Jerome Bruner - Discovery Learning, Spiral Curriculum and Active Learning

Carl Rogers - Facilitation - Congruence, Respect, Empathy, Understanding

What would a Vygotsky inspired classroom look like?

• Group Work: Students will be working together, sharing ideas. Stronger students can lift up students who are struggling thereby facilitating their learning. Stronger students have an opportunity to articulate and showcase their ideas. They can challenge and engage with each other in order to maximise progression and the ability to adapt their ideas.

• Discussion and Dialogue: Promotion of classroom discussions where students share ideas, ask questions, and build upon each other's thoughts. This allows for co - construction of knowledge. Students learn the ability to transform internal knowledge to external, social dialogue.

• Role-playing Activities: Particularly useful for language classrooms, role-playing in real-life scenarios (e.g., ordering food in French) enables students to practice language skills in a social context, applying both language and problem-solving abilities collaboratively.

• Teacher as the facilitator of learning: It's vital for the teacher to not simply be the feeder of information but for them to act as the facilitator to students learning. The teacher should be walking around the room, challenging students' ideas and encouraging them to think deeper about different topics. For example, they could say "Why do you think we say l'argent instead of le argent?" Teachers should explain why the rule is there and not solely that it is there. By giving the students the space to think for themselves both practically and theoretically about grammar concepts can help strengthen their understanding of the language.

The teacher provides sentence starters, such as “Je voudrais...” (I would like…), to help guide students in forming complete sentences. The students use these prompts to order items from the menu, facilitating language practice in a realistic, communicative context. The pair-work structure allows for collaboration and support as students engage with the language, helping to reinforce vocabulary and grammar related to food and dining in French.

This lesson applies Vygotsky's teachings on multiple levels:

1. Social Constructivism: The students engage in role play, working and planning with one another.

2. Scaffolding: I will provide sentence starters for the students at the beginning of the activity. Students can use these sentence starters to support them in completion of their sentences.

3. Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD): The task might be challenging for the students individually, but by working with a partner and using the provided prompts, they are operating within their ZPD. This allows them to achieve more than they could alone, with the teacher's guidance gradually reduced as their skills improve.

1. Spiral Curriculum:

Bruner's idea of the Spiral curriculum is an approach which introduces learners to a concept early on in their learning journey. They wont go into great detail of the concept but instead be made aware that it exists. As time goes on, students will rveisit the concept and each time will delve into the details to offer them a depper understanding.

This theory has several benefits

- Build on Prior Knowledge: Students begin with a simple understanding and gradually build more sophisticated knowledge as they encounter the same concepts again. It allows students to lay the foundation for their learning and gradually build on this as they move through the learning processs.

Application: In a language classroom, students might first learn basic vocabulary, then revisit the same words in more complex sentences, and eventually use them in conversations and written work. This eventually gives students real-life context for the words they are learning.

2. Problem-Solving:

Bruner emphasized problem-solving as central to learning. He believed that students should be the active participant in their own learning, discovering solutions to problems rather than passively receiving information.

- Discovery Learning: Bruner advocated for learners to explore, ask questions, and engage in solving problems themselves rather than being told the answers. This promotes independent thinking and creativity.

- Constructing Knowledge: Through problem-solving, learners actively construct their understanding, making learning more meaningful and memorable.

4. Active Learning:

Bruner believed that students learn best by doing. This means taking a concept a teacher has introduced and applying it in a practical way. This method is a learner centred approach. The focus shifts to the learner who is required to take responsibility for their learning and prove their understanding.

Bruner’s theories emphasize that learning should be a dynamic process where students revisit concepts, solve problems, and actively engage in discovery.

This activity aligns with Bruner's Spiral Curriculum, where key vocabulary is introduced in a basic form and revisited in progressively more complex contexts.

The lesson also incorporates active learning, a core aspect of Bruner’s theories, by having students participate directly in the task of direction their peer. They are not passively learning direcitonal terms but applying what they have learned in a real life situation. Additionally, Bruner's emphasis on problem-solving is evident in how students must think critically about how to guide their partner accurately. The task requires them to use their language creatively to find the hidden object. It also reinforces their vocabulary in a fun and meaningful way.

Lastly, the activity promotes discovery learning as students experiment with language in a practical setting, applying what they know, They learn to adjust their language as they figure out what works and what doesnt. By encouraging exploration and interaction, this lesson fosters a deeper, more active engagement with the French language, in line with Bruner’s educational philosophy.

Roger's approach also promotes establishing a supportive and nurturing environment in the classroom. His belief is that when students are at ease, they are more likely to put themselves forward, they are less fearful of making mistakes as they will not be shunned or laughed at if they do. I find this especially relevant to my language classroom as I've learned from the affective filter, students' language acquisition increases when their anxiety levels are reduced, proving the effectiveness of this theory.

I try to apply Rogers' ideas in all of my classrooms. Establishing a good relationship with my students is my primary aim when meeting a new cohort. It is especially relevant in the school where I teach currently, which is a Deis school in a heavily disadvantaged area. Taking the time at the start of each class to ask students how they are, engage in conversation about how they're feeling, how they feel towards the subject content and how I can make things easier for them has had a positive impact on the atmosphere in the classroom.

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Vygotsky, L.S. (1978) Mind in Society. Available online here: http://ouleft.org/wp-content/uploads/Vygotsky-Mind-in-Society.pdf

McLeod, S. A. (2019, July 11). Bruner - learning theory in education. Simply Psychology. www.simplypsychology.org/bruner.html

Ranjan, R. (n.d.). Classroom examples of Lev Vygotsky learning theory – School education. Rajeev Ranjan. https://www.rajeevelt.com/vygotsky-learning-theory-classroom-examples/

Here is the APA citation for the article:

Takaya, K. (2008). Jerome Bruner’s theory of education: From early Bruner to later Bruner. Tokyo Women’s Medical University.

Shabani, K. (2010). Vygotsky's zone of proximal development: Instructional implications and teachers' professional development. English Language Teaching, 3(4), 237–248.

McLeod, S. A. (2015, December 14). Humanism. Simply Psychology. www.simplypsychology.org/humanistic.html