- Implicit Knowledge and Practice
Even though we don’t consciously remember the names or full explanations of educational theories, our past exposure to them has likely shaped our teaching habits. This is known as implicit knowledge or tacit understanding—skills or insights that we use without being fully aware of them.
For example:
If you differentiate tasks for different learners, you may be applying Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development.
If you connect learning to students’ prior experiences, you might be using constructivist principles (like those of Piaget or Bruner).
If you encourage discovery or student-led learning, that’s aligned with inquiry-based learning or experiential theories (like those of Dewey or Kolb).
We may not be naming these theories—but their essence lives in your methods.
- Learning Becomes Internalized
After 10 years, theories that were once "learned" cognitively may now be internalized into our practical teaching style. This is a natural and desirable outcome of experience. Theories guide action at first—but over time, action becomes fluid, intuitive, and adapted to real classrooms.
This mirrors the "unconscious competence" stage in the stages of learning:
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Unconscious incompetence
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Conscious incompetence
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Conscious competence
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Unconscious competence ← (Where we are now)
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Theories Are Not Meant to Be Memorized
The goal of studying educational theories is not to remember names like Piaget, Skinner, or Freire forever, but to transform how you think and teach. If your teaching has improved, and if you’re more reflective, responsive, or effective, then the theories have done their job—even if you forget them consciously.
4. Still, Reconnecting Could Be Powerful
That said, revisiting those theories now could bring new insights. With our current classroom experience, the theories might make even more sense and feel more relevant