Pedagogy
The majority of my students, except those in the Advanced Placement class, are still at what Jean Piaget called the concrete-operational stage. They cannot think abstractly and do not understand what can be inferred from a written, or visual text. This stage occurs when the child is able to solve concrete problems. It is the time when he displays a logic based on a situation he can see, touch or hear. My goal is to move my students from this initial stage to the formal-operational one in which they are able to solve abstract problems. This means the students can infer, and can develop theories and concerns about the social world surrounding him/her. At this stage the students are able to think hypothetically and reason deductively. The formal-operational thinker can identify general principles or use specific observations to identify a solution or a new theory. This goal cannot be achieved at the end of a single unit since it requires a long and consistent planning path primarily oriented to the formal-operational thinking process. This unit reflects just the beginning of a process that is consistently reinforced throughout the year.
In planning all my units, I also take into consideration Lev Vygotsky's theory – endorsed by the Connecticut Department of Education and the New Haven School District -- that the teacher has to assist and guide the students in their learning experience. This theory requires continuous scaffolding – giving information, prompts, reminders, and allowing the students to gain ownership of their learning. It is particularly important for this unit, which is based on critical thinking, because my students would never follow me, if I did not empower them.
In addition to guiding the students' learning through scaffolding, Vygotsky theorizes that the teacher needs to determine the "zone of proximal development" at the onset of every new learning segment. This is the level at which a student cannot solve the problem or do things alone because he does not know how. That is the point at which real learning occurs, and when the teacher is needed to guide the student to the solution of the problem. It is only at this level that the learning is directed by the teacher who models appropriate strategies to meet the goal, and guides the students in their use of strategies. It is also important to plan a consistent repetition of the task making students aware of the specific strategies they are using to achieve a degree of autonomy in learning independently.
Piaget's and Vygotsky's theories support all the strategies I implement, but my unit takes into account Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences as well. Gardner's theory states that there are separate abilities, but that there are connections among them. My students offer a clear example of his theory. I have students with a specific musical talent who have logical-mathematical skills because they are able to handle long chains of reasoning. I have dancers who have also interpersonal skills since they are able to respond appropriately to the moods, desires, and motivations of other students. I have many students in the AP and College classes who have a clear intrapersonal intelligence but also have capacities to perceive the visual-spatial world, or have a particular sensitivity for the meanings of words, sounds, and language in general. The concept of different intelligences is extremely important in teaching and can never be minimized. All individuals are different, and have different and multiple intelligences because they can excel in one or more disciplines or areas.
My unit is based on the cultivation of all these capabilities. As an educator, I feel the responsibility to prepare my students for the community they will live in and in a broader sense for our society. The multiple-intelligences theory allows me to approach my unit goals in a variety of ways. I can spend a significant amount of time on generating ideas or essential questions by asking each student to use what he/she already knows in his/her art in order to make him/her understand how to see details, to infer what the image may refer to, and finally draw conclusion about what they see. Gardner's theory offers me the possibility to introduce the principle of differentiation because I will use music, drawing, dance, creative writing, and theater while leading my students to understand how details are relevant in the analysis of a text. I intend to apply Gardner's theory to scaffold these skills and to challenge them to understand what and how each author or artist sees the reality around him/her.
Cognitive Theory
Beyond what classical pedagogy suggests in teaching, differentiated instruction has become the most important tool I implement as a teacher because of the heterogeneity of all my classes. The support for this new flexibility comes from Robert J. Steinberg, professor of Psychology, who confirms that each student has a well-defined style of thinking. While this might seem irrelevant to teaching, it confirms that "the individual preference for using abilities" has to be taken in serious consideration because it helps students achieve the learning objectives.
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The individual differences do not derive from an ability in itself but from the thinking style each person prefers. In education, these "styles of thought are important" because they contribute to the enhancement of the motivation the students need in order to complete a task and learn. It is clear that in class, students have their specific preferences and abilities. My job is to facilitate and coordinates their preferences and needs so they can feel rewarded while achieving the stated goals.