Reflect on your personal theoretical stance and how this is evidenced in your practice.

Beach, Appleman, Fecho, Simon, Hynds, and Wilhelm (2011, pp. 6-9) outline three primary theories of learning – Transmission Theories, Student-centered Theory, and Socio-cultural Learning Theory.

I certainly disagree with the practices associated with Transmission theories, especially in the literature space. Simply ‘knowing’ things about literature ignores the magic of reading and the many ways that different people experience different stories. Furthermore, it is hard enough already to get kids motivated to learn without forcing ‘knowledge’ down their throats. Students must have more of a say in what and how they learn, otherwise, it’s an uphill battle!

So, I like to think a mixture of Student-centered Theory and Socio-cultural Theory is a better way to go. We need to rejig school work so that students have more choice in the what and the how, and ensure that they have a chance to collaborate, communicate and learn with their peers.

In my current role as a Library SSO, I don’t do any ‘teaching’. Therefore, it is difficult to note how my theoretical stance plays out in practice. Simply reflecting here, though, means that if I took some small groups to examine literature, I would put on my student-focussed, socio-cultural glasses when planning.

Reference

Beach, R., Appleman, D., Fecho, B., Simon, R., Hynds, S., & Wilhelm, J. (2011). Teaching literature to adolescents. Retrieved from ProQuest Ebook Central.