Frameworks
Theories in EducationTeaching & Learning
Throughout history, there have been a variety of theories that drive educational practice. These theories shift and change as we gain more knowledge about our students and how they learn. During the last hundred years, two categories of educational theories are constructivist theory and transactional learning theory.
The constructivist learning theory gained popularity in the second half of the twentieth century. Constructivist theory sees students as active agents that are shaped by their environment and construct meaning based on their experiences. This was a huge step in the history of educational theory: moving away from a system that treated students simply as vessels to be filled with knowledge toward a system that saw students as unique individuals that were shaped by their environment.
However, around the same time, another educational theory was beginning to take shape. Transactional learning theory has many of the same underlying assumptions as constructivism, but it takes the ideas a step further. Transactional learning theory says that not only are individuals shaped by their environment, but that the environment is shaped by individuals in a reciprocal, cyclical relationship. The importance of relationships in learning is emphasized as well as natural, connected, and formative instruction and assessment (Houser, 2006).
Both of these theories informed the selection of content for this website, especially the emphasis on relationships and student/environment interaction discussed in transactional learning theory.
Houser, N. O. (2006). Worldviews and Learning theories: A transactional reconsideration of teaching and learning. Curriculum and Teaching, 21(1), 5-13.
Culturally Responsive & Sustaining Pedagogy
As our classrooms become more and more diverse, the need to discuss how to meet the needs of our students becomes more and more important. The idea of culturally responsive teaching was one of the most influential responses to this need.
Culturally responsive teaching emphasized the importance of acknowledging and respecting each student’s unique story. This includes welcoming students from all backgrounds in the classroom, giving them space to share their culture with their peers, and providing students with opportunities to see themselves and their culture reflected in the classroom and the curriculum (Gay, 2018).
Culturally sustaining pedagogy would affirm the basic tenants of culturally responsive teaching, but they would make some key additions. Culturally sustaining pedagogy emphasizes the importance of giving students from diverse backgrounds opportunities to sustain their cultural roots. This would include giving them opportunities to learn more about their culture and giving them opportunities to express their culture in the classroom. Additionally, culturally sustaining pedagogy emphasizes the changing nature of culture. Not only do cultures change over time, but each student will have a unique experience and relationship with their culture. This requires teachers to be life-long learners of their students’ cultures (Alim & Paris, 2017).
Both of these theories have informed the content selected to include in this website, and the need for teachers to be life-long learners in respect to their students’ cultures was the driving force behind the creation of this website.
Alim, H. S., Paris, D. (2017). Culturally sustaining pedagogies: Teaching and learning for justice in a changing world. New York, NY: Teachers College Press
Gay, G. (2018). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.