DEAD POETS SOCIETY

Reflection questions

1. What two pedagogical approaches do you see reflected in the

introductory part of the movie?

In the introductory part of the movie I can see two totally different approaches
because while in the first part the teacher was a traditional instructor just asking the
students to repeat the words or phrases he said, in the second one the teacher
was so much more active than the first one, he wanted the students to be creative,
to be original and to think for themselves. Therefore, the two approaches shown in
the movie are the behaviourism (with the first teacher) and the cognitivism (with the
second one).

2. What learning/teaching theories do you see implicit in each of these

approaches?

In behaviourism, learning is a matter of mechanical repetition; all the students need

to do is listen and repeat, then memorise and also be quiet. In addition, in this
perspective the one who knows is the teacher; and teaching, consequently is more
central than learning.

In cognitivism, there is no memorizing at all, it is based on the principle “learning is

a process” so the teacher is a guide, is someone who helps the students learn,
taking into account the students’ background knowledge. Teaching is not more
important than learning because the goal of the whole process is learning.

3. How do you think the teacher and the students felt with each different type
of pedagogical experience?

First teacher class

This teacher seemed to think that he was the most important part of the class; he
thought the students needed to be quiet and be disciplined. For him, learning is a
synonym of memorizing; that is why he used the repetition drills in class.

On the other hand, the students felt bored, nervous, with a lot of tension because
the teacher was not friendly, he didn’t smiled at them. I think the students wanted
someone who could show interest in them, in their likes and dislikes, someone who
can value them as human beings.

Second teacher class

The teacher knew what students liked and needed, that is the reason why he
encouraged them to be creative. This teacher thought that being friendly is a
fantastic way to create a good atmosphere in class. He felt elated when the
students reacted in a positive way to see he was treating them in a properly way,
helping them learn, not only teaching them memorise structures.

In the student’s case, they felt better with this teacher than with the previous one.
They were motivated to learn, to create or discover new knowledge. They also felt
very comfortable in this kind of class because it was the first time a teacher taught
them to think and to develop their intelligences.

4. Which approach or approaches – any – do you remember seeing applied

in your school days? Do you remember how you and your classmates felt
with your teachers’ approaches?

I remember two teachers of school. In first grade in high school I had a teacher
who was very friendly, she applied the cognitive approach, she always made us
talk to her in English, she taught me and my classmates through games and songs
which were very popular back then, so every student in class was happy in the
class because of the great atmosphere. She was my favourite teacher.

Another teacher I remember is one of fourth grade, also in high school. She
applied the behaviourism, she taught my classmates and me so much grammatical
structures by repeating and filling in the gaps and only a little of communication. I
remember I learned too little that grade. My classmates didn’t like this teacher, they
said that she was boring.

5. Looking forward, how important do you think theory is for your teaching
practice?

Having read the theories, you could be able to analyse and realise that everything
a teacher does in class have an explanation. So it is really important that a teacher
knows what is the basis of her/his teaching practice because theories explains how
learning occurs and why so if I want better results I should put into practice the
theory I consider pertinent to my class and then I apply their principles. Thus, I
could enrich my experience about the learning/teaching process.

Lacey Conde Carhuancho