Developmental Learning Theory (DLT)

The most interesting aspect of class was discussing the idea of abstract vs. concrete teaching. It made me question how much I have really learned and how much of it was just memorizing some vocabulary that was thrown at me but never actually learned. I seem to have just remembered things just long enough to take the test and then I don't remember it after that. The idea of teaching abstractly is all too common, it seems that by giving notes, even word for word, is thought to be the most beneficial way to learn. However, this isn't true. After learning about the phases of the moon it was evident how much damage teachers have done by not using concrete evidence to teach us. It was a seemingly simple concept that none of us could produce the right answer to. However, when we did the partner demonstration and the group demonstration, it all made much more sense. Actually seeing the concept we were being taught was much more beneficial than just reading the words. And even when we had questions, it was helpful to see that things can be broken down to their simplest form and that's how people truly LEARN.

In high school, I acted as a student teacher in a forth grade class. Most of the time I observed but a lot of the time I had to work with the students who were not as strong as other students were academically. When the teacher pulled all the students together for a lesson about decimals and place value I was doubtful that all of them would be able to understand. However, she sifted out those who understood from those who didn't by first showing them a single example with some vocabulary. Some understood it, but most did not. That's when she began teaching more concretely, she pulled out a whole set of blocks to help them picture which place each number was in and she gave them a variety of examples to help them make more sense of it. While this isn't as concrete as she could've been, she was still able to reach all of her students, not just those who could think abstractly. This is how I want to teach so all of my students can gain something from my lessons.

As a Special Education teacher, I know I will have to break things down to the most basic ideas and things will have to be repeated. But being able to show my students what I want them to learn makes grasping certain things much easier. When I was in my practicum last year, I not only observed teaching styles but classroom styles as well. I saw a lot of color in all of the special education classrooms, there were not a lot of books or anything but there were lots of hands-on things they could use to help them learn basic skills. There were activities that helped them master the tying of their shoes and it broke that task down into a step by step process. I want my students to be able to teach themselves things and not rely solely on me for information and knowledge. I feel by using hands-on, concrete activities and devices, I will be able to help them help themselves too.