Jessica Jernigan

EDUF 2120

Dr. Tara Johnson

March 28, 2006

Teaching Persona Reflection

Phyllis Brooks said, “Teaching is truth mediated by personality.”

There are many different ways to teach, and many of the differences

are accounted for through teachers’ personalities. Each teacher has

their own view on how to teach students. There are four pedagogical

paradigms that most teachers can be categorized under:

transmissionist, constructivist, liberatory, and post-liberatory.

The traditional view of the teacher in the front lecturing is called

the transmissionist approach. Transmissionist teachers believe that

they are the only source of knowledge in the classroom and they

convey that knowledge through curriculum. They assume their

students are “blank slates” for them to fill up. The teacher is in control

of learning at all times. Most of my teachers growing up were

transmissionists. The classrooms would be arranged so that at all

times we would be facing the board in the front and my teachers would

present their lesson from the board. I was expected to do my work

quietly in my seat and always to raise my hand if I wanted to speak or

ask a question. I, personally, prospered under this approach. I learned

what learning strategies worked for me and applied them to my

schoolwork. I have always liked order and rules; I know what to expect

and how to exceed expectations when I know the rules. I have seen

this in the classroom I am currently observing. My teacher’s

transmissionist approach sets up boundaries for her students. They

know what to expect from the lectures and then know what they need

to do on their own to understand the material. They are also very well

behaved.

The constructivist paradigm is the exact opposite of the

transmissionist. The constructivist approach has students in charge of

their own learning. Teachers only exist to help guide students in the

right direction and support students as they learn. A lot of small group

work is done in a constructivist classroom. My fourth grade teacher,

Mrs. Bennett, is a constructivist. Her classroom was arranged with

many different activity spaces that we could choose to visit during any

non-instructional time. Our desks were put together in groups and we

had to work collaboratively with the people in our groups to earn

rewards. Within our groups, we did many different reports and

experiments. I enjoyed Mrs. Bennett’s class because I was able to

discover things for myself. Through working with groups, I was able to

recognize my leadership potential, which I never would have in a

transmissionist classroom.

The liberatory paradigm is a view that teachers can empower

their students with knowledge. Liberatory teachers attempt to use

multiculturalism throughout their classroom; they believe that a

student’s home language and experiences are an important source of

information. Their main goal is to foster a sense of social justice in

their students. Many liberatory teachers push the phrase “teaching

tolerance” in their classrooms. They want their students to understand

others’ points of view. I have never been exposed to a liberatory

teacher.

The post-liberatory approach came about because of the

consequences of the other three paradigms. The post-liberatory goal

is to fix all the wrongs in the educational system. They want to find a

way for the educational system to benefit their students. They believe

knowledge is found within cultural contexts and social interaction

creates power. I have also never experienced a post-liberatory

teacher; this might be because I went to schools that were on the

higher socioeconomic side of town.

Some teachers are a mixture of more than one pedagogical

paradigm. Jaime Escalante from the movie Stand and Deliver is a

liberatory and a transmissionist teacher. He believes in equality of

education for all his students. He feels that education will empower his

underprivileged students. He brings his students home language and

experiences into the classroom and focuses on their multicultural

heritage. Jamie believes that truth is accessible through learning and

his students need that truth to survive in the real world. His classroom
in Stand and Deliver is set up like a transmissionist classroom, all the

desks are in rows and the students are facing the front of the class at

all times. Although Jamie walks up and down the rows of his class, he

still lectures and believes that he is the only source of knowledge. His

students thrived in his classroom with his mix of transmissionist and

liberatory approaches. I really liked the way he engaged his students

by using their heritage and what they knew.

LouAnne Johnson from Dangerous Minds is also a mixture of

pedagogical paradigms. She is a mixture of the constructivist and

post-liberatory approach. She allows her students to set the pace of

their learning and work on group assignments. Even though she allows

her students to set the pace of their learning she is constantly

providing support and guidance for their lessons. LouAnne is

constantly fighting the administration on her students’ behalf. She

wants the education her students receive to be beneficial. LouAnne

pushed the boundaries that were set for her students; she made them

excited to learn poetry when other teachers could hardly get them to

pay attention.

In conclusion, I have found that I am also a mixture of

pedagogical paradigms. I feel that I am a transmissionist and a

constructivist. This might seem contradictory, but I feel that the right

mixture of both of these pedagogical paradigms is the most beneficial

to students. I feel that as a teacher I should be in control of my

classroom, but at the same time I think my students should have a

voice in their education. For example, I want my students to set up

their own class rules and work in group projects. At the same time, I

want to have a very enriched curriculum so that my students will be

exposed to all different types of information and knowledge. I want my

students to acquire effective learning strategies that will help them

throughout their education career. Social learning will have just as

much emphasis as independent learning in my classroom. I want my

students to get the best education possible while under my care. By

understanding what my pedagogical paradigms are I will better be able

to help and assist my students.