The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.  ~Alvin Toffler

      When I first enter a classroom (my goal for the first few days of my own class) I need to assess my students. I need to know what they know, what they like and how they learn. I want to find out their favorite book, favorite flavor of ice cream and what it is they like most (or least) about school. I want to find out as much about them as I can in order to affect a better understanding of who they are and use this information to formulate an applicable teaching process. It may not seem like much, but this is the basis which gives my teaching direction. I need to find their Zone of Proximal Development; this helps me determine how I will differentiate my instruction so that I can find a place of understanding for my diverse students. Another important factor is finding out how they learn. I do this by using Gardner’s concept of multiple intelligences. Both Vygotsky and Gardner are two theorists who have a major impact in my teaching pedagogy.

            Gardner interested me from the start. The idea that we all learn differently and that our intelligence is based on our own definition of success exemplifies my ideas in differential instruction in the classroom. Every student learns in a different way and in order to teach I need to know the best way(s) that my students will understand my lessons. Student teaching has given me the opportunity to negotiate a learning style that I hope benefits my students. I see how some of the kids in my intervention class (writing prep) write; they have no idea how to use language or sentence structure. In order to help develop and strengthen their writing abilities I created ( I had seen something similar and picked apart the web) a mode of writing with colors, a process by which the visuals are color coordinated. So, for students who are more spatial than linguistic this process provides them with a means of understanding. I scaffold my unit by starting with a very basic paragraph and moving onward to more difficult articles during which they have to highlight the thesis, topic sentence, etc, in different colors. My students (considered below standard or in danger of becoming below standard) responded to this teaching plan. The assessment is a final essay in which the students use a graphic organizer to put together an essay based on the advantages and/or disadvantages of staying up late at night. Though some still have a ways to go, particularly with vocabulary, they seem to have a better understanding of the structure of an essay.

            Gardner’s theories allow me to justify doing things in a different manner. In other words, for my CPT for Call of the Wild I have a project I call “Dog for Sale”. Basically it is advertising a dog that the student thinks will be a good working dog in the Yukon. They have to sell the dog using a brochure, poster or video. What I like about this project is that it allows different intelligence types to show me what they know about dogs, the Yukon and taps into their creative side as well as makes them think! This project to me is what Gardner is all about- allowing students to use their intelligence to show how it is they understand a subject. The students will be successful because I have given them the ability to channel their own cognitive style of understanding.

      Vygotsky appealed to me from the first time I read about his philosophy. I find he ( and Bronfonbrenner as well) relies on the importance of learning using various tools and the influence of the social community in learning and understanding. For me learning is a process that starts the day we are born; it continues with family, friends, school, spouse  and on until the day we die. Where Piaget theorizes that cognitive development is a pre-curser to learning, Vygotsky states that learning does not have to wait for development and that learning is a process that moves the child to a greater development. I agree wholeheartedly with this philosophy. Kids are like sponges; give them something good ( to learn) and they will soak it up. I guess because I am a trivia nut and know so many “little” things that I am amazed at the limited vocabulary and understanding of my students.  My goal in the classroom is through “fun” tools and tasks to get my students to enjoy the process of learning, sometimes without them even knowing they are learning. I understand that the task is hard, but I do refer back occasionally to my books to re-read some of the basics in educational philosophy to better understand and promote my own understanding of teaching.

            Both Vygotsky and Gardner ( I have to include Bronfronbrenner as well because of his social theories of human development, but I could only write about two theorists) have greatly influenced my understanding of teaching as well as my individual style and pedagogy. Students cannot be lumped together in one group and expected to learn or understand anything that is taught to them in a context they do not comprehend. Learning and development are individual experiences and as a teacher I must acknowledge the diversity in learning styles in my classroom and teach to the diversity and not to the standardized test.