my learning philosophy
How Did I Learn?
Reflecting back to my school days, beginning with elementary school, I recall being an honor student who was focused on earning good grades. I was intrinsically motivated to learn. You would find me sitting home reading books and playing “school” with my friends. I loved to learn and would often take what I learned at school and try to apply to my home life. I drove my mother and sister crazy.
As I moved into my middle school years, I entered into a vanguard program where learning was more about the process than the actual product. I can still remember my 7th-grade math teacher assigning us a project to construct a cardboard house with rooms that had certain dimensions. At first, I was overwhelmed with the assignment because I was focusing on the end product. However, when I completed the project, I was surprised at how much fun I had making the home. The assignment was even more interesting because I was able to use what I learned and connect it to my personal life.
During my high school years, learning was a bit different. I decided to attend my “home” school because I experienced some traumatic events while in middle school. I was still intrinsically motivated to learn, but most of the students at my school did not really care about learning and believe I became influenced by their style. Most of the classes came easy to me and so I did not feel the need to work as hard. The teachers were awesome but most of their styles were penalizing and my learning pretty much came from memorization and not because I enjoyed it. My goal at the time was to get good grades so I could graduate and go to college. What I learned and how I connected it to my life no longer mattered.
Before I became a Teacher
Overall, I think I learn a variety of ways depending on the environment. As I became an adult, my learning style has become a bit more apparent. My job as an accountant was stressful and I truly only learned what I needed to learn for that time often reflecting to my notes when performing the same functions each month. I had a set of rules that I faithfully followed and expected to be rewarded based on my results. I worked extremely hard to prove to others in the industry that I was capable of doing my job. I looked forward to the high-fives in the hallways, the level 5s on my annual reviews and the increase in my paycheck.
However, on the flip side, with all of the fanfare that came with doing well, I felt devalued when I did not perform as well as I should have performed. Additionally, I did not retain much of the information I supposedly “learned” and was rarely able to reproduce at the same level I did previously. Based on what I've read, I believe my learning philosophy at the time was behaviorism. The Behaviorism way of learning “is a view in which behavior can be explained by external factors and behavioral conditioning can be used as a universal learning process. In behaviorism, the ideas of positive and negative reinforcement are effective tools of learning and behavior modification, as well as a punishment and reward system (Education Degree).”
Dr. Bates states, “Although initially developed in the 1920s, behaviourism still dominates approaches to teaching and learning in many places, particularly in the USA” (Bates, T, 2014). As I decided to move into the educational field, I realized this learning method was not the process I wanted to implement into my classroom regardless of how widely used the theory is.
How do I Learn?
My learning manifesto shows my core belief systems and impact as noted below:
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I should do all I can to make sure my students have an opportunity to succeed and this includes staying up to date on real-world experience.
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My teaching should be more than lecturing and should remain relevant to what is happening in the real world and not an outdated textbook and also include the use of technology in the classroom
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My teaching should include acquiring new knowledge as it relates to real-world experiences so it can be passed on to my students.
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I should make opportunities to learn from my students.
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I should help students learn better when making connections between new knowledge and prior knowledge
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Learning for myself and my students will be more effective when the information is embedded in purposes and meaningful experiences and interactions.
During my first year of teaching, I was also learning how I like to learn. The behaviourism style of learning no longer worked for me. I began to see how my style developed in a variety of ways. One of the things I enjoy most is connecting what I have learned to real-life situations and technology and choice allows this to happen. While it may sound cliche, I have realized that in my life, one of the things I enjoy doing the most is learning. I love to learn. However, my learning does not stop at just obtaining knowledge. My goal is to always connect what I have learned and do what I can to incorporate it into my personal life.
Blending my Learning Styles
Blended learning is a hot topic in the education field. Many teachers boast about their ability to work in a blended classroom. In other words, teachers are using both online educational materials with traditional in-class processes. This method of teaching has become one of the most popular ways to provide instruction to students. As a new teacher, it is definitely one of the methods I implemented into my classroom last year. However, when focusing on learning philosophies, I believe that educational values evolve in response to the needs of the classroom, and with the current digital environment, blending those theories can have a greater impact on the learner. I will discuss the philosophies I relate to the most.
Constructivism
The Learning Theories site provides the most relatable definition of constructivism to me stating “People actively construct or create their own subjective representations of objective reality. New information is linked to prior knowledge, thus mental representations are subjective” (The Five Educational Learning Theories, 2020). Dr. Tony Bates declares “Constructivists argue that individuals consciously strive for meaning to make sense of their environment in terms of past experience and their present state” (Bates, T.2014).
In my classroom, students are provided with a structure that includes voice, inquiry, and exploration. There is a climate of shared responsibility between myself and my students. Activities such as designing pixel art and preparing to sell to other students give the students the opportunity to reflect on what they are already familiar with (art and designing), create a product (cards), and making decisions. Facilitating the learning environment allows the students to connect the new with the old by asking questions, “What design are you creating? How did you come to create this design? What did you learn before with color and design that helped you create this masterpiece? Can you take this design and add to it to create something else?”
Connectivism
Technology has been a huge part of my adult learning. As a digital immigrant, I did not have much technology to work with while growing up, especially in school. Therefore, making choices regarding my learning was out of the question. The teacher taught. I memorized/learned. No choices were made. The end.
Connectivism is considered the learning theory for the digital age. It is an opportunity for students to have a choice in their learning. Dr. Tony Bates provides information about connectivism on his site declaring, “The main purpose of a teacher appears to be to provide the initial learning environment and context that brings learners together, and to help learners construct their own personal learning environments to enable them to connect to ‘successful’ networks, with the assumption that learning will automatically occur as a result, through exposure to the flow of information and the individual’s autonomous reflection on its meaning.” As I stated earlier regarding the Pixel Art Projects, I provide my students with a choice and the choice requires them to research using various networks which ultimately provides a learning opportunity as they tie the lessons to their own personal preference. If I dictate to my students what to do in the assignment, it is often met with resistance.
Pamela Rank writes, “From a learner-centered teaching perspective, Connectivism provides opportunities for students to make choices about their learning. Connectivism promotes group collaboration and discussion, allowing for different viewpoints and perspectives to aid in problem-solving, decision-making, and making sense of information” (Rand, P., n,d.). When my students are provided the chance to collaborate, discuss, and make decisions, a different type of learning takes place. This type of learning allows commitment and active contribution from each student which increases the use of the important soft skills that will carry them through school and life.
Humanism
“Humanism focuses on the individual as the subject and asserts that learning is a natural process that helps a person reach self-actualization. Scenarios and role modeling are important factors in humanistic learning, as are experiences, exploring and observing others” (The Five Educational Learning Theories 2020). Founders Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, et. al. were on to something with the humanism learning philosophy. I have learned the importance of learning no matter the situation. I believe that as we evolve, life teaches us lessons that are useful in other parts of our lives. In my classroom, I write short scripts for students to role-play so they can have a better understanding of whatever content I am teaching.
Oftentimes when we are reviewing the lessons, the students will refer back to the scripts as if it were something that actually happened in their lives. Another process I bring into the class is creating “what if” scenarios in our discussion boards. It is pretty awesome to see how the students produce answers that reflect a certain part of their lives, thus, tying it into the current topic. Humanism, in my opinion, is a holistic way of learning and allows the learner to develop to their fullest potential.
Implementing into my Innovation Plan with blended philosophies
“As technology evolves, teachers, students, administrators, and parents busily re-negotiate to shift the methods and goals of education” (Shneiderman, 1998). During this current season in my life, I have realized that I am learning differently than I did previously. Although I no longer embrace the behaviourism style of learning, I genuinely believe it has prepared me for my current way(s) of learning as I was able to learn structure and discipline. Dr. Harapnuik states that: “Learning is an active and dynamic process in which learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon their current and past knowledge” (Harapnuik).
As noted in my innovation plan, Project-Based Learning (PBL) bridged with Design Thinking (DT) is a concept that can offer students an opportunity to work on a project through innovation, clarification, research, and development. By applying real-life experiences through authentic engagement, complex questions, and problem-solving, students become equipped with the skills they will use in any workplace environment. With PBL, students can think critically, collaborate, and enhance their communication skills while deepening their knowledge and building skills needed for the future. The plan embodies all three methods discussed in this essay. I believe that the way I learn will help build the same learning environment for my students. Regardless of how one learns, it is important that someone is there to help facilitate the learning. If not, how does one make the connections?
Annotated Bibliography
Bates, T. (2014, July 29). Learning theories and online learning [web page]. Retrieved from https://www.tonybates.ca/2014/07/29/learning-theories-and-online-learning/
This web page gives details about educational learning theories and online learning. The page specifically provides information about why understanding theories of learning is important.
The Five Educational Learning Theories. (2020, July 30). Retrieved November 28, 2020, from https://www.educationdegree.com/articles/educational-learning-theories/
This web page provides basic information on each learning theory which includes a listing of the founders of each theory. I chose the information on this site because of its simplicity and my ability to quickly understand the text.
Rank, Pamela (n.d.). Using Connectivism in the classroom. NACTA JOURNAL https://www.nactateachers.org/images/TeachingTips/004_Using_Connectivism_Theory_in_the_Classroom.pdf
This journal discusses the use connectivism in the classroom and provides examples of how to use this theory as a learning or teaching tool.
Shneiderman, B. (1998). A teaching/learning philosophy for the cyber-generation. 31, 1 Computers & Education.
The essay written by Ben Shneiderman discusses Teaching and Technology, the role of the teacher, and the appropriate design for educational technology. The essay also introduces relate-create-donate philosophy.
Harapnuik, D. (2009, September 18). Learning Philosophy. Retrieved November 29, 2020, from http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=95
The web page is part of a blog, ePortfolio and a learning site authored by Dr. Dwayne Harapnuik on many topics regarding significant learning environments which also includes the learning philosophy. This section goes into detail about the importance of facilitation and encourages teachers to create significant learning environments.