T2P - week 4

It was very helpful to learn about Nel Neddings's theory on caring in the classroom. Her theory states that a student must feel cared for by a teacher and there should be a sense of care and trust between student and teacher. It's called relational caring because the trust and respect are between the teacher and the student; it is a symbiotic relationship, as GNA pointed out in class. Noddings also says that a curriculum should be designed around a student's needs and interests. She has a very student-centered approach to her work, which I feel is important, because learning really is about the student. I agreed with her theory and plan implement it in my classroom. In addition, her theory emphasizes what we learned about motivation. A student does better in class when they are interested in a topic and can see its relevance. I plan to put this theory into practice by letting my students choose their own books to read (on occasion) or having them pick essay topics, as opposed to me assigning them a topic.

It was interesting to see how my classmates presented the information about the different theorists. I especially like how the Skinner group reinforced our answers with praise and tickets. I found it humorous but it really drove across the main point about behaviorism, which is that your behavior is controlled and manipulated by another person to elicit the response they want. They wanted us to keep providing good answers, so we were rewarded with praise. If there was a negative response from them, we may not have continued giving good answers. My intel group's topic was Carol Gilligan's theory of moral development. She believed that a person's moral development progresses in stages, from a focus on the self to a focus on caring for others. I understood her theory, but I had difficulty understanding how it would directly relate to a classroom setting. After our presentation and discussion, I think I understand it more fully.