Constructivism is it for your classroom?
You ask me what is constructivism in the classroom? Well it is not a new concept that has just crept in. Constructivism has been around since the turn of the century. You say well who believes this type of education will work? John Dewey, the Father of American Education, was one of the first people to believe that education was a social process. Jean Piaget believed that children construct their own knowledge of the world around them. Lev Vygotsky believed that learning takes place within the child’s social development and culture. Jerome Bruner established the 3 principles of instruction, which were, readiness, spiral organization, and going beyond the information given. All these people contributed to constructivism. Well, then you ask the question how is a constructivist classroom different from a traditional classroom? Children construct new understandings using what they already know and this prior knowledge influences what new or modified knowledge they will construct from new learning experiences. Students learn from active engagement rather than passive engagement. They may need different experiences to reach higher levels of understanding. Students primarily work ion groups and are viewed as thinkers. The curriculum is presented in whole part with emphasis on big concepts. Teachers are no longer direct instruction but guide the instruction. Well, then what are the pros and cons? The pros are that children often like it when they are a part of the process of making decisions, a higher level of thinking occurs, children like hands-on activities, and children feel a sense of ownership rather than just being told something. The cons are that people believe that learning is based on the children’s ability to discover new knowledge, teachers may not take responsibility for poor learning, and it may lead students to take a majority rules attitude rather than an individual approach to decision making. Teachers roles in constructivism are to assist and guide, encourage, ask the right questions, and offer opinions and choices. The student’s role in constructivism is to become problem solvers, engage in experiments, and discuss idea with the teacher. In constructivism the learners construct their own meaning and it can be assessed by formative assessment. So, there you have it! Constructivism in a nut shell! Malorie Wooten
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AuthorMy name is Malorie Wooten and I Love Teaching 2nd Grade! Archives
April 2018
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