TEDU201 Teaching, Learning and Assessment

Assignment
Due Date:

Friday 8th May 2015, at 11.55pm

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Submit electronically on LEARN

Student Name: Jocasta Neale

Student Number: 81832568

Word Count (excluding citations & references): 1776

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Student's Name: _Jocasta Neale_______________

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Date: ___8/05/15_____

There are many differences and similarities between the behaviourist and sociocultural views
of learning. This essay will describe and compare these in relation to how each define
learning, the role of the childs immediate social context and the classroom social content as
well as the approaches to conducting and interpreting assessment for and of learning. This
essay will also explore how these views on learning may be applied in a primary school
context.
How is learning defined?
Behavioural scientists believe that in order for a scientific study to take place, research must
be limited to only things which are observable and measurable (O'Toole, Grimley, FoxTurnbull & De Vocht, 2015). Therefore, behaviourists define learning as a behaviour change
as a result of an experience (OToole et al., 2015). A behaviour is changed due to a response
given to the behaviour (OToole et al., 2015). If the response if negative, then the behaviour
is more likely to be discouraged, whereas a positive response reinforces the behaviour,
encouraging the behaviour to be repeated (OToole, 2015). For example, a child calls out in
class and gets told off by the teacher. The telling off is a punishment to the action of calling
out, which will dissuade the child from calling out again.
Socioculturalists take a different approach to learning, where a child in a classroom sees other
children raising their hands to answer a question and notices the teacher supporting this
behaviour, so follows their lead and also raises their hand to answer the question.
Socioculturalists place more emphasis on the people within the surrounding environment as
the key factor of learning (OToole et al., 2015) and believe that children actively construct
and create their own knowledge (Santrock, 2014). People around the child who are more
knowledgeable help the childs knowledge to grow through facilitating their learning (de
Vocht, 2015).
Society and the cultural environment is believed to play a big part in a childs learning as the
childs development is inseparable from the activities completed within the society (Smith,
2013). Children observe and follow their parents, peers and other members of the social
group and internally learn the correct way of being and become able to pass it down to the
next generation cognition and physical tools that they have learnt (OToole et al., 2015).
These people share meaning through interactions that pass along to the child, transforming
the childs knowledge and meaning attached to the subject (OToole et al., 2015). The idea of
self-regulated behaviour can also be contributed to socioculturalism, as in order to become a
self-regulator, we must take note of how our environment reacts to our behaviour and adapt
to fit the requirements (OToole et al., 2015).
Both behaviourism and sociocultural theories conclude that learning is due to response from
the learners environment (OToole et al., 2015). Socioculturalists believe children bring
characteristics into a situation and the response they receive initiates change or reinforcement
(OToole et al., 2015). Similarly, in behaviourism, children have a prior behaviour that is
changed due to an outside response (OToole et al., 2015). Behaviourist have more specific
stimuli to cause the response (OToole et al., 2015). In contrast, the sociocultural view focus
on more general factors that support learning such as the social and cultural environment (de
Vocht, 2015).

Both of these views agree that learning does not happen in stages like what was argued earlier
by psychologists such as Piaget (OToole et al., 2015). Instead, behaviourism and
sociocultural theories believe learning is continuous and occurs constantly and continuously
rather than in steps and stages (Santrock, 2014). Learning is fluid and always occurring due
to the environment always surrounding the child (Santrock, 2014).
Sociocultural theory suggests teachers are facilitators of the learners, who help to coconstruct the knowledge. Teacher and student are equals among the learning community (de
Vocht, 2015). Behaviourist believe the teacher manages the learning, it is their response the
forms the behaviour change, therefore it is the teachers responsibility (OToole et al., 2015).

What is the role of the childs immediate social context and classroom social context?
Both theories agree that environment is influential in a childs learning (OToole et al., 2015).
The environment determines what behaviours, characteristics and knowledge is acceptable
and what is not. Bronfenbrenner (as cited in OToole et al., 2015) has created a system that
shows the proximity to a child in relation to the effect the area has on the child. The
microsystem is the area closest to the child, while not being part of the child. It includes
family, school, peer groups, neighbours and religious groups and so on (OToole et al., 2015).
This microsystem is the area touching the child, therefore influencing the child (OToole et
al., 2015). Both behavioural scientists and socioculturalists agree that this microsystem has a
direct effect on the learning of the child, but the role of this context differs between the two
theories (OToole et al., 2015).
Socioculturalists believe the childs immediate social context is extremely influential on the
childs learning (OToole et al., 2015). The social context and the classroom context, or the
microsystem, is full of people the child will be copying and looking to for approval so the
child is actively building their own knowledge (Smith, 2013). This way the cultural rules and
protocols are passed onto the child (OToole et al., 2015). The teacher, a role which can be
filled by parents, friends, family or the schoolteacher, facilitates the learning rather than
actively constructing the plan for knowledge to be learnt (OToole et al., 2015).
Sociocultural theory indicates the people surrounding the child may not be actively or
consciously passing on the knowledge, instead the meanings or importance of things may be
passed on (OToole et al., 2015). For example, a parent who reads with their child each night
passes on the importance of the reading (OToole et al., 2015). In contrast, behavioural
scientists see the entire microsystem surrounding the child as the childs teachers (OToole et
al., 2015). The child is directly told what is right or wrong through the punishments or praise
the behaviour receives (OToole et al., 2015). According to a behaviourist, behaviours can be
purposefully altered to suit the teacher (OToole, 2015). Behaviourists believe the mind is a
blank slate and as the child grows and develops, the rules and ways of life become written on
the slate as children are taught (OToole et al., 2015).
Both theories believe that there is a high need for the school, or any influential environment
to be positive (OToole, 2015). Behaviourists caution against teaching students to fear or be
nervous of school (OToole et al., 2015). This could occur through the child feeling
embarrassed in front of their peers by not knowing the answers or by feeling bullied in the
school playground (OToole et al., 2015). Children can come to associate such negative

feelings as they endure negative experiences (OToole et al., 2015). Alternatively, positive
feelings can be fostered when a child has positive experiences and come to associate such
feelings within the school or social group (OToole et al., 2015). Socioculturalists agree and
point out that children learn better when they are in mutually warm relationships, as they
want to please and impress these people (OToole et al., 2015). This can include parents,
family/whanau, teachers, or friends and have a stronger influence on children than a passing
acquaintance with no meaning to the child (OToole et al., 2015).
What is the approach to conducting and interpreting assessment of learning and
assessment for learning?
While the wording does not differ much, assessment of learning and assessment for learning
are completely different but are inextricably linked (Wilson, 2015). Assessment of learning
is also known as summative assessment and it occurs at the end of the learning (Wilson,
2015). Summative assessment assess all that the students has learnt by the end of the teaching
(Wilson, 2015). In contrast, assessment for learning is a process where students and teachers
assess throughout the learning as it is an ongoing process (OToole et al., 2015). This is
sometimes called formative assessment. This type of assessment is used so that teachers are
able to adapt and change their lessons when students need extra support or need to be
challenged (OToole et al., 2015). It also gives the students a chance to analyse their learning
and assess their learning strategies before making changes or continuing (Wilson, 2015).
Both these types of assessment work together in order to fully understand the learning of a
student (OToole et al., 2015).
There are many different forms of assessment that can be used for many different purposes.
Formal assessments are planned and generally require students to have time to prepare
(OToole et al., 2015). This assessment has a specific purpose and topic (OToole et al.,
2015). One example of a formative assessment is an exam, as a student has a time set for it,
time to prepare and it generally has a specific topic. The assessment also has the purpose to
find out what a student has learnt such as an end of semester educational psychology exam.
This type of assessment purely looks at what a student has learnt (OToole et al., 2015).
Informal assessment on the other hand is spontaneous and unplanned (OToole et al., 2015).
This may be more sociocultural theory supportive as it is looking at the student within the
environment and assessing them in such a natural state (OToole et al., 2015). This can come
in the form of observations, such as when a teacher notices a student asking lots of questions
and realising the student requires more support (OToole et al., 2015). This form of
assessment is unplanned, therefore unprepared for, so the results can change from day to day
(OToole et al., 2015).
Another type of assessment is standardized tests. These are tests that are completed in a range
of different schools and give a general response to the students achievement compared to
other students in other settings (OToole et al., 2015). Compare this to teacher developed
assessment, where a teacher creates an assessment specific to their classroom and students
(OToole et al., 2015). The second appears to suit a sociocultural view as it supports the idea
that each student learns through their microsystem, so how could you compare two students
with completely different microsystems?

Using the behaviourist theory, formal assessment would be required to occur frequently, as
the only way to know whether something has been learnt or not requires a behaviour change
(OToole et al., 2015). Sociocultural, also has ongoing assessment, although this is more
informal as the way the student is being assessed and given feedback is through the response
of the people within the microsystem (OToole et al., 2015).
How could these two views of learning be applied in teaching in primary school context?
There are lots of ways that the sociocultural theory could be utilised within the primary
school context. One that I observed within my placement was a buddy system. More able
students were paired with less able students and together they worked on mathematics. I saw
a mutual benefit. The less able student was able to observe and follow the more able student,
while the more able student was forced to think about the fundamentals of what they were
doing and orally explain or show the other student how to do the problem. I also so the
growth in the relationship between these two students as they worked together. It showed me
how important the relationship factor was as students who got along mutually benefited more
compared to those who barely talked to each other.
There are also many ways the behaviourist approach can be applied, from assessment right
through to setting up the classroom environment. I think a very important part is making sure
the environment is welcoming and warm. It is important to make sure students dont learn to
be nervous or associate negative feelings towards school, or else they may come to not care
about learning and rather be elsewhere. Students can learn to associate such feelings when
they get humiliated within the classroom, or feel as though they are failing to often (OToole
et al., 2015). As teachers, we need to make an environment that is safe so that our students
get the most out of learning.

Reference List
De Vocht, L. (2015). Narrative assessment [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from
http://learn.canterbury.ac.nz/course/view.php?id=47&section=7
OToole, V. (2015). Behavioural approaches [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from
http://learn.canterbury.ac.nz/course/view.php?id=47&section=7
O'Toole, V., Grimley, M., Fox-Turnbull, W. & De Vocht, L (2015) (Eds.) Teaching, learning
and assessment, Produced for the course TEDU201 Teaching, Learning and
Assessment in 2015, University of Canterbury, 2015
OToole, V. (2015). Behavioural approaches 2 [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from
http://learn.canterbury.ac.nz/course/view.php?id=47&section=7
Santrock, J.W. (2014). Child development. 14th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
Smith, Anne B. (2013). Understanding children and childhood: A New Zealand perspective,
5th ed., Wellington: Bridget Williams Books.
Wilson, S. (2015) Assessment of and for learning with a focus on formative assessment.
[PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://learn.canterbury.ac.nz/
course/view.php?id=47&section=8
Wilson, S. (2015) Purposes of assessment [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from
http://learn.canterbury.ac.nz/course/view.php?id=47&section=8