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Dr. Kim
Educational Psychology
03 December 2015
Learning
Learning is the organization and manipulation of information into knowledge and skills.
solving, memorizing, and thinking. Whether through formal education or life experiences,
student, I realize a vast array of theories exist to define learning. These many theories exist
because each person through biological reasons and experiences remains unique and
individualized. The theories I most relate to and find myself using in my own learning, however,
construct (rather than passively absorb knowledge from their experiences). Therefore, with
Piaget, students develop, organize, and manipulate information based on what they already know
and what experiences they have had. With this information, Piaget concluded that children
organize information into schemasan organized group of similar actions or thought that are
used repeatedly in response to the environment (Ormrod, 2014). For learning to take place,
then, assimilation and accommodation must occur. Assimilation is the process of dealing with
an object or even in a way that is consistent with an existing scheme, and accommodation is the
process of dealing with a new object or event by either modifying an existing scheme or
forming a new one (2014). Therefore, with all this in mind, a student will take new information
and manipulate it to fit what they already know and modify it into a schema for later reference.
Overall, a student will learn based on prior experiences and by what and how he or she decides
to take in.
Continuing with the idea of prior experience and knowledge, Howard Gardner
investigated the theory of multiple intelligences. In his theory, he stresses the individual person
and the individual intelligences. First of all, the definition of intelligence is the ability to apply
prior knowledge and experiences flexibly to accomplish challenging new tasks (Ormrod, 2014).
Based on that definition, Gardner concluded that people possess multiple intelligences. The
overall idea of multiple intelligences is people may be skilled in one area while not skilled in
another. Respectively, then, he broke the intelligences into eight parts: linguistic, logical-
an example, a student may be musically inclined but struggle with spatial skills, or one student
may excel in linguistics but fall behind in mathematics. When teachers cater to these different
my teaching strategies and my classroom curriculum. Each student comes from a different
household, different family, and different experiences. Each student possesses qualities unique to
how they will approach learning and what they will learn. Therefore, I will individualize my
teaching, holding to the ideas of Piaget and Gardner. I will promote learning by appealing to
One example of a lesson I could possibly teach is a lesson on the water cycle in a fourth
grade life science class. First of all, in accordance with Piagets theory, I will start with what they
know, investigating their schemas. I will ask them to brain storm by drawing a picture of what
they think happens with the water on earth and sharing stories of times they have encountered
water. From that point, I will facilitate discussion that will slowly open up pre-organized
schemas so that assimilation and accommodation may start. Throughout the lesson, I will present
a well-organized, easy-to-follow chart of the cycle and talk through the stages. The students will
have their own chart they must fill out. Then to further check for comprehension and reinforce
information, I will ask them to create a project with a friend in the class. The project can come
from any of their strengths or intelligencesa song, diagram, dance, case study, play,
This lesson approaches the views of Piaget in slowly relating to prior experiences and
gradually providing them with information for them to process and accommodate in their
schemas. Then by allowing them the opportunity to work on a class presentation with a partner
relates to Gardners multiple intelligences as they will be able to express how they understand
the information in the way they most strongly think. Plus, the class will be reinforced in the
water cycle content and in multiple ways that will appeal to the vast array of intelligences.
Reference List
Ormrod, J.E. (2011). Education psychology: developing learners. Boston: Pearson/Allyn &
Bacon.