Final Learning Log

I took the quiz and my scores were as follows:
Behaviorism 42/49
Cognitivism 45/49
Humanism 41/49
What? I scored the highest under Cognitivism. There are three main parts of social cognitive theory: the power of observation, the role of control, and the importance of motivation. When talking about the power of observation, social cognitive theory is mainly about learning by observing others. By doing so, you can learn new behaviors from models. For example, take vicarious punishment and vicarious reinforcement; people learn what behaviors are most likely to lead to reinforcement and punishment by watching others who experience it. Also, by watching others, they get a good understanding of what they are and aren’t capable of doing. The social cognitive theory also talks about how people can be in control of their surroundings. When people watch others, they control what they learn, and if they learn, by paying attention or not paying attention. When people self-regulate, they take charge of their own behaviors and their own learning by setting goals and doing self-evaluations. Lastly, it is important to be motivated. Most of people’s behaviors are goal-based. Also, through observing, people form their own expectations of future outcomes of certain actions. It’s found that, in order to be completely motivated, people must have high self-efficacy and believe they will be successful, to some degree or another. Most people take charge of their own motivation by evaluating future responses. I believe that it is so important for students to be motivated, and this is the reason why I think I scored the highest in that section.
So What? It is important to know this information because we, as teachers, will deal with this for the rest of our career. In every classroom there is AT LEAST one student who struggles, is disabled, or is special needs. It is important for the teachers to be well educated in how to handle these kinds of situations so they are able to reach out to every one of their students, whether they are disabled or fully able. As I further my education and career, I will become more aware of which abilities and behaviors are typical for a particular age-group and will be able to identify children who are atypical in one way or another. The job of referring students to a specialist or for assessments ultimately comes down to the teacher, so it is important to be aware and educated on this information. For all I know, in the school I teach at, they might practice inclusion. I would need to provide specialists with information for IEP's and detailed specifics about the disabled students.
Now What? Now that I have learned about the information in Chapter 5, I feel a LITTLE bit more confident in going into teaching and being aware that I will encounter these kinds of situations. I am still nervous because of the unknown, and actually having them in a classroom compared to just doing textbook exercises on the information. I believe I will be able to express my knowledge about inclusion and IEP's, as well as apply to my classroom the concept of "Least Restrictive Environment", which is extremely important to have in the classroom. As a teacher, it is my job to teach everyone in my classroom, not just those who are willing and able. I need to reach out to those who have severe to minor disabilities, as well as special needs. Whether or not my school I teach at practices inclusion, I need to be aware of what it is and how to adapt my classroom to it. From Chapter 5's information about individual differences, I think it is very important for the students in the classroom to be aware of the differences amongst the students around them, and it doesn't matter if the differences are minor or major.