EDP 603 OA, Summer III, 2005

EDP 603 THEORIES OF LEARNING (3 CREDIT HOURS).

24 IRVIN HALL: M/T/W/Th, 10:30 - 12:05 PM

Lawrence W. Sherman, Professor,
154 McGuffey Hall
Phones: Office (513) 529-6642: Home (513) 523-2458
E-Mail: SHERMALW@MUOHIO.EDU
URL: http://www.users.muohio.edu/shermalw

OFFICE HOURS: [see sherman's weekly schedule on his web page

Our On-Line Discussion site here

Our Daily/weekly Calendar of events here

http://www.users.muohio.edu/shermalw/edp603sm2005/edp603sm05_syl.htm

Power Point slides on the web here

Powerpoint_slides download

Group Papers	Group Powerpoints
Group1_Peer Influences-paper	Group1_powerpoint
Group2_Family-paper	Group2_powerpoint

TEXTS:
HUMAN LEARNING (4th Edition). Jean Ellis Ormrod. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Merril Prentice Hall, 2004 ISBN: 0-13-094199-9.

The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature . Steven Pinker. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 2002. ISBN: 0-14-20.0334-4

Catalogue Description

EDP 603: Theories of Human Learning (3 credit hours). Examines major theoretical perspectives concerning the process of how human beings learn. Historical, as well as contemporary views of the biological, behavioral and cognitive bases of human learning are presented. Also considers how cultures (ethnic, gender, and systemic) influence the process and mode of learning. The particular focus involves the direct application of theoretical approaches to classroom instruction. Critical analysis of these theories and current research are emphasized so as to facilitate students' understanding of the complex process of learning.

This course will primarily function as a seminar based upon the texts, several individual readings which I will distribute, and recent research studies which you will retrieve from the library journals. The text should give a thorough grounding in several theoretical positions used to explain learning: i.e., Theories of Learning. Class discussions and lectures should help clarify these theories, their contemporary importance with regard to recent research and the applications of these theories in educational environments and a variety of other settings.

CLASS PROJECTS

This class will involve four elements: A) An Individual Paper; B) A Group GI paper; C) 10 Netpostings (reflections and reactions, 10 of each); D) a final Portfolio. These elements are described below.

A. PAPER [ 25%].

Each person in the class will be expected to write and present ONE INDIVIDUAL paper to the entire class. The objective here is to bring us all up to date as to what is being studied in the most recent literature. Each person will retrieve an article from one of the following suggested journals:

1. Journal of Educational Psychology
2. Educational Psychologist
3. Contemporary Educational Psychology
4. European Journal of Psychology of Education
5. Educational Researcher
6. Review of Educational Research
7. American Educational Research Journal
8. International Journal of Behavioral Development
9. Human Development
10. "ON APPROVAL": any other "LEARNING"-related journal.

Articles should be selected on the basis of two criterion:

1) use only journal articles published within the last four years (Jan., 2000 to the present.
2), the articles must be research oriented (either quantitative or qualitative) and relevant to theories of learning.

When the typed, double spaced, APA (4th edition) formated paper is written, the following objectives should be kept in mind and addressed:

1. Have a brief summary, in your own words, of the purpose, sample, results, and conclusions which the author(s) have presented. IDENTIFY the Learning Theory Perspective of the authors! This summary should probably not exceed 3 to 4 pages... the shorter the better! I will be reading the duplicated copy of the article before I read your summary and I will be looking for a proper "match" between what you say and what I think the authors are saying.
2. Relate the article to the text and other related readings in terms of recognition of the theoretical positions which the author(s) maintain.

Inasmuch as the text points out some particular aspects of each theory, try to identify whether or not the authors deal with these issues in their article. This objective is the most importrant, as I am looking specifically for how well you can demonstrate a relevant and thorough knowledge of content contained in the Ormrod text: that is, use Ormrod as a primary source to analyze the article!.
I would like you to attempt making a connection to the Pinker book as well.
In this regard keep in mind that many theories explain the same phenomena. Are there "alternative" explanations? Do the author's acknowledge the alternative viewpoints? If not, can you provide some alternative views specifically using the Ormrod text as a resource? Be Creative

3. Try to find an article which is of "intrinsic" interest and relevance to yourself. Attempt to show what practical value the research may have. You may attempt to personally relate to the findings or generalize to an educational setting.
4. I will be keeping all papers so if you wish, make a copy for yourself!
5. The structure of the paper should be as follows:

a. A cover sheet with the title, author, and journal centered in the middle of the page. Do not identify yourself here.
b. A reproduction of the research paper should follow the cover sheet.
c. Your essay should begin right after the reproduction of the article which you are reviewing.
d. The LAST SHEET should identify which paper this is (Paper I ) and the class (EDP 603, Summer III, 2004) all centered in the middle of the page. Your name should be placed on the bottom right corner of this COVER sheet.

B. One Group Investigation (GI) paper [25%]

The Group Investigation project will involve groups selecting topics instrinsically interesting and relevant to the course content and doing some collaborative research and presentation of their findings to the class. The GI MODEL will be discussed later in the class. This is a group project/paper and will also follow the APA writing format described above in A.

THE GROUP PAPERS FROM earlier classes

C. Minimum of 10 ONLINE DISCUSSION Reflections and Reactions [25%]

[6 points per reflection(3)/reaction(3) cycle] = 60 points). Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) will be a mainstay for reflection and discussion of class activities and readings, both in class and out of class. A central "ONLINE DISCUSSION SITE" has been created in which all messages will be open to all class members specifically for their critical reactions to each other's weekly reflections and reactions. An electronic "portfolio" (notebook) will be organized, reflected upon and turned in at the end of the class. The emphasis here is to create "narrative", and construct meaning, and engage in "critical thinking". It is in this medium that I believe we are applying some of the cognitive notions from the Pinker text, The Blank Slate.

D. One E-PORTFOLIO [25%] done in MS Powerpoint.

Title page; organized index (table of contents), a copy of the most current syllabus, your own personal Netpostings [reflections and reactions] with a final summary and conclusion plus related handouts associated with class activities. Each added item to your portfolio should have a brief paragraph describing what that item means to you. You are trying to "construct meaning" from these additions: attempt to relate how the item connect to the text or related class experiences. These "narratives" are important!

The following Mastery, or criterion-referenced, grading scale will be applied to final "percentage" scores:

A+ gt 98 A = 94 - 97.99 A- = 91 - 93.99
B+ = 88 - 90.99 B = 85 - 87.99 B- = 82 - 84.99
C+ = 79 - 81.99 C = 75 - 78.99 C- = 70 - 74.99
D+ = 67 - 69.99 D = 64 - 66.99 D- = 60 - 63.99
F lt 60

!!!!!!!!!INCOMPLETES AND ATTENDANCE!!!!!!!!!!:

Any incompletes not made up by the end of the semester will automatically result in an incomplete for the course. Also!!! when the incomplete is made up after the semester is over, regardless of what grade you might have achieved in the class, it will be lowered "one whole letter grade"!!! Classroom attendance will be closely monitored and a maximum of two unexcused absences will be allowed. You will be "docked" one whole percentage point from your total percentage score at the end of the class for each unexcused absence after the second absence!