My Teaching Reflection: Applying the Teaching Philosophy of Constructivism

In the classroom, my goal will be to encourage young adults as they explore and experiment with new forms of expression in a friendly, safe setting. Constructivist teaching methods are a perfect fit for achieving that goal. I say this because, particularly when it comes to my own writing, I like to think "outside the box," and Constructivism allows me to do just that. Constructivism is best summarized by the following definition: "The progressivist teaching philosophy is a student-oriented approach that takes individuality into account and links it to active learning. According to Constructivism, the best learning circumstances occur when the subject matter is applicable to the learner's life and talents.” Additionally, this method stresses interaction, teamwork, and respect for other people's opinions as crucial components of learning (www.indeed.com, 2023).

Adults learn best by doing, not by hearing, according to a statement I heard. Constructivism encourages students to put to use what they are learning in ways that are personally meaningful in the actual world. "Learning by doing is a teaching strategy that employs interesting learning exercises that are customized to the requirements and interests of the students. Like this, Learning by Doing teachers encourage pupils to learn through piquing their curiosity” (ResearchGate, 2020). I am a Linguistic leaner, which means that reading and writing are the ways that I learn best. Even though I naturally learn in such a manner, I have found that when material is pertinent to my own life, not only am I more interested in it but also, I am more invested in the result, and more engaged as well. I believe that direct participation in the learning process is when students will gain the most.

As an illustration, we were requested to make Concept Maps in several of my classes at Tiffin University. We were given a topic but oversaw the project's layout and aesthetics. I was anxious and excited at the same time because this was my first time creating one. The process of making my first Concept Map was so much fun! I gave the project a lot of focused consideration and hours of experimentation with various visuals. Why was this lesson so interesting to me? Mostly due to the novelty. I was learning in an unusual way since it allowed me to move beyond the "box" of the Linguistic learner. I was studying differently. Even though universities encourage Linguistic learning, we must remember that not all students learn well in this manner. Instead of reading, writing, or listening to a teacher, many students prefer to learn by doing—by applying what they have learned.

Creating a Concept Map allowed me to express myself more freely and creatively. Instead of forcing me to adopt a predetermined form, it gave me options. For instance, if I wanted to, I could use amusing visuals. Most essential is that I held the knowledge longer because I had applied it. Then, I had to use the Map to teach my classmates about the topic, which required that I fully understand the main ideas.

Constructivism's ability to be utilized to motivate students to collaborate in groups is another crucial aspect of this teaching philosophy. When students in a class are having trouble getting along with one another, a project that divides them into groups might help them work together to achieve a shared objective. This may rekindle student enthusiasm in their courses and foster more positive interaction between them.

Instead of using a passive method where material is grasped only through listening, Constructivism takes a "hands-on" strategy that involves direct learning experiences. Everyone has a voice in Constructivism, and everyone is encouraged to voice their opinions to the group. If there are students who are conventional learners, this strategy will push them to "get out of their comfort zones" and to discover new abilities and modes of expression, like the Concept Map did for me. Students are expected to use both their critical thinking and social abilities in this instructional method. Because it requires student groups to cooperate, it is democratic in character. It helps students to appreciate and consider other's views.

In the classroom, the instructor performs the dual duties of activity facilitator and mentor. The teacher asks questions rather than provides answers. When a student asks for a solution, for instance, if I am applying Constructivism, I could throw it back to the group and say, "Instead of telling you the answer, I'd like the group to brainstorm and come up with a few different ways you could solve this." As the teacher, I do not want to foster a dependence on me for answers. Students should be encouraged that they can solve the problem if they rely on one another, themselves, and the resources on hand. In-class problem-solving is important because it builds confidence in their own abilities, and it teaches them to bring problems forward and not to conceal problems.

Students will receive the same grade if the group follows the instructions and completes the work, except if a student does not participate in which case their mark would be lower. To ascertain the level at which people are functioning, I do think testing is crucial. Tests should be given frequently enough to gain a general idea of students' knowledge and abilities, but not too frequently to discourage or cause concern. In high school, I had a teacher who made us take exams at the end of every week. While this was good for the instructor, a large portion of the students who were in his class dropped out because of the excessive number of examinations.

The frequent assignment of research papers and explanatory essays is also an effective way to gauge student understanding and English language competence. In the Constructivist method, it is recommended to give students as much freedom as possible in their subject selection rather than assigning the topic. As they say, "Different strokes for different folks." The learner will spend more time investigating and will have a deeper grasp if they get to pick the topic or choose from a list of ideas. Additionally, a class with a variety of subjects will be more engaging for everybody.

As a lifelong learner, I have found that every class has a small group of top performers—what I like to refer to as the top 20%—who get the best grades, submit their assignments and comments first, and lead much of the thoughtful conversation. A Constructivism strategy pushes the remaining 80% to participate more regularly and directly and could be what they need to get fired up about the assignments.

I authored a book and study guide that is used by my podcast study group. Naturally, since I wrote the content, I am aware of the answers. But I think learning should not be passive. As a result, after fully describing the topic we are studying, I pause and solicit my cohost's perspective. By giving the audience another viewpoint, the audience is more likely to phone in and contribute their own perspectives. When callers ask for my opinion, I offer it, but I also ping-pong it back and solicit their feedback. Instead of a lecture and a single point of view, I want my podcast to be a lively debate and discussion. My vision for the classroom is the same: a safe space where learners feel free to express themselves and take chances, as well as a social setting where they may practice tolerance and respect for different points of view and cultures. 

Constructivism is in harmony with my vision of what a classroom ought to be: intellectually fascinating, a secure environment for expressing curiosity and taking risks, and a working environment where many ideas and viewpoints may be voiced without concern. I want learners to become their own teachers in my classroom. In essence, to do as much as I can to work myself out of a job. 

                                                    

                                       References

 

Sameer Abuzanda. Learning By Doing. ResearchGate, 2020.

(PDF) LEARNING BY DOING (researchgate.net)

 

Indeed Editorial Team. 12 Common Teaching Philosophies (With Definitions). 2023.

12 Common Teaching Philosophies (With Definitions) | Indeed.com

Should Colleges Only Teach Standard Written English? by Devi Nina Bingham

 

I believe that requiring college students to write only in Standard Written English (SWE) is a complex issue, and I can see both sides of the debate. My opinion tends to fall somewhere in the middle. Let me explain. The traditional argument in favor of requiring SWE, also known as Standard American English (SAE), makes some sense. To succeed in the “real world,” which means to be a success in business, academics, and socially, students must be familiar if not fluent in SAE, and the classroom is the most appropriate place to learn to communicate effectively. It is said that the purpose of academics is to prepare the student to succeed, both professionally and personally; it is not to make them feel comfortable. That is not academia's purpose. In fact, learning new things can make us distinctly uncomfortable because we must stretch ourselves. Thus, when this question is analyzed through an academic lens alone, then yes-requiring students to write and communicate in SWE is correct.

Having said that, if you look at this question through a different lens, the lens of a mental health professional (which I am), and especially through the lens of Psychology (which was my undergrad), it looks different. Allowing multilingual students to use their dialects in the classroom respects their cultural heritage. Using vernacular English such as Black Vernacular English (BVE) that has its own grammar rules, validates the English as a Second Language (ESL) student. Allowing these differences to coexist with traditional pedagogy will inspire a higher quality of engagement in the class, and a higher caliber of writing from multilingual students. It will also encourage other instructors and American students not to take part in cultural bias which comes easily to us all, whether we like to admit it or not.

This debate reminds me of something important I learned in a Psychology class as an undergrad. The class was asked whether we believed we had unconscious bias, what is known as implicit bias, against people of other cultures. My daughter's father was African American and very dark skinned, and my daughter was biracial and looked like her dad, so I responded no, confidently-I had no implicit bias. How could I if my daughter and her father were Black? Then our class participated in a university research study to test for implicit racial bias.

During the online test we were shown a series of pictures that flashed quickly on the screen, and for each face we had to make a split-second decision. We had to choose whose face we felt more comfortable with and press the arrow either way. Sometimes the face was Caucasian, sometimes, Asian, Hispanic, African American, or Native American. It went so fast that you did not have time to think, you just had to react. At the end of the 30 minutes, I felt that I had not shown any bias. The results came back several weeks later. There was not one person in the class who did not have some bias. I was 55% biased in favor of Caucasians. In other words, I would unconsciously give a 5% advantage to a white person over any other. When I got my score, I was shocked and dismayed because I have always prided myself on being culturally sensitive.

That study showed our class the truth. No matter how hard we try not to be biased towards our own group (meaning race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, etc.) we are unconsciously and evolutionarily predisposed to preferring our own groups. This is because, according to Evolutionary Psychology, in our ancient past if you did not choose your own group, you would not have lived long. Genetically it is bred into us to have in-group bias.

I share this eye-opening experience because you may think you are not biased; everybody thinks that. But it is important to acknowledge that even educators are biased. It does not mean being aware of it will stop the bias; it will happen unconsciously. But to be aware of our inclinations is half the battle. “Findings suggest that reading these studies impacted teachers' understandings of race and racism in terms of their teaching, as well as in terms of their personal relationships to race and racism, increasing their inclination and ability to address race and anti-racism” (Kempf, 2022).

In an effort to mitigate these inequities, Catherine Savini (2021) proposes allowing students to use their dialects; allowing them to write in their vernacular English or their first language, and to implement grading contracts with them “that value labor, effort, and process over standardization.” Then she suggests asking these students to write as if they were going to present their papers to a public audience. She suggests allowing them to use their familiar, culturally inherited language, but to make it understandable enough for a general audience. It seems to me if a student used their own vernacular, but a general audience could clearly still understand them, then mission accomplished. However, whether an audience will appreciate listening to or reading a paper in another vernacular is unknown. It depends upon the audience. If it is a majority white audience, they may not appreciate alternative vernacular because as we have seen, it is not their way of speaking.

I have witnessed linguistic prejudice, usually from white people towards people of color with comments such as, “If you don’t know how to speak our language then go back to your country.” My father and his side of the family were hardcore racists, so I grew up enduring and detesting comments like this. I believe that it is not until you yourself are different in some way, or someone you are with is different, that you can see it. 

 Works Cited

 

Savini, C. 10 Ways to Tackle Linguistic Bias in our Classrooms. Inside Higher Education, 2021.

 Kempf, A. Toward Deeper Unconscious Racial Bias Work in Education. Teachers College Record, 2022. Toward Deeper Unconscious Racial Bias Work in Education: DragonQuest (opal-libraries.org)

Working as an Adjunct Professor-by Devi Nina Bingham

 

This essay (Berke, 2023) confirmed what I’d read in a textbook in a prior college course about obtaining a career in academics. The author discussed the benefits and drawbacks of working as an adjunct professor at a university. She stated, "But many people don't realize "adjunct" is a fancy word for part-time contract work."

Contract workers are comparable to self-employed individuals. There is little or no benefits, no paid time off, no summer employment if you are a teacher, and no contract renewal is assured. As the author put it, "but many don't realize "adjunct" is a fancy word for part-time contract work." Being an adjunct may be excellent if you have a second source of income, and health insurance. If not, you may not be able to count on it as your sole source of income. Fortunately, I have a consistent part-time income as an Author that covers my expenses, so an adjunct post would work for me.

When discussing remuneration, the author admits to all the time you will need to spend outside of class hours: "...office hours, emails, lesson planning, grading, letters of recommendation, emotional labor, and miscellaneous tasks all add up." I'm not sure how much time this will take because I've never taught in an academic setting before, I'm not sure how to compute this. However, before accepting a position, you should estimate how much time other teachers spend so you can obtain a fair image of how much you would be paid per hour.

Working as an adjunct professor would be a terrific opportunity to obtain teaching experience and improve your career, but the compensation would be lower than that of tenured academics. According to this article, securing a full-time teaching position may be tough, which means you may be an adjunct instructor for the majority of your career before finding an institution that hires you full-time, if you ever do. An adjunct position appears to be excellent for someone like me who has previously had a full-time career and is now searching for part-time work, and a second career.

                                                     

                                                    Works Cited

Christina Berke. The Realities of Working as a College Adjunct Professor. EdSurge. 2023. www.edsurge.com/news/2023-02-09-the-realities-of-working-as-a-college-adjunct-       professor.com