Customized Learning Theory 1
Dr. Veronica Sims
Customized Learning Theory Paper on Human Learning and Development
Tayler Richmond
EDUC 500
Customized Learning Theory 2
Introduction
James 3:1 states, “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers,
because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” (NIV) Being an educator is a
calling above all else. The effective teacher needs to consider that even Jesus himself was called
by God to come to this earth and teach. Jesus teachings never wavered; however, He knew how
to approach each individual accordingly. He knew the needs of his pupils and taught based on
those needs. Jesus was the ultimate teacher. He served his students and in turn they served Him.
We as educators, as believers, need to live like Jesus did.
Teachers are preparing students for their school career and even their life-long journey as
contributing citizens. In special education, it is imperative that you know and are familiar with
your students’ individual personal and academic needs. Special education teachers follow state
mandated curriculum and are required to follow Common Core State Standards just as do regular
education teachers. These special education settings are to support students with special needs.
Each child is required to have an Individualized Evaluation Plan (IEP). Following the curriculum
as well as keep up with the IEP goals of each student will help to make an effective classroom
and an effective teacher.
In order to make each one of your students successful teachers need to make sure that
they are being the most effective they can be. Teachers need to create relevant lessons and
lessons that are creatively crafted in order to keep students engaged and on task. Teachers also
need be aware of their own personal learning styles and those learning styles of the students. If a
teacher is not aware of the way her students learn, this can hinder their academic progress. The
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teachers must evaluate different learning theories and how they can best be implemented.
Teachers should be warm, relaxed, motivating, disciplined and understanding. Most of all, the
teacher must teach with a purpose.
Learning Theory and its Importance
There are three predominant learning theories, Piaget’s Theory, Vygotsky Theory and
Erikson’s Theory. Piaget’s Theory concentrated on cognitive development and proposed that
learning is a dynamic process comprising successive stages of adaption to reality during which
learners actively construct knowledge by creating and testing their own theories of the world
(University of Calfornia Berkeley, 2011). In other words, individuals learn new concepts based
on knowledge they already possess, their age, developmental stage and level of maturity.
Vygotsky’s Theory held that social learning must precede and drive cognitive
development. Development arises when a person works in a social setting with others to develop
shared meanings (Learning Theory Fundamentals, 2005). Vygotsky did develop the zone of
proximal development (ZPD), which is those tasks the students can achieve with assistance from
someone else. Assessing the ZPD can be used to address the student’s level of cognitive
awareness of his or her mental processes, level of concept mastery, and the mental processes of
abstracting, synthesizing, comparing, and differentiating attributes of concepts (Gredler, 2012).
An assessment of the ZPD would be useful in determining the learning style of the student and
the teaching technique best utilized to address those needs.
Finally, there is Erikson’s Theory of learning. Erikson’s believed that external factors
influenced learning. Erikson identified eight developmental stages ranging from infant to adult.
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The four strengths developed in childhood are critically important to the development of the
resourceful self (Capps, 2012). According to Erikson’s theory, every person must pass through a
series of eight interrelated stages over the entire life cycle. When passing through these stages
individuals develop four strengths, hope, will, purpose and competence, which are used to
develop the resourceful self. The resourceful self is used to learn new concepts and gain
knowledge.
Although all of the learning theories mentioned previously are relied upon in education,
special education must use a blended version of all three. It is important for the teacher to utilize
Piaget and Erikson to determine the developmental stage the student is at in order to determine
how independently they can operate as a student. It is also important to assess the ZPD in every
student in order to identify the knowledge the student comes to class possessing in order to
define the learning objectives for each student. These factors also contribute to the writing out of
students Individualized Evaluation Plan (IEP).
Description of an Effective Teacher
After considering the learning styles of students, an effective teacher motivates the
student, manages the classroom effectively, assesses prior knowledge of the students in the
classroom, and communicates ideas clearly and concisely. The effective teacher does all this
with warmth, enthusiasm and caring as well as maintaining proficient knowledge in the subject
taught as well as understanding and accounting for the different learning styles of students in the
classroom (Slavin, 2012).
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One of the ways a teacher accomplishes all the above is by being intentional in their
instruction. The intentional teacher has a purpose for everything they do, and they do not do
anything that does not have a purpose. They think ahead and consider outcomes of lessons and
how they lead into future lessons. They are organized and focused and are not distracted easily.
The effective teacher is an intentional teacher who not only teaches the subject at hand but also
includes in the learning process the lessons of love of learning, respect for others and personal
responsibility (Slavin, 2012).
In order for a teacher to have an effective lesson, the teacher must present information,
skills, or concepts in a direct fashion. (Slavin 2012) The effective teacher must present her lesson
in a clear and concise way. The goals and objectives must be clearly defined. When executing
direct instruction the teacher must first refer back to previously learned knowledge. Making sure
the students are up to date on what you have taught is essential for going in to the next objective
or goal. Once the groundwork is laid, present the students with what the day’s lesson will consist
of and what you expect them to learn from this lesson. This requires awareness of your students’
needs, both individually and as a whole, and requires creativity. If you are not aware of how your
students learn or what peaks their interests then you will never effectively teach them what needs
to be taught. After the lesson has been effectively executed, the teacher must give the students
ample opportunities to put those skills learned into practice. Once the students have practiced set
skills, those skills must be assessed. All of these steps can contribute to a successful instruction
and can give you the feedback required for determining the next phase of your teaching.
Referring back to my previous paragraph, technology is always an excellent tool for
teaching new skill sets. Integrating technology into your lessons can help grab the attention of
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you students. Technology is meaningful in so many ways. It can help with progress monitoring,
individual interventions, whole group instruction, classroom management, rewards, etc. Not to
mention, in many states, it is required on your teacher evaluation to show how technology is
incorporated into your lesson. “Visual representations are maintained in long-term memory far
more readily than information that is only heard. (Van Brummelen 2009).”
Learning Characteristics
There are three main learning styles. First, there is visual, which is learning by seeing.
The student learns and assimilates material he or she sees better than if they hear the information
or do an activity. Then there is the auditory learner. This student learns better by hearing the
information, instead of seeing the material or doing an activity. Lectures are an excellent
teaching technique for this type of learner. Finally, there is the kinesthetic learner. This student
learns better by doing an activity related to the material being taught, instead of seeing or hearing
the lesson. An example of this in the special education classroom would be this, a student with
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is not going to be able to focus on a lesson
simply by sitting and listening to teaching. A student with ADHD needs hands-on along with
hearing and seeing. ADHD learners are usually multisensory learners. It is important to
determine which style each student uses to learn in order to teach to those students’ strengths.
Once the learning style of a student is determined, the teacher can craft lessons in ways that
allow the student to learn in the easiest way possible. We all learn in different ways however, we
also each learn better in some ways than others (Slavin, 2012).
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Personal Reflections
After analyzing my Parkers Learning Styles Profile data, I’ve come to discover that,
while I learn through multiple different ways, my primary learning style is kinesthetic and visual.
I learn best by being in an instructor-controlled atmosphere, given precise directions, seeing how
a task is done and then doing the task myself. According to my leadership/management my
characteristics say I fall into the consulting and entertaining category. These two categories show
that while I'm dramatic and comical, I offer information based on real life experiences/training
and like to eliminate misunderstanding, solve problems, and guide plans. My learning styles
reflect my teaching style. I am a very hands-on, model direction, do-as-I-do teacher. Although I
have to give a mini-lecture every now and then, the majority of my teaching is hands-on and
modeled instruction.
Conclusion
Throughout history, teachers have come across various different learning styles and
learning theories. Whether you learn by doing or learn by hearing, whether you follow Piaget’s
method or Vygotsky’s method, everyone learns differently. It is the educators’ job to be aware of
those differences and teach accordingly and effectively. It is important to remember that schools
are communities for learning and are united in common ideals and the purposeful learning that is
effective for all (Van Brummelen, 2009). Teachers are called by God to change lives and perform
“miracles” just as Jesus did. We follow his example. Learn our pupils, train our pupils, and send
our pupils into the world to make a difference.
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References
University of Calfornia Berkeley. (2011). Theories of Learning. University of California
Berkeley - Teaching Guide for Graduate Students:
http://gsi.berkeley.edu/teachingguide/theories/piaget.html
Van Brummelen, H. (2009). Walking with God in the Classroom (3 ed.). (M. Endres, Ed.)
Colorado Springs, CO: Purposeful Design Publications.
Slavin, R. E. (2012). Educational Psychology Theory and Practice (10 ed.). (P. A. Smith, Ed.)
Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.
Gredler, M. (2012). "Understanding Vygotsky for the classroom: Is it too late?.". Educational
Psychology Review, 24(1), 113-131. doi:10.1007/s10648-011-9183-6
Harlacher, Jason E; Roberts, Nicole E; Merrell, Kenneth. (Nov/Dec 2006) WClasswide
Interventions for Students With ADHD: A Summary of Teacher Options Beneficial for the Whole
Class
