UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA SOUTHEAST

‘THEORY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING’

SUBMITTED TO JEFFREY L. LOFTHUS, Ph.D.

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR

THE LEARNER AND THE LEARNING PROCESS

ED 333

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

BY

JANEY WAHLMAN

November 16, 2016

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Introduction

As educators, if we do not believe the best about our students and endeavor to

encourage each child to learn in their unique way, who will? If we do not actively advocate for

our students, encourage diversity and employ varying learning techniques including

collaboration and active involvement in the classroom we do a disservice to both the students

and the education profession in general. Each child deserves the opportunity to learn and

grow as a learner.

Development

Children are constantly growing and as educators we must be aware of the appropriate

expectations in all areas of a child’s development. I have learned that I cannot separate a child

from their development, but instead must consider their progress in school in correlation to

their development. Development of each child will determine their responses to various

situations (SOC Conceptual Framework Goal 2), thus it is necessary to apply this knowledge

with regards to education. We must view the developmental stages of children intrinsic to the

content of their studies and our resulting interaction with them.

According to Vygotsky, development occurs as a child acquires signs from others or by

deliberate teaching. The child can then use these signs to think and solve problems

independent others, via “self-regulation” (Slavin, 2003). Development also occurs among

groups of children when exposed to the ‘private speech’ of others. While children are playing

they are utilizing conversation with themselves which then exposes other children to their

thought process and leads to opportunities to work out solutions together. With conversation

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and collaboration comes “higher mental functioning” (Slavin,2003). Bronfenbrenner

emphasized the importance of the “bioecological approach” emphasizing that the relationships

and circumstances in a child’s life influenced the child’s development. We can’t separate a

child from their environment and it stands to reason that their environment will greatly affect

the development process, just as lack of sleep or food can severely impact one’s ability to focus.

It is clear that children develop and learn due to several factors relating to both nurture and

nature.

One important aspect of development is moral reasoning and social development.

Kohlberg laid out stages of moral reasoning that are closely related to Piaget’s stages of

cognitive development. These stages empower us with knowledge of the ethical reasoning

children possess at various stages of learning. As with Piaget, Kohlberg makes the point that as

children become less egocentric, their views on morality change and expand. Children begin

thinking of others, recognizing their actions can benefit or harm another. As educators, we

must be cognizant of these social and emotional developmental stages in order to create

realistic expectations of the children within our care.

Learning Theory and Motivation

I certainly agree with the constructivist view that children “build systems of meaning

and understanding of reality through their experiences and interactions.” What children

experience has a great deal of importance towards shaping them as unique individuals. Due to

this it is extremely important that their experiences in the developmental years are rich in

conversation, collaboration, and exposure to healthy, enriching content.

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 Constructivist Theories of Learning are those theories that champion the idea that the

individual make discoveries and come out with knowledge. Student-centered learning creates

active rather than passive learners. It is noteworthy that the historical roots of constructivism

draw heavily from Vygotsky’s ideas. The four principles include social learning, zone of

proximal development, cognitive apprenticeship, and mediated learning. These principles all

involve collaboration thus enhance the constructivist ideas. Constructivism is akin to life in the

sense that we are dealt problems first, in order to arrive at a solution. With this perspective in

mind, I would argue that the constructivist approach better prepares students to practically

approach an unfamiliar or challenging situation. Rather than balking at the unknowns, students

tackle challenges as they have been taught in school, with a top down approach. Children

unaccustomed to the constructivist approach may be stymied by a seemingly unsolvable

problem, too familiar with being given the solution first, then confronting the problem itself.

Many optional programs focus heavily on constructivism as the main teaching method, and I

have found that in these programs students ask the questions necessary to arrive at the

solution, confronting a ‘problem’ with confidence and genuine interest, rather than fear,

disinterest or lack of confidence. Constructivism is an attempt to reinvent education and

appeal to the student on a new level, one that empowers and challenges them. This is a

healthy educational reform, one that more schools might try to incorporate to a greater extent,

and one that I will attempt to employ and champion.

As a ‘responsive teacher’ I will endeavor to be aware of proximal development, when a

child is on the threshold of acquiring a new skill. I hope to take the opportunity to make it a

‘teachable moment’ in order to continue the process of building skills or ‘scaffolding’. I will

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incorporate group work and collaboration in my classroom recognizing that students benefit

from the ‘private speech’ of their peers, and that peers can learn from each other and help

each other.

Reinforcing children for certain behaviors that they otherwise would have done simply

for pleasure undermines long-term intrinsic motivation (Slavin, 2003). With regards to this

point, careful attention must be given that students do not put more emphasis on the extrinsic

(temporary) rewards and therefore lose interest in the more internal intrinsic rewards, which

can be life-long. Punishment should be reserved for lack of success with reinforcement of

certain behaviors. While there is some debate over the effectiveness of punishment, I wholly

agree that punishment should take a mild form, and only be used as part of a careful plan,

“never inconsistently or out of frustration” (Slavin, 2003). Delayed consequences are

synonymous to empty threats and practically ineffective as children need immediate results

and consistent practices in order to recognize boundaries, and their range within those

boundaries.

Foundations
I believe the most appropriate approach to education and teaching today is that of

‘differentiated instruction’, otherwise known as differentiated learning or differentiation. This

framework involves providing different students with different avenues to learning (usually in

the same classroom) in terms of acquiring content, processing, constructing, or making sense of

ideas. It also involves developing teaching material and assessment measures so that all

students within a classroom can learn effectively, regardless of differences in ability.

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 Most classrooms in the United States today would be classified as “differentiated”.

Teachers in differentiated classrooms must be ready to engage students in instruction through

different approaches to learning, by appealing to a range of interests, and by using varied rates

of instruction along with varied degrees of complexity and differing support systems.

Differentiated teachers are “simply teachers who strive to do whatever it takes to ensure that

struggling, advanced, and in-between learners; students with varied cultural heritages; and

children with a broad array of background experiences all grow as much as they possibly can

each day, each week, and throughout the year” (Tomlinson, 2014).

I plan to use my time flexibly and make use of varied instructional strategies. I will

partner with my students so that both what is learned and the learning environment are

shaped to support the learner and learning. I do not believe we should force-fit learners into a

standard mold; wise teachers are students of their students.

Standards and Assessment

As educators we must look at the evaluation process, including both standards and

assessment, as a learning process, one by which we become familiar with our students and how

they learn, rather than just measuring and comparing with a letter. To understand how our

students learn and what they know, pre-assessment and ongoing assessments are essential.

These assessment measures provide feedback for both teacher and student, ultimately

enhancing student learning. It is important to remember that evaluation “is first about student

growth” (Perrone, 1991). Once we as educators establish that outlook, we’ll more readily

accept forms of evaluation such as exhibits or portfolios and rely less heavily on the test, quiz,

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or paper that truly only evaluates a fraction of information gained by the student.

Differentiated teachers do not aspire to standardized, mass-produced lessons because they

recognize that students are individuals and require a personal fit, thus my goal will ultimately

be satisfaction in learning, not curriculum coverage.

Discussions

I personally learn best by actively engaging in the learning process. It is usually not

enough for me to merely read material, I often have to hear it out loud, even if that means

reading it out loud myself. Most students learn best through interactive means and

collaboration. The desire to learn about the world around them is an innate quality in each

child. “Attitudes of inquiry should always be encouraged” (Perrone, 1991). Unfortunately, this

natural curiosity is often discouraged in schools due to time constraints and lack of interest on

the part of the teacher. Rather than engaging children in active learning, education simply

doles out information they should learn (often according to a set of standards). Much of the

instruction within schools still has a “one size fits all” approach, which is far less effective than

the differentiation of instruction that focuses on the individual student. This focus includes

finding appropriate instructional and assessment tools that are fair, flexible, and challenging.

This unique approach will ultimately engage students in learning in meaningful ways.

As future educators I believe it is our duty to be ambassadors of the profession. Is it any

wonder that so many children are disenfranchised with teaching as a profession when they see

their own teachers stressed, tired, and overall dissatisfied with the profession to the extent the

teachers would discourage students from entering the profession. I hope to actively emphasize

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the positive aspects of my profession, acting as an example to my both my students and

colleagues.

Diversity

Students vary in culture, socioeconomic status, language, gender, motivation,

ability/disability, personal interests, and more. Teachers must be aware of these varieties as

they plan curriculum and develop personalized instruction so that all children in the classroom

can learn. Differentiated instruction plays an important role in the diverse classroom, as the

teacher is instructing various academic levels of culturally unique individuals.

“Understanding students’ backgrounds is critical for effectively teaching both academic

materials and the behaviors and expectations of the school” (Slavin,2003). Just as we cannot

separate development from instruction, we must not separate diversity from instruction. It

certainly stands to reason that children with parents in varying socioeconomic classes will

emulate what they are being taught at home in the classroom. As a teacher I must strive to

treat children with absolute equality and fairness, endeavoring to understand each student in

light of their background, recognizing that diversity adds richness and varying experiences to

the classroom.

Conclusion

Ultimately, my goal as an educator is to encourage each child to make the most of their

own learning potential. As a teacher I plan to articulate and advocate for children, parents,

communities, and curriculum, thus enacting change. I have the ability to challenge the status

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quo of an indifferent, standard obsessed education system and be the difference. I will belong

to a group of educators and will declare with authority that “our work is children” (Perrone,

1991) and watch the transformations of lives from our dedication and hard work. In return I

plan to reap the benefit of a life well lived, because it was a life devoted to seeing others truly

live.

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References

Slavin, R. (2003). Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice. Boston: Pearson

Education, Inc.

Perrone, V. (1991). A Letter to Teachers: reflections on schooling and the art of teaching. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Widely Held Expectations Booklet (1993). Growing Up in the Heartland: the Nebraska-
Iowa Project.

Tomlinson, C.A. (2014). The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the the Needs of
All Learners. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Anderson, K.M. (2007). “Tips for teaching: Differentiating instruction to include all
students”. Preventing School Failure. 51 (3): 49-54.

Tomlinson, C.A. (2001). How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms.

Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

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