The Research Project - A learning activity in EDUC 5003 - Models of Teaching

Each  of  you students will choose a project to complete. This project will be directly related to the content and objectives of this course. Possible choices of psychological concepts and psychologists are listed below. You may choose one of these or one of your own. Your project will be research oriented and will be presented in the American Psychological Association (APA) style. 

There is no specific length. Two (2) copies of this contract are to be submitted to the Instructor. You will give an oral presentation in class and will give a one-page abstract of your work to each of your classmates.

You will make your topic choice on or before our fifth session. If you later decide to change your topic, check with me and we will work it out.   

Contract Form

Project Topic: ____________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

Signatures:

Student________________________________________________________

Date _____________

Instructor______________________________________________________

Date _____________

Comments on my purposes in assigning this task   

First, I wanted the students to have an experience that would prepare them for writing their masters’ thesis. Second, I wanted each of my students to have a direct interaction with each of the other students in the class. Third, I wanted my students to be accountable for their own learning in this class above the complaint that “The Professor made us do it.”

Student Example  - Sports Related Psychological

I haven’t saved any examples of student work from 1997. In fact, I didn’t keep any of their work - it belonged to them. We shared thoughts about them during our final Professor/Student session.

If I were a student in this class, here is how I may have fulfilled that requirement:

Student: Douglas Johnston                                                                               

Date: August 3, 1997

A Report Fulfilling a Requirement in EDUC 5003 - Models of Teaching  

Title: Behaviorist Psychology - Classical Conditioning  An Experiment Conducted by Ivan  Pavlov

Early in the course, Education 5003, Dr. Peter Pierro introduced a number of Psychological Systems for our study and analysis. Also in the course requirements, we students were given the requirement to select a psychological system, a  psychological concept,  or a psychologist and to do further study and research. I was also wondering if I might find some information that would help me become a better soccer coach.

I became interested in Behaviorist Psychology and the three sub-concepts: Classical Conditioning /Stimulus - Response, Identical Elements, and Reinforced Conditioned Response. I made a contract to explore the first of these sub-concepts. It became quite clear that Ivan Pavlov was the major person in that area. His experiment and the findings with dogs and feeding was cited as a classic Stimulus - Response experience.

Attached is the best description of this experience that I was able to find:

Ivan Pavlov's dog experiment demonstrated classical conditioning, which is the process of associating a neutral stimulus with a positive or negative one: 

• 1. Experiment - Pavlov rang a bell before feeding his dogs, and over time they learned to associate the bell with food. 

• 2. Explanation - The food was the unconditioned stimulus, which naturally triggered the dogs' salivation, the unconditioned response. The bell was a neutral stimulus that initially elicited no response, but eventually became a conditioned stimulus that  triggered the conditioned response of salivation. 

• 3. Theory - Pavlov's experiment laid the foundation for classical conditioning theory, which emphasizes the importance of conditioning in understanding how the nervous system relates to human behavior. 

  
  

Source -  Ivan Pavlov Dog Experiment - Google

I also found the short way of indicating Stimulus-Response is S  →  R.

The more I studied Behaviorist Psychology the more I became aware that the work in this field is done mainly with animals as subjects and then these findings were related human behavior - See #3 Theory above.

When Dr.Pierro introduced us to the Perceptual Concept of Psychology he indicated that in the use of Stimulus-Response we should define who or what is being the subject of the activity,  In the usage of animals and people the term could be Organism so we would indicate it in this way:

Original Notation 

S  →  R 

Stimulus  →  Response 

Perception Notation, e,g, Person or Animal    

S  →  O  →   R      

Stimulus   →    Organism   →     Response  

Later, as we learned more about perception, it became clear to me that this included the members of our class. Each of us was responding in a personal, unique way to Dr. Pierro’s presentations. So, when I speak to my soccer  team, each of my players hears something unique and personal - each one is a separate responder - Rx.

For example, this is the way I’m now speaking to my three goalkeepers, Jenny, Linda, and Claire. I am checking by their nodding and their attention if they’re getting what I’m giving out. This can be called Awareness.

Interaction with my three goalkeepers:

S →  O  →   R1  (Jenny)

S →  O  →   R2  (Linda)

S →  O  →   R3  (Clare)

This activity has been very good for me and for my coaching. I am much more a member of my soccer team as Dr. Pierro and the other students in this class are members of a group of co-learners.