Assessment of Dispositions: Philosophy of Education - Research Paper Example

? Assessment of Dispositions: Philosophy of Education Learning theories are used to understand how people learn and how knowledge can be passed from one person to the other. There are numerous learning theories which can be used to understand how knowledge is passed from one individual to the other. One such theory is the constructivism theory of learning which looks at how the individual constructs knowledge for themselves. Constructivists argue that for an individual to be given maximum experience of learning, they must be allowed to be involved in the creation of learning and must be able to look at the various ways in which they will participate in the learning process (Jacobs, 2008). According to Gail (2006), constructivists are concerned about how the students will regard the knowledge that is being imparted on them by their tutor and therefore it concentrates on the student as opposed to concentrating on the tutor. The second learning theory is humanism whish postulates that people learn from both interpersonal and intrapersonal experiences and intelligence. According to humanism, the learner learns by creating their own meanings with as they interact with the environment and the learner is able to connect the knowledge they have learnt in the past with the knowledge they have acquire in the present (Rukavina & Randell, 2009). These two learning theories are very useful and practical because they recognise the fact that the student has to be involved in the learning processes. Both the constructivism and the humanism learning theories advocate for a hands-on learning for the student. They advocate this because they are predicated on the argument that people create their own knowledge as they engage in the process of learning. According to Bentley, Fleury and Garrison (2010), although constructivism is the most formidable learning theory, the biggest limitation to it is that it has many interpretations, the most famous of which is the least useful one. According to them, for constructivism to be effective as a leaning theory to be used by educators, they must be able to fully understand the core of the theory. According to Bentley et al (2010), most educators fail to understand the inner core of constructivism learning theory and therefore cannot be able to use it effectively and efficiently. Yet, most educators as well as policy makers have a superficial understanding of the constructivism theory of learning and therefore students almost never get to benefit fully from it. According to Jones and Araje (2009), the language used to teach the student sis also a fundamental part of developing the success for the theory. They argue that it is not possible to separate language from the constructivism theory of learning because while the constructivism theory is based in the belief that individuals create their own knowledge, language is the medium of understanding and communicating the knowledge. In this regard, they argue that language is the most important tenet of constructivism theory because if the students fail to understand the language of instruction, they will not be able to benefit from the instruction. Since these two theories are based on the fact that a student creates his or her new knowledge based on the past knowledge and experiences, preconception and misconceptions of the student from past knowledge and experiences can be a very big hindrance to learning (Pritchard & Woollard, 2010). Part II: Question 1 With regard to constructivism theory of learning, students are supposed to be very involved in the construction of their knowledge. This means that the relationship between the tutor and the student is supposed to be two-way and not one way. In this regard, the students are supposed to be very inquisitive and creative in the way they look at issues. As a result, it becomes absolutely necessary for the tutor to be very conversant with the subject matter in order to be able to serve the student (Walker, 2010). As Carr (2003) argues in any pedagogical situation, it is necessary for the tutor to take the role of leadership and this can only be achieved if and only if the tutor is able to have a good grip of the subject matter. In this regard, it is absolutely necessary for the teacher to be able to understand their subject matter in a very deep way. Tutors must also understand that the same knowledge they dispense is not rigid but it keep changing over and over. They must therefore be able to update their knowledge every time so as their students don’t get ahead of them. Question 2 Learning is a social process and should be treated as such. Just like socializing, different students have different ways of learning and this must be looked at by the tutor in order to make sure that every kind of student in the class is takes care of. Some students learn better in groups while others are more conformable when learning along. This must be looked at the tutor must provide for forums where each of these kind of student must be given a chance to shine and excel. This is especially in line with the constructivism as well as the humanism theory of learning where students are expected to create and construct their own knowledge (Vianna & Stetsenko, 2009). In this regard, every student must be given the opportunity to construct their own knowledge in the way they find best. Some students also learn better by the hands on experience and it is therefore best for the tutor to be given the opportunity to experience in the different learning environments in school such as the classroom, the laboratory and the workshops. Question 3 While the educator plays the role of a tutor in most of the situations, he or she must be able to play the role of an encourager to encourage the students to be able to be effective in learning. The educator must be able to encourage the students to not only learn but to also be able to apply the knowledge they acquire in practical situations. The educator must therefore be able to come up with ways of helping the students to participate in the learning process and to be able to look at the ways in which he can introduce various opportunities for the students to express the new knowledge they have acquired (Zozakiewicz & Rodriguez, 2007). At the same time, the educator must be able to look at the various ways in which they can be able to come up with efficient ways of testing the students for the knowledge they have acquired in the process. Question 4 Being an educator is a supreme role due to the fact that the educator is supposed to come up with ways to deliver knowledge to his or her students. The process of learning can be difficult in some cases for most students and without being able to create interest in the students can be a big challenge. The educator must therefore be able to make the process of learning interesting in order to make sure that the students are engaged. Introducing group dynamics in the learning environment is necessary in a class with more than one student so that the students will be able to learn from each other. The educator must also be able to create activities which will engage the students (Sampson, 2012). This will involve assignments and projects which the teacher should be able to give to the students. Such projects and assignments are necessary and important as a way to not only test the students but also as a way to make them engage and enjoy the learning process. Question 5 Communication in any learning environment is very important because it is the ways in which knowledge is communicated. Constructivism and humanism as a learning theory emphasizes on the fact that the students must be highly involved in the process. As a result, it is necessary that the students be able to ask questions which can help them to be able to understand the knowledge in a better way. However, it is not possible for students to be able to inquire if they don’t understand the basic knowledge. Constructivism as well as humanism is based on the fact that students create their knowledge by building on the already earned knowledge. The ability of the educator to be able to communicate effectively is important in that it will help the students to be able to understand enough to ask questions. This is why it is necessary for the educator to be articulate in the way they communicate and be able to give the student the base understanding which will create a good foundation to inquire more and get more knowledge on their own (Rodriguez & Berryman, 2010). Question 6 As an educator, having a keen interest in each of the individual student in order to see how they progress over time is always important. Intellectual progress can be tested easily with tests, assignments and projects which can indicate how the student is fairing in terms of advancing their knowledge and skills. Emotional progress on the other and can be difficult to assess if the instructor is not careful and monitoring this progress is important in making sure that there are issues which must be looked at (Beyers, Lembke & Curs, 2013). However, the educator can be able to measure the emotional progress by looking at the ways in which the student is able to perform in a group. Most students are not able to contribute in group work but with time and training, they can end up being able to participate more and this is important as a way to measure their emotional progress. Part III In regard to the above discussion, it is clear that being a successful educator is much more than being a tutor. The above discussion indicates that as a tutor, one has to be able to help the student to progress not only intellectually, but also emotionally and socially. Not only that, an educator who subscribes to constructivism as the central learning theory must again realize that being an educator is not a matter of drumming knowledge into the heads of the learners but it is about helping the students to create their own knowledge (Steffe & Gale, 2012). As an educator, the future implications of the above discussion is that I should be able to look at the various ways in which I must help the students to be motivated to create their own knowledge without necessarily having to depend too much on my knowledge. I should be able to know the ways in which I will help the students to participate in their own learning process by creating their own knowledge. I will also be needed to help in motivating the student to have the intrinsic motivations to learn and know each other. Being an educator is also a matter of being able to know how the students learns and how they will be able to look at the ways in which to motivate the students (Tobin, 2012). References Bentley, M. Fleury, F.C. & Garrison, J. (2010). Critical Constructivism for Teaching and Learning in a Democratic Society. The Journal of Thought , 2-5. Beyers, S.J., Lembke, E.S. & Curs, B. (2013). Social Studies Progress Monitoring and Intervention for Middle School Students . 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Philosophy and the Study of Education: A Critique of the Common Sense Consensus. pp. 101-114. . Zozakiewicz, C. & Rodriguez, A.J. (2007). Using Sociotransformative Constructivism to Create Multicultural and Gender-Inclusive Classrooms: An Intervention Project for Teacher Professional Development . Educational Policy, vol. 21, (2) , pp. 397-425. Read More