Part I
Behaviourism, Cognitivism, Constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective.
Having had the opportunity to teach grade levels ranging from Pre-Kindergarten to Graduate School, over a large period of time, although some were part-time jobs the exposure still allows me to state that I lived different learning experiences according to the age groups of my students. Of the span of grades I taught, the more recent ones were Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten. Besides being these the freshest memories I have, they were also the most rewarding of all so I will concentrate on these grades to do my reflective writing on the topic.
Teaching is a profession that includes structure on one hand, while on the other requires the teacher to be flexible and adaptable in order to effectively reach all the learners. No two students are identical thus what works well for some may not do so for the rest, and that gives way to the concept of differentiated instruction. Differentiated instruction welcomes all the learning theories, and it is the teacher’s role to decide which characteristics apply in every situation and every case so that the best match is achieved for the students and the lesson. I must add that differentiated instruction in pre-school grades is a tremendous challenge. The reason is the short attention span the little learners have, which makes the length of any activity rather short thus requiring a lot of materials handy and content ready.
The constructivist approach is a favourite for the opening lessons in pre-school grades because the hands-on activities are naturally appealing to the little learners. As the school year progresses the learners’ profiles shall enable the teacher to diagnose, as Ertmer and Newby stated (2013), which learning theory to resort to in order to convey the content in the most accessible manner for the students to learn it successfully.
Nonetheless, an example in which behaviourism is fundamental is having the little learners understand and practice the basic discipline rules and routines at the beginning of the school year, since those will be enforced day in and day out. These rules and routines involve actions and conducts the students are expected to perform. The teacher models them out for the class, and then has the learners rehearse them.
Cognitivism comes into play mainly whenever the lesson has a moment for H.O.T. (higher order thinking) questions. That segment allows the students to explore the extent of their knowledge by trying to answer questions that probe their understanding of what has been covered, as well as questions that stretch their learnings to their Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development (Pappas, 2014). The teacher thus identifies what the learners, although they do not know that content yet, are cognitively ready to learn.
As can be noticed the three learning theories play a role in the dynamics and mechanics of the pre-school classrooms, making this matter similar to applying situational leadership in a corporation. Depending on what is needed on the spot the manager –or teacher in this case, would turn to the appropriate resource to make the most out of the moment.
Part II
First Principles of Instruction
First principles (Merrill, 2002), also called basic methods (Reigeluth, 1999), constitute the foundations for instruction regardless of the learning theories being applied. These foundations can be summarised as: engagement [show task]; activation [previous experience]; demonstration [show me]; application [let me]; and integration [transfer]. The five first principles can be aligned positively with the learning theory of constructivism in the pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten classrooms as described below.
Curiosity is an excellent resource to foster engagement amongst little learners. The moment the teacher announces the students that a “problem” is about to be presented to them their attention peaks. This is the show task principle at its best, and from there the challenge is for the teacher to keep the students’ interest in what the next step will be.
Once the “problem” has been introduced the next thing is ask the class for suggestions to solve the “problem”. That way the learners will dig in their minds to find answers, and their proposals shall come from their previous experiences which is what the teacher wants to activate in the young students. An important aspect to bear in mind is that, similar to brainstorming, for any answer that does not work the label “wrong” must not be used, instead it should be addressed from a positive perspective as “it can be improved”. A suggestion that does not work is always preferable to not suggesting anything at all.
An excellent example to work with is a cooking recipe. Something as simple as preparing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich might do. It is highly probable that all the students are familiar with what a recipe is, and also what a PB&J sandwich is and how it tastes like. For a lot more fun the ingredients can be brought to the classroom and actually prepare the recipe. There will be some enjoyable tasting and, most importantly, lasting memories. [Warning: In case of allergic students make sure they only get jelly in their sandwich, and still have their share of fun.]
When a suggestion is tested the trial serves as a demonstration for the class. If the suggestion works the learning has a double benefit: the “problem” is solved, and the student that came up with the answer increases the sense of ownership. Even if the solution has to be provided by the teacher, the students had their opportunity to suggest which, to some extent, also makes them feel included in the exercise. If the recipe example is used the “problem” might be lacking or running out of jelly, and the learners would have to propose something else to put in the sandwich instead. It might be wise and fun to have another jar of a different flavour jelly hidden.
Next, in order to grasp the knowledge each student has the chance to try and solve the same “problem” or another problem that is similar, so that all get to see that the mechanics of the lesson actually work. Having the students preparing their sandwiches would turn the class into a cooking lab, and that would add purpose from a practical standpoint.
The last but not the least important of the principles is the transfer of what has been learned to daily situations the learners might encounter. The transfer could take place at home if the student is given the chance to prepare a sandwich with a parent or tutor supervising. Next day, sharing the experiences in class shall be enriching and fun, and one more reason to remember what has been learned.
References
Ertmer, P., and Newby, T. (2013). Behaviourism, Cognitivism, Constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 26(2), 43-71.
Merrill, M. D. (2002). First principles of instruction. Educational Technology Research and Development, 50(3), 43-59.
Pappas, C., (2014). Instructional Design Models and Theories: The Sociocultural Learning Theory. eLearning Industry. Retrieved from: https://elearningindustry.com/sociocultural-learning-theory
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich image retrieved from Creative Commons website: http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1607178/images/n-PEANUT-BUTTER-AND-JELLY-628×314.jpg
Reigeluth, C.M., (1999). Instructional design theories and models: A new paradigm of instructional theory (Vol. II). ETR&D, 50(3), Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.