Psychological Underpinnings: A Task at Hand

Psychological Underpinnings: A Task at Hand

The task of teaching students comes with many different approaches and its up to the teachers to choose which way is best. Teachers must choose the lesson plan that allows their student to comprehend the task at hand. There are many theories that are available for teacher when planning a lesson. It is important that teachers evaluate their student ability because children learn and develop at different stages. The fore, your lesson plan should be at the child learning abilities. To ensure that children are getting the best learning experience teachers must choose the best avenue to familiar themselves with theories and discover how they are used.

Behaviorism psychology is one theory that is based on the factor that all behaviors are acquired though conditioning. Behaviors can occur with the interactions of the environment. Behavioral theory can be studies in a systematic and observable manner. Classical conditioning and operant conditioning are the two major types of behaviorism. Based on the act of placing a neutral signal before a naturally occurring reflex is refers to as classical conditioning theory. For example if you smell food you want something to eat. On the other hand if you use pleasant and unpleasant consequences to change behavior is often referred to operant conditioning. The principles' of learning is associated together with behaviors and consequences. Ormrod, (2010)

Cognitive theories are another theory teachers need to become familiar with. Cognitive theories attempts to understand human behavior by understand their thought process. Jen Piaget developed this theory in (1896-1980). His theory explored the way children grow and learn from interaction with the environment. His theory focuses on the building block approach. Piaget theory states that a child cognitive abilities move through four distinct stages. As the child move through these stages they learn to master skills gradually. Piaget's theory helps to form an essential basis for understanding psychology stages of development. (Piaget cognitive development)

Instructional strategies are more efficient according to different studies that have been done. For example when teachers choose direct instruction they make the decisions on topics and lead the students in the direction they want them to go. This approach allows the teacher to structure class time to transmit information directly to the students, and clearly define objectives as efficiently as possible. On the other hand this approach may give students control of the instruction. Teachers must keep in mind that planning instruction is the most important. When teaching a task at hand planning and instruction go hand in hand. The first step in planning for instruction teachers should identify goals for instruction, identify acceptable evidence, and plan instructional activities. Setting students goals and objectives at the beginning of the lesson is essential to providing the framework need for learning. Teaching any task at hand can be difficult. Teachers must use any tools available to provide a framework includes information, instructional materials, and learning activities that will fit the task at hand. Ormrod, (2010)

It is important to consider the skills required in a task to be taught or assigned when planning lessons. Task analysis helps teachers indentify specific knowledge and behavior necessary to master the subject. Subject matter analysis, behavioral analysis, and information process analysis are three general approaches. To help teachers choose the appropriate instructional strategies, task analysis is used to identify specific components. In planning a lesson the first step in task analysis is to decide what needs to be taught to the student. Teachers must come up lesson plans that are specific enough to be meaningful. The components of a lesson plans consist of objective, a plan for presenting information, a plan for giving students practice, a plan for assessing students understanding , and if necessary, a plan for re-teaching students if their understanding is inadequate.(Slavin,1997)

The originally process of task analysis was in the behaviorist era, but the methods have moved into the cognitive psychology, and constructivism. Task analysis is direct instruction. It is the least understood component of instructional strategies but is most widely used. The instruction is procedural but the need of the learner is cognitive. Task analysis for inexperienced teachers gets frustrated with instructional objectives because they don't agree with the process involved.

Anything designed by man will have good and bad points involved this is proven over and over again. Task analysis