Learning theories and their educational applications

¶ … learning theories you selected.

I chose social constructivism and critical pedagogy.

I have always been fascinated by social constructivism for it enables me to see that much of what I take for granted has, in reality, been shaped by a constantly evolving and developing process of cultural interpretation. As Berger and Luckmann (1996) have explained in their 'Social construction of reality', we are shaped by our cultural perspectives and internalizations but then, in turn, certain individuals act in certain ways that may be different to the cultural norms of the time, and, by doing so, they slightly change cultural perspective. In a dialectic twist, the evolved culture continues on its way shaping interpretations, perspective, and behavior of all those born into that specific culture, ethnicity, and race.

As compared to nursing, I have noticed that many fads that were once common, no longer exist. This not only refers to different psychotherapeutic methods that have faded out of popularity, but also buzz words such as neurosis, hysteria, insanity and so forth. Psychotic illnesses that once troubled the healing community, such as homosexuality, have also become constructed into different ways. Seeing this helps me assume a more open-minded view to the so-called 'ill' or 'insane' patient and keep in mind that whilst he may need to be helped, his condition is not carved in stone. In another generation or two, some scientists may come along and redefine his condition so that he or she will be considered a completely healthy being.

As an example in kind, I would like to refer to the condition of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). As Bjorklund (2006) indicates it is a perplexing condition with many more questions than answers and various conundrums. One of its perplexities is why women seem to suffer from BPD more than men do by a ratio of 3:1 Bjorklund argues that we can understand BPD better by realizing that, akin to as so many other psychosocial diseases, its diagnosis and description rests on cultural histories. She also insists that nurses must understand this dynamic in order to proffer competent care.

The instance of BPD can be extended to numerous other instances. Realizing that personality disorders have cultural histories can help nurses become more emphatic, open-minded, and less rigid in their approach.

Critical pedagogy has connotations that are similar to social constructionism in that it also attempts to make the individual reflect on and critique his learning and come to the assumption that many of his or her ways of thinking are socially formed. The primary difference with critical pedagogy, however, is that it orbits around the concept of 'oppression' arguing that certain powerful individuals in society have placed themselves on top and, by doing so, demoted others to subservient, inferior positons by categlorizingt them with erroneous, humiliating constructs. Instances here extend to social treatment of minority races, homosexuals, and women, and groups, accordingly, that have an interest in critical theory and are involved in disseminating its tents include postmodernism, feminism, anti-racism, post-colonialism, and queer theory.