Pinterest. Beyond Worksheets, A True Expression of Student Learning. Part 4 in the series Learning In the New Economy of Information. By Shawn McCusker We live in a world where we are constantly connected to information. This vast ocean of information, the best knowledge of mankind — almost all of it — can be accessed at any time in just seconds. But simply being able to access information is not all that impressive. It in no way means that we can understand the information, evaluate it, or grasp its implications. Possession of facts is not learning. What is an important skill is the ability to sift through abundant information, identify what is valid and meaningful, then use it to create meaning and express it. Jason Dvorak, who was teaching a unit on “Sensation and Perception” in his high school psychology class, had planned to first lecture, then have his students evaluate visual examples that he created to represent each concept from the lesson. More often than not, the memorable assignment was one that allowed them to build and create.
- From the Classroom: Best Tech Practice Video of the Week- Creating a School Website. Beyond Worksheets, A True Expression of Student Learning. Boy Scouts Make Way: Kids Explore By Creating. Jon Kalish By Jon Kalish Countless kids have grown up with the Girl Scouts, the Boy Scouts or Campfire Girls, but for some families, the uniforms and outdoor focus of traditional Scouting groups don’t appeal. In recent months, Scout like groups that concentrate on technology and do-it-yourself projects have been sprouting up around the country. They’re coed and, like traditional Scouting organizations, award patches to kids who master skills. Ace Monster Toys is a hacker space in Oakland, Calif., where members share high-tech tools. Normally, grown-ups congregate there, working on electronics or woodworking projects.
The kids in Hacker Scouts are not breaking into computer networks. “It’s old enough where they’re ready to start developing skills, [but] they’re not so old that they’ve already been set in their ways” On this warm fall day, Alicia Davis, 10, is wearing a wool hat she knit herself. “I’ve been sewing on little felt pieces with this,” Davis explains. Related. Brown01_06. Instructional or Learning Design. Constructivism is a learning theory, not an instructional approach, hence it can best be thought of as a way of "growing" or improving instruction. It is greatly influenced by Piagetian (1950) epistemology and Lev Vygotsky's (1978) Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) — knowledge (new connections) are products of the activities practiced in a social environment. Constructivists place the learner at the center of the equation; the idea is that the learner constructs knowledge rather than passively absorbing it. Meaning is constructed by each learner via their experiences and in their own ways and means.
It is based on according to how the learner's understanding is currently organized. An individual's knowledge is a function of one's prior experiences, mental structures, and beliefs that are used to interpret objects and events. In some classrooms, the predominant training model is direct instruction, which is called instructivism or objectivism (based on information processing theory). 1. Constructivism and Its Application to Game-Based Learning Activities. Gaming is an activity enjoyed by many students, and when used for educational purposes, games can improve student motivation towards learning, particularly when used in the creation of constructivist learning opportunities.
Applying constructivist principles to educational game-based learning activities yields an approach that puts students in the role of active learners and content creators. I’ve written a paper (embedded below) which outlines the rationale for using games for learning purposes, and proposes a problem-based constructivist gaming model for educational game design. Aspects of the model include stating well-defined goals and problems, promoting student hypotheses for solutions to the problems, encouraging experimentation in the game world, delivering prompt feedback, and allowing students to reflect on their learning experiences.
Simulations and virtual worlds are particularly appropriate game genres for constructivist activities. Constructivist: Activities. The following are some useful activities for teaching about the constructivist learning theory. Problem Solving Design a cooperative learning activity for the following situation Mr. Alva is working on a lesson plan on diversity and individuality for his third-grade class. He would like his students to learn to appreciate differences in people. He hopes they will discover that differences make it possible to learn from one another and that differences make life more fun. Design a cooperative learning activity that will help Mr. We have just completed a cooperative learning activity Compound Conjure This activity demonstrates that constructivist methods can be used in language arts. Directions Word List Delicious Density This activity demonstrates discovery learning in science.
Handout Problem Solving This is a great problem solving activity that can be used to explore critical thinking and problem solving methods. Problem Solution Cooperative Learning Methods Quiz Is Double Stuf really worth it? Constructivist Teaching and Learning. Contructivist Teaching and Learning By: Audrey Gray SSTA Research Centre Report #97-07: 25 pages, $11. Back to: Instruction The SSTA Research Centre grants permission to reproduce up to three copies of each report for personal use.
Each copy must acknowledge the author and the SSTA Research Centre as the source. A complete and authorized copy of each report is available from the SSTA Research Centre . Constructivist Teaching and Learning Constructivist teaching is based on the belief that learning occurs as learners are actively involved in a process of meaning and knowledge construction rather than passively receiving information.
This report examines constructivist teaching and learning by looking at the distinctive features of a constructivist programme, the qualities of a constructivist teacher, and the organization of a constructivist classroom. Part One of this report provides a definition of an a rationale for constructivist teaching. Table of Contents What is Constructivism? Constructivism - Learning and Teaching. Constructivism is a learning theory found in psychology which explains how people might acquire knowledge and learn.
It therefore has direct application to education. The theory suggests that humans construct knowledge and meaning from their experiences. Constructivism is not a specific pedagogy. Piaget's theory of Constructivist learning has had wide ranging impact on learning theories and teaching methods in education and is an underlying theme of many education reform movements. Research support for constructivist teaching techniques has been mixed, with some research supporting these techniques and other research contradicting those results. Resources What is constructivism? Concept to Classroom > Constructivism as a Paradigm for Teaching and LearningProvides a workshop on the concept of constructivism beginning with an explanation of the term and ending with a demonstration of how the concept can be applied in the classroom.
Concept to Classroom. Examples & case studies. Constructivism Learning Theory. Constructivism Learning Theory Constructivism learning theory is a philosophy which enhances students' logical and conceptual growth. The underlying concept within the constructivism learning theory is the role which experiences-or connections with the adjoining atmosphere-play in student education. The constructivism learning theory argues that people produce knowledge and form meaning based upon their experiences. Two of the key concepts within the constructivism learning theory which create the construction of an individual's new knowledge are accommodation and assimilation. The role of teachers is very important within the constructivism learning theory. Instead of having the students relying on someone else's information and accepting it as truth, the constructivism learning theory supports that students should be exposed to data, primary sources, and the ability to interact with other students so that they can learn from the incorporation of their experiences.
Constructivism Basics. Characteristics of Constructivist Learning & Teaching. Constructivist Learning Design Paper. Teachers and teacher educators make different meanings of constructivist learning theory. At a recent retreat with facilitators of learning communities for teachers who were studying in a Masters of Education program, we were talking about our common reading of The Case for Constructivist Classrooms (Brooks & Brooks, 1993). We asked the ten facilitators to answer this question, "What is constructivism? " The results were interesting because all of their definitions were quite different and reflected their own understanding of the term and the text. This was a clear demonstration that what we read does not produce a single meaning but that understanding is constructed by the readers who bring prior knowledge and experience to the text and make their own meaning as they interact with the author's words.
This brief overview above indicates how each of these six elements integrate and work as a whole, but all need further explanation: 1. 2. A. B. 3. 4. 5. 6. Ausubel, D. (1978). Slavin, R. dLab :: Portfolio. Constructivist Learning Theory. Teaching with the Constructivist Learning Theory What is the best method of teaching to use? One of the first things a teacher must do when considering how to teach students is to acknowledge that each student does not learn in the same way. This means that if the teacher chooses just one style of teaching (direct instruction, collaborative learning, inquiry learning, etc.), the students will not be maximizing their learning potential.
Obviously, a teacher can not reach every student on the same level during one lesson, but implementing a variety of learning styles throughout the course allows all the students will have the chance to learn in at least one way that matches their learning style. Much of the material used to educate students at grade levels beyond primary school is largely text and lecture based, which have significant limitations. How do students learn best? Before we answer this question, ask yourself, "How do I learn best? " (Ref: Brooks, J. and Brooks, M. (1993). Constructivism as a Paradigm for Teaching and Learning.
What is constructivism? How does this theory differ from traditional ideas about teaching and learning? What does constructivism have to do with my classroom? Expert interview What is the history of constructivism, and how has it changed over time? What are some critical perspectives? What are the benefits of constructivism? What is constructivism? Constructivism is basically a theory -- based on observation and scientific study -- about how people learn. In the classroom, the constructivist view of learning can point towards a number of different teaching practices. Constructivist teachers encourage students to constantly assess how the activity is helping them gain understanding. You might look at it as a spiral. For example: Groups of students in a science class are discussing a problem in physics.
Contrary to criticisms by some (conservative/traditional) educators, constructivism does not dismiss the active role of the teacher or the value of expert knowledge. Constructivist Learning. Constructivist Learning by Dimitrios Thanasoulas, Greece Only by wrestling with the conditions of the problem at hand, seeking and finding his own solution (not in isolation but in correspondence with the teacher and other pupils) does one learn. ~ John Dewey, How We Think, 1910 ~ As a philosophy of learning, constructivism can be traced to the eighteenth century and the work of the philosopher Giambattista Vico, who maintained that humans can understand only what they have themselves constructed. A great many philosophers and educationalists have worked with these ideas, but the first major contemporaries to develop a clear idea of what constructivism consists in were Jean Piaget and John Dewey, to name but a few. Within the constructivist paradigm, the accent is on the learner rather than the teacher.
Personal involvement; learner-initiation; evaluation by learner; and Arseneau, R., & Rodenburg, D. (1998). Brooks, G.