When I was initially introduced to a variety of learning theories during my undergraduate courses as I prepared to become a teacher, I did not see the purpose of learning about so many theories in detail. How were they going to help me with my classroom management? How were they going to help me design my lesson plans? How were they going to help me establish good relationships with my students? How would the thoughts of men from decades ago help me teach students in the 21st century? I was looking for a blueprint on how to design the perfect classroom, which is why I was not very satisfied with any learning theory. After living many more experiences in education, I have come to appreciate and see the significance of learning theories. When we as educators can identify which theory best reflects the type of learning happening within our learning environment, we can assess whether or not we are meeting the desired goals. If we are not meeting the desired goals, then we have different models we can pull ideas from. For the majority of my life, I have been faithful to the behaviorist theory of learning. All of my k-12 experience and my undergraduate experience thrived on rewards and punishments. My favorite reward was seeing a 100 on my report card, commended on standardized tests, and A’s on my transcript. I learned as I pushed myself to do whatever was necessary in order to obtain good grades, which I saw as a reward. Honestly, that is how I managed graduate from college with a 4.0 GPA; I was obsessed with grades! I thought it was easy to see what areas of education I had mastered and which ones I needed to work on; I just had to look at test grades. If it was below an 85, I needed to ‘punish’ myself by rereading entire chapters; if it was above an 85, I could ‘reward’ myself by enjoying a weekend full of leisure activities. However, as I approached the end of my undergraduate career I realized that I had not learned what I felt was necessary in order to be a good teacher. The day before my internship started, I found myself panicking. These students were not going to quiz me on Piaget, Vygotsky, Bloom, Skinner, Pavlov, etc. they needed something different from me. An education system built on rewards and punishments, which I carried with me to college got me impressive grades, but it did not lead me to the learning that I had yearned for. This is where Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory comes in. Social interaction played a crucial role in developing my understanding of what it truly takes to be a teacher. As I joined experienced teachers in their classrooms I felt like I was finally learning something meaningful. I felt like I was learning via my social interactions with the teachers, administrators, students, parents, and fellow interns. This network of people helped me find my zone of proximal development as I identified what I could do well on my own and what I was unable to do. The zone of proximal development focuses on what the student can do with help. This is where the focus was maintained during my internship and I felt like it was very successful, I felt like I was learning something new every day. My experience led me to believe that this was the best theory to base my classroom on; the learning environment I created for my students would be the best if it followed Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory. This helped me with scaffolding and individualizing instruction for students without doing anything too radical. For the bulk of my teaching career, I have been trying to help students find their zone of proximal development and build up on that. I have firmly believed that this leads to the best way of learning. However I have felt that something has been missing. My students have been learning skills that will come in handy when they enter the real world once they graduate from high school. Aren’t they already living in the real world? Shouldn’t they already be applying the skills they are learning? I did not realize I was looking for a new theory to follow, much less did I realize that this would be the Constructivist Theory which “equates learning with creating meaning from experience” (). Lately I have started to see so much value in students reflecting upon their learning experiences, drawing connections, and applying it to their lives. To me this is learning. No matter the age, if we are alive, we are current members of society, therefore have something to contribute to it. There is no reason why my students should have to wait until they are 18 to apply the skills they are learning today. I will admit that I am relatively new to this Constructivist Theory and some of what it entails seems frightening to implement, but the potential of learning that it will lead to is much more exciting. In order to create a significant learning environment for my students, I need to begin adopting more aspects of the Constructivist Theory. The video below summarizes what the Constructivist Theory is about, how teachers can implement it, and how it will benefit students. My experiences as both a student and a teacher have led me to my current learning philosophy. As I continue to live through different experiences and obtain more knowledge, I am sure my learning theory will keep evolving. Sources: B. (2012, December 30). Use a Learning Theory: Constructivism. Retrieved September 17, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa59prZC5gA
1 Comment
2/15/2024 07:32:03 am
Wow, what an insightful journey through the evolution of learning! This article beautifully captures the transformative power of education over time. I particularly appreciated the emphasis on adapting teaching methods to meet the needs of diverse learners. Highly recommended educational options Haralur are truly fortunate to have access to such enlightening perspectives on the evolution of learning. Keep up the fantastic work!
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