JoAnn Sivers
I have outlined an example of what might be done if I were a teacher.
I would choose to teach 4th or 5th grade. I have always thought these
age groups were enjoyable to work with. They are still young and
interested in learning. (Hopefully) It seems there are times when no
school children are interested in learning. However, elementary school
was fun for me. That is why I am choosing this age to teach.
The lesson I might choose would be a group research project. Perhaps a
topic would be types of pets. This project would have 3 or 4 students in
a group. The children would be required to research one kind of pet and
then share what they have found with the class.
The project requirements would be flexible. They could obtain
information from book, magazines, internet, etc. I would let them
construct their methods of research.
The group would work collaboratively on the presentation. They would
interact with one another. Constructivism encourages integrating your
past know ledges. This would occur in the group setting as they develop
the presentation. I would be creating a situation where the students
could construct their own knowledge base and use it in class.
Another area that constructivism comes into play is the actual project.
After each student has found a source for information, they must
interact with the group. The group must then construct a presentation. I
believe this would require independence which means using their own
thoughts.
I would allow freedom to structure their learning in any way they would
like. I would not have stiff guidelines that had to be followed. If
students wanted to make suggestions regarding the way their presentation
would be done, it would be fine. Constructing their won methods of
learning, within reason, would be encouraged.
I think constructivism is used in classrooms today. However, I think
sometimes it is easier to be a behaviorist. Unfortunately, overlooking
constructivism may create an environment of narrower thinking. Using
constructivism encourages students to learn with a broader base.
From: Anne Gschwend
Fawnie wondered about how constructivism can be applied to learning in
math. This got me to thinking. About 3/4 of my students are preparing
to pass a GED. The math test on the GED requires the students to
understand the concepts behind the math problems. It is not enough for
them to just understand whole number operations, fractions,%, etc. They
have to use them to solve problems. Some of my students are very
accurate in their math, but don't understand when to use what to solve a
problem. A few cannot remember their times tables, but can
conceptualize the problem well enough to estimate and select a correct
answer. Some time in the near future I think calculators will be allowed
on the GED.(They are allowed now for the SAT).
In order to move my students to a better understanding of math I have
been trying to use a more constructivist approach. I found a wonderful
web site, that has a lot of
constructivist ideas for all levels of math. Through the use of hands
-on learning and puzzle solving the learning environment is structured
so that kids can construct their own understanding of math concepts.
A lesson based on constructivist principles which works well in my class
is to let them derive pi. As a kid I never could figure out where that
number came from. It doesn't make sense to most kids. I give students
circles of varying sizes from hula hoops to milk caps. With a tape
measure they determine the circumstances and the diameter of several
circles. Then with a calculator they divide the circumference by the
diameter of each circle. Lo and behold (depending on the accuracy of
their measurements!) they come out with close to 3.14 every time. I
lead them to conclude that there is the same relationship between the C
& d of every circle. And that's pi! I try and stay out of this
discovery process as much as possible.
What I'd like to do differently in my class is to do more of this type
of learning. I think that web site might give me some ideas. It does
take time to create lessons based on constructivist ideas, but there are
fewer papers to correct! Anne
From: Fawnie
My understanding of constructivism is that it is a philosophy of learning
that is active as to passive transfer and learning takes place based on our
own past experiences and how we perceive the world. So that what one might
believe as truth, another might believe something different depending on
what our past experiences have been, which I would think, includes the
environment that one has lived in. I find this to be somewhat confusing in
that there are some facets of learning, such as math, that there is only
one right answer. 2 + 2 is still going to be 4 no matter what your past
experiences have been. Maybe I am missing the point here. I would love to
see an example of a constructivism setting in regard to math.
Assignment:
I am going to be teaching adults in a training session on using the Direct
Lending Ed Express software.
I want them to be in an active learning setting so my class will take place
in a computer lab where all will be using a computer during training.
I will have a workbook that will require my students to actively do the
processes necessary to initiate a loan from the beginning to the end. This
requires them to know how to originate a loan and receive back an
acknowledgement, correct any errors, send a promissory note electronically
as well as the paper document and receive back the acknowledgement, correct
any errors, send a disbursement and receive back the acknowledgement,
correct any errors, and send a reconciliation.
I will allow them to do the process and then ask questions as they arise.
From: Gertrude
As I understand constructivism, students need to learn to apply what
they learn to practical applications. I have used these techniques in
teaching adult computer and business classes.
My example is based on an adult computer applications class. The
following exercises were used to apply skills they had learned.
Word Processing
Prepare a resume using different fonts, typestyles, and formating
techniques/
DataBase
Compose a personal address book. Use it to make labels for mailing
Christmas Cards.
Spreadsheet
After covering the basics of spreadsheets, I would have my students to
design a spreadsheet that would have practical applications for them.
This spreadsheet would be an electronic checkbook register. They would
have to assign the proper formulas to figure their balance after each
check/deposit. That formula could then be copied so that additional
entries would automatically compute.
In the next session, I would have them expand their check register.
They would then assign expenditure categories to each check which would
correspond with columns. With the proper formulas, the amount of each
check would automatically post to a column. This would enable them to
track their expenditures and build a budget.
From: Debbie
I also believe that a constructivist classroom is more conducive in a
science or math classroom. Since my background is in family & consumer
science, I will try to incorporate constructivist characteristics into the
foods lab setting.
Setting: Junior High School, Foods Lab
Materials Needed: Poster Board, cookbooks, textbooks, markers, pens,
ruler, research software, List of Fruits & Vegetables
Shopping List: *List of fruits and vegetables to purchase
Class Time: three days: one day to gather info., one day to prepare
poster, one day to present and taste
I would like to conduct an experimental foods lab on tasting. Building
upon the Food Guide Pyramid, students will choose a food from a list of
fresh fruits and vegetables. (unusual and well-known food items that they
have/have not been exposed to) They will work in groups of two. They
will research the food item, find out as much information as possible,
including info such as: nutritional content; how and where it is grown,
how it may be eaten--prepared or raw, purchase price both fresh and
frozen, find a recipe that includes that fruit or vegetable in it's
preparation, and plan a balanced meal with it. All groups will put this
information on a poster. The students will then present that information
to the classroom. At the end of the presentation, the entire will taste
the food item (the teacher has prepared the items for classroom tasting
AND/OR add another day to the lesson for a students' preparation lab).
In doing their research they may use the classroom cookbooks, their
textbooks, the computer (Encarta Encyclopedia or Compton's Encyclopedia), or
go to the library.
*artichoke, jicama, avocado, asparagus, kohlrabi, kiwi, guava, squash,
blueberries, etc.
Use open-ended questions. Expose the students to new foods. How does it
taste? Does it taste like another food you've had before? Would you like
to eat this food if given the choice? You may like the food prepared a
different way.
Divide the students in groups of two so they may have mutual teamwork.
Students should understand that for healthy basic nutrition, you should
eat a variety of foods.
I would like to give them a basic exposure to new foods. I have found
that I still remember a similar experience in school and have built future
eating habits with it.
Exploration in a supportive environment of tasting new foods, assimilation
of new foods to healthy eating and meal planning, and creating their own
ideas on how these foods fit into healthy eating habits.
From: Jackie and Don
Constructivists views could easily be, and at times are incorporated
into our classrooms. To me it seems that these ideas of open-ended
questions, the use of students' natural curiosity, and dialogue between
teachers and students are easier to add into science and math
classrooms. The philosophies of constructivists are often overlooked by
teachers because many times higher level thinking skills are more
difficult and time consuming to undertake.
Many, many different concepts need to be changed throughout our school
systems to incorporate constructivists ideas. As Don mentioned earlier,
standardized testing would need to be changed since state test do not
test over these open-ended questions. Another significant problem would
be teachers getting away from their textbooks and workbooks. Assessment
becomes more complicated for teachers. If students are discussing and
building upon experiences, how could a teacher possible assign a
specific letter grade.
These are problems that face teachers, but there are other problems that
face students. For most of their educational experience, students have
been told that their answers are either right or wrong. With a
constructivist classroom every answer is right. Several student are
afraid of embarrassing themselves in front of classmates, so they say
nothing. Many students are just to shy.
Personally in my classroom, I would first change the arrangement. No
more rows. Arrange all of the desks in a circle or square. This way
everyone must look and pay attention to the person talking. I also
believe that activities such as ice breakers and tose that build
self-esteem need to be incorporated. If students are to actively
participate, they need to know that their ideas and contributions are
important. Especially at the junior high level, students need to learn
how to respect one an others opinions and ideas.
A typical day in my classroom would include different activities that
worksheets and textbooks. I would like to incorporate some current
events discussion. Many students do not watch the news or read
newspapers. I think they need to know what's going on in the world
outside of this small community. Activities to help stud nets know one
another's likes and dislikes, fears and joys should be added to help
them feel comfortable with one another and not fear speaking out in
class.
Academic activities should be included as well. As stated earlier,
these activities lend themselves better to science. Possible lessons
could include a playground. Everyone at one point and time has fallen
off of a piece of playground equipment. This could be a starting point
for a lesson on gravity. Lessons about balance could stem from a
see-saw. Or what about an activity about centrifical force from one of
those things that goes around and around. (Sorry I can't remember what
they are called)
From: Brad
In order to teach something new you have to relate it to something
familiar.
Subject: Poetry
Age group: sixteen and seventeen year olds or eleventh grade.
Ideas to be taught: Imagery through similes and metaphors.
First thing students must learn is poetry is emotion. Emotion comes from
senses- touching, smelling, seeing, hearing, and tasting. Because they
are familiar with certain sounds, smells, and tastes.
Second, I would want to heighten their sense of awareness.
How? By blindfolding them, then give them a drop of warm saltwater on
their tong. I would ask them if it tastes sweet, sour, acidic, or salty.
When they answer salty, ask how salty? They may answer salty as an
anchovy on a pizza. I would continue using similar sequential
experiments for the other senses.
These experiments show how a poet use the familiar to lead the reader to
understand what he is experiencing. This is the same principle of
constructivism that instructors use to teach new experiences and
concepts to their students.
From: Susan
Constructivism Assignment
My grade level will be second and third graders.
The most important ideas that I found about Constructivism that I would
use in teaching include; giving more independence and choices to the
learners, using the learners' prior knowledge and experiences, teaching
meaningful experiences through lessons, and that learning is an active
process. Students achieve their own schema of knowledge and facts and
also personalize their learning experiences in this approach. I feel that
these points are all important to remember when adapting a lesson. The
following lesson I chose to create as an example of a lesson using the
principles of constructivism is a reading lesson.
Materials: I would need the book The Jolly Postman, and examples of
different types of letters, post cards, advertisements and
other forms of mail. The students would also need pencils,
crayons and paper.
I would begin my lesson by asking the students some questions about
various fairy tale characters that will appear in the book. I would have
them refer to their previous knowledge about fairy tales and fairy tale
characters. I might also have them retell the fairy tales or even have
them draw the characters as they remember them or picture them. If they
are not familiar with some of the characters then, I would have the other
students help retell the stories about the characters and show them
pictures of the fairytale characters in the Jolly Postman or other books
that have the characters. Next, I would read the book and have the
students actively participate by predicting what the various letters say.
The book is about a postman who goes along delivering letters and the
characters who receive the letters are from various fairy tales. The book
contains the actual letters in an envelope attached to the page. The book
aslo contains various types of letters. I would show the students each
letter and read them each one after they make predications. After we have
read the whole book, I would have an activity for the students. The
students would get to choose which type of letter they wanted to write and
to the fairy tale character of their choice. We could then put together
our own book of the Jolly Postman.
This lessons includes the students using their prior knowledge and
experiences and also gives them a lot of choices in completing their
assignment. It also gives the students a chance to be creative in
drawing, writing and creating their own class book.
From: Magnolia
My classroom would consist of 3 and 4 year olds. I have worked with
this age before. It's amazing how much they know at this age. And I've
always thought that their sense of independence is so remarkable at this
age. For example, my grandson is three years old. We had a birthday
party at Skateland, and he was on a pair of skates for the first time.
He didn't want anyone to help him learn to skate. If you reached for
his hand, he would pull away. We found out right away, he didn't want
help, he wanted to learn on his own. Before staring a lesson plan, I
would ask the children questions to find out what they knew. I would
want to do this in a group setting, and follow-up with individual
sessions depending how some did during the group discussions. Then my
lesson plans would be designed specifically to target areas in which I
knew the children needed help. All my lesson plans would be structured
in a way in which the children would help guide me. Since learning
consists of our own experiences, beliefs and knowledge, structuring my
lessons with the help of my student would enable me to futher help
facilitate their learning.
From: Hank Ginder
i am choosing the biology 1 class.
i am team teaching an inclusion class with 5 ld students in a class of
20 with the biology teacher. the class is a six week unit on leaf
identification. the class has had an introduction to key leaves. the
first class the teachers and students throw all their shoes into the
center of the class room. after deciding on two groups we keyed or
classified each pair of shoes. students also practiced with keying
objects and then a worksheet
of 15 whales. i am bringing into the class three jars of leaves: white
pine, flowering dogwood, and slippery elm. the students have a book of
the trees of illinois and a booklet with enlarged print for keying
illinois trees. after two weeks the students should be independently
keying the leaves. the teachers circulate the classroom providing
verbal, somtimes just visual cues for the students. are the leaves
compound or simple, alternate or opposite, palmately lobed or pinnately
lobed? do the veins have hairy tufts or are the veins impressed in the
leaves? at the conclusion of the class period the teachers review the
leaves . how many clusters of needles will the white pine tree have?
does the flowering dogwood have red berries or white berries? the
review is for the weekly leaf test on friday where all leaves will have
to be identified by sight and by the clues given in class. we use many
review strategies and try to implement more methods in order to achieve
success. some of the students are also behavior disordered. one
teaching technique will work one day and not the next. we teachers have
to be flexible and always striving for student success.