Session 8: Behaviorism, Conductivism, Constructivism and Instructional Theory

Behaviourism

The mind is compared to a Black Box. It’s expected responses. Instructions are repetition and reinforcement to help learning.

Cognitivism

The mind is compared to a computer, where every individual recalls stored information. It basically has to do with Memory (Sensory, Short-Term and Long Term).

Constructivism

It views the mind as a Rhizome where skills and knowledge are nodules that are interconnected and called when needed.

With these perspectives we have two theories:

Descriptive Theory

(What is Learning?)

From this we obtain Learning Theory, which is an attempt to describe learning.

Perscriptive Theory

(How to help Learning?)

From this we obtain Instructional Theory, which gives methods to foster learning.

Session 7: Teaching Models

Task 1- IN CLASS

Traditional Education

Traditional education or back-to-basics refers to long-established customs found in schools that society has traditionally deemed appropriate. Traditional teacher-centered methods focused on rote learning and memorization. Historically, the primary educational technique of traditional education was simple oral recitation.

Behaviorism

Behaviourism is a method applied through repetition of desired actions, rewarding good habits and the discouraging bad habits. In the classroom this view of learning led to a great deal of repetitive actions, praise for correct outcomes and immediate correction of mistakes.

Constructivism

Constructivism is a discipline based on the construction of reality. It is said that we cannot know what is real or can’t ever find the truth because when we have knowledge of something we base it upon basic perceptions of reality and there will always be an approximant to what we construct in our minds.

Precursors:

William Spady, Benjamin Bloom & Maria Montessori (Traditional Education)

Wilhelm Wundt, Ivan Pavlov & B.F. Skinner (Behaviorism)

Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky & John Dewey (Constructivism)

What do they have in common?

These methods have in common the actions related to memorizing and have strong influence in learning. Traditional Education focuses on memorizing as so does Behaviorism. Constructivism is based on knowledge already acquired also relating it to the other two.

What are their differences?

Traditional education focuses on concepts, memory as an absolute method where everything “is as it is” and isn’t “could be”, centering in the teacher as an unquestionable being. Behaviorism focuses on mind constructed action, either good or bad, making repetition of good habits rewarded and bad habits punished. In other words, positive elements are reinforced and negative elements are studied to transform into positive. Constructivism, however, has a principle focus on constructing knowledge and modifying old ideas to new concepts.

Task 2- IN CLASS

Personally what model do you prefer?

I personally prefer Constructivism because it permits students to think and analyze more ideas to modify their own perception of their surroundings. It’s a method to help students question their own ideas and construct new concepts, with the aid of the teacher.

Session 5: Presentations

What called my attention about…?

a)    San Agustín

What calls my attention about St. Augustine is the discovery of “the truth” applied through questions, demonstrating each person having the capability to find answers on the inside. This meaning that we already have the knowledge but do not know how to release it. Also, he uses a method that is inserted in our national curriculum today (MINEDUC) which is known as Constructivism.

b)    Froebel

What calls my attention about Froebel is that as a pedagogue he left the ideas for modern education based on the acknowledgment that children have unique needs and capabilities. Also that he created the concept of the “kindergarten” and the development of educational toys to demonstrate that children learn through play.

c)    Dewey

What calls my attention about Dewey is the dedication of the study in the field of education. How this man changed a structured pattern in the role of the teacher, and the philosophy of the teacher being a guide, and went deep as an educational reformer whose ideas have been significant in education today.

d)    Comenius

What calls my attention about Comenius is the Didactica Magna and the studies he did to make a contribution to education nowadays. Everything he studied was related in his works.

e)    Paulo Freire

What calls my attention about Paulo Freire is how he questioned important investigators, insisting on the fact that students are not empty vessels to be filled in by the teacher’s knowledge, inhibiting their creativity. Thus, he modifies their thoughts to the new era converting it to what is known today as critical pedagogy.

f)     Pestalozzi

What calls my attention about Pestalozzi is his child centered educational style through Romanticism where he highlighted that every aspect of the child's life is important to the formation of personality, character, and reason.

g)    Rousseau

What calls my attention about Rousseau is the development of character and moral sense, discovering through real actions the consequences of each individual’s actions.

Session 4: Interesting elements of St. Augustine, Froebel and Dewey

1)   What are the most interesting elements of each character in today’s presentations?

a)    San Agustín

Teach how to construct knowledge through questions and answers, on the path to discovering one’s own truth.

b)    Froebel

The establishment of the principles of intuition and ludic activities that would lead to later application

c)    Dewey

Founding the theories and philosophy in which the teacher becomes a partner in the learning process, guiding students to discover in an independent manner the importance within the subject area the student is involved in.

2)   What do you think about co-evaluations?

Co-evaluations in many ways can be beneficial and can harm in many ways the student. Sometimes in assessment it marks the end of a process and the beginning of a new one and only the teacher is capable of doing so. However, co-evaluation serves a great function if constructed well because if not, it will influence in personal likes and dislikes. In my case, I have to say I think it’s a good tool to involve the student in their process of learning and acquiring skills. That way, there may be better comprehension and the will to learn with having the student partake in these steps that only the teacher may be capable of doing.

Workshop 3: St. Augustine

ST. AUGUSTINE

1) What is the historical context of this character?

He lived in the Roman world where he was questioned for his religion due to the fact that he may have contributed to Barbaric Tribes.

 2) Describe the character. Mention the main aspects of his life.

 He was born on November 13^th in 354. In his childhood he learned Latin and Greek.

 In the year 370, at the age of 17, he went to the city of Cartago where he studied philosophy and was in search for “the truth". Agustin died in 430.

 3) What does his character propound in education?

 His method in education was through questions and answers, where he caught the attention of his disciples. If the question is answer was wrong he would formulate another question with more information, whereas his disciple would find the truth through mistakes and answer his own question with the aid of his master.

 4) What is the role of the teacher in his model?

 Teach the truth through words and thinking in a “constructive” way.

 5) What is the role of the student in his model?

 He uses in his pedagogy the Paideia which is the way of educating children. He searches for good speech, good thinking and good actions. According to Plato, the disciples must walk through a long road of exercise to cure his eyes and strengthen his sight for the indescribable light. (to find the purpose of dialogue), and with guidance he would discover the truth.

 6) Give an example of his model in a specific situation

 This is an example of this method in education:

 Agustin: ¿Que te parece que pretendemos al hablar?

 Adeodato: Por lo que ahora se me alcance, o enseñar, o aprender.

 Ag: Así lo veo… pues es evidente que pretendemos enseñar cuando hablamos más ¿como aprendemos?

Group work - August 10th 2012

Definition of didactics

We can define didactics as the technique and guidelines for a significant learning and teaching oriented to the students. We can also understand it as the art of teaching

Domains

One of the domains is the application of the discipline used by the teacher. This is an element that has been present to the day, involving other disciplines like: Psychology, Pedagogy, Philosophy, Sociology, amongst others. However, many changes have been invented throughout the years. This produces difficulties due to the fact that it compromises the complexity of learning. Finally, it involves the Teaching-Learning Process.

Workshop 2: The Fields of Study in Didactics

Definition of Didactics:

Didactics can be considered as a way to guide in effective way students, through teaching methods and processes. It involves coordinating techniques to help students coexist and act independently, through activities instructed by the teacher. This “term” has evolved throughout the years from a model based on interrogation and mind training (S. Augustin) to a more educationally integrated method involving the teacher in constructing, or better yet, “spiritual development” (Herbart). In other words, it can be considered as the art of teaching.

Domains:

Didactics is involved in teaching-learning institutions, supported by others like Psychology, Sociology, or Cultural Anthropology that have their main focus on education. These elements focus on the teacher as a transmitter, who selects and chooses the best characteristics to answer the question of how to teach and how it must be taught. The concepts are applied as a method to transform through reflexive thinking the traditional concept of curriculum. Above all, it’s a way to transform and adapt to the changes provoked throughout the years. This serves as a mold, whereas the curriculum is changing constantly and adapting to the social characteristics necessary to surpass obstacles and modify teaching groups into critical communities through Teaching- Learning Process.

What is General Didactics?

This is a question that I have never thought about before. I mean, we all use the word “Didactics” when referring to a class, like for example, “This class should be a little bit more didactic!”. But what does this word mean.

After a class I had this week I started getting thoughts on what it really means. To be very sincere, I think it has to do with the quality of education and also with how well a teacher must manage the contents to teach to the students. As a matter of fact, it must have relation on how to give meaning to a lesson or content.

Either way, a couple of definitions I stumbled upon after this thought on my way home (which was nearly an hour’s reflection) were the following:

di·dac·tic

adjective

1.       intended for instruction; instructive: didactic poetry.

2.       inclined to teach or lecture others too much: a boring, didactic speaker.

3.       teaching or intending to teach a moral lesson.

4.       didactics, ( used with a singular verb ) the art or science of teaching.

I obviously was surprised to find out that the second definition contradicts in many ways my thoughts. Luckily, the last definition made me reflect a little more and gave me a motive to keep searching. It’s an ART.

By art I understand and well know that it’s an expression and a way of applying creative skills and lots of imagination to visual means.

Anyway, a little further on my searches I came across many pages that focus on “Didactics” and found out that it refers to an improvement in information and that can only lead to knowledge. Now, knowledge is very important in didactics I believe because it’s a key goal to learning. But then again, leads me to think about how knowledge is obtained. Can it be methods? Can it be related to multiple intelligences?

Finally, I simply figured it out. As a conclusion, Didactics is as it is. It’s a method of teaching or guiding through creative skills which involves not only the students, but the teacher as well in the learning process, generating significant lessons to be applied on a daily basis. I may be wrong but this definition is the close that I can get to what “I” think Didactics is.