Running head: Constructivism in Education: A Positionality Statement 1

Constructivism in Education: A Positionality Statement

Jason Hayward
Northern Illinois University
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As I reflect on my conception of teaching and learning, I am reminded of the poem

"When I Heard The Learn'd Astronomer" by Walt Whitman. In this poem, the narrator expresses

his discontent with his teachers lecture-style of teaching, in which the teacher occupies the role

of the classroom "expert" and the students are expected to passively absorb information from the

teacher. The poem goes,

When I heard the learnd astronomer, / When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in

columns before me, / When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and

measure them, / When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much

applause in the lecture-room, / How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick, / Till

rising and gliding out I wanderd off by myself, / In the mystical moist night-air, and

from time to time, / Lookd up in perfect silence at the stars.

What I love most about this poem is the narrators desire to construct his own learning and

understanding of astronomy by leaving the classroom and looking up at the night sky. This poem

argues for a rejection of the "Banking Concept" of education, as famously articulated by Paulo

Friere, in Pedagogy of The Oppressed, in favor of a constructivist pedagogy that encourages

students to construct their own meaning by actively engaging with the world around them.

In May of 2013, I graduated from Illinois State University with a degree in Secondary

English Education. Shortly after this, I accepted my first teaching position at Dwight High

School in Dwight, Illinois. In this position, I taught freshman and junior level English and

literature courses. During my time at Illinois State University, I embraced a philosophy of a

student-centered, constructivist pedagogy.

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In my approach to education, the role of the teacher is to be a facilitator of learning,

rather than the sole producer of knowledge in the classroom. It is my belief that students learn

best when they are able to apply new information to their prior knowledge and past experiences

in a way that is most relevant to them. Students benefit most when they are encouraged to learn

from each other and develop their own quests for truth and meaning.

A constructivist approach to education promotes critical thinking, which I believe is the

most important skill for citizens of a democracy. It is my belief that we educate for the purpose

of building a better, more-equal democracy for all citizens, regardless of race, gender, class, or

sexual orientation. The success and sustainability of any democracy depends on having a well-

educated citizenry, capable of critical thinking and making informed decisions about the

candidates and policies they support. Therefore, it is one role of the educator to help cultivate a

stronger democracy by teaching students to critically examine the world around them.

Constructive education has the power to transform students and their communities. By

promoting skills, such as critical thinking, teamwork, and self-direction, this concept of

education can benefit students of all ages and help them be successful in all of their future

endeavors.