What is my Learning Philosophy

I strongly believe that we are born capable of learning. In a very simple sense, this is my core philosophy of education. In today’s culturally diverse society the role of bilingual education is to utilize the student’s primary language to create affirming and academic challenging environments that give second language learners multiple opportunities to experience academic success, master the English language and gain useful skills for everyday life.

As a bilingual teacher, I have been noticing some obstacles that students are facing in reaching their academic goals, especially in a world post Covid. Therefore, it is important to remember that children are creative, inquisitive, and bring their own unique experiences, backgrounds and knowledge to the classroom community. As I learn more about learning philosophy in education, one of the theories in which I feel identify is the constructivist theory, because it is based around the idea that learners are active participants in their learning journey; knowledge is constructed based on experiences. As events occur, each person reflects on their experience and incorporates the new ideas with their prior knowledge.

The theory of constructivist learning is vital to understanding how students learn. The idea that students actively construct knowledge is central to constructivism. Students add (or build) their new experiences on top of their current foundation of understanding (Kurt,S.2021). According to Woolfolk (1993), “learning is active mental work, not passive reception of teaching”. Finally, as a highlight by Kurt, S. (2021), it is necessary to identify the four areas that are crucial to the success of a constructivist classroom:

• The instructor takes on the role of a facilitator instead of a director.

• There is equal authority and responsibility between the students and the instructor.

• Learning occurs in small groups.

• Knowledge is shared between both students and instructor (facilitator).

Learning theories are as valuable as credentials to educators; it is important to understand what will affect the learning journey of your students.