Learning Philosophy
At the core of teaching are the students. Why do we do what we do? The learner (& learning theory) should reflect how we teach and our teaching philosophy should be guided by what we believe about learning.
So why do we teach the way we do? We care about our students and want to make an impact in their lives. We want to help them to become life long learners, problem solvers, and to be hardworking, motivated, happy people. We want them to love learning and to grow from their mistakes. We want to be like those teachers, coaches and facilitators that have influenced us to be better and pass that passion and love for learning and change in the world, on to our students.
The role of the teacher has changed over the years but the different ways we know students learn has just expanded. Learning needs to be hands on and authentic. We learn best by trying, failing and improving. And we can't do this alone. We need our peers, a coach and the world of technology to help us gain knowledge and insight into our work.
I associate my learning philosophy with Lev Vygotsky's social constructivism learning theory. I believe learning should be self-motivated and collaborative. As a student, I want to learn because I need to learn about something in that moment. This helps me to take ownership of my learning by applying what I have learned, communicating those ideas and then exploring further to learn even more.
The role of the teacher has changed over the years but the different ways we know students learn has just expanded. Learning needs to be hands on and authentic. We learn best by trying, failing and improving. And we can't do this alone. We need our peers, a coach and the world of technology to help us gain knowledge and insight into our work.
I associate my learning philosophy with Lev Vygotsky's social constructivism learning theory. I believe learning should be self-motivated and collaborative. As a student, I want to learn because I need to learn about something in that moment. This helps me to take ownership of my learning by applying what I have learned, communicating those ideas and then exploring further to learn even more.
(Jess4j, 2012)
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Learning should be challenging, difficult and apply a growth-mindset and 21st century "timeless" skills. If things are easy then you already know. When we challenge what we know, reaching for better, and struggle to make growth, this is the place where real learning can take place. I believe it is my role as the teacher to encourage independent learning, self-reflection and critical thinking. It is the student's role to guide the learning. This is a humanistic learning theory. The humanistic approach is based on the work from Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers. I want my students to be well rounded and self motivated to learn more.
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I think of myself as a learner - The things I have remembered the most when learning are from when I have made mistakes and improved upon my thinking. I have had to learn to have a growth mindset when it comes to challenging, authentic learning. I also remember more when I am learning something by choice because I want to or need to know something. My learning is enhanced by collaboration and discussions with my coworkers and classmates.
We also want learning to be fun! If we are enjoying what we are doing and have a passion to gain knowledge, learners will want to learn more. By having that drive, paired with a growth mindset, learners will begin to ask questions, explore & work at challenging tasks to learn and grow beyond what they thought possible.
We also want learning to be fun! If we are enjoying what we are doing and have a passion to gain knowledge, learners will want to learn more. By having that drive, paired with a growth mindset, learners will begin to ask questions, explore & work at challenging tasks to learn and grow beyond what they thought possible.
I hope to promote change with my innovation plan which focuses on the different skills needed to succeed in the 21st century. The focus is on self-motivation, collaboration, creativity, problem solving, exploration, questioning and grit. With the growth of knowledge and advancement in technology, future careers are uncertain. We need to prepare our students to be successful in their careers and in life as they learn and grow.
I hope my students and myself as a learner are prepared to take on any challenge that may come our way and to have a passion for learning and growing. |
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Crombi, S., (2014). 21st century learning. [Video]. Retrieved from youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0RyaAsVNGU
This video gives a summary of what a 21st century learner is while explaining the different pieces that add up to help students to be successful in 21st century careers. Jess4j. (2012). Social constructivism. [Image]. Retrieved from: https://jjackson91.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/social-constructivism/ This image helps to see al the parts of what a social constructivism learning theory encompasses. Harapnuik, D. (n.d.). Learning philosophy. [Blog post]. Retrieved from It’s about learning website: http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=95 This is a professor from Lamar University, Dr. Dwayne Harapnuik’s blog about his leaning philosophy. In his blog post he discusses his role as a teacher. Learning Theories. (n.d.). 21st century skills (021 and others). Retrieved from learning theories: https://www.learning-theories.com/21st-century-skills-p21-and-others.html This website defined what a 21st century skills learning theory is and the partnerships that helped to define this learning theory. Macfound. (2010). Rethinking learning: The 21st century learner | macarthur foundation. [Video]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=c0xa98cy-Rw This video helps to define what the 21st century learner is and why we need to prepare students for the 21st century. This has helped me to think about why students are learning the way they are and how can I help to guide them in a way where they will learn and be successful in the future. Maxine. P., (2015). Humanistic learning. [Video]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5LCgIzLPuI This video gives a brief summary of what a humanistic learning theory is. It explains different tools helpful to this way of learning as well as the roles of both students and teachers. The University of Hong Kong. (n.d.). What teachers should know about learning theories. Retrieved from http://kb.edu.hku.hk/learning_theory_history.html This website shows the development timeline of 5 different learning theories (Behaviorism, Humanism, Cognitivist, Cognitive Constructivism and Social Constructivism) from the 1900’s to present time. Weimer, M. (2014). What’s your learning philosophy? Retrieved from faculty focus: https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-professor-blog/whats-learning-philosophy/ This article discusses Neil Haave’s distinction between learning styles and learning philosophies. He shares how a learning philosophy should be about learning in general, your beliefs about the relationship between learning and teaching & your beliefs about yourself as a learner. |