My Learning Philosophy

"You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives."

-Clay P. Bedford.

According to my experience, the way of teaching and learning has changed. As a student, I was taught in a traditional way where the teacher gives information, and the student memorizes for an exam. On the other hand, as a student at the university to be teachers, they taught us the method of constructivism, and we were trained to implement this theory, where the student builds his knowledge through experience. As an apprentice, I consider myself an organized person who builds his knowledge based on experience and knowledge, so I consider myself a constructive and cognitive person. But the one I most identify with as a learner is the theory of constructivism. First, I must acquire literature, knowledge, and theory, then combine what I already knew and my experience with the new knowledge. If there is an opportunity, I put it into practice in my daily life. However, sometimes I know it, and that is it, but I do not put it into practice, and then what is the use of knowing if we do not practice it? Apart from studying to be a teacher, I also learned to be a stylist and what is the use of knowing the theory if I do not practice it.

Learning is when you put the theory into practice in real life if you apply the knowledge in practice. Teaching is when you impart concepts, theory, and information through explanation and experimentation.

Learning and teaching go hand in hand in our classrooms. Having diverse students with different experiences and prior knowledge, I believe that both the teacher and the students can learn and teach. I remember an anecdote from 21 years ago, in my year of social service in an elementary school in Mexico, a girl told me, "Teacher today the cabañuelas come out." I asked her, "what is that?" and she explained to me what the year's seasons manifest on a day in January. She taught me what cabañuelas are to her second-grade classmates and me.

Based on my experience, I believe to being a good teacher requires that we have the vision to learn from our environment. This includes our students, they have nobility; they are sincere, loving, creative, and spontaneous and teach us that life is more beautiful than we think. A quote has inspired me and that I put into practice with the students: "Education is an act of love and thus an act of courage" by Paulo Freire. Love is my passion for educating. So as a teacher, I believe that creating a significant learning environment with love is an appropriate way to promote happy learning where creativity and play help lifelong learning. The student feels comfortable without the fear of being judged. We must change from traditional education to a more dynamic education with a good environment where the student can develop critical thinking skills and creativity and learn to work collectively. Students need a teacher to guide them to grow and learn. So, connecting learning theories and my experience, in class I like to ask why? And this generates reflection and connection in children. As teachers, guides, facilitators, and mentors, we can help children with technology use, as I mentioned in my learning manifesto. As a teacher, it is necessary to know how students learn and thus apply learning theories. My concepts about learning theories are:

Behavioral learning is achieved when an appropriate response is demonstrated or exhibited after presenting a specific environmental stimulus. Knowing children's behavior is essential to direct their behavior and to find the best way to learn. Children's behavior is a concern for educators as some behaviors are challenging to manage.

Cognitivism, learning is understood as the acquisition of knowledge; the student absorbs and processes information carrying out cognitive operations and then storing it in memory. In mathematics, science, and even in learning the rules of writing, we need children to learn rules and procedures, and therefore this theory is good to use as part of the learning process.

Connectivism, knowledge resides in the human being and outside of it (databases), so learning is a process of connecting information sources. Technology has brought changes in the way of acquiring knowledge since we can find any information using the google application from a cell phone. So, this theory helps us understand that children have a lot of information and that we must guide them to connect the information and build their knowledge. The video connecting the dots clarifies the difference between connecting and collecting the dots.

The theory that I implement the most in the classroom is social constructivism, which has the following principles: Students build their own knowledge on their previous schemas and their experiences

Motivation is the key to learning
Learning is an active process
Learn collaboratively

Four cognitive strategies are applied: questioning, summarizing, clarifying, and predicting.
The teacher guides and supports students in the learning process

By writing about my innovation plan and connecting with learning theories, I have been influenced to apply these theories in a combined way to have an optimal learning process. To start changing the classroom learning system, I would like to implement CSLE+COVA as it allows students more excellent freedom of learning and thus encourages learning responsibility.

References:

Bates, T. (2019, March 17). Learning theories and online learning: Tony Bates. Tony Bates. Retrieved November 3, 2021, from https://www.tonybates.ca/2014/07/29/learning-theories-and-online-learning/.

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York: Random House.

Harapnuik.org. (2019, February 20). Dwayne Harapnuik's Learning Philosophy.Harapnuik.Org. https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=95

Harapnuik, D., Thibodeaux, T., & Cummings, C. (2018). COVA: Choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning. Retrieved from http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=7291

Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, Retrieved from http://www.itdl.org/journal/jan_05/Jan_05.pdf

Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. Lexington, KY: CreateSpace Independent.

Annotated Bibliography

The following is a list that I have learned from which have led to my belief on learning, although not cited in my learning philosophy.

Bates, T. (2019, March 17). Learning theories and online learning: Tony Bates. Tony Bates. Retrieved November 3, 2021, from https://www.tonybates.ca/2014/07/29/learning-theories-and-online-learning/.

In chapter 3 of the book "Teaching in Digital age," Dr. Bates explains theories and practices in teaching in the digital age that I am still learning.

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York: Random House.

Dr. Dweck explains the power that having a growth mindset also, she explains how growth mindset influences learning and teaching.

Harapnuik.org. (2019, February 20). Dwayne Harapnuik's Learning Philosophy.Harapnuik.Org. https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=95

Learning from my leader helped me write my learning philosophy, and it saved me time and cleared up doubts about the structure of writing it.

Harapnuik, D., Thibodeaux, T., & Cummings, C. (2018). COVA: Choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning. Retrieved from http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=7291

CSLE+COVA explains that learners learn through choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning environment. And teachers need to create a significant learning environment.

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It explains the theory of connectivism; I learned about the principals, objectives, and implementation in the classroom.

Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. Lexington, KY: CreateSpace Independent.

The authors explain the importance of integrating passion, imagination, and constraint into the classroom through play's main ingredient.

Lorena Rodriguez

My Learning Philosophy