Running head: CUSTOMIZED LEARNING THEORY PAPER 1

Customized Learning Theory Paper

Matthew McCune

Liberty University

EDUC

500

Dr. Kathy Mott

Customized Learning Theory Paper

Introduction

In order for teachers to be able to effectively instruct their students both academically and

spiritually, they must first understand their own identity as a teacher and Christian.  We must

come to understand our strengths as teachers so we can build effective lessons around those

qualities, while recognizing areas of weakness that we need to work to improve upon.  We must

continue to grow in our relationship with Christ each and every day if we expect the same from

our students.  My philosophy of education centers around the idea that teachers need to provide a

Christian based classroom environment where students feel safe, engaged, and challenged.

Teachers can implement many instructional and behavioral strategies in order to accomplish

some of those aspects, but “learning will be successful in helping students be responsive

disciples only to the extent that the Holy Spirit takes hold of you and your students and enlivens

both” (Van Brummelen, 2009, p. 132).

Learning Theory and Its Importance

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory implies that students who do not feel loved,

lack confidence, or do not trust the teacher will have more obstacles to learning than students

who have those needs satisfied (Slavin, 2015).  If a student walks in a classroom and they feel at

ease, welcomed, and loved then they are more likely to be eager to learn.  Christian teachers are

“loving priests who bring encouragement and compassion to their classrooms” (Van Brummelen,

2009, p. 42).  As a middle school teacher, this is critical since according to Erikson’s stages of

psychosocial development, the students are asking themselves “Who am I?’(Slavin, 2015).  If we

model Christian behavior in how we interact with our students and peers, then we can have a

positive influence on the students.

Instructional strategies that involve giving the students choices over learning methods,

being involved in the lesson, and teaching to different learning styles have been found to increase

student engagement and motivation in class (Sibold, 2016).  Students who are either above or

below the instructional level of a lesson will often get frustrated and lose focus in the classroom.

Differentiated instruction is a teaching philosophy that is used to reach those students who are at

different levels. It is based on Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences and Vygotsky’s zone of

proximal development (Wu, 2013).  Gardner stated that students learn through various

intelligences, and that teaching to the strongest of an individual’s intelligences can improve

performance. Vygotsky’s theory dictates that when students are having difficulty grasping a

concept, teachers teach in a manner that allows the pupil to understand and proceed at their own

pace.  It is a way of teaching to the strength of students so that those high and low level students

stay engaged in the lesson.  It emphasizes student interest by allowing students to participate in

independent study and using the right entry point for instruction.  Constructivists believe in

having a more involved classroom where learners actively engage in the lesson and interact with

others (Hickey, 2014) (Krahenbuhl, 2016).  Using these approaches we can not only have our

students interested in the lessons we teach, but challenge students of all levels.

Description of an Effective Teacher and Learning Environment

Effective teachers implement a variety of strategies that best fit their subject, topic, and

students. Direct instruction might be the most effective tool to instruct students on a certain

lesson, while differentiated group instruction might be the best method for the next lesson.

Effective teachers must be flexible, personalize teaching, willing to try new things, skilled in

their subject matter, and have a strong faith-based relationship with their students (Braley, 2003).

The use of technology and direct instruction are two tools that effective teachers must use.
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In order to be an effective teacher, you must first have a classroom environment where

students are engaged, motivated, make efficient use of instructional time, and feel loved.

Classroom management strategies that take into account the needs of the students, communicate

high expectations, and provide support to uphold those expectations can lead to intrinsic

motivation for students (Slavin, 2015). Intrinsic motivation has been shown to lead to superior

learning outcomes in terms of competency and autonomy (Sibold, 2016).  ”Rather than

shattering a child’s confidence and sense of self-worth, the effective Christian school teacher

seeks opportunities to build up by praising and affirming” (Braley, 2003).  Praise from a teacher

has been seen to be an external source to enhance motivation.  An organized physical layout of

the classroom, clear rules and routines, establishing a caring relationship with students, planning

engaging lessons, and addressing discipline issues immediately are some more strategies that

teachers can implement to maintain classroom management (Garrett, 2013).  Teachers must be

consistent with reinforcement of procedures while simultaneously maintaining a loving Christ-

like environment to make their students feel safe and comfortable.    

Direct instruction  involves structuring classes where you manage your class time to

accomplish a set of objectives as efficiently as possible.  Making the lesson personally relevant

or introducing humor to the topic is a way of engaging students at the beginning of a direct

instruction lesson.  Effective teachers must assess where their students are in the learning process

with learning probes prior to presenting a new lesson.  This can be accomplish efficiently with

the use of online assessments or games such as Socrative or Kahoot.  The results of the learning

probes should determine how you present the new material as you decide was is the best way to

engage and challenge your students. 

Differentiation, within-class ability grouping, and modified whole-class instruction are

three strategies that effective teachers can implement while teaching students at varying skill

level.  Differentiation seeks to teach each individual student according to their skill level which

is a concern for large classes.  The use of technology is necessary in these instances as there are

many web-based learning programs that can adapt to a student’s ability.  Within-class ability

grouping has been shown to benefit low, medium, and high level students (Slavin, 2015).  Whole

class instruction can be used if constant assessment is used.  When presenting a lesson, effective

teachers must use questions, practice, make use of technology to see which students comprehend

the material in order to get timely feedback.  Lessons must be clearly organized, explained,

provide visual representations, and maintain student attention.  The use of time must be efficient

when providing instruction to the class.  The use of technology cannot only help with this but

will keep students engaged.  An effective assessment must be given following the lesson that

determines the level of understanding that the students have of the lesson.  Within-class grouping

should be used at this time so that the teacher could work with low performing students. Medium

and high level students should be given ability appropriate tasks to review the material.  

Learning Characteristics

Small group instruction is critical to engaging and challenging all levels of students.  Van

Brummelen states that group activities must have a clear purpose, be heterogeneous, have

structure, and accountability (Van Brummelen, 2009).  Groups can be created so that they can

contain students of similar ability or mixed-ability grouping.  Similar grouping is beneficial

when implementing differentiation as all students ideally require the same level of instruction

and have the same entry point.  Low level groups can receive the support they need while high

level groups can be given challenging problems.  Mixed-ability grouping can be successful as it
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provides students with a peer tutor which has been found to be very effective.  Grouping could

also make use of the use of modalities in terms of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners.

Teachers can take advantage of the modality strength of each student by grouping them and

giving them a modality related tasks.  The use of technology and access to data can allow

teachers to create groups that they know are not only effective for a certain lesson, but beneficial

in terms of the students’ overall ability.   

Personal Reflection

There are several traits in my learning profiles and inventory that match with my learning

theory.  One of my highest philosophical profiles was calculated to be that of a behaviorist

whose attributes include using rewarding reinforcement in the learning process with the aid of

computer-assisted instruction and interactive media to enhance learning.  Technology can lead to

increased student engagement, new applications of prior knowledge, creating, problem solving,

and reaching new audiences (Blair, 2012).  It is such a powerful tool when differentiating

instruction.  The highest score in one of the learning profile categories, teacher/student task

relationship, was as a work on/hands off instructor which was labeled an Exhorter.  I believe I do

a great job of motivating my students without having to stand over their shoulders.  I present

them with the big picture of why they have to do certain tasks which gives them a purpose as to

why they have to accomplish a goal.  This allows the classroom environment to be relaxed and

comfortable for the students.  Motivation without a constant presence is a necessary skill when

provided individual or small group instruction.  The highest category in regard to my

interpersonal communication was data which is a key tool in knowing how to group your

students.  Decision making and stress were my two highest study skills according to the post-test.

Those two skills are critical in dealing with a differentiated classroom with either individual
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instruction or grouping being utilized.   Groups must be changed routinely and kept on task to

ensure that students are making efficient use of their time.  

Conclusion

As a Christian educator, the most important job I have is helping my students grow their

relationship with Christ.  Our focus needs to be on developing the whole child not just the

academic skill level.  I can accomplish this by creating a loving environment and by modeling

Christ like behavior in how I interact with students and peers.  If students feel comfortable in my

classroom, then they will be more willing to seek spiritual guidance from me.  In academics, the

use of data and technology should be used to provide instruction that matches with the ability

level of each student using small group and individual instruction.  Effective teachers utilize

these tools to implement strategies to reach all levels of students.  ”God has given us ‘everything

we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and

goodness’ (2 Peter 1:3 NIV)” (Braley, 2003). 

 
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References

Blair, N. (2012). Technology integration for the new 21st century learner. Principal, 91(3), 8-13.

Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?

url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

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Braley, J. Layman J. White, R. Eds. Foundations of Christian School Education. Colorado

Springs: ASCI, 2003.

Garrett, T. (2013). Classroom Management: It's more than a bag of tricks. Education Digest,

78(9), 45-49. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?

url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

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Hickey, G. (2014). The importance of learning philosophies on technology selection in

education. Journal of Learning Design, 7(3), 16-22. Retrieved from

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direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1048751&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Krahenbuhl, K. S. (2016, June 30). Student-centered education and constructivism. The Clearing

House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, 89(3), 97-105.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2016.1191311

Morgan, H. (2014). Maximizing student success with differentiated learning. Clearing House: A

Journal of Educational Strategies, 87(1), 34-38. Retrieved from

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direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1025571&site=ehost-live&scope=site
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Sibold, J. (2016). Learning A La Carte: A theory-based tool for maximizing student engagement.

Journal of College Teaching & Learning, 13(2), 79-84. Retrieved from

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1095771.pdf

Slavin, R. E. (2015). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (11th ed.). New York, NY:

Pearson Learning Solutions.

Van Brummelen, H. (2009). Walking with God in the classroom (3rd ed.). Colorado Springs,

CO: Purposeful Design Publications.

Wu, E. (2013). The path leading to differentiation: An interview with Carol Tomlinson. Journal

of Advanced Academics , 24(2), 125-133.

http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1177/1932202X13483472