a one way model in that the receiver is seen as simply absorbing the information in a rather linear way and gives no provision for any feedback or reaction from the receiver. This theory also seems to me to assume that the meaning of something is contained in the message rather than in the way it is interpreted and that within this message is one fixed meaning only. I have found that even when transmitting the same message to different students they themselves bring varying attitudes, expectations and understandings and as a result the same message sent to different students may to them represent many different meanings resulting in the message being received in a totally different way. Shannon and weavers model treats the people as isolated individuals rather than treating the communication process as a shared system and also over simplifies the process as a simple transmission of messages. Nor does the communication theory take into account different age, gender, social class issues and the issues related to this. In summing up Shannon and weavers model of communication rather naively believes that meanings to messages exist in all situations and are just waiting to be decoded. Eric Berne I feel that Eric Bernes transactional analysis is effectively a language within a language but a language that includes meaning, feeling and motive. By understanding this theory I feel that I now understand more about which signals to send and where and also what ego state to adopt. Thus this has enabled me to better understand my students, and to maintain better working relationships with them by virtue of the fact that the communication process is vastly improved. Before I understood this theory I would often find that my communication with certain students was ineffective due to a crossed transition causing upset for both parties. Strokes-fundamental unit of social action Eric Berne also introduced the idea of strokes-units of recognition and since learning about this theory I feel that certain factors regarding student behaviour have improved. Before hand some students may have felt that I was ignoring them but since I have started using simple hand gestures or a quick nod to acknowledge them students feel more included and are less likely to behave poorly. Brookfield’s lenses Whilst looking into the theory of Brookfield’s lenses the self lens immediately stood out to me because it was consistent with what I thought about myself- that my own experience as a student heavily influenced the way I taught. By better understanding my own history as a student this has also helped me change how I practice teaching for the better. Brookfield’s illustrations have also encouraged me to revisit my own assumptions, in particular in the past when I have set a class exercise and have not got an immediate response I have worried that I was not teaching the students correctly but when I reflect on my time as a student I remember that I needed time to think and reflect before responding to an exercise. By using Brookfield lenses I feel that I have improved my lessons and have a better degree of positive behaviour and response and I feel the most important lens mentioned by Brookfield is the student lens and shor argues that it is the “first responsibility of critical teachers.” Indeed it is Brookfield who reminded me the importance of critical reflection in improving my own practice. One assumption I made was that I should be meeting all of the students varying needs all of the time; However Brookfield disagreed with this and stated that students “have a dangerously narrow view of their needs.” To help improve my own practice I have found that critical reflection is the key to planning to improve my teaching and this has been done by myself my peers who mentor me and my students. Critical reflection has helped me in the following ways:- 1. Produce more challenging and interesting classes 2. Helped me to realise that the teacher is not always to blame if students are not learning 3. Getting to know students perspectives by using their input 4. Has enabled me to draw from the practices of others I feel that Brookfield’s theory is a very good theory as he does not just encourage people to look at the negatives but tries also to get people to embrace positive actions. “We need to recognise the small victories and unexpected breakthroughs that keep us engaged in this work. (Brookfield’s, 1995, p134). Brookfield’s theory has also helped me facilitate learning more effectively by evaluating how the activities that I plan are facilitating learning by asking students views and acting upon them. Personal issues One personal issue I have come across that affects the learning and behaviour of students is motivation. Prospect theory details how student or human motivation changes depending on a student’s idea of risk. For instance students are more likely to take action to avoid loss than they are to receive a gain. In my mind I feel that education is more about receiving gains than avoiding losing something and as such if a student fails in their minds they loose nothing. I have also experienced bad behaviour in class and I feel that it was because the student in question was trying to avoid loosing his most valuable possession which was the respect of his peers. Another personal factor that affects learning is if an older student is in a group of younger students. This can have a positive and negative affect on the student as listed below:- NEGATIVE AFFECTS- Poor interaction, older students not wanting to work with younger students, younger students not being able to relate to older students, POSITIVE AFFECTS- More experience, wider view of life, can employ a guidance roll. Working with the opposite sex can be a problem with many students who feel intimidated and uncomfortable and we as teachers have a duty of care to abide by which is adhered to by the constant development of caring and respectful relationships. Social issues One social issue that affects learning is the family the student belongs to and the roles and status within the family group. Family dynamics are key to the development of social skills and larger families tend to socialise more giving their children more opportunities to enhance their social skills. Another social factor that can influence students learning and behaviour is the financial constraints of their parents. Looking at how parents bring up their children it is clear to see that this has a direct influence on the behaviour of their children for instance:- A controlling parent could result in the student being anxious/withdrawn A parent who neglects their child could result in the student being immature An authorative parent could result in the student being self confident. Cultural issues One cultural issue that can influence learning and behaviour is the educational background of the student and the impact that this has had on their learning. It may result in poor literacy or numeracy skills or even a lack of ict development. Other factors include religious beliefs and perceived acceptable gender roles. Cultural factors tend to be made up of aspects that members of cultural groups have acquired and carry with them. The problem often occurs when the views of two different cultures interfere with each other causing loss of motivation, and a reduction in self worth. One way I have found to create a culturally responsive learning environment is to understand the strengths of all students and to put them into practice in order to facilitate success for all students. Bibliography Books:-Petty, G. (2009) Teaching Today. 4th edition Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Ltd. Rogers, C (1994) Freedom to learn, Columbus, OH: Charles Merrill publishing company. Brookfield’s. (1995) Becoming a critically reflective teacher, San Francisco, CA: Jossey Boss