Theories and Models of Learning and Instruction

I see the difference in epistemology and instructional methods/theories in a fairly clear distinction.  For me, I view instructional methods and theories as the place where the rubber meets the road in my classroom.  

Instructional methods are what I have in my teaching tool box to deliver a concept to my students; the different ways that I teach to different learning styles; or how students demonstrate to me their understanding of the material and concepts we are working on. 

 Epistemology is the study of the origin or the nature of knowledge, the "how we gather knowledge" piece of the puzzle in teaching.

Contextualist epistemology approaches learning from a context-heavy basis.  We sometimes see students get into trouble with this approach when they believe right from wrong depends on the context that their action occurred in.  Rather than recognizing that their choice was wrong, they tend to define their actions in terms of the situation.  For example, I hit him because he hit me first.   My choice is justifiable in this situation even though I know in another situation it would be wrong.

In my profession, this approach can also get teachers into trouble.  We wonder sometimes why students don't transfer skills or material from one subject to another or one application to another.  If we aren't careful, our teaching approach can create this bubble for students instead of empowering them to apply their knowledge and abilities in a cross-curricular manner. It is imperative that we encourage students to think outside the bubble of our content area.  As a math teacher, I want my students to apply their analysis and critical thinking skills beyond the walls of my room or my assignments. The skills we practice in math are applicable in science; they are applicable in researching for history; they are applicable in the real world. Too many times, math teachers have heard students says "I'll never use algebra again in my lifetime!" (Insert the name of whatever math class you survived long enough to get credit and move on). I never want  my students to think that the material they are learning is useless information never to be needed again. I know the teachers on my team want the same thing in their classroom as well, so we make a point to talk about other ways that their skills can be applied inside of school and outside of school.

In comparing a Positivist approach and a Relativist approach, I think that the most effective teachers find a happy medium between these two in their classroom.  There are times when the teacher, as the classroom leader, needs to deliver instruction as in the Positivist approach in order to be certain that all levels of learners have a basis for the concept.  There are other times when it is appropriate to allow students to explore a unit for themselves and construct their understanding of the concept.

I picture a truly effective classroom as a well-constructed basket.  As different learning opportunities and methods are presented, students can weave together their existing schema with new knowledge and real world application and gain life skills that reach far beyond the classroom. The more a student's knowledge base is developed in a variety of ways, the stronger their basket becomes.  Then, they can hold more new knowledge and can continue to synthesize additional information. This is the kind of self-perpetuating behavior that I want to see occurring in my classroom!

In a Behaviorist classroom, the teacher is the organizer and deliverer of information with little room for change or fluctuation.  In a Constructivist classroom, the teacher would provide the organization, but allow for the lesson to deviate in ways that help students to construct their learning within certain guidelines.  My personal tendencies would lean toward a behaviorist approach, however I am learning to allow students the freedom to delve into the material we are covering in their own way so that their learning is meaningful to them.  It's a balancing act for me, but one that I find exciting and challenging everyday!

The old adage says "Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way!" Teachers must do a little bit of all three!  We have to lead our students when appropriate, learn to follow their lead when they are exploring new thoughts, and get out of the way of their learning so we don't trap them  or limit them by our own way of thinking!