Dear Grade 6 Teacher, Mad Minutes Didn't Work..
According to Ertmer and Newby, learning is defined as “an enduring change in behaviour, or in the capacity to behave in a given fashion, which results from practice or other forms of experience” (p.5). Within that, lies many different learning theories in which are used in day to day life. Based upon the learning, observations and interpretations will differentiate between theories. Ertmer and Newby, “lists [seven] definitive questions that serve to distinguish each learning theory from others” (p.5).
How does learning occur?
Which factors influence learning?
What is the role of memory?
How does transfer occur?
What types of learning are best explained by theory?
What basic assumptions/principals of this theory are relevant to instructional design?
How should instruction be structured to facilitate learning?
These questions have helped me look upon my own pedagogy and realize the theories that directly influence me as an educator and my classroom practice.
Without a doubt, all the three: behaviourism, cognitivism and constructivism, can all be seen in my classroom. Although I feel inclined to say behaviourism is not ideal, this is how I feel I currently develop classroom routines and procedures (without even realizing it). Behaviourism is “learning accomplished when a prepare response is demonstrated following the presentation of a specific environmental stimulus” (p.8) and therefore, can be said that there is a linkage between stimuli and response. As a teacher, everyday I am using sites like Prodigy, Kahoot, Raz Kids and even using Picture Word Inductive Model (PWIM) where students are given an immediate response and are to continually redo what they may get wrong. Reflecting on this surprised me, as when I first read Skinner’s Time Machine, I was originally thinking of another psychological experiment, but nope.. It is what I do daily in some ways.. I also realized that within my own school experiences it happened often, thinking back to my daily mad minutes which occurred from grades 1-6. I bet they would be disappointed to still see I am slow at math.. Furthermore, as an educator I would say I use cognitivism and constructivism through my assessments and instruction. Through authentic lessons, students are able to create their own meanings from their experiences and also problem solve, process information and practice and apply skills.
My beliefs have shifted/change so far over the course thus far as I never really thought about the learning philosophies that underpinned my pedagogy. I was always aware of Bloom’s Taxonomy and felt that was reflective upon my teachings and evaluations, however, it has occurred to me that my students are able to take acquire knowledge and skills in a variety of ways. This will continue to influence me, as I want students learning to be authentic and meaningful. In my other class right now, we are discussing anti-oppressive education and how important it is for the curriculum to mirror these students as “when we refuse to challenge inequities, we are working to maintain them” (Charest, 2018, p. 123). I believe through constructivism, we can work to shift the impossibles to possibles, as students construct their own meanings from their experiences. Moving forward, my goal is to continue to provide authentic and meaningful instruction, where students have to create meaning as opposed to simply acquiring it.
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