EVIDENCE-BASED LEARNING THEORY

Our project is underpinned by Social Interactionist theory, which holds that the basis of new

knowledge acquisition is the product of ameaningful interaction with others(Sarem & Shirzadi,

2014). For Social Interactionists, learning must take into account the socio-cultural features and

daily life experiences of a person. From a social interactionist perspective, knowledge is firstly

developed through social interaction and is later internalised, becoming a part of the cognitive

structure of the learner (Sarem & Shirzadi, 2014). The Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky is by

many considered the father of social interactionist theory; he believed that children are

ultimately responsible for the development of their knowledge. However, he also believed that

knowledge could not be separated from the social context in which it was created and

experienced. Our belief in the Social Interactionist model was the reason why we decided to

incorporate a number of class discussions into our project, so that students could share their

knowledge and develop a shared understanding of course content.

In addition, our project is based on the belief that students need guidance during the learning

process, and gradually introduced to new notions. This concept springs from the theories of the

American psychologist Jerome Burner, who described this process as scaffolding. Scaffolding

refers to the way in which educators provide tools, assistance and prompt questions, in order to

assist their students learning (Nagel & Scholes, 2016).

Finally, all of our lessons were designed implementing the first core professional standard for

teachers developed by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL).

Indeed, AITSL Standard 1 mandates that teachers must know their students and how they learn.

This principle underpinned our choice to begin each of our lessons with an effective

introduction, in order to help students activate prior knowledge, recall information and draw

connections. In addition, we considered the students preferences in terms of learning activity:

many modern learners prefer to learn semi-independently through the use of ICT (Nagel &

Scholes, 2016). We believe this approach will allow us to engage our students effectively, foster

an inclusive and supportive learning environment, and reduce disengagement.

1
References

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). Australian Professional

Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-

standards-for-teachers/standards/list

BBC Active. iPads in the classroom. Retrieved from http://www.bbcactive.com/

BBCActiveIdeasandResources/iPadsintheClassroom.aspx

Nagel, M. C., & Scholes, L. (2016). Understanding development and learning: Implications for

teaching. South Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press.

Sarem, S., & Shirzadi, Y. (2014). A critical review of the interactionist approach to second

language acquisition. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 1(1), 62-74.