EDU10004_Theories of Teaching and Learning_Assignment 2_Essay PDF

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EDU10004_Theories of Teaching and Learning_Assignment 2_Essay - Academic Year 2017/2018...

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Running Head: THEORIES OF TEACHING AND LEARNING_ASSIGNMENT 2: ESSAY

Theories of Teaching and Learning Assignment 2: Essay Keli Stewart Swinburne Online University

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Social Constructivism and Socio-culturalism Social constructivist and socio-cultural theories focus on the connections between humans and their social and cultural surroundings (Crain, 2000). Social constructivists propose that learners actively create their own understandings and construct knowledge based on previous experiences and interactions with their physical world, culture and social environment (Sjøberg, 2010). Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934), the leading founder of both these theories, believed that social interaction is vital to the development of cognitive and behavioural growth, and that an individual’s learning can be achieved at a much higher level through observing, modelling, collaborating and interacting with more knowledgeable others. He called this the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), the area that the learner has the ability to understand and create, with the help of a more capable or knowledgeable other (Bonk & Cunningham, 1998). One perspective is that learners come into a learning situation with pre-existing ideas about a topic, but whether uncertain or deep rooted, educators can challenge learners to adapt or grow their ideas, and increase their potential development level by engaging and scaffolding their learning and understanding (Sjøberg, 2010). Ideas become significant when a learner is able to incorporate and make logical connections between what they are currently learning, and their existing structures of knowledge (Anghileri, 2006). Successful educators are mindful to mediate new thought patterns and instructions that are specifically within the learner’s ZPD (Ormrod, 2012). Similarities Both sociocultural or social constructivist and humanistic approaches are learner-centred and they emphasise the importance of supporting and guiding students as they construct their own knowledge and understanding of their environment, community and culture (Wang, 2012). Collaborative educational methods of teaching draw upon both theories (Bonk & Cunningham, 1998), and learners are assumed to provide a substantial amount of input towards learning through personal insight or prior experience (Glaveanu, 2011) which intrinsically drives their learning. Furthermore, learners are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning (Tennyson & Volk, 2015). Humanism The theory of humanism was founded by Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) and Carl Rogers (1902-1987). Through informal observations and perspectives on human motivation, humanism was developed around the belief that every single person is born with a desire to reach self-actualisation and realise their potential (Cherry, 2014). Although grounded in psychology, the direction and attention of humanism was more focused towards human needs, interests, emotions and motivation throughout development (Guney & Al, 2012). Humanism has a more holistic view of the child as a learner, its philosophy concentrates on growth (Campana, 2011), and seeks to nurture the needs of the child through constructive human interaction and the environment. By encouraging the learner to focus on their strengths and reflect upon their experiences, this results in the learner obtaining a deeper and lasting connection to learning (Tennyson & Volk, 2015). Maslow developed a hierarchy of human motivation based on needs. The order of levels from lowest to highest are: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem and self-actualisation. He proposed that only when the lower, stronger motivational needs are met, can an individual fully give their attention to, or move on to the higher motivational levels (Campana, 2011).

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This essay aims to define and outline two theories of learning and development – the sociocultural or social constructivist theory, and the humanistic theory. Links will be made between the theory perspectives and approaches to education and learning goals. The focus of this paper is to examine the key elements, benefits and limitations of these theories in regard to educational practice, and to demonstrate how they impact upon teaching and learning. Attention will be placed on how these theories were developed and researched, how they view the learner or what is their image of the child, how they view learning, and what is the role of the learner. This essay will also examine which factors these theories take into account through their perspectives, as by identifying the factors that influence and contribute to learning, educators can learn to use specific teaching strategies and techniques to support their students’ learning experiences. Sociocultural and Social Constructivism Vygotsky’s sociocultural and social constructivism theories suggest that culture and society provide an array of learning strategies and concepts that subtly or directly influence children towards accumulating their own ideas about learning, especially when dealing with everyday problems and responsibilities, or their role in the world (Ormrod, 2012). These theories were developed around research of interactions between a learner and their cultural and social surroundings. It involved observing ways in which complex cognitive abilities emerge out of social interaction and activity, and as learners develop, they begin to internalise the process methods used in a social context and start to apply them independently (Pritchard & Woollard, 2010). Sociocultural and social constructivism looks at how the creations in a culture or society can enhance a child’s cognition and how experienced adults or more knowledgeable peers pass along accumulated knowledge, physical tools or wisdom to a learner (Ormrod, 2012) that make living more satisfactory and efficient. A crucial element of Vygotsky’s social developmental theory is that a learner’s potential for developing cognitive learning depends upon how well they transition within the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), the notion being the area of comprehension and understanding that is nearby, yet just beyond the learner’s capable level. Additionally, Vygotsky believed that educators must scaffold and support learners into this zone in order to make progress at a more advanced level (Pritchard & Woollard, 2010). Within the sociocultural approach, the learner is viewed as an independent and

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capable individual that learns through observation and modelling techniques. The role of the educator is to mediate language and actions within the learner’s ZPD (Pritchard & Woollard, 2010) and through the use of scaffolding, children can advance at higher levels to achieve learning. Although these theories were developed in the last century, they are still influential and popular in modern education. Social constructivists places importance on prior knowledge that a learner has attained and how it impacts upon their learning, and they pay close attention to the relationships the learner has with family members, educators, and their environment (Lindon, 2012). Humanism Humanism was developed in the early 1950’s and began to gain popularity in the 1960’s and 1970’s. To this day, humanistic theories and perspectives are still sought after and extensively applied within health and educational departments (Ormrod, 2012) and is known as the ‘third force’ in psychology (Cherry, 2014). Maslow’s hierarchy of motivation was a fundamental perspective in humanism, which drew upon his informal observations of people. He proposed that each learner is born with a set of five distinct needs (Physiological – water, food, exercise, sex; Safety – security, stability, employment, health, property; Love and Belonging – intimacy, relationships, friendships, family; Esteem – selfesteem, achievement, confidence, respect from others; and Self-actualisation – morality, creativity, reaching full potential, self-fulfilment, lack of prejudice, acceptance) that form a prepotent hierarchy, and if one or more of these motivational needs were not met, it would directly impact upon human behaviour (Ormrod, 2012). He emphasised the significance in focusing on the positive qualities of oneself and of other people around. Furthermore, he believed that social interaction, a healthy environment and personal freedom in decision making (Guney & Al, 2012) all greatly influence the learner’s role in achieving a sense of competence and progression towards self-actualisation and mastering their world (McLeod, 2013). Rogers extended the importance in self-actualisation through his own learner-centred approach in understanding relationships and personality types. He identified the human need for interaction and acceptance, and that structure of ‘self’ is formed as a result of evaluating interactions with other people and the environment. Learners strive to achieve a wholesome equivalence between

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their personal self-image and their ideal self, and this is achieved through reflection of experiences (McLeod, 2016). Humanistic educators help children reach their potential through compassion and addressing their concerns. They believe that students learn the best in a safe and welcoming environment and encourage learners to believe in themselves, pursue their dreams and self-reflect on their behaviour and feelings for internal development (McLeod, 2013). Comparisons While sociocultural and social constructivism proposes that learning is constructed through prior and current experiences and internalised from social involvement and interactions with other people (Sjøberg, 2010), humanism views learning as a personal achievement of growth and potential, which is motivated by free-will and fostered by nurturing relationships with others (Cherry, 2014). The influencing factors of sociocultural and social constructivism are social or cultural engagement and participation (Pritchard & Woollard, 2010), and sociocultural educators emphasise the social aspect of learning, whereby students learn through scaffolding, observing and exchanging ideas and perceptions with more knowledgeable others (Bonk & Cunningham, 1998). Whereas, the environment, a concept of self and self-awareness are more influencing factors in humanism (McLeod, 2016). Humanistic educators emphasise learning as a natural desired process, and focus on the inherent goodness in students, who are motivated to learn and develop through a hierarchy of needs and aspirations towards happiness and self-actualisation (Ormrod, 2012). Sociocultural or constructivist learning occurs through interaction, collaboration, adaptation, socialisation and cultural environment, and creating personal meaning of what is taught (Ormrod, 2012). Humanistic learning occurs through motivation, self-discovery, self-reflection, social experiences, a sense of belonging and using strengths to problem-solve (McLeod, 2013). The role of memory in both theories is the connection and merging of old and new experiences, however social constructivism strongly focuses on incorporating prior knowledge to current information and reorganising them into new thought patterns and meaningful contexts, and humanism concentrates more on self-reflection of mental processes or knowledge gain (Cherry, 2014).

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Benefits and Limitations Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory in education provides a concrete foundation for educators to examine how children learn and develop even before they start kindergarten, and this knowledge is beneficial to educators and learners as it relates to specific concepts which are learned in school. This approach to learning provides educators with tools to create personalised learning, which address students’ needs and assess how and what students learn. These teaching strategies give learners the advantage of pursuing consistent goals and managing their progress in the best personalised learning environment possible (Ormrod, 2012). Other benefits of the social constructivist approach are that it simulates a student’s problem-solving and critical thinking skills which are imperative to reaching a satisfactory conclusion, and students interact and work together in a team to obtain solutions. However, limitations or disadvantages in social constructivism are that some descriptions of the learning processes are rather speculative and vague, and focus more on the processes of children’s development, rather than in the specific characteristics that children of a certain age group often demonstrate. Likewise, certain learning strategies may not be relevant or compatible with some students’ learning capabilities, as each student learns on a different level. Moreover, in different cultures, children’s cognitive abilities may differ based on life experiences (Ormrod, 2012). The benefits of the humanistic approach to education are that it focuses on the cognitive and intellectual skills of the student which contributes to their social and developmental wellbeing, and educators foster healthy relationships with students and create an environment where they feel safe and included with their peers (Olvera, 2017). Humanistic educators view students as unique and significant individuals and they encourage growth in learning through emphasising upon the students’ strengths rather than on their weaknesses. Limitations or disadvantages of humanism in education include: A lack of experience – educators with a humanistic approach to teaching, such as facilitating student’s expressions and feelings, are somewhat difficult to find, and most educators from a traditional background may not be suitable to a humanistic classroom setting; Learning styles – the humanistic approach states that each student learns differently through specific learning styles and educators should engage the appropriate style for each learner. However, this is often not accomplished due to the large amount of work in

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entails, therefore the learning styles and evaluations of students often tend to be unorganised; Lack of competitiveness – as the humanistic approach focuses on individual learning and development, the notion of competition is highly dismissed in a humanistic school as opposed to a traditional school. This creates less competitive students and places school graduates at a higher disadvantage than others when they enter the workforce (Verial, 2017). Conclusion This essay has drawn on two key theories that are prominent within the educational department and touched on a range of perspectives that apply to the learning practice. Theorists and approaches associated with these theories were described and discussed as to how and when they were researched, how they view the learner, and how they view learning. The role of the learner and the educator was examined, as well as strategies and techniques that assist students’ learning and development, and prior knowledge, relationships and the environment were also presented as strong influencing factors within these theories.

THEORIES OF TEACHING AND LEARNING_ASSIGNMENT 2: ESSAY References Anghileri, J. (2006). Children's mathematical thinking in the primary years: Perspectives on children's learning (5th ed.). London: Continuum. Bonk, C. J., & Cunningham, D. J. (1998). Searching for learner-centered, constructivist, and sociocultural components of collaborative educational learning tools. In C. J. Bonk & K. S. King (Eds.), Electronic collaborators: Learner-centered technologies for literacy, apprenticeship, and discourse (pp. 25–50). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. Campana, T. (2011, May 22). Humanism and Maslow [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPRHLZTVVwQ Cherry, K. (2014). What is humanistic psychology? Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/historyofpsychology/a/hist_humanistic.htm Crain, W. (2000). Theories of development (4th ed., pp. 361-373). NJ: Prentice Hall. Glaveanu, V. (2011). On culture and human development: Interview with Barbara Rogoff. Europe's journal of psychology, 7(3), 404-418. Guney, A., & Al, S. (2012). Effective Learning Environments in Relation to Different Learning Theories. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 46, 2334-2338. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.05.480 Lindon, J. (2012). Children as part of a social and cultural community: Understanding child development 0-8 years (Vol. 3, pp. 215-242). London: Hodder Education. McLeod, S. (2016). Carl Rogers. Simply Psychology. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/carl-rogers.html McLeod, S. (2013). Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Simply Psychology. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html Olvera, A. (2017). 4 Benefits of a Humanistic Education. Retrieved from http://info.brillamont.edu.mx/blog/benefits-humanistic-education Ormrod, J. (2012). Human learning (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River., NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Pritchard, A., & Woollard, J. (2010). Psychology for the classroom: Constructivism and social learning (1st ed.). Florence: Taylor and Francis.

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Sjøberg, S. (2010). Constructivism and Learning. In E. Baker, B. McGaw, & P. Peterson (Eds.), International Encyclopaedia of Education (3rd ed., pp. 485-490). Oxford: Elsevier. Tennyson, R. D., & Volk, A. (2015). Learning Theories and Educational Paradigms. In J. Wright (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (2nd ed., pp. 699-711). Oxford: Elsevier Verial, D. (2017). The Disadvantages to the Humanist Approach in the Classroom. Retrieved from http://classroom.synonym.com/disadvantages-humanist-approach-classroom-7691322.html Wang, M. (2012). Connections between Learning Theories. Kobe University Repository. Retrieved 15 January 2018, from http://www.lib.kobe-u.ac.jp/handle_kernel/81004833...