Constructivism

Activity 1

What comes to your mind on seeing this picture?

Concepts
Constructivist theorists argue that human subjects are the constructors of their own knowledge and skills. Knowledge, therefore, cannot exist independently of knowers: humans constantly construct meanings. This is why knowledge always shifts and expands. Since humans construct knowledge, it is speculative, incomplete and sometimes contradictory.

A basic tenet of constructivism is that for learning to occur, it needs to recognise and build on prior learning. Constructivist learning theory acknowledges that learners encode their understandings in language, hence communication is essential for all learning. Learning is a social act that cannot occur in isolation from others, even if they are not physically present. Knowledge, therefore, is something that belongs to both the individual and the community. Learning is set in context so that children and students are aware of the purposes and applications of their learning, and recognise the effect that the context itself has on their learning

Characteristics of constructivist learning Learning is the process of constructing knowledge individually and in interaction with others; Learning is a spiraling rather than a linear process, involving learners extending, elaborating, reorganising, reformulating, and reflecting upon their own frameworks of learning; Learning involves building on prior knowledge;

Learning is making explicit the implicit conceptions, the frameworks and explanatory systems in the minds of the learners, which shape how they interpret and what they learn in fundamental ways. Learners' conceptions are embedded in their culture and tied to their use of language; Learning involves learners communicating their questions, intuitions, conjectures, reasons, explanations, judgments and ideas in a variety of forms;

Learning involves developing values and dispositions to think and act in ways which determine individual effort, the setting of personal goals, self-assessment, awareness of the uses (and misuses or abuses) of knowledge; Learning involves the progression of learners through cycles of growth.

Which classroom situation promote constructivist teaching and learning? How?

Constructivist teaching roles

Constructivist teachers encourage students to constantly assess how the activity is helping them gain understanding. By questioning themselves and their strategies, students in the constructivist classroom ideally become "expert learners." This gives them ever-broadening tools to keep learning. With a well-planned classroom environment, the students learn HOW TO LEARN. The teacher makes sure she understands the students' preexisting conceptions, and guides the activity to address them and then build on them.

For example: Groups of students in a science class are discussing a problem in physics. Though the teacher knows the "answer" to the problem, she focuses on helping students restate their questions in useful ways. She prompts each student to reflect on and examine his or her current knowledge. When one of the students comes up with the relevant concept, the teacher seizes upon it, and indicates to the group that this might be a fruitful avenue for them to explore. They design and perform relevant experiments. Afterward, the students and teacher talk about what they have learned, and how their observations and experiments helped (or did not help) them to better understand the concept.

Five Principals of Constructivist Pedagogy Posing problems relevance to students Structuring learning around primary concepts Seeking and valuing students' points of view Assessing student learning in the context of teaching

Constructivist class room

Traditional classroom

Traditional Classroom Curriculum is part to whole with emphasis on basic skills Strict adherence to a fixed curriculum Curricular activities rely heavily on textbooks and workbooks

Constructivist Classroom Curriculum is whole to part with emphasis on big concepts Pursuit of student questions is highly valued Curricular activities rely heavily on primary sources of data and manipulative materials

Students are viewed as "blank slates" Students are viewed as thinkers with emerging theories about the world Teachers behave in a didactic manner, Teachers behave in an interactive disseminating information manner, mediating the environment for students Teachers seek the correct answer to validate student learning Teachers seek the student's points of view for use in subsequent lessons

Assessment of student learning is Assessment is interwoven with teachingviewed as separate from teaching--done occurs through teacher observation and through testing student exhibitions and portfolios Students primarily work alone Students primarily work in groups

Twelve Traits of a Constructivist Teacher Constructivist teachers encourage and accept student autonomy and initiative. Constructivist teachers use raw data and primary sources, along with manipulative, interactive, and physical material. When framing tasks, constructivist teachers use cognitive terminologies such as classify, analyze, predict, and create. Constructivist teachers allow student responses to drive lessons, shift instructional strategies, and alter content. Constructivist teachers inquire about students' understandings of concepts before sharing their own understanding concepts. Constructivist teachers encourage students to engage in dialogue, both with the teacher and with one another.

Constructivist teachers encourage student inquiry by asking thoughtful, open-ended questions and encouraging student questions of one another. Constructivist teachers seek elaboration of student initial responses. Constructivist teachers engage students in experiences that might engender contradictions to their initial hypotheses to encourage discussion. Constructivist teachers allow wait time after posing questions. Constructivist teachers provide time for students to construct relationships and create metaphors. Constructivist teachers nurture students' natural curiosity through frequent use of the learning cycle model.

Create A list of values and beliefs about teaching and learning and compare it with the constructivist model. Reflect Do you have the characteristics of a constructivist teacher? If not, what can you do so that you can become an ideal constructivist teacher?