Psychology Of Learning

Applying Learning Theory to Life

Prior to beginning work on this activity read all of the required reading, review the content from weeks one through three, visit the website http://selfdeterminationtheory.org (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., and review the Instructor Guidance. This week you will be discussing the multiple perspectives about how we learn, based on your developing knowledge about learning theory, and how it affects your own ability to perform at desired levels.

Required elements:

Explain behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, and humanism as applied to learning. Suggested template.
Summarizes at least two sub-theories/ideologies within each framework.
Examples include:
From behaviorism
associative learning, classical conditioning, operant Conditioning, conditioning, extinction, and ratio/interval schedules
From cognitivism
schema theory, memory development, elaboration theory (i.e. Bloom’s taxonomy), cognitive load theory, and social learning/cognitive theory.
From constructivism (conceptions of knowledge are derived from the process of constructing individual interpretations of one’s experiences)
cognitive constructivism, dialectical (social) constructivism, zone of proximal development, and discovery learning
From humanism
motivational theories of learning (i.e. self-determination theory, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs), experiential learning, and Steiner pedagogy or Waldorf education.
List and briefly explain a minimum of two theoretically supported strategies, that we have learned about during the past weeks, that you think would most help you to increase your own learning success.
List and briefly explain a minimum of two theoretically supported strategies, that we have learned about during the past weeks, that you think would most help someone in your personal or professional circle.
Apply basic methods of psychological research skills to this content by synthesizing supporting evidence from at least three scholarly sources from the Ashford University Library that defend the strategies you have chosen.

The Applying Learning Theory to Life paper

Must be double-spaced and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of [paper, project, etc.]
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Date submitted
Must use headings and sub-headings. See example. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Must use appropriate research methods (e.g. use of the Ashford library) and skeptical inquiry (http://www.criticalthinking.org/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.).to support the content inclusions.
Must begin with an introductory paragraph that introduces what you will be outlining in your paper.
Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms the learning perspectives/principles and strategies you chose.
Must use at least three scholarly sources, all of which must come from the Ashford University Library.
Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Must include a separate reference page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS

Discussion Questions (DQ)
Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.

Weekly Participation
Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.

APA Format and Writing Quality
Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.

Use of Direct Quotes
I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.

LopesWrite Policy
For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.

Late Policy
The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.

Communication
Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:
Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.