Author: I Putu Wirya Suta
Behaviorism and cognitive theory have a wide range of
influences on the teaching-learning process throughout lesson plan
construction, classroom management, and instructional delivery style. Both
theorists can be implemented in the teaching-learning process according to
which theory the teacher is most engaged.
Lesson Plan Construction
My lesson plan is constructed based on the diagnostic assessments result and the learning objectives. The students are given a diagnostic assessment before they are attending the classroom learning activity. This assessment is conducted to gain students’ prior knowledge, needs, interests, and inspiration. This result is then used as the base to design a lesson plan for the learning activities to match with the student's prior knowledge, needs, interests, and inspiration. Moreover, the learning objectives that are hoped to be achieved at the end of the learning process, are also used as another base in constructing the lesson plan.
The constructed lesson plan mainly consists of three
parts namely the learning objectives, the learning activities, and the
assessment. These three aspects have to be interconnected to each other. What
the students are experiencing during the learning activities reflects on the
learning objectives. The learning media and sources are also included in the
lesson plan. In the end, each learning objective will be assessed during and
after the learning.
The theory of cognitive is mostly applied in the lesson
plan construction, in where it is designed according to students’ prior
knowledge, needs, interests, and inspiration. When the learning activity is
created based on the student’s innate knowledge and needs, it refers to
cognitive learning theory. Bransford, et.al. (2000, pp. 153-154) stated that to
build a useful learning environment, the four perspectives --learner-centered,
knowledge-centered, assessment-centered, community-- of cognitive learning
environment are required to be conducted cohesively.
Classroom Management
To bring the lesson plan into learning activities, the
teacher needs to manage their classroom in a certain way to meet the learning
objectives. My classroom management runs with three aspects of how the
classroom environment is set, what students’ routine is involved, and how
interaction takes place in the classroom. The classroom setting includes the
students’ seats arrangement whether it is individuals, in pairs, or groups. The
arrangement is set according to how the learning activities are going to be run.
There is also a students’ routine that fulfills the learning process, such as
checking the students' attendance at the beginning of the lesson, and a short
prayer to begin and end the learning. Next, classroom management also includes
the interaction among the students and between students and the teacher.
However, the students are given more chances in building interaction among
them.
Setting the classroom in pairs as well as groups and
letting interaction among students lead to democratic learning as proposed by
cognitive learning theory. Besides, cognitive-based learning is shown in my
classroom environment for there is a routine used as the transition facet of
the classroom structure. To have a transition moving from one to another
activity, the teacher needs to set the students’ routine in the learning
process (Educator Pages, 2009).
Instructional Delivery Style
In delivering my instructions to the learning activities,
I mix both behaviorism and cognitive learning theory following some of the nine
events of instruction of Gagne. It begins with getting the students’ attention
by conveying brainstorming activities, ice-breaking, etc. It is then followed
by informing the learning objectives to the students. Either getting students’
attention or informing the learning objectives are brought to attract the
students’ motivation in joining the learning activities. The motivation of
learning is an essential aspect of behavioral learning theory (WGU, 2020).
Furthermore, the learning activity is conducted based on
student-centered, knowledge-centered, and assessment-centered learning
perspectives. The students are brought into the learning activity based on the
result of the diagnostic assessment which presents students’ prior knowledge,
needs, interests, and inspiration. In this case, the cognitive learning theory
is applied through the three perspectives of the learning environment proposed
by Bransford, et.al. (2000, pp. 133-140).
The teacher plays a role as a facilitator during the
learning activity to always be available once the students need help in solving
their problems. The progress of the students in the learning is observed and
the teacher is to give feedback to them when several aspects are found to get
improvement. Any types of assessment are also given during the learning to know
the progress and to give feedback afterward. At the end of the learning, a
summative assessment is given to check whether or not the learning objectives
are reached through the learning process.
References
Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (Eds.). (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. National Academy Press. https://www.nap.edu/download/9853
Educator Pages. (2009, November 1). Cognitive. https://classroommanagement.educatorpages.com/pages/28095
Western Governors
University. (2020, May 29). What is the behavioral learning theory? https://www.wgu.edu/blog/what-behavioral-learning-theory2005.html
