Week 7: Social Learning Theory

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When thinking about Bandura’s social learning theory, I feel like the Biology teacher that I observe does a particularly good job of being mindful of the different models that he displays to his students. As a live model, he is very clear about when assignments are due and is equally open about when the students can expect feedback on their work. Another thing that I really appreciate about him is that he tells stories from his time in the Peace Corps. I think that this provides a good model for students and his enthusiasm and examples from around the world make students care more about the topics they are discussing on a global level. Another thing that I really was impressed by is that the teacher routinely gives examples of different careers and professionals in the field of science that is being currently discussed. This provides a symbolic model that students can model their behavior after especially when the teacher provides people and careers that are relatable and interesting to the students. He does this by including examples of people who graduated from Northfield High School and providing examples that include typically underrepresented groups of people in science.

Bandura’s theory tells us that teachers in today’s classrooms have to be relatable to the students and create an environment that fosters creating good models including live models, verbal instruction models, and symbolic models. I think the example provided by project 2000 illustrates the importance of having a lot of different models separate from the classroom teacher. Additionally, individual attention and more specific and tailored reinforcements are needed to reach struggling students.

When I think of a teacher that was a role model for me I think of my fourth-grade teacher. She did a really good job making sure that every student felt like she cared about them as individuals. I think that this model of caring about each other was learned by the class because my class was memorably close and good at watching out for each other and being kind to one another. This is an example for me how the teacher’s approach to students and ways of interacting with others can shape a classroom dynamic. When reflecting on teachers that were more strict, although I feel like sometimes the class was more on task, the social environment and skills learned from interacting with peers were not as memorable. I think that there is a happy medium between creating an environment where students learn how to act socially together and one where completing assignments is emphasized.

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