Week 3 Concept Map

This is where I am currently sitting with my learning theory and how I use it within my teaching. When planning a lesson, a unit or series of lessons the Constructivist approach is predominant. I like to think of myself  as "the guide at the side" rather than "the sage on the stage", however that is not to say that Behaviourism and Cognitivism is totally behind me but rather a little further in the background. The current push towards explicit teaching and the related theories behind it are steeped in the learning theories explored in this course. By identifying components of what is considered to be good pedagogy and linking them to theorists it is clear that there is a place for each in our schools. There are aspects of every students learning that must be learnt and remembered to provide a foundation on which further learning is built .
Whether it is the learning of a young child , a teenager or an adult this basic foundation can then be used as a stepping stone to "morph" into Constructivist approaches to learning. Vygotsky's belief that when a student has reached their Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) for as specific task that with a little guidance from the teacher they will be able to achieve the task supports this belief. This scaffolding of encouragement is articulated in the practice of the explicit teaching  model as I Do, We DO and You Do or in the case of IMPACT Model , Practice and Connect. A natural progression from this scaffolding approach by teachers is to shift the responsibility to the students Group work and strategies such as Jig-saw, Think Pair Share etc provide opportunities for the collective brain of a group to develop and transform ideas in a way that offers the opportunity to expand ideas and thus learning. Add to this a non threatening environment in which mistakes are considered opportunities for further learning and where everyone's opinion is considered and you have Social Constructivism. Now the student is edging their way towards independent and lifelong learning.
Where I want to go is to jump forward and embrace the advances in technology. I want to be able to guide the students as they negotiate  the information highway. I want to interact with those that can help me move forward taking advantage  the immense opportunities within 21st century technology. I want to develop and adapt my learning and just as Connectivist theory suggests, constantly learning and evolving.
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