Theories of Teaching and Learning: How Those Impact on the Classroom Environment - Assignment Example

? Teachers make the greatest difference to achievement. Cliche as it may sound, a teacher can make or break her future. Teaching and learning goes hand in hand. However, in any instruction, there must be a theoretical philosophy that serves as a framework of the instruction. Theoretical standards serve as philosophical underpinnings in the process of teaching. A teacher will design her classroom instruction depending on the theory that she chooses to adopt. The teacher must take into consideration the needs of the population of students that she is handling in choosing what theory to adopt for that specific topic. If the teacher could implement his/her lessons using the appropriate theory as underpinning, successful teaching and learning process will take place. Let us investigate the two major theories in education and the implications of these theories in the classroom environment – and the teaching and learning process as a whole. The two main theories in the teaching and learning process are: Behaviorism, also known as a subject-centered theory and Constructivism which is known to be a student-centered theory. Behaviorism Behaviorism is primarily concerned with observable and measurable aspects of human behavior. In defining behavior, behaviorist learning theories emphasize changes in behavior that result from stimulus-response associations made by the learner. Behavior is directed by stimuli. An individual selects one response instead of another because of prior conditioning and psychological drives existing at the moment of the action (Parkay & Hass, 2000). There are two main theories under behaviourism: Classical Conditioning and Operant Conditioning. Classical conditioning hearkens back to the experiment done by Ivan Pavlov. There are three things involved in this experiment, the dog, the bell, and the food. At first Pavlov rang the bell then gave some food to the dog. He repeated the procedure for a couple of times. Then he observed that each time that he rang the bell, the dog will salivate then he will give the food. After he did these things again and again, whenever he rang the bell, the dog will salivate even without the presence of the food. Pavlov uses the bell to serve as a stimulus to get the response from the dog which is ‘salivating’. Thus, relating this theory to the classroom situation, if teachers would positively reciprocate the good behavior, students will automatically think that if ever they want to be rewarded, or they want to get something, they must first practice a good behavior. B.F. Skinner developed a more comprehensive view of conditioning – the Operant conditioning. on the other hand involves the use of reinforcement to encourage behaviors. This theory was based on the belief that satisfying responses are conditioned while unsatisfying ones are not. . Operant conditioning is the rewarding of part of a desired behavior or a random act that approaches it. Skinner remarked that "the things we call pleasant have an energizing or strengthening effect on our behavior" (Skinner, 1972, p. 74). There is what we call the positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement comes in the form of prize, praises, a simple tap at the back, and rewards. Negative reinforcement increases the likelihood of a behavior. Negative implies removing a consequence that a student finds unpleasant. Skinner believed the habits that each of us develops result from our unique operant learning experiences (Shaffer, 2000). With these practices in mind, the behaviorist point of view assumes that human behavior can be learned and unlearned. A key element to this theory of learning is the rewarded response. The desired response must be rewarded in order for learning to take place (Parkay & Hass, 2000). Relating this theory in the classroom setting and academic conventions, a teacher who adopts behaviorism uses the system of reward and punishment inside the classroom. S/he rewards desirable behaviors that s/he wishes to strengthen and punishes undesirable behaviors that she wishes to eradicate. For example, a teacher might give a star to the student who behaves well while s/he is discussing the lesson. Another form of reward is saying of positive praises such as “Well done, very good, and excellent!” for positive behaviors of students. Examples of negative reinforcement used by the teacher inside the classroom are when s/he lessens the recreational time of the class for being noisy or not getting a star for getting a low score in a quiz. Using this theory inside the classroom can create a rewarding experience for both students and teachers. Students naturally work for things that give them rewards such as positive feelings and approval. On the other hand, they change behaviors to satisfy the desires they have learned to value. Following the logic of this theory will lead us to infer that a behavior that goes unrewarded will be extinguished and eventually, eliminated. As with all teaching methods, success depends on each student's stimulus and response, on associations made by each learner, and the ability of the teacher to relate the theory to his/her teaching methods in an effective and efficient manner. Constructivism Constructivism is a view of learning based on the belief that people create their own meaning through experience. Knowledge is not merely a thing that is given by the teacher. Rather, students construct meaning through active mental process and development. Twomey Fosnot (1989), a renowned author when it comes to constructivist strategies in classrooms, recommends that a constructivist approach be used to create learners who are autonomous, inquisitive thinkers who question, investigate, and reason. A constructivist approach frees teachers to make decisions that will enhance and enrich students' development in these areas. Constructivist teaching fosters critical thinking, and creates motivated and independent learners. Twomey Fosnot (1989) defines constructivism by reference to four principles: learning, in an important way, depends on what we already know; new ideas occur as we adapt and change our old ideas; learning involves inventing ideas rather than mechanically accumulating facts; meaningful learning occurs through rethinking old ideas and coming to new conclusions about new ideas which conflict with our old ideas. Hence, a classroom that is adopting constructivism is composed of student-centered instruction/curriculum, a teacher that provides a conducive classroom environment wherein s/he poses questions and statements that challenges students to hypnothesize, research, imagine, invent, etc. Teachers that adopt constructivism act as facilitator inside the classroom and not the sole owner of knowledge. S/he just guides and facilitates the learning process of her students. Piaget (1977) asserts that learning occurs by an active construction of meaning, rather than by learners acting as passive recipients of knowledge. He explains that when we, as learners, encounter an experience or a situation that conflicts with our current way of thinking, a state of disequilibrium or imbalance is created. We must then alter our thinking to restore equilibrium or balance. To do this, we make sense of the new information by associating it with what we already know, that is, by attempting to assimilate it into our existing knowledge. When we are unable to do this, we accommodate the new information to our old way of thinking by restructuring our present knowledge to a higher level of thinking. Learners must be actively involved in a process of meaning making and knowledge construction. Linking the theory to academic conventions and classroom implications gives the realization that constructivism makes students active agents of their learning process. A constructivist teacher in a constructivist classroom is different from a traditional or direct instruction classroom. Constructivism is just the opposite. Most of the time, the teacher uses indirect instruction. The teacher is flexible and creative in incorporating relevant topics and experiences in the classroom discussion. The classroom environment is interactive and student-centered where the teacher operates as a facilitator of learning. A teacher that adopts constructivism in their way of teaching immerses his/her students in a meaning-making process. S/he let the students think at the same time construct meaning. S/he knows that the students’ schema (prior knowledge) has an important role to play in constructing knowledge and meaning. Students are being trained to become metacognitive learners – meaning, students know that they know, they know when they do not know, and when they do not know, they know how to know it. At the end of the day, whatever theory the teacher chooses to adopt, the main goal must be to cater to the needs of the students. In delivering instruction to students, adopting appropriate theories will improve the ability of the teacher to teach or to facilitate the teaching-learning process inside the classroom. A teacher must take into consideration that one subject matter differs from another, thus adopting different theories from time to time depending on the topic to be taught is just but normal. References: Boomer, G. (1992). Negotiating the curriculum. In G. Boomer, N. Lester, C. Onore, & J. Cook (Eds.), (1992). Negotiating the curriculum: Educating for the 21st century (pp. 4-14). London: The Falmer Press. Brewer, E.W., Campbell, A.C., Petty, G.C. (2000). Foundations of Workforce Education. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company. Huitt, W., & Hummel, J. (1998). The Behavioral System. Retrieved via the World Wide Web, February 15, 2002. Retrieved from: http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/behsys/behsys.html Frosnot, C.T. (2005). Working with an Array. New York: Heinemann. Kelly, G.A. (1991). The psychology of personal constructs: Volume one - A theory of personality. London: Routledge. Lindfors, J. (1984). How children learn or how teachers teach? A profound confusion. Language Arts, 61 (6), 600-606. Parkay, F.W. & Hass, G. (2000). Curriculum Planning (7th Ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Read More