I knew that I was a teacher, but this week I also discovered that I am a constructivist.
When I started teaching ESL to adult newcomers in Canada, I was introduced to Portfolio-Based Language Assessment (PBLA) – a teaching and assessment model that is widely used in Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC). The more training I did in this model and the more I applied it in my classroom, the more I approved of it and tried to adhere to it.
Only now I realize that PBLA is to a great extent based on the principles of constructivism. For example, social constructivists believe that learning is more effective through encouragement and social interaction (A.W. Tony Bates). In PBLA, peer feedback is highly encouraged, as well as working in pairs or groups. Moreover, according to the principles of constructivism, students must work towards building their own meaning and knowledge (A.W. Tony Bates). Similarly, one of the main PBLA guidelines is that students should be the owners of their learning – they should be given a choice of what to study, they have to perform regular self-reflection, and each learner tracks their progress by updating their portfolio. Most importantly, constructivists consider process to be as important as the outcome, and so do PBLA adherents, as the students’ skills in the classroom are being assessed regularly and not just at the end of a term/academic year.
Although I can now call myself an eager advocate for constructivism, I must admit that my classroom practice is not free from behaviourist and cognitivist influence. For instance, I have always believed that praising students for their achievements, however big or small they are, will reinforce their progress. Little did I know that evoking certain responses by specific stimuli (A.W. Tony Bates) is a key principle of behaviourism! In my defense, by encouraging the students to react certain way to my verbal rewards, I have always been appealing to their emotions and their self-esteem, while behaviourists try to view human activity objectively, rejecting reference to feelings and consciousness (A.W. Tony Bates).
Furthermore, twice a week, my students work individually on an online platform (usually Ellii or RazKids) under my supervision. Mostly, they have to read or listen to a text adapted to their language level and complete a range of comprehension and/or vocabulary exercises. The program then rewards them for correct answers and suggests to improve the wrong ones. However, now I realize that such activities are basically a new, more modern version of Skinner’s Teaching Machine, and though it can be an effective teaching tool, it should not be overused.
As for cognitivism, I believe I largely comply with this theory of learning when I plan my lessons. Some parts of my lesson plans are a vivid reflection of Bloom, Anderson, and Krathwol’s hierarchy of learning (A.W. Tony Bates) and Gagne’s 9 events of instruction: I tend to start a class with a warm-up speaking exercise (gaining attention), then I briefly inform my students about the objectives of the lesson, then we revise what we studied before, and after that, we learn something new and put it to practice, until eventually the students are able to use the new material independently (create). Nevertheless, I like experimenting with different order of activities during class – for instance, I have tried introducing more complicated new material right after a warm-up, before the students get tired, and review the previously learned matters towards the end of the class. This approach also worked well, but I am still yet to observe and decide what would be the absolute best lesson structure for my students – perhaps I could make it a part of my future research?
In conclusion, I must admit that studying the theories of learning more deeply helps me see my teaching through a new, more detailed lens. I can now identify which theory has influenced each of my teaching strategies, and I am able to see which ones of those strategies I would like to improve.
Wonderful post, Kateryna! It’s inspiring how you’ve reflected on your teaching practice and discovered your constructivist leanings through PBLA. I love how you connected constructivism’s emphasis on student ownership and the importance of process with your classroom approach. Your insights into behaviorism and cognitivism are also very thoughtful, especially your balanced use of praise and online platforms to motivate students. It’s great to see how you’re blending these theories to create a well-rounded learning environment.Good work!
Hi Aysha, I really appreciate your comment! 🙂 Finding out more about various learning theories has indeed opened my eyes and helped me analyze my teaching approaches. I hope the newly acquired knowledge will help me build an even more productive and efficient learning environment for my students.
Great post, Kateryna! I agree, in your field of teaching, constructivism is very appropriate, as both encouragement and social interaction are essential in aiding the students’ learning. It is also interesting to note that there is a program for learning English for newcomers to Canada, and I am sure that through the constructivist approach, you will be even more successful as an English teacher to the newcomers.
Hi Raul, thanks for your comment and for supporting my views on constructivism! I agree that constructivism works very well with language students 🙂
Hi Kateryna Klepikova ,
Your constructivist approach as a teacher fit in naturally with the development of your teaching philosophy as well. I can see that you have naturally adopted a variety of constructivist ideals through your practical teaching and have also encouraged student support. It is also interesting to note that you have acknowledged the influence of behaviorism in your classroom. It is inspiring to see you create a balance between different types of teacher theories and a student-centric teacher dynamic environment. The chapter on different types of learning theories will only add to your practice. It also makes you deeply reflect on how you can grow as a teacher. Through your practical experience, you have naturally adopted the constructivist ideal of different types of teacher theories, which emphasize the process.