Even though I have taught for a while, I do not ask myself often about my theory of learning. When I started teaching, my strategy was to meet the school’s curriculum regarding the learning goals and outcomes of the subject matter. However, I have usually found ensuring that students are learning challenging. Sometimes the superficiality of analyzing grades and metrics clouds the primary purpose of real education.

In the last four weeks, we read and discussed some globally respected and used standard theories in classroom learning, such as Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism, and Social- Constructivism, among others. Learning theories aim to explain the phenomenon of knowledge acquisition. Most literature defines learning as the process of acquiring new understanding, knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, attitudes, and preferences (Rogoff et al., 2003). It is an ongoing process that reminded me of my mother’s constant preaching when we were small that “life is a school” (Malagasy literal translation), and we must learn. It is the same principle as John Dewey’s quote: “Education is a social process; education is growth; education is not preparation for life but is life itself” (https://en.wikiquote.org/).

Revising and digging into these theories has given me a deeper understanding of how people learn. My definition of learning is the process of gaining information and somehow retaining the basics for later use when applicable, that is, knowing how to? For example, an international student learns how to transform regular verbs in English into past tense by adding – ed at the end. Learning happens when the person who acquires knowledge understands and knows how to use it. The methods of transmitting knowledge are different, as described in the various theories below.

With Behaviorism theory, learning is transmitting knowledge by reinforcing behaviors. Behaviorists theorize that knowledge is independent and on the exterior of the learner. Positive and negative reinforcement are practical tools of learning, behavior modification, and a punishment and reward system. It uses the stimuli response chain method.

Cognitivism is the theory of assuming that knowledge is already in the mind and learning is processing information through the internal mental mechanisms that make up thought and action. An effective way to teach it is to have learners conceptualize that knowledge. Cognitivism promotes individual learning. An example of this thinking is the Montessori approach to early education.

With Constructivism, learning is constructed from experience to have a personal meaning for the learner. So, it is unique to the individual learner. Students adapt their understanding models by reflecting on prior theories and knowledge. (Ertmer & Newy, 1993/2013).

Although these are different theories and use different methods, they are somehow interrelated, and each theory applies to different situations. In today’s education (21st century), where people rely on google for immediate answers to their questions or to learn about something, educators may not use just one learning theory over another but instead incorporate multiple theories throughout the learning experience.

What matters for supporting learning?

Each theory has strengths and limitations, but most emphasize the importance of collaboration and environment in learning. The educational space or classroom environment must be used to help students learn. Optimal student development requires an environment with a proper balance of challenge and support. This is challenging for the instructor as each student is different and learning about students requires time which is often limited. In an ideal world where the class size is manageable, an instructor would learn the students’ backgrounds to create an equitable and inclusive classroom environment and lecture. For instance, do the students have access to the internet or do they have their computers? So, when planning activities, there will be no assumption that everybody has the same tools.

My theory of learning is aligned with Constructivism. However, I still draw from behaviorism and cognitivism, especially when instructing my children or younger audience. My theory is geared toward college students (mostly first-year students and sophomores); learning is when students understand the discussed topic and can apply it. My goal is to provide a student- centered classroom and meet students where they are. Reading Wright (2019) reminded me of our education system’s “opportunity gaps” issue. The opportunity to learn is not equal for all students and often divides itself along racial and socioeconomic status.

Teaching is a profession that I fantasized about as a child and pursued as I grew up. Society engraves the notion in people’s minds that a good education can uplift a person out of poverty and allow them access to many opportunities. That is even more emphasized in underdeveloped countries such as Madagascar, where I grew up.

The academic virtues ingrained into my childhood have contributed to my teaching philosophy, treating teaching as a structured facilitating and sharing of resources. To elaborate, before coming to the United States, I taught in the countryside of Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. At the time, the country mandated that high school graduates complete “National Service” before entering higher education locally or overseas. Although highly controversial (a forced gap year) and opposed by many, especially parents, the existence of “National Service” was engaging to fight against illiteracy. The project helped everybody involved as it was a form of cooperative learning.
On the one hand, young high school graduates learned about a separate way of life and interacted with people of different upbringings and livelihoods. On the other hand, countryside people learned how to read and write, an opportunity they may not have had access to otherwise. Even before learning about pedagogical theories and being exposed to professional development, my experiences in the countryside revealed two key factors: comfort and communication. As a teacher, a critical part of enhancing my students’ education was creating a comfortable, familiar environment for them to learn while supplying multiple means of communication among us.

Teaching at Florida International University

Before becoming an online instructor due to department arrangement and personal reasons, I taught various undergraduate courses for majors and nonmajors students in Computer Science and Information Technology, including:

• Programming I (COP2210)
• Programming II (COP3337)
• Programming III (COP4338)
• Professional Ethics and Social Issues in Computing (CGS3092)
• Introduction to Computing (CGS1920)
• C for Engineers (CGS2423)
• Introduction to Microcomputers (CGS2060)
• Operating Systems (CGS3767)
• Senior Project (CIS4911).

As a constructivist educator, my main objective is to provide students with tools that bring out their creativity and experiences, whether I teach an intro course or a capstone course. Besides the course contents, I believe in encouraging students to take the initiative, accept responsibility, and oversee their future as part of seeing education holistically. For instance, in most of my introduction classes, some assignments are LinkedIn courses that encourage them to use extra free resources available for FIU students, which are paid for by the institution. It has countless resources for many subjects, not only for my class, including wellness courses.

Another basis of my teaching philosophy is to learn from students. Understanding students’ backgrounds has helped me structure my class and teaching to meet students where they are; at least, that is the objective.

The student population is incredibly diverse where I teach, allowing educators to explore and use multicultural approaches in teaching. Crowdsourcing is among the tools I love in teaching my subjects. In her book, hooks stated that “blending multiple perspectives” is complex and unique but giving voice to every student is empowering and removes boredom which is the number one enemy in learning (hooks, 1994); this is a perspective that I cannot agree more with.

When I reflect on my teaching and pedagogy, I draw a parallelism between Computer Science and my journey, which is continually changing. Programs like Fortran and Pascal in my time, which were at the forefront of CS just 30 years ago, are now obsolete and replaced with newer programming languages like Python and Java. As a teacher, it is my duty to provide the quality education possible, which requires me to keep up with the newest trends and improve my knowledge and pedagogy to teach the next generation. I learned earlier in my career that teaching requires more than knowing the content. Computer Science needs humility, vulnerability, and patience. It also requires one to acknowledge their mistakes. After class, I reflect on my lectures, contemplating if I have effectively delivered the topic in discussion.

EGS6055 (Teaching and Learning) class – Snippet of  teaching and learning presentation

0. References

   Byrka, M.F., Sushchenko, A.V., Svatiev, A., Mazin, V.M., & Veritov, O. (2021). A New Dimension of Learning in Higher Education: Algorithmic Thinking. Propósitos y Representaciones, 9, 990.

   Mohaghegh, D. M., & McCauley, M. (2016). Computational thinking: The skill set of the 21st century.

   Powell & Kalina. (2009). Cognitive and social constructivism: Developing tools for an effective classroom.