Personal reflection on professional knowledge base required for inclusive teaching

As pre-service teachers it is of vital importance that we consider what teaching and learning strategies we should be considering putting into place to make certain we allow all students in our classes to have equal opportunity to learn. We must be prepared to differentiate our lesson plans to best cater for the needs of every student in our care. Therefore, it is essential to first look at different theories on learning, old and new, to make certain we have a good arsenal of knowledge to draw on when it comes to thinking about how our students learn.

There are various pedagogical theories that can help understand our students as learners and how we teach them. Traditionally, these tend to include: -

Cognitive theory

Cognitive theory is mainly concerned with the idea that learning can be defined as the acquisition of knowledge and looks at how learners form meaning.

The 2 most referenced cognitive theorists tend to be Jean Piaget & Lev Vygotsky.

Jean Piaget’s (1936) theory of cognitive development refers to the way which children construct meaning over time as they mature biologically and interact with the world around them.  By comparison, Lev Vygotsky’s (1934) social cognitive theories centred around the principal that social interaction has a vital role in how learning occurs, and meaning is formed.

Behaviourism

Behaviourism is mainly concerned with how certain learning behaviours form in the presence of certain stimuli, such as using a system of rewards and punishments. Operant conditioning and the work of Skinner (1938) and Pavlov (early 1900s) tend to come to mind when thinking of behaviourism.

When considering how behaviourism applies to teaching, it can include praising good behaviour, finding ways to motivate students by use of various types of rewards systems, and punishing disruptive behaviour.

Constructivist theory

Like other forms of cognitive theory, constructivism is concerned with how meaning is constructed. Its focus, however, is the role of personal experiences in constructing meaning when those experiences are reflected on.  

Constructivist theory when applied to teaching looks at how meaningful learning experiences can be created through real-world and / or relatable inquiry and problem-solving and hands-on activities. The teacher takes on more of the role of facilitator and guide whilst allowing the student to create their own sense of understanding through the learning experience.

Social Learning Theories

The works of Albert Bandura (1977) and Urie Bronfenbrenner (1917-2005) explore theories of social learning. 

Bandura’s social learning theory explored how individual learners, especially children, copy or imitate the modelled behaviour of others by observing their behaviour. It also considered the impact that an individual’s environment and mass media also played in how their behaviour and learning were shaped. As with behaviourism, he believed behaviour could also be moulded and encouraged through reinforcement.

As a social learning theory, Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological model of child development also considered the role technology, the media, society and culture on the development and learning of an individual.

Social Constructivism

Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) could be considered to be one of the first Social Constructivist Theorists. Vygotsky’s social constructivist theory has many parts. Like othe notions of constructivism theorised by Jean Piaget (1972) & Jerome Bruner (1990), Vygotsky’s theories also considered how learners actively construct their own knowledge. However, beyond that, Vygotsy developed his theory of sociocultural learning in which the impact of social and cultural interactions is considered important to the learning process. His theories explored more specifically how students engage in the learning process with the help of interaction with more knowledgeable others. These outside influencers act as guides and mentors. They can include teachers, parents, fellow students, and other outside influences. This mentor guides the learner through from what they don’t know, what they can do with some assistance, and on through to the point where they can understand what they either need or want to know. The mid-way point between what the student doesn’t and what they then do then eventually know, that point where guidance is needed to assist the learner in their learning journey, is what Vygotsky referred to as the the Zone of Proximal Development (ZDP).

Humanism

Humanistic educational theories focus on an individual’s sense of freedom, dignity, and ability to fulfil their potential. Humanism’s central assumption is that individuals act according to their sense of purpose, with intention, and through their values and sense of value. Humanism in education is concerned with looking at the individual as a whole and how they develop as a person over time.

When considering theories of humanism in education, the theoretical works of Abraham Maslow (1908–1970) and Carl Rogers (1902–1987) are often explored.

Maslow’s theories proposed that lower order needs of the individual, including physiological needs, safety and security, sense of love and belonging and self-esteem needed to be met before a learner could reach the higher order need for self-actualisation.

Howard Gardener’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Howard Gardener’s (1983, 1993) Multiple Intelligences Theory raises some good points regarding the varied ways that individuals access information and gains meaning from different learning experiences (as cited in Snowman et.al.2009). It centres around 8 perceived “intelligence” types:

Visual-Spatial –

Naturalistic – those with a love and affinity for learning about and understanding the natural world.

Bodily Kinaesthetic – those whose learning style revolves around physically acting and doing rather than simply looking.

Musical-rhythmic – individuals with the ability to discern pitch, rhythm, timbre, and tone.

Logical-mathematical – those whose intelligence centres around their ability to quantify, calculate, consider theories and hypotheses, and carry out complete mathematical operations.

Linguistic-verbal - those with the ability think in words and use verbal and written language to express and appreciate complex meanings.

Intrapersonal – individuals who have the ability to better understand themselves, their thoughts and feelings, and ability to set personal goals and develop life plans.

Interpersonal – those who have a disposition towards understanding and interacting well with others.

Gardener later considered the adding of a 9^th intelligence type, Existential intelligence, which considered individuals who contemplate the nature of human existence & the meaning of life.

Rather than thinking of Gardiner’s eight ‘intelligences’ as types of intellectual capabilities it can be of greater benefit to instead consider them as types of multimodal and / or multisensory methods by which all students learn, with some students seemingly having greater affinity for certain learning styles than others.

These and many other theories of can help us to think about how learners learn and how we can devise teaching strategies accordingly and how we can develop our own personal pedagogical approach to teaching and learning. They help us to consider how learners learn, the influences on their learning and how we can assist them in the learning process.

When considering Standard 1 of the Australian Standards for Professional Teachers, ‘Know students and how they learn’, you only need to look at how this standard is broken down to see that there are many things to be considered when thinking of how students learn as individuals:-

1.1   Physical, social, and intellectual development and characteristics of students.

In other words, how can we best cater for our students of varying intellectual, social and physical ability so that everyone in our classes has the best chance of learning success.

1.2   Understand how students learn

This is where having a good understanding of a wide range of pedagogical theories comes in, including those mentioned earlier and the vast array of other ways of thinking about teaching and learning that exist. We can look at how these ways of thinking about learning can be used to apply to the individual learner and their learning needs, not just learners in general.

1.3   Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds

We need to consider how we can find ways to make sure learning is an inclusive experience for people from all walks of life. For example, that can include finding resources and looking into further teacher professional development to help students for whom English is not their first language. It might include making certain all students have access to essential learning tools, such as digital devices and internet access. Can also mean finding ways to make certain all student feels their cultural and religious beliefs and practices are respected.

1.4   Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

This can include finding ways to implement the Aboriginal Pedagogical approach, ‘the 8 ways of Learning’. https://www.8ways.online

These were created in respect to thinking about how best to try to get teachers thinking about how to incorporate traditional methods of indigenous learning into their teaching strategies.

1.5   Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range

of abilities

This applies to all students and making certain to plan teaching and learning experiences so that all students have equal opportunity to learn in a way which is not just best suited to their needs but gives them the best chance of success.

1.6   Strategies to support full participation of students with disability

This can include a wide range of solutions to make certain students with physical disabilities have ease of access around the school and individual classrooms, and necessary tools and resources are available to make certain they can participate in all classroom activities.

As teachers, it is also important for us to continuously update our knowledge base through professional development over time. This is not only to make certain our curriculum knowledge is still relevant to what we are required to teach our students but also so that we can take on new ideas and gain new insights into new methods of teaching and learning we may wish to adopt. We should make sure that we are doing the best we possibly can make sure we are as fair and inclusive through our teaching style as we can possibly be. There is no such thing as too much when it comes to building our ongoing professional knowledge base in this respect as there are always new perspectives to consider.