Section 2

I teach Pre-K at Primrose School of Rockwall, one of the goals we have for our kids is to be able to identify and write their alphabet.  To do this we like to use the theory that Skinner came up with, which is the Behavioral Learning Theory.  The students are shown in multiple ways what the letters look like as well as the motions of how the letters are made.  When the students are going through the process of learning the letters and writing them they are consistently given encouragement and praise.  The other theory that would be great to use for this goal would be the Situated Learning Theory. This theory is good for students when they see the relevance and importance of identifying and writing their alphabet.

            According to Wikipedia Gangne’s Nine Events of Instruction is what he calls “conditions of learning.”  He breaks these down into internal and external conditions. The internal conditions deal with previously learned capabilities of the learner. Or in other words, what the learner knows prior to the instruction.  The external conditions deal with the stimuli (a purly behaviorist term) that are presented externally to the learner.  For example, what instruction is provided to the learner.”  Identifying and writing all of the letters in the alphabet could also use all of the steps in the first principles of instruction by starting off with the problem center where the students are shown real world relevance and what the whole task is going to look like.  Then it’s the activation where they recall what they know and what the relevance is, the students look at the letters and recall where they have seen the letters and whose name has those letters.  It’s on to demonstration next where they look at examples; the students can look at their names and at their friend’s names to see what letters they have in them.  The forth step is application where the students get to practice themselves and practice, they write their names as they say the letters out loud.  The last step is integration where it leaves the students being able to use it in other areas.

Gangne’s Nine Events of Instruction	First Principles of Instruction	Compare and Contrast Gangne’s and First Principles
Gain Attention	Problem Centered (Let me do the whole task!)	They both get the attention of the students and a place to start the lesson/goal.
Informing the Learner of the Objective	Activation (Where do I start?)	First Principles is a step by step process that starts at the beginning and goes to the end.
Stimulating Recall of Prior Learning	Demonstration (Don’t just tell me, show me!)	They both have a part where they do a recall.
Presenting the Stimulus	Application (Let me do it!)
Providing Learning Guidance	Integration (Watch me!)
Eliciting Performance
Providing Feedback
Assessing Preformance
Enhancing Retention and Transfer

Whole task approach is where you make sure that the student gets the whole concept as well as understands the importance of it.  Scaffolding is helping them with everything and then slowing backing away/off.  With the goal of writing letters, I start by writing the letters and then the student traces them as they get better at that then I write it in highlighter and then they do it then I dot the letters and then they write it on their own.  Mathemagenic is where you make sure the students know what they need to know to advance to the next level.

            The first was Attention I think a good attention getter is always something technological because we are in such a technological world, starting out with a video or computer game would be good.  Then there is relevance which is important to students as well they will be more willing if they understand how it relates to them.  Confidence is important for students to succeed, getting the encouragement and praise will build this.  Lastly, there is satisfaction, which is very important for students to continue in the right direction, they get satisfaction from the confidence I think.

It is important to study design research so that you know the latest and are up to date.  Not all students are the same and they do not learn the same, it is important to reach all of your students and the way they learn best.  It is important to incorporate all the different learning styles in your lessons.