Learning and Vygotsky

While in college we read about Vygotsky and his Zone of Proximal Development. At the time I had no connection to seeing this in real life. However, now as a teacher, I am able to see this zone. There is always a gap between actual development and potential developmental level. As teachers it is our goal to lessen that gap and help our students reach their potential.

As much as a love a quiet classroom of students diligently working, I have realized that it is so important that students communicate in order for them to develop not only socially, but academically as well. I know that I sometimes need to talk through ideas with a peer, so I allow my students to do the same. As Vygotsky declared, we cannot learn without social interaction. Language is a critical part in the formation of thoughts. Allowing students to work together and talk through ideas or questions helps them develop and move toward their potential developmental level.

I always knew that we learned from things around us, yet I did not know what a large impact it had on cognitive development. Children need to be situated in a culture to learn. They grow into the intellectual life of those around them. Just like we begin to wear clothes or eat foods like the people around us, we also begin to learn and interpret information like the people around us! Students learn best when tools, culture, and activity are integrated into their learning experience. 

Most importantly, let students PLAY! Play is a form of learning, it may not teach them social studies facts, but it will allow them to grow and develop in other ways that will in turn help them show more of their potential cognitive ability.

Situated Cognition and the Culture of Learning

While reading Situated Cognition and the Culture of Learning, I felt my head stirring with connections and understanding. Breaking apart the aspects of learning and defining each part was mind boggling. All of the terms in the article are terms I have heard before, yet somehow they all seem so now! Information, knowledge, understanding, meaning, and cognition are all very closely related. As a teacher it is important to understand the difference between these words in order to figure out what we actually want our students to learn. Do we want them to just know information or be able to apply meaning to their information?

Meaning is developed under the influence of culture. Culture includes language, beliefs, norms, etc. All of these pieces come together to create a deeper meaning for each piece of knowledge. It is important to enculturate our students into different cultures and apprenticeships. Things that they have learned previously take on a new meaning by being used in different cultures. Teachers need to model, coach, and fade instruction in order for students to utilize their tools in many different settings.

After having discussions in class, I think SPDs and ABCS are EXTREMELY important! The structure and process are the knowledge of the domain and the discourse is the way people communicate outside of the classroom. Often teachers keep their thinking very much inside the classroom, which is easy to do! The ABCS give me a new outlook on the progression of what authentic learning can look like. I may need to build background knowledge in my students on a particular job or culture, however, then students should be able to apply background knowledge to a project they can share with others in order to bridge the gap between the outside world and school. I most definitely struggle in the “AUTHENTIC” area. How am I supposed to make it real? How do I make sure they are learning what I need them to? I frequently have my students do activities that relate to the real world, however, I am not immersing them in the culture of that activity. I am always open to ideas and suggestions from other educators….any takers??

The Saber Tooth Curriculum

To be completely honest, as I was reading this book I often found myself lost. I took everything I read very literally, and I couldn’t truly figure out why we were reading it. As a read, the things that stuck with me were that we need to teach kids skills, not activities; We need to teach how to think, not what to think; And that students should be learning what they live and living what they learn. When I went to class I was not sure if I had found the meaning or purpose of this book. Through discussion, I learned that my takeaways were correct and that I could have dug a little deeper.

Saber Tooth Curriculum is about how times and needs change and we need to change our teaching. We should not continue using outdated practices as the world is evolving. We need to keep our teaching relevant to the times. We all are able to point out flaws in the education system, and it often stems from who is at the top. We need to look at how people are moving up the ladder and consider who updates what is taught. If the person updating the curriculum hasn’t been in a classroom for 15 years, do we really think they are the best person to be UPDATING how we teach?? If the person at the top of the food chain has never stepped foot in a classroom, do we really think they should be in charge of telling us HOW to teach??

…..NO!

Teachers need to be the designers in their classrooms, not people who don’t know what the 2019 classroom looks like. However, teachers do need to take a step back from their practice from time to time to see the needs of their students and tailor the learning to them. Teachers “know things the community needs to have done, and have the energy and will to do them” (Peddiwell, 1939, p. 25). This makes us DESIGNERS! Learning cannot be unreal and artificial. As teachers we need to provide students opportunities to LEARN what they LIVE, and LIVE what they LEARN; providing authentic problems for students. The Saber Tooth Curriculum allows teachers to see that they need to keep their practice current and relevant, otherwise we will become irrelevant.

Teachers as Designers Reflection

Teachers as designers, quite a concept. With all the information that we are expected to get across to students we as teachers have been become routine in our teaching, checking off all of the boxes. I've learned, that even with the high expectations and volume of content we are expected to cover, there still needs to be room for design. Teachers need to design opportunities for students to thrive, have choice, and be in charge of their learning. I typically hold a pretty tight grasp on my students when I want them to learn through exploration because I am afraid of failing them, that they aren't going to learn what is required. Through reading the article this week, I need to become open to uncertainty and failure. If a design I have created doesn't work for my group of students, I can revise it, make it better, or even toss it out, THAT'S OKAY! I need to remind myself of that. It is okay to try new things, that is what we want our students to do anyway!

In my classroom I like to have my students participate in project based learning. I design an essential question that I want the students to solve. Typically, I have it pretty scaffolded, however, I need to let the students do the learning. I do not need to be the person always feeding them information. I need to design opportunities to investigate and come to their own understanding and conclusion. It is definitely a different mindset that will take time getting used to, but it is truly for the benefit of my students. I need to be adventurous, take risks, and allow myself to be a DESIGNER!