Final Curriculum Unit

Fatima Soto

Northern Illinois University

 Learning Theories of a Future Educator

My k-12 education was provided by the Illinois public school system. Up until the third

grade I attended a Chicago public school, and in 1993 my family moved to the suburbs which

allowed me to attend a noticeably higher funded institution. I went from an overly crowded

classroom to one where the teacher was able to spend more time with individual students.

Regardless of the resources that each school had, it was evident that most of my teachers were

Behaviorists.

I recall going through the curriculum with our teachers being in the front of the class and

going over our textbooks. When it was time to switch subjects, then we would switch textbooks.

Time to time, students would be able to participate in an educational activity, but the majority of

the knowledge being recited to us was in a behaviorist fashion. As an adult, I look back at my

education and I do not think it was that bad. I would actually consider it above average. I

finished high school feeling accomplished and satisfied with the education I had received. Now

that I have the possibility of becoming an educator, I realize that my experience only speaks one

truth. My classmates might not feel as positive as I do in regards to how curriculum was taught

at Conant High School. The education field has become more open to new methods of teaching

and as a current educator in student affairs and a future classroom educator I find myself

agreeing more with John Deweys theories, but at the same time I cannot completely let go of my

Behaviorist ways.

Behaviorism is a classic method to teach students and in certain settings it might be my

best choice. In an auditorium full of one hundred colleagues or students it is not practical to

arrange everyone in groups and have them conduct an experiment. It is also unrealistic to make

myself available to each student in with limited time. Smaller audiences would be ideal but they
are currently not realistic, so the behaviorist technique continues. Besides large classrooms some

material is easier to teach using Behaviorism. History, for example, is seen as dates and events

that need to be memorized. The reality today is that public school instructors have to cover

certain material in a certain amount of time. When resources and time are limited it is no wonder

that Behaviorism is still a relevant learning theory.

Piagets learning theory makes logical sense to a certain extent. Humans have physical

developmental stages, so it makes sense that our educational development is done in stages as

well. As an educator I would not present material to a three year old as I would to a ten year old

or a fifteen year old. These students comprehension levels are not the same. I agree with Piaget

that a human immediately begins trying to make sense of their surroundings. I cannot fully

support Piagets learning theory because it is very individualistic. I believe learning is impacted

by our social surroundings. Even when a baby is learning their parents have an influence on its

educational development.

As an educator John Deweys learning theory relates the most to my teaching style. I can

read instructions on how to change a flat tire, I can see numerous YouTube videos, but it is not

until I do the action that I truly learn how to change a flat tire. I make a connection during that

one experience for future references. If I made a mistake the first time, I will probably be less

likely to repeat that mistake the second time I change a flat tire. I can also apply my previous

experience to changing tires in other vehicles since there might need to be alterations to the

process depending on the vehicle. Deweys learning theory works best when classroom size is

not overwhelming and resources are available. Experiences do not need to be extravagant. They

do, however, need to offer reflexive thought.

 Overall I do not fully support any of these theories. As much as I dislike Behaviorism I

do this it is practical and I cannot disagree with it completely because I was an outcome of

Behaviorism. John Deweys theory is the most acceptable because it acknowledges the

influences that are made from our surroundings. I think that regardless of how much we try to

ignore things, events and people, they still impact our experiences and as a result impact our

learning.
 Transformative Learning in Student Services

Life experiences have the ability to shape the way we think and how we act towards

others. The years as an undergraduate student are significant because students are trying to

figure out who they are and how they fit into their social groups. Personalities evolve and

attitudes take on a more mature perspective. The field of higher education is enticing because as

faculty, staff and administrators we are able to witness the changes in our students and on our

campuses. As a student affairs professional, I view a students college career as a great example

of transformative learning. Before students step foot onto their schools campus they have

already transformed their ideas of what college will be and what they will become upon

graduating.

Transformative Learning Theory was first publicized by Jack Mezirow in 1978.

Mezirow took a psychocritical approach to this adult learning theory and stated that

transformative learning is a process individuals use to make sense of life experiences (Taylor,

2008). Experiences can be an array of events, both informal and formal. For example, being

diagnosed with a disease, a close family member dying, living in a different country and

attending an LGBTQ event as an ally. Mezirows approach to transformational learning focuses

more on the individual than on social groups. He believes that transformational learning occurs

when there is a transformation in one of our beliefs or attitudes, or a transformation in our entire

perspective (Merriam, Caffarella & Baumgartner, 2007, p.133). Taylors article provides an

example of a woman believing her home country was the superior to any other and people in

other countries lived a similar daily life to her own.

After traveling to Europe she realized daily life was quite different and she was exposed

to different language, art, history and music. After her experience she viewed her home country
in a different perspective (Taylor, 2008). This example can be broken down into Mezirows four

main concepts of transformative learning, which are experience, critical reflection, reflective

discourse and action (Merriam et al., 2007). When the woman travels to Europe, she already has

a frame of thought of the United States. Her exposure to European culture is her experience and

she begins to see the difference between the two. She critically reflects on her experiences and

begins to change the way she originally viewed her home country. In the example, she claims

Americans are sheltered to other cultures. Her reflective discourse happens when she debates

her thoughts of her previous and post thoughts of the United States. She might question why it

has taken her so long to realize other countries offer rich cultures. Although not stated in the

example, her actions will also need to occur in order for her to use transformative learning.

Perhaps the woman learns a new language, or joins cultural groups when she returns to the

United States.

There are also other perspectives of transformative learning. Psychoanalytical and

psychodevelopmental are two perspectives that, like Mezirow, view transformative learning as

an individual process (Taylor, 2008). They both see learning as a lifelong process. The

psychoanalytical approach uses reflection of psychic structures in order to understand oneself.

The psychodevelopmental approach considers relationships and believes teachers can serve as

mentors and help guide development (Merriam et al., 2007). A third major concept of

transformative learning is social-emancipatory. Unlike the previous approaches, social-

emancipatory takes into account social groups. It views people as subjects who are trying to

learn how to live in an equitable society (Taylor, 2008). With time other perspectives of

transformative learning have been introduced such as neurobiological, cultural-spiritual, race-

centric and planetary.

 I believe that as student affairs professional, working in student services, it is my

obligation to guide students towards their success. My personal belief is that college assists

students to evolve not only academically but also personally and professionally. Students are

being exposed to new and different perspectives on various issues. The goal of a successful

college career is not only to obtain a degree, but also to challenge social dynamics, the business

world and to continue to learn as one makes progress through life. More and more, we see non-

traditional students enrolling in college courses. Specifically, in community colleges where the

average student age tends to be in the mid-20s, it makes sense to apply an adult learning theory

such as transformative learning. Students who are returning to school are coming with many

frames of thoughts about their previous experience. A student who was previously doing poorly

in their classes could possibly return to school with the idea that they are not meant for

academics. With proper facilitation and guidance this student can quickly realize that their new

perspective of how well they can do in school. Perhaps they were not prepared with the proper

resources or just now is realizing they have a learning disability. As previously stated,

transformative learning can be seen as a lifelong journey through the psychodevelopmental

approach (Taylor, 2008). What is gained in college should be useful knowledge for life.

Both faculty and staff can be facilitators through transformative learning for its students.

Most of my experience with students is in their middle to end phases at the community college. I

assist them once they are already enrolled and when they are ready to transfer to a 4-year

university or to enter the workforce. Initiative and encouragement is required to offer students

learning experiences. These can be found in study abroad programs, organizations and clubs,

campus events and volunteer opportunities. As a future college instructor encouragement to

vocalize prior student experiences and perspectives will be the first step towards transformative

learning. Also inspire students to be hands-on with their learning.

As my career goals have shifted to the administration side of higher education, it is

evident that learning theories can still be applied to my current and future position.

Transformative learning theory is applicable to student affairs because it concentrates on

personal experiences to promote learning.

 References

Merriam, S., Caffarella, R., & Baumgartner, L. (2007). Learning in adulthood: A comprehensive

Guide. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Taylor, E. (2008). Transformative learning theory. New Directions for Adult and Continuing

Education, 119, 5-14. doi: 10.1002/ace.301

 Assignment Title Campus Diversity Event

Designated Time One month to complete

Assignment Objectives

Explore and become more knowledgeable in campus organizations.

Acknowledge the diversity (or lack of) on the campus.
Fully submerge in a cultural group that one does not belong to and reflect on inner
feelings and thoughts.
Have the ability to participate and learn from a different cultural group without
ethnocentric views.

Materials Needed

Students may choose their own material in order to showcase their experience and reflective
thoughts. PowerPoint, Prezi, etc.

Overview

Students will volunteer/participate/attend an event hosted by a campus organization.

Involvement does not need to be done face-to-face. If preferred, students may participate in the
cultural group via Skype, FaceTime, email, etc. However, participation needs to be sufficient
enough to provide reflective thoughts about your experience. The organization must represent a
cultural group which the student does not belong to. The student will then share their initial
feelings, experience and reflective feelings.
Which group did you select? Why?
How did existing members of the group react to your participation/attendance?
Explain your experience
Do you feel you learned anything from that cultural group?
How did you feel after the event? Would you do it again? Why or why not?
Assessment

Excellent Above Average Below Average -

Average Missing
Content Participated in Participated in Participated in Participated in a cultural
group with 2+ group with 2+ group with 1 group which student
cultural cultural cultural difference. already belongs to.
differences. differences. Took an active role Did not partake in student
Took an active Took an active in org. event. event/activity, only
role in exclusive role in org. event. Descriptive attended the planned
org. event. Descriptive summary of event. event/meeting.
Descriptive summary of Short summary of
summary of events & why experience.
events & why certain org was
certain or was chosen.
chosen
Reflection Provided detailed Provided detailed Provided basic Provided no reflection of
reflection of reflection of reflection of activity/reflect.
experience. Gave experience. Gave activity. I felt Did not include inner
several reasons as reasons as to why good because, feelings and/or thoughts.
to why student student might I felt bad
might have have experienced because
experiences feelings. Detailed
feelings using reaction of org
formal sources. members.
Detailed reaction
of organization
members and
possible
justifications.
Visual 2+ items obtained At least 1item At least 1 visual No visual prompts to
Presentation from experience obtained during item that was demonstrate experience.
AND 1 self- experience AND obtained during
created visual 1 self-created experience and not
(poster, flyer, visual (poster, self-created.
PowerPoint) flyer, PowerPoint,
appealing to etc)
audience. Visual
includes various
sources (audio,
YouTube, live
performance, role
play, etc.)
Oral Projected voice Audience did not Audience was able Audience not able to hear
Delivery for all to clearly express any to hear entire voice
hear speaker. difficulty in presentation with Delivery was not clear
Audience was hearing speaker. little to no Left audience with many
interested, Audience was difficulty. unanswered questions.
actively listening, interested. Audience was
interactive and Provoked thought interested and
provoked among audience. understood
thought. Presentation was presentation.
completely
understood.
 Curriculum Unit Reflection

The exact same information given to two people can be perceived in different ways.

Each persons prior knowledge, experiences and abilities will affect how they understand, retain

and apply that information. If it can be this difficult to accomplish a goal with two pupils, one

can only imagine how difficult this task will be when presenting the same information to a

classroom of 20 students. Yet, every day we expect our educators to accomplish this goal. As

an individual who has not been responsible for instructing and assessing students, this was not an

easy undertaking.

I imagined myself to be the instructor of an Introduction to College course. My primary

goal was to prepare freshmen year students for their college career. I wanted them to become

responsible of their thoughts and actions. Transitioning from high school, home school, home or

work to a college environment can be exciting and scary. When I first created my lessons and

assessments I assumed one thing; that every student in my classroom wanted to be there.

Unfortunately, this is not the case. For some, it might be a requirement or a class that was taken

to meet a class schedule standard. I did not take into consideration that I might encounter some

resistance. I failed to think about what I would do if students did not engage in the activities and

assignments. I cannot assume that every student will be excited and willing to participate.

Students might have daily distractions, obligations or they might simply not see the relevance in

my lessons.

When creating the self-awareness journal assignment I wanted to encourage my students

to think about who they were and what had influences their current perspectives and positions in

life. I had hoped that students would take the opportunity, in this assignment, to evolve in more

self-aware people. Although, I perceived this assignment to be very informal and unstructured, I
realized I did not give much liberty to my students to explore their thoughts. Instead of

providing topics for each journal entry, I would recommend topics but encourage students to

discuss whatever they would prefer. I cannot assume that all students are ready to share their

personal thoughts and stories. Also, some students might communicate better through drawings,

poetry or musical lyrics. I believe that by allowing my students to choose how they best

communicate, it will motivate them to do the assignment and create more in depth journal

entries.

Working in a community college has given me the opportunity to see the diverse

population of students seeking an education. I am aware that all students on a college campus do

not have the luxury of only focusing on their studies. There are college students who have part-

time or full-time jobs, children, married and/or other responsibilities besides their academics.

For some students, going to class is struggle enough. I have worked with students who rely on

public transportation to get to class. Regrettably, my campus diversity event assignment did not

consider these possibilities. Expecting my students to take extra time out of their day to

participate in an extra-curricular activity can be seen unreasonable for some. It is possible for

students to get involved without being physical present. In the future, I would allow students to

come up with suggestions on how they think they could get involved on campus. Another

change I would make to this assignment is to already have some suggestions available for my

students. Again, these are students in their first semester classes and college can seem

overwhelming. I would provide resources such as contact, department offices and numbers to

give them guidance on how to complete the assignment.

The most difficult thing an educator has to overcome is when in-classroom activities do

not go as planned. Students are not always going to come to class excited and willing to express
their ideas. Many factors can alter their feelings throughout the day, and educators have to roll

with the punches. If students are not engaged in the activity, it would be advisable to leave that

activity for another day and pursue a different route. I think it is imperative to have a plan B and

a plan C. Another alteration I would make to my lesson plan is to present the tentative daily

agenda to the classroom and get their input. Including their thoughts will make them feel more

in control on what they are learning.

A vital aspect of being a good educator is to continue to evolve. We should accept our

shortcomings and revise what needs improvement. Student populations change all the time. We

must be able to provide a high level education which stimulates students to not only gain

knowledge, but to also question it. We cannot expect to do the same thing over and over again,

while our students vary every year, every semester, and every classroom.