Learning Unit Costs & Learning Theories

I’d like to start off by saying wow; that was a lot of information in a short chapter. Having said that, I decided on a fun activity for my “class” that would teach them about unit costs using instructional activities that adhere to three theories from the reading. This unit of instruction will be called “Puppy Chow Showdown”.

Overview:

I would divide the class into small groups of 4 or 5 students, and give them a budget of $20. They will also be given a list of ingredients and packaging materials needed to make Puppy Chow. Their goal is to make, package and market their Puppy Chow for sale in the cafeteria (proceeds to charity of course). The group whose business model profits the most money will be the winner.

Educational Outcome:

Among several other larger lessons, the goal of learning how to calculate unit costs will be reached. This will be accomplished by challenging each student to make their money stretch as far as possible. A list of ingredients composed of different prices, quantities and brands will challenge the students to calculate which combination will yield them the most Puppy Chow in the end.

How this lesson adheres to the theories:

Behavioral Learning Theory – One major aspect of this theory was the use of positive and negative reinforcement to modify behaviors. As this lesson progresses, students will have to make purchasing decisions. With each decision there is the possibility of saving money, thereby allowing the student an immediate reward. In addition to this form of reinforcement, there is also the competition aspect. The group that made the wisest purchasing decisions and developed the most cost efficient business model would be rewarded. For the other groups, their learning would take place upon the reveal of the winning group’s business model. As the chapter said, feedback that their answer was wrong would “reduce the incidence of incorrect responding” for future situations.


Cognitive Information Processing Theory – This theory places a large emphasis on the use of graphic diagrams and visual representations in addition to utilizing prior knowledge. This lesson utilizes tangible items and also provides them with many different examples for them to practice the new skill of calculating unit costs (which the text also described as important). Also, the tangible items will allow the students to make meaningful connections between their prior knowledge (simple mathematics) and the new skill.


Constructivism – This lesson’s main goal of “create a business model that will yield you the largest profit” is a high level, complex learning goal as described in the text. Also, this task relates to all four of the bulleted points listed on page 41; the lesson is authentic to the discipline in which they are learning, it provides an opportunity for collaboration and multiple perspectives, the learners set their own goals and regulate their own learning, and the end result encourages learners to reflect on what and how they are learning.



Bonus Material; Here’s a recipe for Puppy Chow. This stuff is amazing!!!