PHILOSOPHY
LEARNING
based on Howard Gardner’s theory on Multiple Intelligences (verbal, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, environmental, and existentialist). By following the context of this theory, I am able to differentiate instruction based on every student’s individual needs and his/her way of learning. These and a few other cognitive theories have immensely influenced my beliefs as the teacher facilitating the learning. The context of learning changes as education continues to go through phases of transformation. Now learning has become a process where one who intends to acquire new skills or develop emerging skills will engage himself in an exchange of information to gain new knowledge. I believe that the true essence of learning is by doing. Learning to me now needs to be experienced. It is an act where students are not only waiting for instruction, instead they are active participants with their learning. They partake in ways to understand concepts by exploring and discovery. I believe learning now is an open field, it is not anymore restricted to age, gender or status, rather it can even be a fairground of whoever wants it more will exert the effort to get the most of it.
Teaching and learning share a perfect symbiotic relationship. For learning to take place, there should be a source of teaching to dispense the information. But unlike before where teachers are the sole provider of instruction, students are now also considered knowledge contributors. Both teachers and students are mutually engaged in the process of enriching existing skills or developing new competencies. Teaching directly affects the outcomes of learning. When teaching is effective, sufficient and appropriate, learning goals are achieved, student performance is progressing, learners are learning.
The exact opposite yields poor student performance, low productivity for both the teacher and the students, and the absence of the true purpose of education. Teaching and learning evolve simultaneously. As teaching develops new innovative ways to improve instructional strategies, learning practices likewise are advancing making it more collaborative and student-centered. Learning is a lifelong journey, so both teachers and students are always concurrently learning. Teachers learn from professional communities, from colleagues, continuing education, and even from the students. Students learn from experience, from teacher and peer-to-peer collaboration, and from self-directed discovery.
I have always considered myself a learner. As learning is a continuous process of acquiring new knowledge through experience, I am always actively involved in enriching what I already know and building on skills to learn new things. I believe learning has also influenced my beliefs and principles in life. It changes my understanding on certain issues and perceptions that in turn affects how I interact with others and my surroundings. As a learner, I believe in the power of collaborations, interactions, and discussions among peers and colleagues that support everyone’s improvement. I believe learning is meant to be shared to impact others’ lives and inspire change in them. Being a learner also influences one’s behavior. It has prompted me to be more encouraged in spite of feeling challenged. As acquiring a certain skill or mastering a new concept does not always come easy, shortcomings will only foster the opportunity for growth. My ultimate belief is that learning entails the willingness to try even if it means you can fail, the courage to sacrifice, take risks, and own mistakes. It also includes the humbling moment to celebrate milestones of success and share it with others
Teaching always coincides with learning. I believe that the core mission of education is to inspire learners to go beyond what is just presented to them, instead make every effort to explore ways to enhance what they already know and make it greater and better so that it can make a significant impact on their own life and others too. Not just the facilitator anymore, I, the teacher, is also a co-learner, as together we exchange ideas for discussion. As my student’s co-pilot, I guide the direction of learning and establish our destination. I model expected behavior and set the tone as I design a learning environment where meaningful interactions among all of us can take place. As a learner, I believe that there are infinite opportunities for progress, that it is possible to change, only if I take every chance to maximize the learning. Learning is evident when I can apply acquired skills to accomplish daily tasks and serve my purpose at work and in the community. Teaching is different from learning as it may entail a more formal commitment to perform for obligation and compensation purposes. Learning is more of a self-initiated, intrinsically motivated commitment.
As change is constant, I am also constantly evolving as a teacher and a learner at the same time. I have applied several strategies based on different learning theories depending on my needs as a teacher-facilitator and a learner. Learning is a complex process that many factors influence what approach to use as student nature and diversity changes. What I consider effective to a certain group of students may not necessarily be stimulating to another set.
But weighing on each theoretical approach, I see myself more as a constructivist, which is learning by creating meaning from experience. I have been influenced by the work and studies of John Dewey, who is considered the philosophical founder of this approach, Bruner and Piaget who are the chief cognitive constructivists, and Vygotsky, the social constructivist. It is said that the social development theory of Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky is a primary foundation of constructivism (Clark, 2018. ) The importance of both the mind as a source of meaning and environmental experiences are the key factors in learning. As instruction is provided, learners interpret its meaning based on personal experience as opposed to generally just acquiring the concepts. As one experiences growth and maturity, representation of knowledge will constantly change. And this draws me back to my first premise, that change is constant, learning is not constant, it evolves. As a learner myself, the context of my interpretations on previously-acquired concepts changes depending on my most recent realizations or discoveries. As behavior is situationally determined, “our current understanding” of a word will continually evolve depending on where we are, who we are with, and what our intentions are. This defines more specifically what individual and social constructivism are. Learning is
both a personal and social process. Individual constructivism emphasizes individuals' personal experiences in constructing knowledge. Social constructivism emphasizes how social interactions impact learners' construction of knowledge. In my kindergarten class now, our student-centered activities promote both individual self-reflective learning, as well as whole or small-group interactions. Students are learning based on their own interpretations and developing social skills by engaging in discussions of sharing and creating learning cohorts. One valuable lesson that I incorporate with this approach is the importance of respect. I model and practice with the students that although our opinions or subjective interpretations differ from others, we still need to acknowledge and respect them.
What is learning? Learning as engrained from all the principles and ideals evolves through time. Piaget’s theory on the 4 stages of cognitive development (sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational) explains age-based expectations of how a child learns and acquires skills. This has influenced my teaching approach as an Early Childhood Special Education teacher. I have learned to set realistic but relevant goals and expectations when preparing each of my student’s Individualized Education Plans (IEP). In relation to goals and objectives, I still refer to Bloom’s theory of cognitive domains (knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation), to design lesson activities and assessment based on complexity and hierarchy of thinking. I have been introduced to student diversity in terms of learning styles and needs
The teaching and learning methods of social constructivism have evolved with the rise of various educational reforms. It has specifically addressed the growing demand for problem-based learning, authentic instruction, and computer supported collaborative learning. In response to this, new theoretical perspectives were developed including the now popular connectivism. I have adapted this approach by integrating technology-based strategies to meet the needs of my 21st century learners. Our role now is to be learning experience educators and instructional designers who will create learning designs that take advantage of the affordances of current tools to engage learners in ways that best meet their needs (Ertmer & Newby, 2013). My blended-learning innovation plan is based on engaging my students with authentic learning experiences to solve or propose relevant solutions to problems. The mode of learning utilizes technology as a source of information, instruction, collaboration, evaluation and feedback. The learning designs I am trying to create are highly contextualized, personal, and collaborative (Herrington & Herrington, 2007). Social constructivism combined with connectivism hones student’s ability to work and collaborate even virtually. They are trained from young as today’s complex problems require that people work in teams. As teacher-coach, I also create a learning environment where students can exchange ideas, share workload and compare solution paths. The availability of technology allows the expansion of access to information and connection with other learners from different parts of the world. Connectivism and social constructivism has collapsed boundaries of communications and interaction beyond the four walls of the classroom. As a learner and educator, online learning tools and other digital programs provide infinite resources for learning. YouTube, blogs, vlogs, wikis and other social-media networks now play an important role in the acquisition of the most up-to-date information. Personally, it has allowed me to be part of professional learning networks and collaborations that greatly influence my approach to teaching and learning.
As another set of principles and beliefs are summarized here, learning experiences and instructional designs will continuously change to best meet our current needs. I continue to embrace these changes and be open to opportunities for growth. As this is the ultimate way to stay relevant as a teacher and a learner. In addition, advocating for COVA or Choice, Ownership, and Voice through Authentic Learning Experiences (Thibodeaux, et. al, 2017) has given students more opportunities to explore the extent of their potential to be independent, self-sufficient learners.
References:
Clark, K. R. (2018). Learning Theories: Constructivism. Radiologic Technology, 90(2), 180–182.
Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (2013). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 26(2), 43-71.
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Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4), 50-72.
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Herrington, A., & Herrington, J. (2007, November). Authentic mobile learning in higher education. Paper presented at the International Education Research Conference. Retrieved April 5, 2013, from http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/5413
Robinson, S. K. [TED]. (2010, May 24). Bring on the learning revolution! [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9LelXa3U_I
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Thibodeaux, T. N., Harapnuik, D. K., Cummings, C. D., & Wooten, R. (2017). Learning all the time and everywhere: Moving beyond the hype of the mobile learning quick fix. In Keengwe, J. S. (Eds.). Handbook of research on mobile technology, constructivism, and meaningful learning. Hershey, PA: IGI Globa