Rock Star Theorists

When looking back on the many theorists we discussed throughout the MAT program, it is quite hard to say that just one stands out as more important over the others. At some point or circumstance in the teaching experience, ideas and concepts from each have played a vital role in determining how to deal and best serve a situation. However, there are a few that seem to be a tad bit more prevalent than others. For me, some of the most helpful theorists have been Vygotsky, Piaget, and Dewey. The theory they all share in common are ideas surrounding constructivism. Before teaching I always thought of learning as just that, acquiring new information you never had before or understood. What I was quick to find out is that there is much more that goes in to that. Constructivism calls on a student to connect prior known information to new concepts in order to make a firm and concrete understanding. From a teaching perspective, this means finding a way for students to make a personal connection with material to make it more relevant. The second theorist that resonates the most with my instruction is Howard Gardner and his theory of multiple intelligences. Within instruction this requires the opportunity for students to not only gain comprehension but also deliver what they know through multiple different forms. Some of those include bodily/kinesthetic, interpersonal, or musical. By varying instruction and assignments, we can provide all students with the equal opportunity to succeed on the classroom.

Constructivism has become ever so important in my role teaching in Baltimore County. A lot of my students come from a demographic of low income, which means they have not really left the area as much as students in other areas of the state or country. When teaching science, I want to find ways to make local examples and discuss material that they can experience right here at home. Since I have such a diverse background of students, it almost comes without question that they are unique in their own way and bring with their own form of intelligences. This is where Howard Garner’s theory comes in to play for me. It is easy to tell from the get go that there is no “mold” here so to speak and therefore to reach all students I must vary the delivery and assignments. To do so I leave a lot of student choice in the mix when completing assignments or projects. For example, recently students had to complete a model of the carbon cycle with specific impacts and scenarios. They had to record a video explaining their model however it could be explained in multiple ways. Some math inclined students showed specific equations to explain the cycle, a musically inclined student created a “rap” while explaining their model, and a artistically inclined student used white board and dry erase markers to create a large colorful display. These forms of delivery allowed students to obtain and make sense of information in whatever form best suited them.