Part 1
The alternate observations made on three learners demonstrate behavioral connections to behaviorism, the social learning theory and the theory of cognitive development. All three theories are demonstrative of holistic development in learners as they touch on the behavioral, cognitive and social aspects. Behaviorism was observed in learners A and J. Behaviorism purports that behavior can be acquired without influence from internal sources such as internal mental states. The focus of this school of though is on the sole consideration of observable behavior and not aspects of the learner such as moods, emotions or cognitions as these are subjective ( Budiman, 2017) . Behaviorism suggests that behavior is developed and reinforced through one’s interaction with their environment ( Budiman, 2017) . Through learners A and J, one can identify the influence their environments have on their choice of behavior. The behavior choices demonstrated by A are primarily influenced by instructions he receives from the speaker. For instance, when the speaker asks A how to clean the dinosaur, he expresses this through actions. It is an indication that, the speaker, as a stimulus in A’s environment, significantly influences the learner’s behavior. J also demonstrates how environmental conditioning influences his behavior choice. As the students are reading and J is laying on the table, the teacher calls on him and instructs that he continues reading from where he left. J does as is instructed. Both students demonstrate how behavior can be developed and reinforced through stimuli in the learner’s environment and without much influence from subjective factors such as emotions or moods.
The social learning theory is also present in the observation and is demonstrated by all three learners. The social learning theory is founded on the core concepts of learners learning through mimicking what they seen in their environment ( Deming & Johnson, 2019) . The theory suggests that in some instances, behavior may be observed but not imitated in that instance. Also, learning as suggested by this theory, may not necessarily occur through observation but also through verbal instruction ( Deming & Johnson, 2019) . In A’s case, the speaker provided instructions on how to clean the dinosaur and the student followed them as was asked. J too answered to instructions given by his teacher. When he was asked to continue reading from where he left, the learner did so. L on the other hand demonstrated the social learning theory through observing and mimicking behavior he saw from the teacher. In one instance, the teacher asked L to draw two mittens and a hat. He expressed that he did not know how to do it and asked for the teacher’s assistance. One’s the teacher did sketches of the drawings, L managed to mimic this. Behavior from all three learners showed how students can learn through what they observe in their environment and from verbal instruction; all which are concepts present in this theory.
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Another theory present in the observation is Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. This is primarily demonstrated by L. Piaget’s theory of cognitive development focuses on understanding how children acquire knowledge and the nature of intelligence at the different stages of cognitive development ( Bormanaki & Khoshhal, 2017) . As observed in learner L, there were signs of the concrete operational stage of the theory of cognitive development. During this stage, children gradually develop logical thinking for concrete events. They can reason from specific pieces of information to general principles. The theory also suggests that children are active participants in their learning process and add new knowledge to what they acquired previously ( Bormanaki & Khoshhal, 2017) . L demonstrates this when he is asked by the teacher to draw certain shapes and use specific colors. He draws different shapes and uses different colors from what is instructed and expresses to the teacher that he likes it this way. It is an indication that students eventually develop logical reasoning and will be flexible to the inclusion of new information in their already developed sets of knowledge.
Part 2
How will the insights gained from the observations help you to promote learning opportunities for this student?
Insights from the observations helped develop awareness into the needs of learners with special needs. All three students required some specialized form of learning to help improve their learning experience ( Lewis et al., 2017) . Therefore, I will be more drawn to identifying and implementing a specialized way of learning for students who need special attention. Even when engaging with an inclusive class, I will ensure that students with special needs get more attention as it would be somewhat difficult for them to keep up with normal learners. I will further be watchful of instances where theoretical foundations are present in the learning processes of these students to ensure that I further promote this form of learning through implementation of the core concepts proposed by these learning theories.
How does the student appear to learn best? How can this inform your teaching approach with this student? How can this inform your assessment approach for this student?
Students from the three observations appear to learn best when the instructor focuses on their area of need. For instance, L’s instructor ensured to give him extra attention because he often lagged behind when compared to the rest of the students. Pushing him to catch up with the rest ensured that the instructor was cognizant of his slow learning pace and ensured that he was at par with the rest. It demonstrates that my teaching approach needs to be flexible and open to adjustment when necessary ( Lewis et al., 2017) . Even when I have already developed a teaching plan, I need to be ready to make adjustments when the need arises to ensure that all students, including those with special needs have similar and successful learning experiences. My assessment approach would therefore be founded on the degree and pace at which the student can grasp material in class and not necessarily how best they can keep up with the rest. This would ensure that I do not compare this student with special needs to the rest but address their needs individually as demonstrated by assessment.
What practices might be useful in constructing meaning for this student?
A practice that could help foster meaning would be allowing students to physically engage in the learning process and be open to innovation ( Lewis et al., 2017) . It is evident from all three observations that students best followed the leaning processes when they were allowed to engage in physical activities related to the learning outcome. For instance, if the learning is about colors, learners need to allowed to engage in activities like coloring as they learn unlike when only verbal instruction is allowed. Here, it would be easy for the teacher to observe interest and areas students work best and this would help further tailor the student’s learning experience.
How can the student's abilities be utilized? How might the student's needs be supported?
Students’ abilities can be utilized by allowing them to physically engage in the teaching process ( Lewis et al., 2017) . For instance, J’s instructor allows him and three other students to read material related to what was being taught in class. Such an experience not only allowed the instructor to gauge the student’s reading capability but also guaranteed that these four students helped pass along important information to the rest of the class. Students’ needs can be supported by the instructor ensuring to recognize areas where the learners have surpassed expectations. For instance, A clearly demonstrated how the dinosaur can be washed when he was asked to. His ability to follow through these steps even without verbal cues was commendable. When the instructor commends students in areas where they achieve what is expected and demonstrate innovation, they would be encouraged to do better.
References
Bormanaki, H. B., & Khoshhal, Y. (2017). The role of equilibration in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development and its implication for receptive skills: A theoretical study. Journal of Language Teaching and Research , 8 (5), 996-1005.
Budiman, A. (2017). Behaviorism and foreign language teaching methodology. English Franca: Academic Journal of English Language and Education , 1 (2), 101-114.
Deming, P., & Johnson, L. L. (2019). An application of Bandura’s social learning theory: A new approach to deafblind support groups. JADARA , 42 (4), 5.
Lewis, R. B., Wheeler, J. J., & Carter, S. L. (2017). Teaching students with special needs in general education classrooms . Pearson.
