Demonstrate knowledge of pedagogical approaches.

5 Pedagogical Approaches in Teaching

Teachers primary concern are the learners. They have to teach in order for their students to learn something. They use some tools in teaching such as books, visuals, and any other suitable materials. However, teaching is not as easy as that because they also have to be aware of the 5 Pedagogical Approaches which can enhance the process of learning.

The Five 5 Pedagogical Approaches in Teaching are:

1. Constructivism or the Constructivist Approach

2. Collaborative Approach

3. Inquiry-Based Approach

4. Integrative Approach

5. Reflective Approach

Constructivism or Constructivist Approach

Constructivist teaching is based on constructivist learning theory. It based on the belief that learning occurs as learners are actively involved in a process of meaning and knowledge construction as opposed to passively receiving information. Learners are the makers of meaning and knowledge.

Constructivism is a theory that people learn through experiences and reflection. A Constructivist pedagogy puts the child at the center of the learning, and is sometimes called ‘invisible pedagogy’. A constructivist approach would incorporate project work, inquiry-based learning, and might adopt a Montessori or Steiner method.

What does a constructivism pedagogical approach look like in a classroom?

Constructivism is based on the pedagogical research of Piaget (1896-1890). Piaget wrote extensively about ‘schemas’, an idea that learners come ready to learn, and the teacher must build activities to facilitate their learning. Younger children work things through physically, whereas older children tackle symbolic and abstract ideas.

A lesson might include individualization, a slower pace, hidden outcomes, the mantle of the expert, and less teacher talk. Some adopters of this pedagogy would also place emphasis on being outdoors, and engaging with nature.

Constructivism is also sometimes described as a progressive teaching style.

 Social constructivism

A Social constructivism pedagogy could be considered to be a blend of two priorities: teacher-guided, and student-centered. Cognitive psychologist, Lev Vygotsky developed social constructivism, building on the work of Piaget, but argued against the ideas of Piaget that learning could only happen in its social context, and believed that learning was a collaborative process between student and teacher.

What would a social constructivism approach look like in a lesson?

The teacher would use group work elements but would use smaller group sizes, and limit the choice in topics. The teacher might also use teacher modeling, questioning, and a mixture of individual, pair, and whole-class instruction.

Collaborative Approach

Collaborative learning is a situation in which two or more people learn or attempt to learn something together. Unlike individual learning, people engaged in collaborative learning capitalize on one another's resources and skills (asking one another for information, evaluating one another's ideas, monitoring one another's work, etc.).More specifically, collaborative learning is based on the model that knowledge can be created within a population where members actively interact by sharing experiences and take on asymmetry roles.

Inquiry-Based Approach

Inquiry-based learning (also enquiry-based learning in British English) is a form of active learning that starts by posing questions, problems or scenarios—rather than simply presenting established facts or portraying a smooth path to knowledge. The process is often assisted by a facilitator. Inquirers will identify and research issues and questions to develop their knowledge or solutions. Inquiry-based learning includes problem-based learning and is generally used in small scale investigations and projects, as well as research. The inquiry-based instruction is principally very closely related to the development and practice of thinking skills.

Integrative Approach

Integrative learning is a learning theory describing a movement toward integrated lessons helping students make connections across curricula. This higher education concept is distinct from the elementary and high school "integrated curriculum" movement. Integrated studies involve bringing together traditionally separate subjects so that students can grasp a more authentic understanding. Interdisciplinary curricula have been shown by several studies to support students’ engagement and learning. Specifically integrating science with reading comprehension and writing lessons has been shown to improve students’ understanding in both science and English language arts.

Reflective Approach

Reflective teaching is a process where teachers think over their teaching practices, analyzing how something was taught and how the practice might be improved or changed for better learning outcomes. Some points of consideration in the reflection process might be what is currently being done, why it's being done and how well students are learning. You can use reflection as a way to simply learn more about your own practice, improve a certain practice (small groups and cooperative learning, for example) or to focus on a problem students are having. Let's discuss some methods of reflective teaching now.

The different pedagogical approaches could be broken down into four categories: behaviorism, constructivism, social constructivism, and liberationist.

1. Behaviourism

A behaviorist pedagogy uses the theory of behaviorism to inform its approach. A behaviorist pedagogical approach would say learning is teacher-centered. It would advocate the use of direct instruction, and lecture-based lessons.

What does a behaviorism pedagogical approach look like in a classroom?

The theory of Behaviourism in a classroom setting came from pedagogical research by Thorndike (1911), Pavlov (1927) and Skinner (1957). Behaviorist pedagogy is the theory that the teacher should be the sole authority figure and leads the lesson. Knowledge should be delivered in a curriculum where each subject is taught discretely (as opposed to topic-based learning, for example).

In a lesson using a behaviorist pedagogical approach, you could expect to see a mixture of lecturing, modeling and demonstration, rote learning, and choral repetition. All of these activities are ‘visible’ and structured, as well as being led by the teacher.  However, during the course of the lesson, the shift may come where the student is the center of the activity and demonstrates their learning.

Behaviourism is also sometimes described as a traditional teaching style.