Theorist Application Essay - Bandura One theorist that stuck with me as I reflect on my own classroom is Albert Bandura. He emphasizes the importance of modeling to drive both behavior and instruction, suggesting that it not only increases retention of learned academic content but also important social behaviors like empathy. His theory suggests that students learn best when behavior or skills are modeled correctly, and then repeated in various ways. Another important part of Bandura’s theory is the concept of cognitive behavior modification, or changing negative messages to positive ones in the classroom and in instruction. When students feel like they can’t do something, changing the negative self-talk is just as important as practicing the actual skill. Overall, Bandura classifies learning as a social activity, claiming that contact with other learners is of chief importance to the learning process. Group activities, and most importantly the chance to discuss and …show more content…
Students will repeat after me and mimic the motions I am making to create association between social values and their physical manifestations (cultural elements). The activity itself (a song) is fun and light-hearted, but it is an activity that will require students to think on their toes, and to look to their peers as well as their teacher for guidance. One aspect of Bandura’s social learning theory is the Eliciting Effect, where students do not necessarily copy another student but do something similar to that student. Students may not necessarily copy each other, but they will be driven to do something similar because of the nature of the assignment. Later in the lesson, students will model for each other as we create a human Venn diagram. This is a chance for students to model proper behavior, but also to think out loud and model the thought process for problem