Educational Practice in All Settings...

Educational Practice in All Settings...

In my reading of educational resources and materials, I have found the following. In assuming that human behavior is learned, behaviorists also hold that all behaviors can also be unlearned, and replaced by new behaviors; that is, when a behavior becomes unacceptable, it can be replaced by an acceptable one. A key element to this theory of learning is the rewarded response. The desired response must be rewarded in order for learning to take place (Parkay & Hass, 2000).

The association of recognizing ones' worth is most valuable in the teaching and learning processes. In my leadership it is paramount that I reward all individuals for their compliance towards policy to include academic successes. The nature of a successful outcome is closely related to the prepartation given towards the practice. To maintain a professional disposition with colleagues and stakeholders there must be clearly communicated expectations. In a conversation that I held with a staff member we discussed the instructional outcomes for our students. I expressed my areas of concern as they related to the teaching and learning methods used in the classroom setting. Our conversation lead many returns. My goal was to establish that there must be expectations and the guidance from the educator which arecrucial in the enactment of a positive learner outcome.

The nature of psychology in education has an ongoing definition. I see so many theories in isolation as well as those that are paired in their implementation. Theorist have yet to define all of the learning curves currently practiced in education. This is where the development of best practices, collaboration, and reflective leadership takes place. There are better approaches towards meeting the needs of the learner than those that are most common. To discover these methods, it requires planning and program development.

Many times the learning outcomes are greater when there is more attention is given to the differences of the student. As I closed the conversation with my staff member I reminded them that the instructional setting really has not changed from their time in the student's seat as to now. I expressed, you then wanted to achieve and the student now wants the same outcome. The only thing that has changed is that we have more resources available towards meeting the learning needs of the 21 century student. This is a conversation that I plan to have with all staff members individually. I think this will provide a new view of what is expected in our program on this year.

Resources:

Parkay, F.W. & Hass, G. (2000). Curriculum Planning (7th Ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.