ConstructivismAshley Group 7

Key People

Jean Piaget (1896-1980) Children are active learners and do not

need motivation from adults to learn.

Key People

Jerome Bruner (1915- ) Learning is an active process in which

the learner constructs new ideas or concepts based on his current or past knowledge.

Key People

Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) Learning is influenced significantly by

social development.

John Dewey

Learning should engage and expand the experiences of the learners.

Piaget’s four cognitive stages

▪ Sensorimotor: Learning takes place through a child’s senses and motor actions.

▪ Preoperational: Children begin to use symbols and images to learn.

▪ Concrete operational: Children begin to think logically.

▪ Formal operational: Children are able to formulate a hypothesis and understand cause and effect.

(Piaget)Adaption, Assimilation and Accommodation

Adaption is a child's cognitive understanding at any given time. Assimilation is what is perceived in the outside world is incorporated

into the internal world. Accommodation is when the internal world has to accommodate

itself to the evidence with which it is confronted and therefore adapt to it

(Vygotsky)Zone of proximal development

The difference between the problem solving ability that a child has learned and the potential that the child can achieve from collaboration with a more advanced peer or expert (collaborative learning).

(Vygotsky)Scaffolding and Anchored Instruction

Scaffolding refers to the idea that specialized instructional supports need to be in place in order to best facilitate learning when students are first introduced to a new subject.

Anchored instruction refers to instruction in which the material to be learned is presented in the context of an authentic event that serves to anchor or situate the material and allows it to be examined from multiple perspectives.

(Dewey)Progressive education and pragmatism

Progressive education focused on educating each child in a variety of ways:▪ Mentally ▪ Physically▪ Socially

Pragmatism says theory is valuable only for its practical application.

What the teacher does under this theory

The teacher becomes a guide for the learner, providing bridging or scaffolding, helping to extend the learner's zone of proximal development.

What the students do under this theory

The student is encouraged to develop skills such as reflective thinking and problem solving techniques. The independent learner is motivated to generate, discover, build and enlarge her/his own framework of knowledge.

Traditional Classroom Vs. Constructivist Classroom

TRADITIONAL CLASSROOM

Students primarily work alone Curriculum is presented part to whole,

with emphasis on basic skills.(bottom - up)

Strict adherence to a fixed curriculum is highly valued.

Curricular activities rely heavily on textbooks of data and manipulative materials.

Students are viewed as "blank slates" onto which information is etched by the teacher.

Teachers generally behave in a didactic manner, disseminating information to students.

Teachers seek the correct answers to validate student lessons.

Assessment of student learning is viewed as separate from teaching and occurs almost entirely through testing.

CONSTRUCTIVIST CLASSROOM Students primarily work in groups. Curriculum is presented whole to part with

emphasis on the big concept.(top - down) Pursuit of student questions is highly

valued. Curricular activities rely heavily on

primary sources. Students are viewed as thinkers with

emerging theories about the world. Teachers generally behave in an

interactive manner mediating the environment for students.

Teachers seek the student's point of view in order to understand student learning for use in subsequent conceptions.

Assessment of student learning is interwoven with teaching and occurs through teacher observation of students at work and through exhibitions and portfolios.

Examples

Experimentation: students individually perform an experiment and then come together as a class to discuss the results.

Research projects: students research a topic and can present their findings to the class.

Field trips: This allows students to put the concepts and ideas discussed in class in a real-world context. Field trips would often be followed by class discussions.

Films: These provide visual context and therefore bring another sense into the learning experience.

Class discussions: This technique is used in all of the methods described above. It is one of the most important distinctions of constructivist teaching methods.

Technology

With technology becoming such a huge part of education, it fits very nicely into the constructivist theory. Through interactive computer

games, power point presentations, movies and online resources, teachers will be able to expand their constructive lessons and students will be able to gain even more knowledge in a more varied way.

What you think about the theory for your own teaching

I know I will use constructivism in my own teaching. I agree very strongly with the quote, “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” Active participation is so important in teaching.

Sources

http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/assimacc.htm

http://faculty.plattsburgh.edu/william.gaeddert/images/M13-1c2.jpg

http://pead.faced.ufrgs.br/sites/publico/eixo6/psicologiaii/JeanPiaget.jpg

http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/Anchored_instruction

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructivist_teaching_methods

http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~foreman/itec800/finalprojects/eitankaplan/pages/classroom.htm