top of page
Search

My Learning Philosophy

Writer's picture: Erika PenaErika Pena

By: Erika Peña



What is Learning?

According to Thomas (2012), learning is fundamentally a natural and effortless thing we do from the day we are born until the day we die. Although we learn everyday and we have used the term “learning” for centuries, the definition is still evolving and changing? What really is learning? Is it a product or a process?

I believe that learning is a unique process similar to what Lynda Kelly (2002) describes. She states that “learning is a very individual, complex, and, to some degree, an indescribable process: something we just do, without ever thinking too much about it” (Kelly, 2002). As an educator and student myself, learning is at the core of not only my career, but also my life.

In my learning philosophy I will explore the relationship between teaching and learning, reflect on myself as a learner, and identify which learning theory I connect with the most.


Teaching and Learning

I have been teaching for almost a decade, and for the first half of my years in education, I had an Essentialism way of thinking. I believed that there was essential knowledge and skills that needed to be taught to students in a systematic and disciplined way as mentioned in Educational Philosophies Definitions and Comparison Chart (2005). This led me to have a “sage on the stage” approach in my classroom, where I, as the teacher, bestowed knowledge and my students learned by absorbing through memorization and regurgitation of information. I had this notion because this was all I knew, all I was taught.

Recently though, as I researched and learned more about philosophies in education, my mind shifted to Progressivism. This belief was then solidified when I began my ADL Masters Program at Lamar University. I now believe in teaching the whole child by Creating Significant Learning Environments (CSLE) that provide Choice, Ownership, and Voice through Authentic Learning Opportunities (COVA) (Harapnuik et al., 2018). This new way of thinking has allowed me to follow more of the “guide on the side” approach. Where my role as the teacher is more of a mentor and facilitator while allowing students to take ownership of their learning.

As mentioned above, I previously had the notion that teaching and learning were two completely separate things. One was imparting knowledge and one was absorbing it. Now that my mindset has shifted, I see the connectedness between the two. As a teacher, in order to guide my students, I must continue to learn from my students and grow as an educator. Also, since I want my students to have a learner’s mindset, where they respond to their inquisitive nature, interact with their learning environment, and use change and challenges as opportunities for growth (Harapnuik, 2021), then I must also embrace a learner’s mindset. In other words, our roles as teachers and students overlap and are more connected than I had previously thought.


Who am I as a learner?

I have always considered myself to be a life-long learner. A person with a passion for learning since a very young age as I detailed in My Learning Manifesto. I loved going to school everyday and learning new things and this is still true today. This does not mean that I have not grown and changed as a learner throughout the years, because I definitely have. In my early years, I learned mostly by memorization and repetition, eventually becoming more of a self-directed learner as I was given the opportunity through research and projects. This slow change continuously pushed me out of my comfort zone which ultimately led me to be the learner I am today.

Although I had slowly changed into what I thought was a self-directed learner, nothing could have prepared me for the complete autonomy I was given through COVA, my first semester in the ADL program. I still remember the anxiety and frustration I initially had, and for weeks I questioned if I could do this. Learn like this. Produce quality work like this. But slowly I began to notice how much I was learning and how I was feeling about myself as the learner. I was not only more passionate about the topics I was learning but I also felt reinvigorated as a learner. I began reading more articles and researching more about the topics that interested me even though they were not assigned. This changed me. Learning through COVA changed me as a learner and as an educator.


Learning Theories

As my learning and teaching beliefs have evolved, so has the learning theory that I connect with the most. I can not deny that I grew up strictly with a Behaviorist mindset as an early student and an early educator. As a student, I worked for positive reinforcements, such as good grades and words of affirmation. As an early educator, I primarily “imparted knowledge” by using drills and practice while providing positive reinforcements when my students would memorize and regurgitate everything that I had taught them. Slowly, my learning theory changed. I began to connect more with the Humanism and Constructivism learning theories as I moved away from my past teacher centered approach and moved toward a more student centered approach.

I believe in building relationships with my students and meeting Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in order to reach my students academically. I also now see myself more of a facilitator within the active and social process of learning where students ask questions, enter discussions with their classmates, engage in hands-on exploration, and embrace a learner’s mindset. This shift did not happen overnight or by chance, in fact it is still happening today and with purpose.

After researching more about learning theories, I have come to the conclusion that although I now connect more to the Humanism and Constructivism learning theories, my true beliefs are somewhat of a “mashup” as Harapnuik (2021), calls it. Harapnuik (2021), states that creatively combining and mixing the best elements of learning theories is the best way to address the needs of 21st Century learners. I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. Our world is quickly evolving and progressing. It has gone from the industrial age into the digital age and by only engaging in one or two learning theories we will not reach the learners of today. Instead, by mixing the best of each learning theory like Harapnuik (2021) states, we can reach our learners and prepare them for their future.


Blended Learning: Personalizing the Future of Education

Why is it so important to understand learning theories and reflect on which ones you connect with the most? According to Harapnuik (2021), knowing what you believe about learning helps you create significant learning environments that are supported by evidence, helps you guide instruction as you give your learners choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning opportunities (COVA), and will also help you analyze and assess technology that will enhance the learning environment. This self reflection has not only impacted me as a learner and educator, but has also impacted my innovation project, Blended Learning: Personalizing the Future of Education. Along with my coworkers Veronica Balli and Ileana Reyna, I have incorporated my learning beliefs into our innovation project. Our goal is to create a blended learning environment that is student centered, engages the learner with COVA, and harnesses the power of technology to reach every student in a personalized way.


Conclusion

If I have learned anything from the self-reflection I have done for my Learning Philosophy, it is that learning is always evolving and progressing. The way I learned decades ago is no longer the way I learn now, and the way I will learn in the future will probably be different as well. This means that my philosophy of learning and how I educate my students must also be fluid and change with the times, in order to prepare them and myself for “the world of the future” (Dewey, 1940).




References

Educational philosophies definitions and comparison chart. (2005). Https://Web.Augsburg.Edu. Retrieved

Harapnuik, D. (2021, November 10). Four keys to understanding learning theories. It’s About Learning-

Creating Significant Learning Environments. Retrieved April 15, 2022, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=6344

Harapnuik, D. (2021, February 9). Learner’s mindset explained. It’s About Learning: Creating Significant

Learning Environments. Retrieved April 16, 2022, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=8705

Harapnuik, D., Thibodeaux, T., Cummings, C. (2018). Choice, ownership, and voice through

authentic learning [eBook]. Creative Commons License. http://tilisathibodeaux.com/wordpress/wp-

Kelly, L. (2002). What is learning … and why do museums need to do something about it? A paper presented at

Why Learning? Seminar, Australian Museum/University of Technology Sydney, 22 November.

2022].

Thomas, D. (2012, September 12). A new culture of learning. YouTube. Retrieved March 26, 2022,




Annotated Bibliography


My annotated bibliography is a list of resources that were not cited, but have helped shape my views about learning and my Learning Philosophy.


Bates, T. (2019, March 18). Learning theories and online learning. Online Learning and Distance Education

Resources. Retrieved April 17, 2022, from https://www.tonybates.ca/2014/07/29/learning-theories-and-online-

  • Bates discusses learning theories, the importance of understanding learning theories, and the impact they have on online learning.


Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York: Random House.

  • Dweck explores the power that our mindset can have on success. She states that a growth mindset has positive benefits when learning and tackling challenges.

Horn, M. B., & Staker, H. (2015). Blended: Using disruptive innovation to improve schools. San Francisco, CA:

Jossey-Bass.

  • Horn and Staker explain the power of blended learning. They discuss how a blend of online learning and in-person learning can harness the power of technology in order to personalize instruction.

Learning Project Team of HKU. (2018). What teachers should know about learning theories. Retrieved April


  • The Learning Project Team provides an overview of major learning theories, such as Behaviorism, Humanism, Cognitivism, Cognitive Constructivism, and Social Constructivism. This website provides general information about the learning theories and gives examples of each.

Smith, M. K. & infed.org. (2013, April 5). What is learning? A definition and discussion – infed.org:

Infed.Org. Retrieved April 16, 2022, from https://infed.org/learning-theory-models-product-and-process/

  • Smith provides a definition of learning and discussions that provide helpful background to what learning is.

Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant

change. Lexington, KY: CreateSpace.

  • Thomas and Brown explore a new culture of learning that incorporates passion, imagination, and play in the learning environment.

20 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comentarios


Post: Blog2 Post

©2021 by Learning and Growing with Mrs. Peña. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page