Cheryl Denny
• Behaviorism
• Cognitivism
• Constructivism
When Behaviorism is Beneficial for
Learners
 Teacher directed instruction
 Basic skill acquistion
 Automaticity of Math facts
 Drill and practice
 Classroom management
 Positive reinforcement
When Cognitivism is Beneficial for
Learners
 Problem solving
 Reasoning
 Guided learning
 Scaffolding
 Collaborative groups
 Modeling
When Constructivism is Beneficial
for Learners
 Advanced knowledge
 Group projects
 Hands on exploration
 Class discussions
 Experiments
 Research projects
• Behaviorism
•
Lesson Plan: “Seven Fat Cats” (Utah
LessonPlans, 2003)
• Teacher reads “Seven Fat Cats”
• Students identify rhyming words
Learning Theory – Lesson Plan
 Lesson Plan for “Seven Fat Cats” (Utah
LessonPlans, 2003)
 Behaviorism
• Teacher directed instruction
• Teacher directed activities
• Basic rhyming skills
• Sound matching
• Drill and practice
• Cognitivism
Lesson Plan in Cognitivism
 Add brain storming map
 Students identify additional rhyming words
 Follow up activity
 Collaborative groups

Rhyming word fill in
 Group discussion
 Share collaborative group work
• Behaviorism or Cognitivism
Behaviorism or Cognitivism for
Lesson Plan
 Cognitivism
 Begin with original lesson
 Expand lesson: include Cognitivism components
 Encourages



Student involvement
Reasoning and thinking skills
Cooperative learning skills
• Wiggins Backward Design
Wiggins Backward Design
 Identify desired results
• Individualizes instruction for audience
• Ensures instruction is viable
 Acceptable evidence for assessment
 Verifies learning occurs
 Plans learning and instruction
 Hones and drives writing of instruction
• Strengths and Limitations
Strengths of Wiggins Theory
 Identifies desired results
 Goals and objectives

Established before writing instruction

Ensures instruction addresses goals and objectives
 Identifies assessment process
 Tailors and directs instruction
 Planning instruction
 Maximizes effective learning
Limitations of Wiggins
 State standards
 Big idea might not include all standards
 Goals
 Subject to vagueness
 Student feedback
 None required
Strengths of Gagne’s Events
 Gaining attention
 Engages brain activity
 Objectives
 Prepares learner
 Prior learning
 Builds on established brain pathways
 Learner guidance and feedback
 Encourages students
Limitations of Gagne’s Events
 Instructional planning
 No step included in model for planning
 Nine step model
 Lengthy
 Laborious
Strengths of Teaching for Understanding
 Generative topics
 Correlates to students’ interests
 Understanding goals
 Can span over a school year
 Performance of understanding
 Students demonstrate new knowledge
 Assessment is ongoing
 Designer can begin in any order
Weaknesses of Teaching for Understanding
 Design is not extraordinarily structured
 Guidelines are vague
 Learner audience
 More suitable for upper grades
• Gagne’s Design
Gagne’s Design
 Engages learners
 Catches attention
 Directs instruction by objectives
 Prepares learners
 Provides learner guidance
 Necessary for young learners
 Elicits practice
 Crucial for acquisition of basic skills
References
 Utah LessonPlans. (2003, August 8). Seven Fat Cats.
Retrieved from
http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid
=5640