Running Head: TRANSMISSION: A TEACHING PERSPECTIVE 1

Transmission: A Teaching Perspective

Haley Harris
Indiana University
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Transmission: A Teaching Perspective

The Constructivism Learning Theory lies within the individual mind of the student,

promoting individual thinking given new knowledge in a specific context or environment.

Learning in a constructivist viewpoint is not simply memorizing new information. According to

Merriam, Caffarella and Baumgartner (2007), “a constructivist stance maintains that learning is a

process of constructing meaning; it is how people make sense of their experience”, also known

as mental construction (p. 291). Constructivism Learning Theory focuses on the individual

learner, highlighting self-regulation, reflection and abstraction. Constructivist learning takes

place when students discover information, compare new information against prior knowledge

and then draw a new understanding. In a constructivist learning environment, knowledge is

shared between the teacher and the student, the teacher is the facilitator, but the authority is

mutual. Students must take ownership in their learning and learn how to think and understand

given a real-world social/cultural context (Olusegun, 2015). Constructivist learning can be

utilized in the classroom and in online learning. To successfully employ constructivist learning

online, teachers must promote interactivity, collaboration, authenticity, and facilitation in

learning (Huang, 2002)

According to Pratt and Collins Teaching Perspectives Inventory (2000), my highest

scoring teaching perspective is transmission. The Constructivism Learning Theory explained

previously, supports transmission because the perspective is based on subject matter expertise,

representing the content accurately and efficiently, and relies on the student to authorize and

legitimize new knowledge. The transmission teaching perspective is only successful if the

student can take new information, compare it against what is already understood and use it to

create a new understanding (constructivism).

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Knowing that my strongest teaching perspective is transmission, and that the

Constructivism Learning Perspective aligns, I will use this new knowledge to improve my work

with adult learners. Knowing that students determine how they will learn, I need to promote

knowledge construction. I will need to keep learning within a realistic context and appreciate

many different perspectives on a given topic. I will encourage my students to take ownership and

utilize their voice in the learning process. I will embed learning in a social experience to

encourage sharing and reflection (Olusegun, 2015). As an online instructor, I will include

engagement activities and collaboration in each learning module through case studies and

mandatory discussion boards. I will facilitate a learning environment where one can feel safe to

ask questions and share ideas. The online learning modules I create will mirror real life

experiences and focus on the individual learner. For example, in a nursing continuing education

module on infection control, I will mirror real life experiences by including narratives and case

studies of real-life examples in a nursing practice setting. In turn, this will allow the learner to

connect with the new information and expand his or her knowledge. As an adult educator, I will

not teach in a passive environment that sticks to a strict curriculum, focusing on repetition.

Instead, I will promote an active environment that utilizes dialogue and values interactivity. In

all, after studying constructivism and transmission, it is obvious as an online instructor, I can

utilize this perspective and theory to better facilitate learning given my teaching environment.
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References
Huang, H. M. (2002). Toward Constructivism for Adult Learners in Online Learning
environments. British Journal of Educational Technology, 33(1), 27–37. doi:
10.1111/1467-8535.00236

Merriam, S. B., Caffarella, R. S., & Baumgartner, L. M. (2007). Learning in

Adulthood:  A  Comprehensive Guide. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 

Olusegun, S. (2015). Constructivism Learning Theory: A Paradigm for Teaching and Learning.
IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education, 5(6), 66–70. Retrieved from
http://www.iosrjournals.org/

Pratt, D. D., & Collins, J. B. (2000). Teaching Perspectives Inventory. Retrieved November 18,
2019, from http://www.teachingperspectives.com/.