Pragmatism
The goal of education is to provide an effective means for students to learn efficiently. To maximize the productivity and progress of the student, we should study the different theories of learning to find out which one is most applicable to the way people learn and which one works best. Understanding how students learn is a key step in this process of designing and configuring lessons and instruction plans. When put in the classroom, though he/she does not control much, the teacher has command over how the lessons are presented and how they're taught. These methods will be geared toward the way we think people learn best. Based on the learning theories studied, I have found Pragmatism to be the most applicable and effective approach to the learning process. This idea becomes clear in the various main points of the theory, the arguments in favour of it, and the responses to it's criticisms.
The overarching idea of Pragmatism is its belief in a learning process similar to the scientific method. By this learning theory, students will be presented with a problem in which they must test their formulated hypotheses and analyze the data that results from them. For example, in a math class, students may be presented with a problem such as finding the distance between two points. They will think about the the theorems they have learned and formulate a hypothesis on how to solve it. Once they apply their idea they will analyze the results and verify if it is correct. If they were to get a negative number, they would know that something has gone wrong and a new hypothesis must be formulated. This method is effective because it puts students on the spot to come up with answers. In other words, the students are directly challenged to think critically about a question. It challenges them to reach their potential because it doesn't supply them with all the answers immediately. As a student, I have experienced this format in my Combinatorics & Graph Theory class when my professor put a theorem on the board and would not continue the lesson until we proved it as a class. This was very effective for me because it challenged me to think deeply into the subject and create a proof. Creation is on the higher end of Bloom's taxonomy and is an impressive level of cognitive ability. This is an indicator that students have learned because the ideas and information came from inside them; it did not come from some textbook. When a student formulates ideas on their own, we know that they understand it. Thus learning has taken place. Because Pragmatism puts students in the center of learning and challenges them to operate on higher levels, this learning theory produces more efficient results in student ability.
Pragmatism is further defined by the belief that learning takes place in a social setting. In my Combinatorics & Graph Theory class that I had described, the entire group was asked to solve the proof. As a whole, we were asked to come up with a hypothesis or a starting point to begin to prove the theorem. While a classroom is not the most social of places, my instructor made it so. As he was in control of the delivery of the lesson, he persistently told us to talk to each other and share ideas. When learning is social, ideas can be bounced off one another and discoveries may be made by altering a classmates thoughts. One of the most important things I have found here at the Mount is that much learning comes my peers rather than my instructors.
There are many arguments that favour Pragmatism to any other learning theory. One of most powerful arguments is the idea that learning is centered around the students. We have schools so students can learn. Therefore, it makes sense to make sure they are the primary focus by having them actively involved in the lesson. By placing them in the front seat, teachers can understand how they learn and pose questions to them for their own discovery. Inquiry can be used more often when students are actively involved in discovering solutions.
The method of education is always in the hands of the teacher. He/she has control over the way in which students learn and it is up to him/her to provide an effective way for the students to achieve all that they can. Pragmatism offers the best theory of learning through its inquiry model and student-centered nature. With this theory in mind, teachers can make education an ongoing experience for all students.
Here is Pragmatism as presented by
Stephen Hicks I
Stephen Hicks II
The overarching idea of Pragmatism is its belief in a learning process similar to the scientific method. By this learning theory, students will be presented with a problem in which they must test their formulated hypotheses and analyze the data that results from them. For example, in a math class, students may be presented with a problem such as finding the distance between two points. They will think about the the theorems they have learned and formulate a hypothesis on how to solve it. Once they apply their idea they will analyze the results and verify if it is correct. If they were to get a negative number, they would know that something has gone wrong and a new hypothesis must be formulated. This method is effective because it puts students on the spot to come up with answers. In other words, the students are directly challenged to think critically about a question. It challenges them to reach their potential because it doesn't supply them with all the answers immediately. As a student, I have experienced this format in my Combinatorics & Graph Theory class when my professor put a theorem on the board and would not continue the lesson until we proved it as a class. This was very effective for me because it challenged me to think deeply into the subject and create a proof. Creation is on the higher end of Bloom's taxonomy and is an impressive level of cognitive ability. This is an indicator that students have learned because the ideas and information came from inside them; it did not come from some textbook. When a student formulates ideas on their own, we know that they understand it. Thus learning has taken place. Because Pragmatism puts students in the center of learning and challenges them to operate on higher levels, this learning theory produces more efficient results in student ability.
Pragmatism is further defined by the belief that learning takes place in a social setting. In my Combinatorics & Graph Theory class that I had described, the entire group was asked to solve the proof. As a whole, we were asked to come up with a hypothesis or a starting point to begin to prove the theorem. While a classroom is not the most social of places, my instructor made it so. As he was in control of the delivery of the lesson, he persistently told us to talk to each other and share ideas. When learning is social, ideas can be bounced off one another and discoveries may be made by altering a classmates thoughts. One of the most important things I have found here at the Mount is that much learning comes my peers rather than my instructors.
There are many arguments that favour Pragmatism to any other learning theory. One of most powerful arguments is the idea that learning is centered around the students. We have schools so students can learn. Therefore, it makes sense to make sure they are the primary focus by having them actively involved in the lesson. By placing them in the front seat, teachers can understand how they learn and pose questions to them for their own discovery. Inquiry can be used more often when students are actively involved in discovering solutions.
The method of education is always in the hands of the teacher. He/she has control over the way in which students learn and it is up to him/her to provide an effective way for the students to achieve all that they can. Pragmatism offers the best theory of learning through its inquiry model and student-centered nature. With this theory in mind, teachers can make education an ongoing experience for all students.
Here is Pragmatism as presented by
Stephen Hicks I
Stephen Hicks II