Vygotsky TIPR

Question: What evidence do you see of specific teacher behaviors that are geared toward Vygotsky's theories of cognitive development? Cite specific examples and make clear connection to Vygotsky's work. Be thorough in your coverage of the theory, addressing multiple concepts to demonstrate your understanding. Be sure to include a reference in your response.

Answer:

Vygotsky Theory Guide

Teacher behaviors that are geared toward Vygotsky's Theory are that of the MKO. They need to be that person that the student can look towards for information. Not only is this important, but it needs to be used in ways that challenges the student. This information needs to be used within the scope of the student's ZPD and can be used with cultural tools such as their domain of experience and also through guided participation as it may be more difficult to always conduct a cognitive apprenticeship with a student.

Being able to guide a student through the thought process and allowing them internalize the information being presented is very important. I feel that many times throughout my education that my teachers have simply stated the answers instead of allowing me to work out the problems for myself. This seemed more prevalent during my early years, but even so this diminishes cognitive development.

Using assessments to determine each child's ZPD is extremely important to determine exactly how each student should be taught. Each student thinks and learns differently and it should be approached that way instead of simply blanketing students under an objective or learning style.

Assessment TIPR

QUESTION: 
Assessment: How does the teacher assess student learning?
Identify specific instances of informal and formal, formative and summative assessment and explain the types of assessments (e.g., self-assessment, portfolio, project, performance, etc.) that are used. 
How valid, reliable, biased, and practical are these assessments? 
Be sure to include a reference in your response.

ANSWER:
I have only attended 3 classes so far so there isn't much information to go on. But they did just finish a unit with a summative assessment. It seemed like it used multiple choice, true-false, and fill in the blank. It was a formal assessment, but each student was then allowed to go back through the test and find where they made mistakes. They were then able to fix those mistakes and resubmit the test to receive additional credit for the questions they had missed. It allowed for self-reflection and allowed for increased learning opportunities. It was Fair and Practical as it gave each student the same chances to learn and re-learn the material being taught. It also allowed the student and teacher to spend the correct amount of time needed for each student to comprehend the material. Validity and Reliability increased as it was able to be done multiple times with more clarity and closer to reaching the goals of the assessment.