1

Teaching Philosophy Paper

Social Constructivism

Adrianna Wiley

California State University, Chico

 2

Part 1: Theory

The theoretical lens that guides my teaching practice is social constructivism. Lev

Vygotsky insisted that learning is best utilized through social interactions and it is the

process in which pupils are grouped together into a knowledge community (Berkeley

Graduate Division, 2019). Social constructivism is valued in recognizing that learning is

a collaborative activity and knowledge is not simply constructed, but is co-constructed

by a community or society, not just one individual. Social constructivism emphasizes the

importance of culture and language, how crucial they are to cognitive development and

finding meaning within human experiences. Vygotsky (1978) suggested that since

knowledge is without a doubt constructed by the learner, the learner must depend on

their internal drive, or motivation, to better understand the process of learning.

Personally, I advocate for social constructivism because I truly believe that the

best learning is projected through minds coming together as one, in order to produce

additional knowledge that may not have been prevalent to just one individual. Students

do not learn best from just an instructor or another source, they learn best by socially

engaging in discussions collaboratively. Kim (2001) mentioned how, “Two people

looking at something together never actually see the same thing in the same way” (p.3).

This is one of the many reasons as to why it is so important to have students interact

with each other, because after all, children develop their thinking abilities by interacting

with adults, alongside their peers, and with the world.

 3

Part 2: Action

Since social constructivism is highly centralized around student’s success through

group discussions and social interactions, one of the key components into implementing

this are the development of rules and procedures, and the structure/design in which the

classroom is set up. These specific components play an important role when it comes to

how students behave and how the classroom environment is going to run. Hardin (2011)

specified eight strategies that represent the best classroom management practices, and a

couple of these include creating classroom rules and procedures (p. 257-258). In a

student-centered environment, it is crucial to give students the opportunity to choose

their rules as a community, which makes students feel a sense of ownership over their

lives in the classroom. Hardin points out that effective teachers explain, practice and go

over their rules with their students, then hold a space for student feedback, which in

turn, gives students a place to recognize that their voices matter and are valuable (p.

257). Showing students that they deserve to have a voice about the way their classroom

is going to be conducted, opens up opportunities for a closer student-teacher bond and

allows the class instruction to flow more freely. Like classroom rules, procedures must

also be taught and practiced so that students can have a complete understanding of such

procedures. For example, when a student is feeling emotional and needs a few minutes

to recuperate, it is ideal for that student to already know that there is a safe and

comfortable area in the classroom they can go to in order to calm down before getting

back to work. Even Kohn (1996) supports the idea of having students be reminded that

there is a space in the classroom that exists where they can go to. “...adults can set a
 4

powerful example by taking some time by themselves to cool off when they feel angry”

(p.47). Overall, I not only want, but I ​need ​my students to come to class everyday

wanting to be engaged and feeling like they are in a secure environment.

Making sure that the physical setting of the classroom is appropriate for student’s

success is a task that must always be assessed during the beginning of each school year.

When students come to learn, they deserve to be surrounded in a space that makes them

feel like they can work in a comfortable and healthy environment. Emmer, Evertson and

Worsham (2005) provide five keys to good classroom arrangement and does a

spectacular job at identifying various strategies that advocate for student success. Some

of their keys and my own that I would enjoy implementing into my future classrooms

are making sure that all students have access to seeing the board and projector clearly

without having to turn around, move their desk or cramp their necks; making sure that

all students can see my desk from their seats, having their desks in groups rather than in

rows for the best learning, keeping materials in a storage that is easily accessible, and

having my classroom avoid congestion near supplies and storage materials. The goal of

good room arrangement is to support every students needs and to assure that each

student participates, engages and has the will to perform the best they can.

Part 3: Action 2

My two day lesson plan was guided by the Socratic Seminar Model and

Problem-Based Learning Model. Both of these models give students the platform to

create a dialogue -- one in which they converse together in order to find a deeper

understanding and meaning of various topics. Specifically, the Socratic Seminar Model
 5

helps play an important role in student learning by having students participate in

controversial discussions with one another, while simultaneously presenting different

perspectives on topics. This model is focused on student centered learning, rather than

teacher centered learning. Similar to this model, the Problem-Based Learning Model is a

teaching method which collaboratively engages students in working through complex

issues, then working toward reaching a solution to the problem. Student’s motivation to

solve the problems is what becomes the motivation to learn about the subject, and

continue that desire to keep learning. These methods work together mutually in the fact

that they can be adopted by any grade level and subject area, and can promote student

development of critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills and communication skills.

The Socratic Seminar Model and Problem-Based Learning Model align with my

chosen Social Constructivist theory because overall, both models are premised around

student learning through collaborating with one another, and gaining different

perspectives from conversations surrounding diverse topics. Duch, Grogh, and Allen

(2001) listed some characteristics of the Problem-Based Learning Model. A couple that

resonated with me and connects to my theory is: ​if used for a group project, the problem

needs a level of complexity to ensure that the students must work together to solve it,

and the problem should require students to make reasoned decisions and to defend

them. These characteristics blended together will without a doubt get students to put

their diverse minds together to come up with a plethora of ideas, solutions, inquiries etc,

and the goal is for students to carry these skills along with them outside of the

classroom, and adopt them in their everyday lives. When it comes to The Socratic
 6

Seminar Model, Manning and Bucher (2013) explained that because Socratic seminars

allow students to construct new knowledge by interacting with the ideas and

understandings of others, it is congruent with what we know about how students learn

and how they “own” their own understanding. This means that our students learn best

when using models such as The Socratic Seminar, and teachers should stick to methods

that actually work and help students advance as a community.

Part 4: Reflection

All in all, Social Constructivism tells us that the best learning calls for students to

collaborate in teams and learn from each other, rather than just strictly working

individually. This means that teachers should implement discussions that go beyond

lectures and class discussions, and therefore students must work in groups in order to

produce the best knowledge. This is why I am choosing to approach my classroom using

the Socratic Seminar Model and the Problem-Based Learning Model, because it

explicitly connects to student-student engagement and emphasizes the point of having

students ideas, situations, problems and more, then having them come together in

groups for “thoughtful engagement” within a supportive learning community (2013).

As a future teacher, not only do I want to assess my students for their learning, I

also want my students to assess ​me​. I also need to have the greatest responsibility of all

and that is to assess myself and my teaching practices. In my eyes, critically reflective

teachers are going to always have the habit instilled in them to think about what is

working for students and what is not working for students, about what could be done

differently in order to produce the some of the best type of learning for students. I think
 7

that critically reflective teachers set aside time to reflect on their instruction and ask

themselves questions like, “What worked? What didn’t work? Were my students

engaged? Did my students actually enjoy doing their assignments and gain perspectives

and skills that they can take with them outside of the classroom?” Questions such as the

ones I listed above should never not be asked after a long day of teaching. What would

be helpful to do is after every class period, ask myself the questions that I mentioned

previously, take some quick notes, and maybe adjust something that did not go right, or

make sure to do the thing that actually went ​really well​ and students found joy in. If I

am not asking myself these assessment questions and jotting down notes about my

teaching practices, then I truly do not believe that I am going to be giving my students

the education they so rightfully need and deserve.

Throughout these past five months, I have learned about a heap load of new

information about teaching practices, methods, student behaviors, teacher behaviors

and more that I cannot wait to try out in my own future classroom. Some of this

knowledge that was laid upon me has resonated with me, and a few of those include

realizing that if a student is “acting out” in class, then it is probably something that I am

doing and that I need to change in order for my student to feel like they are in a safe and

productive learning environment, rather than placing the blame on the student. It is also

critical to make sure that my students have autonomy when it comes to the books they

want to read, the classroom rules and procedures, various genres of projects and

platforms they can be creative on, different types of assessments such as, would they

rather want to take a quiz or write a short summary. All of these things allows students
 8

to have control over their learning, even Kohn notes that if teachers trust their students

to make decisions for themselves, then they will act more responsibly and will go right

on with their learning. Once students are, believe and feel like they are in control over

their learning, and feel like they are respected enough to have a voice in how their

classroom runs, then that is the gateway into having a smooth and successful classroom

environment for the students and teacher.

 9

References

Vygotsky, L. (1978). ​Mind in Society.​ London: Harvard University Press.

Kohn, A. (1996). ​Beyond discipline: From compliance to community.​ Alexandria, VA:

ASCD.

Duch, B. J., Groh, S. E, & Allen, D. E. (Eds.). (2001). ​The power of problem-based

learning​. Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Kim, B. (2001). Social Constructivism.. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging Perspectives on

Learning, Teaching, and Technology. ​http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Emmer, E.T., Evertson, C.M., Worsham, M.E. (2006). ​Classroom Management for

Middle and High School Teachers.​ Pearson, Boston: MA.

Hardin, C.J. (2012). ​Effective Classroom Management: Models and Strategies for

Today’s Classrooms.​ Pearson, Boston: MA.

Manning, M. L., & Bucher, K. T. (2013). The Socratic Seminar Model. ​Classroom

management: Models, applications, and cases,​ (3rd Edition). Pearson: Boston,

MA.

CITL, Illinois. (2019) ​Problem-Based Learning (PBL)​.

https://citl.illinois.edu/citl-101/teaching-learning/resources/teaching-strategies

/problem-based-learning-(pbl)
10
 11

Dream Classroom Design: