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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

ANNE SCHUERGER

MARCH 30th, 2020

Introduction

Out of everything that we learned this semester, the message that stood out to me the

most was one we were introduced to at the very beginning. Be intentional. An intentional teacher

knows the purpose behind their methods and is someone who makes decisions based on their

authentic beliefs. I hope this notion of intentionality will follow me throughout my career so that

I am always aware of the reasoning behind my methods. It is important to me to teach with a

purpose so that I know what changes and gains I expect to see in my student’s learning. It also

really resonated with me when we listened to Rick Bellagh’s (2020) presentation on Montessori

Borealis when he said that in his classroom no on ever asks him “Why do we have to learn

this?”. To me, being intentional is just that, creating a classroom environment where students are

engaged and motivated and aren’t asking “Why are we learning this?”. As Slavin (2012) stated,

“Every decision has a theory behind it” (p. 9). This is my theory of teaching and learning in the

hopes of being an intentional teacher.

Development

Being certified as a K-8 teacher brings with it the responsibility of knowing what level of

learning to expect from students across a wide range of development. Being knowledgable of the

works of cognitive and social developmental theorists can help educators identity what

expectations are realistic for their students based on their relative age. Piaget’s theory of

cognitive development focuses on the idea that development proceeds learning (Slavin, 2012).

Elementary teachers see students in three of Piaget’s proposed stages of thought: preoperational,

concrete operational, and formal operational (Slavin, 2012). Awareness of the characteristics that

accompany these stages helps teacher better understand how their students think. Even though

differences in development stretch across these stages, being familiar with their achievements

and constraints aids teachers in assessing developmental growth.

In contrast to Piaget, Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development follows the idea that

learning proceeds development (Slavin, 2012). Vygtosky also believed that a child’s development

is greatly influenced by their social interactions (Mooney, 2013). Understanding the importance

of social interaction and consideration of Vygotsky’s concepts of development, such as the zone

of proximal development (ZPD), can help educators better set appropriate learning goals and

activities. Finding a students ZPD assists teachers in recognizing the level at which their students

are at and what they are capable of. It is a useful guide for setting students up for success by

challenging them without causing frustration. Vygotsky’s emphasis on social interactions

reminds educators to allow enough cooperative learning opportunities for students in which they

might scaffold and expand each other’s ZPDs.

Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development is important for understanding the social

growth students are going through and when encouragement is needed for independence,

creativity, or confidence. Elementary teachers see students in three stages of Erikson’s theory but

mostly those in his stage of industry versus inferiority (Slavin, 2012). When students are in this

stage it is important for teachers to recognize when they need to be encouraged to take initiative

so that they can gain confidence in their abilities. While these crises can be solved later on, the

teacher in a child’s life has the opportunity and ability to help them resolve their crises at the

appropriate time, according to Erikson (Slavin, 2012).

Learning Theory

My theory of learning surrounds the belief that all students are capable. This belief

system is one that Arthur W. Combs (1996) insists is a component of being a good helper, or

teacher. A student who knows that their teacher believes they can is a student that is more likely

going to learn. I think that building affirmation in your students is a part of inspiring life long

learners beyond fostering their creativity and critical thinking. I also agree with John Dewey that

learning is a process and not a product as he stated in My Pedagogic Creed, “Education is a

process of living and not a preparation for future living” (Dewey, 1897). Because of this I

believe in both the progressive and constructivist approaches. Learning occurs when students

experience something memorable, whether it is through hands on or active techniques. I also

believe that successful learning occurs when you know your students well and I agree with both

Dewey and Piaget that curiosity drives learning. All children possess curiosity and teachers have

the opportunity to use that energy. This is why my theory of motivation is that by observing your

students you can use their own curiosity as intrinsic motivation. A student’s curiosity should

never be suppressed as then their motivation will follow. Being passionate about what you teach

is another important influence, the tone of the classroom starts with the teacher.

Standards and Assessment

Standards and assessments need to go hand in hand, they must be closely related. The

most important goal of evaluations and assessments is to track a students progress so that you

can communicate about their learning. As Tomlinson (2007-08) discussed in her article, Learning

to Love Assessment, just as your teachings should have a purpose so should your methods of

evaluation. When it comes to meeting specific standards I think that the method of back planning

is an organized and efficient way to help you choose what type of teaching methods and

assessments will best reflect your learning goals. It makes a lot of sense to me that to know what

route to take you must know your desired destination (Guskey, 2014). Backplanning also allows

for flexibility of assessment depending on the needs of the students. I take from Vygotsky the

importance of using multiple forms of evaluation. Vygotsky believed that observation, or

qualitative data, was just as important in assessment as testing, or quantitative data (Mooney,

2013). While standardized tests are essential to a degree of accountability, they shouldn’t be the

sole forms of assessment.

Foundations

This is why the foundations of my future classroom will be built on observation so that I

can promote independence while still providing a prosocial environment. My focus on

observation stems from a variety of theorists but is best represented by John Dewey’s premise

that quality education is to know the children well, in addition to the idea that the teacher has the

ability to turn a simple experience into a learning experience (Mooney, 2013). I take from

Montessori the importance of giving students independence and responsibility of their own

learning so as to build their self awareness and promote the development of life long learners

(Montessori, 1965). I also want to include Montessori’s practice of providing an environment

that reflects the learning that I want to see, such as helping students develop a sense of beauty

and order (Montessori, 1965). It is Vygtosky’s work that makes me believe in students’ need of a

prosocial environment. Interactive experience provides unique learning while building positive

relationships between students (Mooney, 2013). Students want to be social, they want to share

and they want to interact with their peers. Giving them the opportunity to do so channels natural

energy into learning.

Discussion

Reflecting on my own education, school success came easily to me but only to the extent

of meeting expectations. I was able to execute what my teachers were asking from me but I

lacked the motivation to go beyond those expectations. I always felt that my creativity wasn’t

challenged enough and this limited my critical thinking ability. Because of this, I hope to be able

to recognize the students in my future classes that also need this creative push and to not simply

ask students to complete tasks but teach them to ask themselves the purpose of the tasks and

what they learned from them. My experiences with children this far have taught me that students

just want to be heard and they need to be recognized. While you can’t meet every student’s needs

all at the same time you should always strive for meeting all of their needs at some time.

Diversity

I want to focus on building an environment of compassion in my future classroom. I think

that putting an emphasis on individuality and perspective helps to create a tighter community of

students that are open and empathetic to others. Creating an environment where students feel

safe and understood is important for them to succeed. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs shows that in

order for students to focus on academic growth, in the hopes of achieving self-actualization, they

must first have their deficiency needs met such as feeling safe with a sense of belonging (Slavin,

2012). Reading teaches compassion as hearing from direct voices gives an authentic perspective.

I love Perrone’s (1991) emphasis on teachers providing first hand texts from direct sources and

his statement that “It is out of difference that individuals gain a sense of personal identity,

become person’s in their own right (p. 46). I plan to encourage students to read these first hand

sources as a way to appreciate and celebrate diversity.

Conclusion

Most importantly my philosophy of teaching and learning is about being observant,

believing in each student for the better and finding what inspires the learner in each of them. I

want to be concerned with the people not the things, so that I am a good helper with purpose

(Combs, 1996). Taking a quote from Perrone (1991), “Children and young people, wherever they

are, need our best efforts” (p. 133). Intentional teachers are ones that are constantly striving to

give their best effort, because of this they can inspire intentional, successful, life long learners.

References

Bellagh, R. (2020). Montessori Borealis [presentation notes]. Presented for UAS ED 333,
Juneau, AK.

Combs, A. W. (1996). What Makes the Difference Between Good Helpers and Poor
Helpers? [presentation notes]. Presented at the 51st Annual Conference of ASCD,
New Orleans, LA.

Dewey, J. (1897, January). My Pedagogic Creed. School Journal. 54, 77-80.

Guskey, T. R. (2014). Planning Professional Learning [Electronic version]. Educational

Mooney, C. G. (2013). Theories of Childhood: An Introduction to Dewey, Montessori,

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

Slavin, R. (2012). Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice. Boston: Pearson

Tomlinson, C. Ann. (2007-08, December/January). Learning to love assessment.