What can the new ‘normal’ teach us?

Posted on May 26, 2020 by Karen Hope

What can the new ‘normal’ teach us about how and what young children should be learning?

‘Is it possible that we can use this opportunity to create a new normal around what and how young
children learn?’ KAREN HOPE explores theories in early childhood education in a time where online
learning has been the only choice and shares four ‘soft’ theories that she would like to ‘test’ during
these times as teachers, educators and families figure out what online learning means.

Early childhood educators rely on the work of many theories and theorists to help us understand and
interpret our work with children. These theories often translate into personal philosophies and beliefs
that ultimately shape our pedagogical practices. The place of theory is so important in our work that the
Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) encourages us to employ a range of different theoretical
viewpoints in our approaches to learning and development and to provide multiple perspectives in our
work.

Theory should not become the tool of power that we hold over children but rather a way of possibly
understanding children better. You do not force the child into the theory, but rather, you find a way to
see the theory reflected in the child. What theories do I see in practice here when I look at the child in
front of me?

I teach Ecology Theory to fourth year Pre-Service Teachers—specifically around the work of Urie
Bronfenbrenner. Bronfenbrenner a psychologist who was born in Russia developed what is known as the
Ecological Systems Theory. This theory called our attention to the large number of environmental,
societal, political, economic and cultural impacts on a child’s development and provided us with an
understanding of the many influences, from the macro (Government) to the micro (family), on
development that can impact on a child’s place in the world. It is the connections and flows between
these systems that influences development. It is also a theory of reciprocity that places children as
active participants.

In my years of teaching this subject, there has never been a better example of how this theory works,
than the world we find ourselves currently living in.

Theories, however, should not stay in books. They are to be part of the lived experience, explored,
challenged, refuted and discussed and new theories should be found and explored. Thinking about
Bronfenbrenner’s work it occurs to me that early childhood education is capable of establishing
important connections at the moment, between politics, community and children. If you think about
The Reggio Emilia Educational Project which has its origins in post-war conditions, there was a great
desire by the Italian citizens for renewal and change. And they did it.
We often hear the term ‘new normal’ in a way that is a little ominous or unknown. Is it possible though
that we can use this opportunity to transform what and how young children learn? This opportunity for
transformative change does not mean that we continue to operate within the same paradigm, with
some minor adjustments, but rather we write a new narrative for ourselves that reflects our new reality.
This is a long term approach that requires us to discard what we thought we knew and what might be
familiar to us. This is an opportunity that cannot be missed.

With the majority of the nation’s young children recently at home, media platforms were saturated with
commentary, suggestions, resources and opportunities on how to engage, teach, cope, and ensure that
children don’t fall behind. Online learning became the new ‘normal’ at a time when teachers and
educators were still figuring out what this all looks like.

I do not know for sure what it is all going to look like either, but I have four ‘soft’ theories I would like to
test.

Curiosity is the springboard of all learning; therefore, children more than ever, should be encouraged to
do what they Have always done—be curious. Children’s daily context should be a curious one. If you
provide materials, resources and an adult/s that can help provoke questions and thinking, then cognitive
disruption is going to be the result. This shifts children’s thinking from one point to another. This is
called learning.

Adults can often anticipate difficulties and resolve them, and we do not give children enough time to
think and find solutions. Adults that create a culture of ideas rather than answers and then offer to
children the sustained time to really think deeply is what is needed here. This is called research.

Children actually want to learn whatever they decide is worth learning. You only need to take a look at a
teenager who cannot unpack or stack a dishwasher despite multiple tutorials and yet who can source
and access WIFI in under 30 seconds— anywhere—as an example of this. When children want to know
how something works, or how to do something they will figure it out. This is called invention.

Lastly, Urie Bronfenbrenner once said that ‘Every child needs at least one adult who is irrationally crazy
about them’. Children need adults in their life who rejoice in their discoveries, who champion their ideas
and who join their attention to the child’s attention. Days do not need to be filled but rather to unfold—
together. This is called a relationship.

I recently came upon this quote by the Swiss born philosopher and author Alain De Botton who said
‘Most of our childhood is stored not in photos, but in certain biscuits, lights of day, smells and textures
of carpet’. (De Botton, 2017).

It is not going to be what children were taught that will define this period for us, but rather what they
learnt and how they learnt it.
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3. Most influential theories of learning

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Most influential theories of learning

Learning is defined as a process that brings together personal and environmental experiences and
influences for acquiring, enriching or modifying one’s knowledge, skills, values, attitudes,
behaviour and world views. Learning theories develop hypotheses that describe how this process
takes place. The scientific study of learning started in earnest at the dawn of the 20th century.
The major concepts and theories of learning include behaviourist theories, cognitive psychology,
constructivism, social constructivism, experiential learning, multiple intelligence, and situated
learning theory and community of practice.
Behaviourism
The behaviourist perspectives of learning originated in the early 1900s, and became dominant in
early 20th century. The basic idea of behaviourism is that learning consists of a change in
behaviour due to the acquisition, reinforcement and application of associations between stimuli
from the environment and observable responses of the individual. Behaviourists are interested in
measurable changes in behaviour. Thorndike, one major behaviourist theorist, put forward that
(1) a response to a stimulus is reinforced when followed by a positive rewarding effect, and (2) a
response to a stimulus becomes stronger by exercise and repetition. This view of learning is akin
to the “drill-and-practice” programmes. Skinner, another influential behaviourist, proposed his
variant of behaviourism called “operant conditioning”. In his view, rewarding the right parts of
the more complex behaviour reinforces it, and encourages its recurrence. Therefore, reinforcers
control the occurrence of the desired partial behaviours. Learning is understood as the step-by-
step or successive approximation of the intended partial behaviours through the use of reward
and punishment. The best known application of Skinner’s theory is “programmed instruction”
whereby the right sequence of the partial behaviours to be learned is specified by elaborated task
analysis.
Cognitive psychology
Cognitive psychology was initiated in the late 1950s, and contributed to the move away from
behaviourism. People are no longer viewed as collections of responses to external stimuli, as
understood by behaviourists, but information processors. Cognitive psychology paid attention to
complex mental phenomena, ignored by behaviourists, and was influenced by the emergence of
the computer as an information-processing device, which became analogous to the human mind.
In cognitive psychology, learning is understood as the acquisition of knowledge: the learner is an
information-processor who absorbs information, undertakes cognitive operations on it, and
stocks it in memory. Therefore, its preferred methods of instruction are lecturing and reading
textbooks; and, at its most extreme, the learner is a passive recipient of knowledge by the
teacher.
Constructivism
Constructivism emerged in the 1970s and 1980s, giving rise to the idea that learners are not
passive recipients of information, but that they actively construct their knowledge in interaction
with the environment and through the reorganization of their mental structures. Learners are
therefore viewed as sense-makers, not simply recording given information but interpreting it.
This view of learning led to the shift from the “knowledge-acquisition” to “knowledge-
construction” metaphor. The growing evidence in support of the constructive nature of learning
was also in line with and backed by the earlier work of influential theorists such as Jean Piaget
and Jerome Bruner. While there are different versions of constructivism, what is found in
common is the learner-centred approach whereby the teacher becomes a cognitive guide of
learner’s learning and not a knowledge transmitter.
Social learning theory
A well-known social learning theory has been developed by Albert Bandura, who works within
both cognitive and behavioural frameworks that embrace attention, memory and motivation. His
theory of learning suggests that people learn within a social context, and that learning is
facilitated through concepts such as modeling, observational learning and imitation. Bandura put
forward “reciprocal determininsm” that holds the view that a person’s behavior, environment and
personal qualities all reciprocally influence each others. He argues that children learn from
observing others as well as from “model” behaviour, which are processes involving attention,
retention, reproduction and motivation. The importance of positive role modeling on learning is
well documented.
Socio-constructivism
In the late 20th century, the constructivist view of learning was further changed by the rise of the
perspective of “situated cognition and learning” that emphasized the significant role of context,
particularly social interaction. Criticism against the information-processing constructivist
approach to cognition and learning became stronger as the pioneer work of Vygotsky as well as
anthropological and ethnographic research by scholars like Rogoff and Lave came to the fore and
gathered support. The essence of this criticism was that the information-processing
constructivism saw cognition and learning as processes occurring within the mind in isolation
from the surrounding and interaction with it. Knowledge was considered as self-sufficient and
independent of the contexts in which it finds itself. In the new view, cognition and learning are
understood as interactions between the individual and a situation; knowledge is considered as
situated and is a product of the activity, context and culture in which it is formed and utilized.
This gave way to a new metaphor for learning as “participation” and “social negotiation”.
Experiential learning
Experiential learning theories build on social and constructivist theories of learning, but situate
experience at the core of the learning process. They aim to understand the manners in which
experiences – whether first or second hand – motivate learners and promote their learning.
Therefore, learning is about meaningful experiences – in everyday life – that lead to a change in
an individual’s knowledge and behaviours. Carl Rogers is an influential proponent of these
theories, suggesting that experiential learning is “self-initiated learning” as people have a natural
inclination to learn; and that they learn when they are fully involved in the learning process.
Rogers put forward the following insight: (1) “learning can only be facilitated: we cannot teach
another person directly”, (2) “learners become more rigid under threat”, (3) “significant learning
occurs in an environment where threat to the learner is reduced to a minimum”, (4) “learning is
most likely to occur and to last when it is self-initiated” (Office of Learning and Teaching, 2005,
p. 9). He supports a dynamic, continuous process of change where new learning results in and
affects learning environments. This dynamic process of change is often considered in literatures
on organizational learning.
 
Multiple intelligences
Challenging the assumption in many of the learning theories that learning is a universal human
process that all individuals experience according to the same principles, Howard Gardner
elaborated his theory of ‘multiple intelligences’ in 1983. His theory also challenges the
understanding of intelligence as dominated by a single general ability. Gardner argues that every
person’s level of intelligence actually consists of many distinct “intelligences”. These
intelligences include: (1) logical-mathematical, (2) linguistic, (3) spatial, (4) musical, (5) bodily-
kinesthetic, (6) interpersonal, and (7) intrapersonal. Although his work is speculative, his theory
is appreciated by teachers in broadening their conceptual framework beyond the traditional
confines of skilling, curriculum and testing. The recognition of multiple intelligences, for
Gardner, is a means to achieving educational goals rather than an educational goal in and of
itself.
 
Situated learning theory and community of practice
“Situated learning theory” and “community of practice” draw many of the ideas of the learning
theories considered above. They are developed by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger. Situated
learning theory recognizes that there is no learning which is not situated, and emphasizes the
relational and negotiated character of knowledge and learning as well as the engaged nature of
learning activity for the individuals involved. According to the theory, it is within communities
that learning occurs most effectively. Interactions taking place within a community of practice –
e.g. cooperation, problem solving, building trust, understanding and relations – have the potential
to foster community social capital that enhances the community members’ wellbeing. Thomas
Sergiovanni reinforces the idea that learning is most effective when it takes place in
communities. He argues that academic and social outcomes will improve only when classrooms
become learning communities, and teaching becomes learner-centered. Communities of practice
are of course not confined to schools but cover other settings such as workplace and
organizations.
21st century learning or skills
Exploration of 21st century learning or skills has emerged from the concern about transforming
the goals and daily practice of learning to meet the new demands of the 21st century, which is
characterized as knowledge- and technologically driven. The current discussion about 21st
century skills leads classrooms and other learning environments to encourage the development of

core subject knowledge as well as new media literacies, critical and systems thinking,
interpersonal and self-directional skills. For example, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills
(P21) defines the following as key: core subjects (e.g. English, math, geography, history, civics)
and 21st century themes (global awareness, civic literacy, health literacy, environmental literacy,
financial, business and entrepreneurial literacy); learning and innovation skills (creativity and
innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, communication and collaboration);
information, media and technology skills (e.g. ICT literacy, media literacy); and life and career
skills (flexibility and adaptability, initiative and self-direction, social and cross-cultural skills,
productivity and accountability, leadership and responsibility). One main learning method that
supports the learning of such skills and knowledge is group learning or thematic projects, which
involves an inquiry-based collaborative work that addresses real-world issues and questions.
Source: The Office of Learning and Teaching, 2004. Melbourne: Department
of Education and Training; OECD, 2010. Nature of Learning, Paris: Author; http://www.p21.org/
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LIFESTYLE / YOUTH / Three keys to education in the new normal

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Lifestyle, Youth

Three keys to education in the new normal

Published August 9, 2020, 7:46 AM
by Kerry Tinga
GET SCHOOLED A teaching fellow based in Cagayan de Oro conducting an online class as a way to
adapt to the new normal in education (Photo courtesy of Teach for the Philippines)
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One of the incalculable losses of the Covid-19 pandemic is in how children and
teenagers have, in many ways, been forced to “grow up.” In particular, due to the
shift to online and modular learning, students are now taking more of an initiative in
their own education and learning process.

“Students and teachers are entering an unprecedented time of distance learning,”

says the team behind Teach for the Philippines (TFP), a non-profit social enterprise
working to provide quality education to all Filipino students. “The traditional face-to-
face classroom environment [is replaced] with a home-based learning experience.”

Experience. It is the perfect word to sum up the direction education has moved
toward during the past few months. 
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The classroom’s built environment is specifically designed to facilitate learning.

There are the presence and instruction of a licensed professional to teach. But now,
students and their guardians must work together with teachers and the educational
system to re-create the learning experience in their home environments, each home
with its own unique challenges.

TFP’s core programs create a pipeline of skilled public school teachers for the
country. They search, train, and place teachers, as well as connect them to local
government units working on education and youth policy. Like others in the
educational sector, TFP’s typical mode of face-to-face delivery for their teaching
fellows is not acceptable given the current health situation. But as a purpose-driven
initiative, they were able to adapt.

“The Summer Institute is our intensive, seven-week pre-deployment training for

teachers and, until this year, it had always been done at a live-in training venue,”
says Clarissa Delgado, founder and CEO of TFP. “Pivoting to virtual training has
been undoubtedly necessary, but also extremely challenging.”
TEACH FOR THE NEXT GEN Clarissa Delgado, her work on TFP has earned her a place as one of the
Obama Foundation Fellows Class of 2018

In an interview with Manila Bulletin Lifestyle, Clarissa sheds light on how TFP has
worked to prepare public school teachers going into the school year. In
understanding how one of the country’s leading education initiatives has gone about
teaching teachers, guardians and students may be able to re-create the learning
experience in their home environment.
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“The Summer Institute is preparing our teachers with knowledge, skills, and
mindsets that would be necessary for the new school year,” Clarissa adds, before
going into more detail on each of the key points.

Knowledge

When we think of “knowledge” in education, we often jump straight into discussing

the content of the class. As in, what is the knowledge that we hope students get out
of the lesson, whether it is memorizing dates and places, or understanding how to
write a logical argument. 
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Even before that, however, we ought to understand how it is we gain knowledge and
retain it. Knowledge is not static. It is a process. The best teachers do not simply
just read out what is in the textbook. A child at home can easily do that. The
experience that students and their guardians need to replicate is the process of
learning, grounded in fundamental theories of education.

“Fellows are equipped with the foundations and theories of education, its relevance
today, and what strategies facilitate effective teaching and learning,” says Clarissa.
“Along with adaptive leadership principles and a deepened understanding of the
community that we serve, we are prepared to make a lasting impact in the Philippine
public school education system.”
 THE
FUTURE OF EDUCATION Students of Bacjawan Sur Elementary school sharing a single laptop for
their class, photo taken before the pandemic

Students and guardians should engage in dialogue with teaching professionals not
simply about the content of a lesson, but on how to approach learning. There are
also articles and resources online that discuss how we learn.

Skills

Modern, technology-enabled communication is at the forefront of distance learning.

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“With the changing landscape of Philippine public school education, we redesigned

our Summer Institute to equip our Teacher Fellows with the necessary skills to
respond to the challenges we face,” says Clarissa. “Lessons on how to adapt to
teaching through alternative delivery modes were included to effectively reach and
teach our students. This includes sessions on how to effectively use radio or audio
and video instruction, basic phone photography and videography, and online tools to
design instructional materials.”

The Department of Education (DepEd) constantly stresses the importance of

21st century skills in the K to 12 curriculum, including information, media, and
technology skills. Unfortunate a circumstance as this is, distance learning provides
an opportunity for teachers and their students to learn and practice such skills.
Beyond the textbooks and worksheets that a student will be given, there are
limitless resources available online. It is important for students to learn not only
how to look for information online, but also how to be discerning as they sift
through the Internet.

Mindsets

Perhaps the most important thing for teachers, students, guardians, and all of us
Filipinos right now is to constantly check in on our mindset. Many of the educational
issues we are now discussing have existed before the health crisis, which has
exacerbated our situation.

“The Covid-19 crisis emphasized existing challenges that have strengthened our
commitment to being part of the solution. We remain focused on the mission to
provide Filipino children with access to quality education,” says Clarissa. “The
knowledge and the stories that we discover by listening to each other and our
communities help us grow stronger. We will persevere and adapt to any challenge
as we navigate through them together with courage and kindness.”

“I want to take a moment to realistically acknowledge that our situation and these
times will only get harder still. We have neither certainty nor concrete answers,” the
TFP founder adds. “We recognize that we cannot make everyone happy with all of
our decisions, but rest assured that we continue to use our core values as our
guiding principles for our decisions. Our values speak of belonging, curiosity,
excellence, integrity, respect, and service. This is our accountability to each other
and the communities we serve.”

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