Education has always been apart of my life. Growing up with a mom for a teacher, I spent countless hours with her in her classroom: cutting out laminated activity sheets, helping her set up new bulletin boards, packing up student birthday gift bags… I was always there. I got to see the joy it brought her to cultivate a learning environment that was full of love and acceptance for all students, regardless of backgrounds or capabilities. When I decided to go into education, she was my immediate inspiration and I knew the importance of creating that space for my students. It was easy to provide them with compassion and kindness, however that only got me so far. In order to fully give my students the education they deserved, being a teacher wasn’t enough. I needed to adjust my role.
As a learner myself, I admittedly had it easy up through high school. I could pick up content at short notice, often learning the material well enough to ace the quizzes and tests to be successful. However, I never fully retained most of the material I studied and it would fade as soon as I handed in the test. Of course, this method could only work up to a certain level. Entering college, I had to completely shift my studying and learning strategies to actually learn the material AND retain the knowledge. Firstly, I needed to be intrinsically motivated to learn. I had to WANT to learn the content in order to fully grasp it (groundbreaking, I know). Next, I had to actively participate in the learning. This in particular is why I loved science so much. There are so many simple opportunities to conduct hands-on learning in a way that resonates. Finally, I needed a learning community. Connecting with other like-minded, motivated learners and sharing experiences creates a dynamic, rich web of learning that fully enhances learning. Subsequently, I believe that so much that applies to me as a learner applies to the majority of the students I have worked with. They too want genuine learning experiences where they learn through doing and truly are invested in what they are learning and who they are learning it with.
It is now my belief that the role of teacher should be replaced by a learning facilitator. The role of teacher is more about being a subject or content expert and passing that knowledge directly to the students. In this age of such easy access to knowledge, this position is nearly irrelevant. Whereas a learning facilitator has the job of presenting pupils with genuine learning opportunities so that students may make informed decisions as they own their learning. The learning facilitator is the stage hand placing the student in the role of main character in their learning experience.
I haven’t always seen things through this lens, but it makes sense to provide an education to students using the tools and techniques I myself used to be successful. All the more reason to consider my learning philosophy rather than simply my teaching philosophy when considering what is important to my students. Now, though all students learn differently and should be provided ample opportunities to learn in a myriad of ways, I believe there are some universal applications that align with my particular learning theory.
Specifically, I stand behind the social constructivist theory. In short, proposed by Lev Vygotsky in 1968, social constructivism revolves around the importance of language and culture in the learning experience. It is through these avenues that humans are able to make connections in learning and with each other. This theory directly supports my own personal beliefs on learning as well as reinforces the processes I have in place of my innovation plan. Students are to share experiences and knowledge of the college application process to nurture and enrich each others’ journey.
Annotated Bibliography
Bruner, J. & University Professor Jerome Bruner. (1977). The process of education: Revised edition. Amsterdam University Press. (Original work published 1960)
This details the work of Jerome Bruner and his philosophy on learning that supports constructivism. He includes a historical perspective along with his personal theories with research regarding education and learning.
Harapnuik, D., Thibodeaux, T., & Cummings, C. (2018). COVA: Choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning (0.9) [eBook]. Creative Commons License.
This book goes into detail about the COVA learning environment using the concepts of Blended Learning. The reader understands what it meands for the learner to have Choice, Ownership and Voice in Authentic learning environments. It discusses how learners need to be prepared for the 21st century especially in the area of real world problem solving.
Kurt, S. (2021, February 21). Constructivist learning theory. Educational Technology. https://educationaltechnology.net/constructivist-learning-theory/
This article discusses Constructivist Learning Theory in detail along with the founding theorists that support it. It breaks the theory down into understandable parts from each contributor for the reader to easily understand the theory.
Piaget, J. (1926). The language and thought of the child. United Kingdom: Kegan, Paul, Trench, Trubner & Company Limited.
This is an original work of Piaget containing his research with children’s cognitive development and language development. It goes into the developmental stages that he founded through his research and in-depth study of children.
Pink, Daniel. (April 1, 2010). Drive: The surprising truth about what motivate us. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/u6XAPnuFjJc
This video discusses what actually motivates us and provides research to support the outcomes. What motivates us is not always predictable such as more money.
Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of Constant Change. CreateSpace
This book discusses the need for a new learning environment for the 21st century learner in detail. The present culture of learning does not allow a learner to grow at the way and pace needed for our world with all the information available to the learner today.
References
Akpan, V. I., Igwe, U. A., Mpamah, I. B. I., & Okoro, C. O. (2020). Social Constructivism: Implications on Teaching and Learning. British Journal of Education, 8(8), 49–56.
Cognitive and social constructivism: developing tools for an effective classroom – Document – Gale Academic OneFile Select. (n.d.). https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA216181184&v=2.1&u=monash&it=r&p=EAIM&sw=w&asid=28e2938c957e0b4e3191ff89e7607558
Haave, N., PhD. (2023). Developing Students’ Learning Philosophies. Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/developing-students-learning-philosophies/
Harapnuik, D. (2021, November). Learning Philosophy. It’s About Learning. Retrieved June 24, 2023, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=95
Kurt, S. (2021, February 21). Constructivist Learning Theory – Educational Technology. Educational Technology. https://educationaltechnology.net/constructivist-learning-theory/#:~:text=This%20model%20was%20entrenched%20in,Vygotsky%2C%20Gagne%2C%20and%20Bruner.&text=The%20theory%20of%20constructivist%20learning,knowledge%20is%20central%20to%20constructivism.
Social Constructivism | GSI Teaching & Resource Center. (n.d.). https://gsi.berkeley.edu/gsi-guide-contents/learning-theory-research/social-constructivism/
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