Great teachers never stop learning

Image Credit: http://www.swarnprastha.com/top-4-benefits-of-project-based-learning-for-school-students/ In the technology and knowledge driven 21 st century world today, there is very little or no room for teaching and instruction to be driven just by one person namely the teacher. A teacher today, is largely the facilitator who gives direction to students and exposes them to all the information and experiences which help them to gain academic knowledge in a real life context. This is where the role of Project Based Learning (PBL) comes in. By bringing real-life context and technology to the curriculum through a PBL approach, students are encouraged to become independent workers, critical thinkers, and lifelong learners. Teachers can communicate with administrators, exchange ideas with other teachers and subject-area experts and communicate with parents while breaking down invisible barriers such as isolation of the classroom, fear of embarking on an unfamiliar process and la...

The simplest explanation of formative assessments is as put by Paul Black “When the cook tastes the soup, it is formative assessment. When the guests taste the soup it is summative assessment.” The ongoing process of checking if learning objectives are being met and based on the results changing our teaching methodology to improve understanding and application of concepts is what defines the process of formative assessments. As described by Laura Greenstein in her book “What Teachers really need to know about Formative Assessment”, f ormative assessment: ·        Provides a way to align standards, content, and assessment ·        Allows for the purposeful selection of strategies ·        Embeds assessment in instruction ·        Guides instructional decisions The effectiveness of formative assessments begins with the purpose of the assess...

In Psychology we read about the concept of operant conditioning, sometimes referred to as instrumental conditioning, which is described as a learning method that is facilitated through rewards and punishments for behavior. It is a process where an association is made between a behavior and a consequence for that behavior. A typical example is that of an experiment in a laboratory where lab rats are rewarded with a food pellet when they press the blue button but receive a mild electric shock when they press the red button. But operant conditioning is not just something that takes place in experimental settings while training lab animals; it also plays a powerful role in everyday learning. The term used most frequently in everyday learning which forms a part of operant conditioning is “reinforcement” which, refers to anything that increases the likelihood of a response occurring. Reinforcement can have the effect of increasing or strengthening the response. Reinf...