Many people have been influential to education and helped shape our educational system how it is known today.  Each year new research is changes the face of education by helping to improve instructional practices and also increase student achievement.  One current contemporary figure in education is a researcher is John Hattie. John Hattie has been Director of the Melbourne Educational Research Institute at the University of Melbourne, Australia, since March 2011. Before that, he was Project Director of asTTle and Professor of Education at the University Of Auckland, New Zealand. He holds a PhD from the University Of Toronto, Canada (John Hattie - VISIBLE LEARNING) . Professor John Hattie he is most well-known for his research in the field of education. He has written two books Visible Learning and Visible Learning for Teachers. Both books focus on research based on studies covering more than 80 million students over 15 years. His research focuses on how students learn best in an educational setting and what instructional practices students can benefits the most from.

John Hattie’s research has been designed to help teachers see learning from the point of view of the leaners. In Hattie’s words: “what is most important is that teaching is visible to the students, and the learning is visible to the teacher. The more the student becomes the teacher and the more the teacher becomes the learner, then the more successful are the outcomes’ (Terhart, p. 430). Hattie’s research is the core of effective instruction.  Helping teachers to see what instruction looks like from the student’s point of view can only benefit the teacher and student. He is helping teachers change the way they look at education and classroom instruction. Hattie believes that feedback is an essential component to teacher and student growth. Too often teachers focus on social and behavior management feedback and not as much on academic feedback for students. When I thought about it, I do not give enough academic feedback or ask for feedback from students about my instruction. According to Terhart (2011), “not only is feedback from students to teachers is important. Also crucial is that a teacher gives feedback to his students and supports their learning, including the manner in which this is done” (p. 430). Hattie believes that the feedback allows students to take control of their learning. I am firm believer that allowing students to be actively involved in their success and make them more effective students.

Hattie has help me change my classroom instruction for my current and future students. I am able to not only focus on behavioral feedback, but academic feedback for maximum student achievement and growth. One of his books focus on the impact of specific instructional practices in and out the classroom, such as homework, class size, parent involvement, summer school, economic status, and host of other factors that effective student achievement. I have been able to adjust my classroom instruction based on his research. I used to give a lot of homework, but that research shows that homework does not have as much an impact on student achievement as once thought.

A historical figure that made am impact on history was B.F Skinner. B.F skinner was an American psychologist known for his studies on behaviorism. He was born in 1904 and died in 1990.  Skinner started to develop an interest in scientific reasoning from his extensive study of the works of Francis Bacon. He went on to receive a B.A. in English literature in 1926 from Hamilton College (B. F. Skinner: The Life of Psychology's "Radical Behaviorist")

            I am interested in Skinner because I believe that his studies on behaviors and conditioning can be related to the classroom and how students behave. Student misbehavior is an issue that every teacher faces daily. Often teaching cannot tack place without effective classroom management. Often students will behave based on rewards or punishment system. I believe this to be true. Skinner believed that positive and negative punishments can weaken behaviors. I use this in my classroom daily, and I may give silent lunch or take away recess. I believe that for majority of students this works and makes my classroom management effective.

My desire to continue to grow professionally and become a better educator has fueled my passions advocating for students with disabilities and becoming more familiar with factors that affect student achievement. By pursing my degree and accomplishing my goals, I can be more knowledgeable in these areas and lead by example by becoming a teacher leader or mentor in the school.

B. F. Skinner: The Life of Psychology's "Radical Behaviorist" (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2015, from http://psychology.about.com/od/profilesofmajorthinkers/p/bio_skinner.htm

John Hattie - VISIBLE LEARNING. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2015, from http://visible-learning.org/john-hattie/

Terhart, E. (2011). Has John Hattie Really Found the Holy Grail of Research on Teaching? An Extended Review of "Visible Learning". Journal Of Curriculum Studies, 43(3), 425-438.