Jodie

Mental Framework of Learning
By Jodie Murphy



Philosophy of Education
I believe that children learn best through ** social interaction ** and a well-supported environment. It is my role as a teacher to provide the students with as much guidance as necessary to encourage the learning from their ** own inquiries ,** other students and myself. ** Collaboration **is an important life skill that will be necessary at any age. ** Diversity **will provide excellent teachable moments in my classroom, as I will make every effort to make connections to curriculum and support a sense a community building. My role as an educator is to instill a ** love of learning **into each and every student. I will bring ** enthusiasm **into the classroom. I believe it is my duty to form ** unique relationships **to each student as to give them individualized education that appeals to their interests, thus increasing enthusiasm and a willingness to learn. By addressing each of the ** multiple intelligences **, I will be sure to entice the students. ** Differentiation **will be very evident as I plan and create lessons. Emotions will be focused on, providing students with necessary support. I will keep open ** communication with parents **, keeping them updated with what is going on in the classroom. Also, I will provide opportunities for families to get involved in their child’s education and create a better support system for the students, as an education extends beyond the classroom. The learning environment and ** emotional **aspects of my classroom will be focused around the particular group of the students. As each group is different and has its own needs, it will change year-to-year, and even moth-to-month. My ** flexibility **will create optimal abilities, addressing and meeting individual needs. I ** value **each student and will make sure there are no children left behind in my classroom. I strongly believe that each student deserves an appropriate, individualized and complete education. My goal as a teacher is to instill a ** love of learning **and incorporate the theories of learning into one classroom to ** affect and improve each student’s life. **

My Framework


My framework includes four main parts. The biggest section is the foundation of my framework. The light blue background labeled ** 'Open Mind' **. I believe that students will learn if they have an open mind- if they are willing and wanting to learn. The other four sections are all interrelated and all work together to help students create a solid meaning of the information that they incorporate. The green is labeled "** acquire knowledge **". This is any way that the information comes to the child. The yellow section is labeled "** use/integrate knowledge **". This is the way that students will use the knowledge that they gain in their own lives. This leads into the red and blue sections. The red section is labeled as "** make connections ".** I strongly believe that personal connections allow students to create concrete meaning to the information that they learn. When they see the importance or relatablity of information to their own lives, they are more likely to "keep" that information. This also includes the connection to other students. The last section, the blue section, is labeled "** reflect **". Reflection is an important part of any true understanding. To be able to reflect and put new learning into your own words is to truly learn! Depending on where the students are in the incorporation of their knowledge, they may move between the bubbles until they are able to create that meaning.

= Concept Connections to Educational Psychology = = -Anita Woolfolk =
 * "The test of a good teacher is not how many questions he can ask his students that they will answer readily, but how many questions he inspires them to ask him which he finds hard to answer"--Unknown **
 * "The mind grows by what it feeds on"--Unknown **



These types of thinking fit into the ** acquire knowledge ** section of my framework. These three types of thinking explain the different ways in which people receive their knowledge. Some people learn best through noticing important facts and details, these people acquire their knowledge from a literal perspective by remembering research and information. Some people learn best through figuring out what information means or implies. These people find it easy to make connections and inferences and are acquiring their knowledge from a interpersonal perspective. Other people may learn best by synthesizing information and creating new and unique combination. These people are acquiring knowledge from the creative thinking perspective.
 * Types of Thinking--Literal-Interpretive-Creative**

The topics under intellectual stamina fall into the reflect section of my framework. All four subtopics explain how one makes their newly acquired knowledge personal. Firstly, attention control suggests that one is able to monitor and adjust their levels of attention needed for the situation presented. The learner must be constantly reflecting on the current situation and adjusting to create an optimal learning experience. Next, power thinking suggests that the learner is using their awareness of the situation to use the appropriate thinking. Responsibility framework implies that the learner knows what is expected of them and uses that knowledge to successfully reflect and complete appropriator tasks in learning. Lastly, goal setting constantly requires that one reflect on progress made, progress hoped to be made, and the route to accomplish the goal.
 * Intellectual Stamina--Attention Control-Power Thinking-Responsibility Framework-Goal Setting**

Assimilation and accommodation both fit into the ** make connections **section of my framework. Assimilation means to fit new information to existing schemes, or to make connections with information that is already stored in your brain and to file that new information into the same "folder" as those connections. Accommodation means to alter an existing schema or create a new one in response to newly acquired information. Therefore, when one is learning and acquiring a new piece of information, they must first make connections with previous information and decide if the connections are appropriate or if they belong in a separate category.
 * Assimilation/ Accommodation**

Quantitative and qualitative research fit into the ** reflect **section of my framework. This is because when one is collecting any kind of research, they must reflect on what they have learned. In another sense, an outsider collecting data may be reflecting on the learning of another by taking a step back and thinking about the data from a different perspective, and looking at the data for what it is.
 * Quantitative/Qualitative Research**

Brain research also fits into the ** reflect **section of my framework. When researching anything, it is important to reflection the information gained and to create meaning from those reflections. Brain research shows that it is essential to use what research tells us to effectively plan the most productive lessons that will meet the needs of our students. When researching, planning for instruction is a main motive of effective research and teaching to match.
 * Brain Research**

The Triune Brain The0ry belongs in the ** open mind **category of my framework. I feel that the reptilian complex, the limbic system, and the neocortex are all parts that make up an open mind that is ready to learn. The learner needs to be in a balanced state that provides them with rational thinking. If the students' emotions are out of balance, the limbic system needs to adjust to a more calm or more alert state. The reptilian complex allows the body to perform automatic tasks without interrupting thinking. The neocortex opens the learner to think intellectually. Along with these features, the amygdala and hippocampus also create opportunities for an open-minded learner.
 * Triune Brain Theory**

Piaget's Stages of Development fit into the ** acquire knowledge **section of my framework. The four stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operations, all fit into the same category because they are all describing how people learn as they grow and develop. Sensorimotor learning is using the senses and motor activity to acquire knowledge. Preoperational learners and concrete operational learners are learning how to grasp and master logical thinking and understanding of situations. Formal operations learners use abstract thinking and are able to coordinate multiple thinking tasks. All of the learners at the four stages are acquiring knowledge in different ways, yet each stage builds on previous stage's learning.
 * Piaget's Stages of Development**

Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development fits into the ** acquire knowledge ** section of my framework. Learners are learning in the zone that provides them with a shared problem and mediation, resulting in their own insight. Learners are acquiring knowledge at their level of learning and constructing meaning from that.
 * Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development**

Socially constructed meaning fits into the ** use/integrate **section of my framework. This is where learners are co-constructing knowledge with their peers. They are socially interacting and creating their own knowledge from one another (and the knowledge that they bring to the table). They decide where to use the knowledge that they are gaining, as well as where to use previously gained knowledge to the advantage of the others in the social group.
 * Socially Constructed Meaning**

Chapter 4- Learner Differences and Learning Needs


Since intelligence has a varied definition, I feel that it fits into every category. It fits into the overall picture, or the black line around the outside. It encompasses an ** open mind, the ability to acquire , use , make connections , and reflect on knowledge **. Intelligence is the total knowledge a person has, whether it be factual knowledge, or the knowledge of connections within ones' own life. Intelligence is the ability to learn and the ability to adapt. Therefore, intelligence is a key factor underlining my entire framework.
 * Intelligence**

The concept of varied learning styles fits into the ** acquire knowledge ** section of my framework. It is the individual way, or ways, a student acquires knowledge and internalizes it from there. For example, auditory learners learn best through hearing information and listening to sounds. This student is gaining that knowledge by using the sense of hearing. Since all learners learning with a variety of styles and strategies, not one learner is identical to another. Any learner will fit into the acquire knowledge section of my framework, yet they are very individualistic on how they acquire that knowledge.
 * Varied Learning Styles**

Components of the law also fit into **acquire knowledge** category. Since the various components of law listed above affect the conditions of which students learn, it affects their ability to gain the knowledge. These legal programs affect how students gain information. Some state specific limitations, specialist requirements, and assistance needed. They are designed to help students so that they get the special needs that they deserve and require to learn (acquire knowledge) appropriately.
 * Components of the Law- IEP- 504 Plan, Least Restrictive Environment **

I would also place learning disabilities in the **acquire knowledge** aspect of my framework. Students that are labeled as learning disability may have a variety of special needs. The needs of students affect how effectively they are able to acquire knowledge. There are many strategies to help students labeled as learning disabled both in a classroom sense, as well as in a medical sense in some situations. Once the special needs are given attention and accommodations are made, students will be able to effectively acquire knowledge in a way that makes the most sense to them.
 * Learning Disability**

Chapter 6-Behavioral Views of Learning


This chapter defines learning as an occurrence when experience causes a relatively permanent change in an individual's knowledge or behavior. I would place learning in every single aspect of my learning framework, since that is the focus element of the framework. An ** open mind **leads to learning. ** Acquire knowledge **describes how one learns. ** Making connections **is how one uses their new learning, and therefore how they ** make connections **and create meaning. ** Reflecting ** in how one is aware of their learning and all of the mentioned above.
 * Learning**

One of the main focuses of this chapter was based on behavior change. There are many types, whether it be operant or classical conditioning, by positive or negative reinforcement, or by a self-management behavior change. Behavior change fits into the ** reflect ** section of my framework. I believe that behavior change occurs by someone thinking about what they are doing and how it needs to be changed- whether it is an active thought process, or simply a reaction to a consequence.
 * Behavior Change**

I feel that stimulus response belongs in the ** make connections ** section of my framework. As learning is an experience of change in knowledge, a response is the ability to create a connection between an action or experience (stimulus) and a reaction (response). This includes conditioned and unconditioned responses.
 * Stimulus Response**

Chapter 7- Cognitive Views of Learning


According to the cognitive view of learning, learning is an active process of acquiring, remembering, and using knowledge (Woolfolk, 2007). Therefore, it is essential to be active in the process of learning, as well as knowing when to use that knowledge. I would place the aspects of an active learner into the categories of ** open mind, ** **acquire knowledge**, and ** making connections **This is because, in order to be an active learner, you must be willing to learn and wanting to learn. Of course, learning is logically the acquiring of knowledge. Lastly, I placed it into the category of making connections because that is how we integrate what we learn that places it into either long term, or short-term memory. Declarative knowledge is the knowledge, procedural knowledge is knowing when to use that knowledge, and conditional knowledge is knowing when to use that knowledge.
 * Knowledge in Learning: Declarative, Procedural, and Conditional**

I would place the aspects of memory into the ** reflect **category of my framework. This is because, whether it is a conscious activity or not, there is a mental process of reflection and sorting information. Short -erm memory is often not reflected upon for very long, while long-term memory is repeated used and reflected upon.
 * Memory: Short-Term and Long-Term**

Metacognition, the awareness of our own thinking processes, belongs in the ** reflect ** category of my framework. Being aware of what we are learning and how we might use it is essential when creating meaning of learning. The categories of declarative, procedural, and conditional knowledge also play a part when knowing how and when to use the learning, making the connection between all of the categories within my framework.
 * Metacognition**

Chapter 8- Complex Cognitive Processes


Problem solving, the ability to create new solutions for problems, belong in the ** use/integrate knowledge ** section of my framework. I feel that it belongs here because problem solving is how we use knowledge that we have already gained, and using it in a different situation. To be able to use knowledge in an authentic way is true learning. Therefore, being able to decide when and where to use strategies when problem solving demonstrates true learning.
 * Problem Solving**

Creativity, or imaginative, original thinking/ problem solving, belongs in the **use/integrate knowledge** section of my framework as well. Being able to use your own creativity to inspire your thinking to help create something is essential as a form of expression. There are various ways to demonstrate an individuals creativity, yet it requires some sort of knowledge, and the use of the knowledge, to construct meaning.
 * Creativity**

Visual learning strategies are the different ways of approaching learning tasks can be easily managed by using a visual approach. Visual strategies may include illustrations, mind mapping, brainstorming lists, graphic organizers, etc. Visual learning strategies belong in the ** acquire knowledge ** section of my framework. Knowing what visual strategies work best is a decision that should be made by the individual learner. Visual strategies are going to help a learner gain knowledge in a way that is meaningful to themselves.
 * Visual Learning Strategies**

Chapter 10 - Motivation in Learning and Teaching


The locus of causality belongs in the ** open mind ** and ** reflect ** sections of my framework. Motivation may come from an internal source or an external source, but either souce requires students to reflect on that motivation to keep them engaged and actively work through a task. Without an open mind to new tasks, students will not be likely to be motivated to take on the task.
 * Locus of Causality- External and Internal Motivation**

Goal orientation belongs in the ** open mind ** and ** reflect ** sections of my framework. Goal orientation is the pattern of beliefs about goals related to achievement in school. Students need to have an open mind in order to be willing to change behavior to reach a set goal. As with all goal setting, you must reflect upon progress when determining the accomplishment of the goal and to set new goals.
 * Goal Orientation**

TARGET belongs in the ** acquire knowledge ** section of my framework. TARGET describes the environment and how the teacher presents materials to learn and practice. The way in which material is presented has large impact on student learning, and therefore it must be effective.
 * TARGET- Task, Autonomy, recognized, Grouping, Evaluation, and Time**

Interests and emotions belong in the ** make connections ** section of my framework. When the students are interested and emotionally attached/ stable to a particular topic or theme of study, they will engaged. It is important for students to make purpose and meaning in order to make those lasting connections and meaning. Attention to interests and emotions can take learning to the next level and make it meaningful and fun for students.
 * Interest and Emotions**

Attainment value belongs in the **make connections** section of my framework. Attainment value is the importance that students attach to a task. It is important that students are able to make a connection between a learning situation and their own lives in order to make it a significant learning experience. Attainment value will spark motivation and goal setting.
 * Attainment Value**

Chapter 11-﻿ Engaged Learning: Cooperation and Community


Peer relationships belong in the ** open mind **section of my framework. This is because students need to feel safe in order to contribute to peers learning, which includes the open minds of peers. Students need to see the willingness and acceptance of others in order to contribute. This all begins with the open mind of each and every peer to create strong and significant learning relationships.
 * Peer Relationships**

Collaboration and cooperation belongs in the **make connections** and ** open mind **sections of my framework. Both collaboration and cooperation require the success of working with others productively. First, learners must make connections from themselves to other students. Secondly, the must have an open mind to consider others' input and successfully learn from them.
 * Collaboration and Cooperation**

Jigsaw is a cooperative structure in which each member of a group is responsible for teaching other members one section of the material. This concept belongs in all sections of my framework- ** open mind, acquire knowledge, make connections , reflect ,** and ** use/integrate knowledge .** Students must have an open mind to learn and teach other students. They must acquire knowledge in order to help other students acquire knowledge. They must make connections from the text to their and other students' lives in order to help make it meaningful. They must reflect in order to decided how to present the information to the rest of the group. They must use and integrate that knowledge in order to become the expert on the topic. Jigsaw is a task that requires students to be the student and the teacher, using all aspects of a learner framework.
 * Jigsaw**

The 3 C's of a safe and productive school belong in the ** open mind **and ** reflect **section of my framework. Creating a safe environment requires the cooperation of all of those included in the environment. One must be open to new ideas in order to cooperate with one another. One must reflect on conflict resolution and values in order be sure they are actively practicing them. Creating a safe school encourages a productive school.
 * 3 Cs of a Safe and Productive School- Cooperative Community, Constructive Conflict Resolution, Civic Values**

Chapter 12- Creating Learning Environments


Cooperation between teachers and students belong in the **open mind** section of my framework. This is because both students and teachers need to have an open mind in order to be productive in the same environments. Teachers need to be willing to learn from students, just as students need to be willing to learn from teachers. Cooperation included the various tasks that make the educational day go smoothly, including transitional time, appropriate behavior, being prepared for class, management, and avoiding problems before they can occur.
 * Teacher and Student Cooperation**

Positive learning attitude also belongs in the **open mind** section of my framework. Having a positive attitude on the teachers' end means having high expectations for all students. Having a positive attitude on the students' end means being prepared to be active in their learning and engaged. In order to go into a learning environment with a positiveattitude, one must have an open mind and be prepared for new ideas that may challenge them.
 * Positive Learning Attitude**

Effective communication belongs in all sections of my framework- ** open mind, acquire knowledge, make connections , reflect ,** and ** use/integrate knowledge. ** Effective communication needs to happen at each stage of the learning process. It needs to happen effectively between teachers and students, between peers, and even within the student. Communication is what will create the productive student, the productive environment, and essentially learning. Effective communication is a critical aspect in all areas of my learning framework!
 * Effective Communication**



Assessment fits into the **use/integrate knowledge** section of my framework. Assessment is any way in which knowledge is measured. In order to demonstrate what we know, we must be able to apply the required knowledge in the applicable setting. Whether the assessment is formal, informal, nation-wide, or individually administered, it involves so form of using what you have learned.
 * Assessment**

Authentic assessment is the measurement of important abilities using procedures that simulate the application of these abilities to real-life problems. This belongs under the **use/integrate knowledge** section of my framework. It is similar to an assessment, yet it is more applicable to real life. To me, this type of assessment is essential when attempting to determine if a student understands concepts because it is important that the student knows how to use the information when they actually need it.
 * Authentic Assessment**

Problem solving, or carefully analyzing questions to determine how to come to an appropriate solution, belongs in the **use/integrate knowledge** section as well. Similar to chapter 8, it is essential that students choose the most appropriate "tool" from their "toolbox" when solving problems. The problem solving in this chapter focuses on how students will analyze the given task in order to correctly respond and demonstrate their understanding.
 * Problem Solving**

High- stakes testing also belongs in the **use/integrate knowledge** section of my framework. Although it may not be the preferred method of demonstrating understanding for every student, in today's public education system, students must be able to complete standardized testing. Because results of these tests are used to make decisions affecting the entire school, it is important that students are able to use their knowledge in the appropriate testing setting.
 * High-Stakes Testing**

Adequate yearly progress belongs in the **use/integrate knowledge** section of my framework (did you notice the pattern of assessment meaning using knowledge?). The book refers to adequate yearly progress as the schools successful testing rates in accordance with the No Child Left Behind Acts. In my own words, it is essential that students are able to build on their knowledge each and every year. They must make progress from the previous year on an individual level. In order to build on knowledge and make progress, they must use previous knowledge as well as newly gained knowledge and create a relationship to one another.
 * Adequate Yearly Progress**