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When I first moved to New Zealand at the age of 27 I intensively studied Academic English. I was surprised to find that I progressed very quickly and enjoyed rapid success. The key to this success was the methodology of the teachers. The teachers used what they called a ‘communicative’ approach to teaching English language. The classroom was set up to encourage interaction and discussion between students and with the teacher. We worked in pairs or in small groups to discuss our learning and also to help and correct one another. Learning through mistakes was encouraged so this meant I was more willing to take risks. Assessment was more formative than summative, with the teacher supporting me to understand what I was learning and informing me of my next steps in learning. The outcome of this experience was that I achieved the level of Academic English that was required for me to enter university in only 16 months. This has been the greatest success I have experienced in my learning journey.
Piaget’s formal-operations period, or stage 4 is where as a young adult I should be operating. The way the teachers talked to me about my learning and discussed the next steps for me in my learning meant that I was able to use my executive function to think about and monitor what I was learning (Duchesne, 2013, p.69). This process of ‘thinking about thinking’ is called metacognition (Duchesne et al, 2013, p.199). Being encouraged to be metacognitive about my learning in Academic English enabled me to have strategies that supported my rapid success in this type of learning.
Another aspect of the methodology used by my teachers that supported my success was their expectation that for students to learn well, students needed to have the courage to take risks and make mistakes. This reflects Piaget’s idea of disequilibrium, where learning happens when an inconsistency arises that forces the student to make an adaptation of what they know (Duchesne et al, 2013, p. 73; Woolfolk & Margetts, 2013, p.83). This adaptation involves either adjusting an existing mental scheme to incorporate the new information, or using the new information to form a new mental scheme. The first process is called assimilation and the second is called accommodation (Duchesne et al, 2013, p.73).
Vygotsky’s theory of human development would identify two features of my story of success that would indicate why I felt successful in this scenario. Firstly, the curriculum, methodology and environment encouraged students to co-construct their understanding. This included talking with one another and also talking with the teacher. Secondly, the teacher used formative assessment to help me to identify my next steps in learning. This supported me to be working in what Vygotsky referred to as the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) (Duchesne et al, 2013, p.87). I was able to achieve more than what I could by myself because the teacher’s greater knowledge on the topic of Academic English meant that they could see what my next steps were and guide me in my learning.
I feel that the impact of this experience of success on my learning journey is that it has given me strategies for thinking. I am metacognitive about my learning as described by Piaget. Failing is not a hopeless problem that I am stuck in. I know now that I learn best when I take risks and am open to making mistakes. I also enjoy discussing my learning with other people so that I can clarify and develop my own understanding of a topic. The opportunity to co-construct my understanding, as Vygotsky identified, has meant that I am able to learn more than I could alone, but also that I now have the strategies to learn more alone than I could in the past.
References
Duchesne, S., McMaugh, A., Bochner, S., & Krause, K. (2013). Educational psychology for learning and teaching (4th ed.). South Melbourne, Australia: Cengage Learning.
Piaget, J. (1964). Development and learning. Readings on the development of children. Gauvain, M. & Cole, M. (eds), (1997), (2nd ed.). New York : W.H. Freeman
Woolfolk, A, & Margetts, K. (2013). Educational psychology (3rd ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW, Australia: Pearson Education Australia
Piaget’s formal-operations period, or stage 4 is where as a young adult I should be operating. The way the teachers talked to me about my learning and discussed the next steps for me in my learning meant that I was able to use my executive function to think about and monitor what I was learning (Duchesne, 2013, p.69). This process of ‘thinking about thinking’ is called metacognition (Duchesne et al, 2013, p.199). Being encouraged to be metacognitive about my learning in Academic English enabled me to have strategies that supported my rapid success in this type of learning.
Another aspect of the methodology used by my teachers that supported my success was their expectation that for students to learn well, students needed to have the courage to take risks and make mistakes. This reflects Piaget’s idea of disequilibrium, where learning happens when an inconsistency arises that forces the student to make an adaptation of what they know (Duchesne et al, 2013, p. 73; Woolfolk & Margetts, 2013, p.83). This adaptation involves either adjusting an existing mental scheme to incorporate the new information, or using the new information to form a new mental scheme. The first process is called assimilation and the second is called accommodation (Duchesne et al, 2013, p.73).
Vygotsky’s theory of human development would identify two features of my story of success that would indicate why I felt successful in this scenario. Firstly, the curriculum, methodology and environment encouraged students to co-construct their understanding. This included talking with one another and also talking with the teacher. Secondly, the teacher used formative assessment to help me to identify my next steps in learning. This supported me to be working in what Vygotsky referred to as the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) (Duchesne et al, 2013, p.87). I was able to achieve more than what I could by myself because the teacher’s greater knowledge on the topic of Academic English meant that they could see what my next steps were and guide me in my learning.
I feel that the impact of this experience of success on my learning journey is that it has given me strategies for thinking. I am metacognitive about my learning as described by Piaget. Failing is not a hopeless problem that I am stuck in. I know now that I learn best when I take risks and am open to making mistakes. I also enjoy discussing my learning with other people so that I can clarify and develop my own understanding of a topic. The opportunity to co-construct my understanding, as Vygotsky identified, has meant that I am able to learn more than I could alone, but also that I now have the strategies to learn more alone than I could in the past.
References
Duchesne, S., McMaugh, A., Bochner, S., & Krause, K. (2013). Educational psychology for learning and teaching (4th ed.). South Melbourne, Australia: Cengage Learning.
Piaget, J. (1964). Development and learning. Readings on the development of children. Gauvain, M. & Cole, M. (eds), (1997), (2nd ed.). New York : W.H. Freeman
Woolfolk, A, & Margetts, K. (2013). Educational psychology (3rd ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW, Australia: Pearson Education Australia
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