Module 2 Blog Post
Figuring out how individuals develop and construct knowledge is a burning question in all walks of life and is truly the key in the teaching of anything. If you can not figure out how people learn and retain information, no matter how well you teach a subject, no knowledge will be gained. General knowledge is most commonly defined as, “information that is useful in many different kinds of tasks; information that applies to many situations”. This is the most commonly accepted definition by society, however according to most researchers, knowledge is based on experiences. According to the cognitive approach, “one of the most important elements in the learning process is what the individual brings to new learning situations” (Woolfolk, A. (2014). Educational Psychology(12th ed.). S.l.: Pearson.). In other words, if you are learning about a subject and have prior experience in that subject, you are more likely to retain the information you learned.
This video shows how knowledge is developed and does a really good job explains cognitive development.
Knowledge is developed in many ways. In a school setting, students need to be able to make sense of new information in order to acquire new knowledge. They need to be able to relate it to something that is important to them. If they do not have this emotional attachment to the subject matter, nothing will be learned and no knowledge will be retained.
The developmental characteristics impact teaching and learning in many ways. Piaget, Vygotsky, and Erikson all provide some sort of guidelines and parameters regarding development and when the best time to teach is. Being able to know what your students enjoy and value can help my teaching greatly. I want my students to really grasp what I teach and respond positively. By knowing how to relate the subject matter to each student and by knowing what the most optimal time to teach what would be greatly beneficial for my students.
Growing up, my parents exhibited an authoritative parenting style. This type of parenting has both high control and high warmth. They set clear limits, enforce rules, and expect mature behavior. I think this style of parenting influenced my development in a positive way. It allowed me to be more independent from an early age and think for myself. I was never afraid of my parents getting mad at me or not being there to support me, so I took more chances in life and was not afraid of failing. My parents helped me think through the consequences of my actions and were comforting and did not really punish at all.
This style of parenting has its limitations as well. I was never really able to experience punishment or failure on my own which is not realistic in life. Punishment and failure often teach kids more than any other type of experience. I was never able to have those experiences and had to learn them on my own.