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ConstructivismGena Jean

EPSY 6304.62

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What is Constructivism

and how did it come to be?

History

Gained popularity in early 1990’s

Educators were afraid of too much reliance on computers in the learning process

Educators were also afraid that over-extended use of computers was causing social issues for students

Historical Constructivists

John Dewey

Maria Montessori

Lev Vygotsky

Jean Piaget

Piagetian Theory & Constructivism

Students learn through an internal process which takes place in their minds.

The process of conflict and reflection that occur in a student’s thought processes are intensified when those processes and beliefs are challenged

The teacher’s role is to develop an adequate model of each student’s way of viewing an idea, devise situations that challenge the child’s way of thinking and to help the students to understand why they think the way that they do.

Definition

Fairly new educational philosophy from the early 1990’s

Sometimes referred to as student-centered approach to learning

Learning is “based on the idea that knowledge is constructed by the knower based on mental activity”

Often compared to traditional lecture based learning

Social Constructivism

Also known as socio-culturalism

Belief that the learner will find their own truth based on their cultural surroundings, background and language

Puts strong importance on the relationship the student has with educated members in society

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Application

Application

Constructivism is a hands-on, task based approach to learning and instruction.

Student’s personal knowledge and experiences help to guide them through the projects and assignments.

Instructors are very involved in guiding the students through their lessons, but the ultimate responsibility relies on the students to complete their work and learn the necessary information.

Active learning is one of the terms often used in conjunction with Constructivism. It refers to the fact that students are responsible for their own learning through assigned readings, writings, collaborative discussions and problem solving that usually involve some type of hands on activity.

Application

Discovery Learning – Students are provided with a problem and left on their own to figure it out.

Guided Discovery Learning - Students are guided through the process verbally with hints as necessary.

Continued

Application

PBL –Otherwise known as learning by doing

Students take advantage of technology and multimedia to create real world project simulations

Students utilize their knowledge and incorporate it into the project

Often done as a collaborative effort

Usually concludes with a presentation of the final product

Project-Based Learning

Continued

Application

Collaboration

Collaborative learning environments foster a problem-solving environment – which is conducive to the Constructivist approach.

It is best to center projects or problems around real-world activities. These types of problems are the ones in which it is best to do in a collaborative atmosphere.

One of the best forms of collaboration for a learner is through an internship or apprenticeship where they get to work alongside an industry professional in a real-world environment.

Continued

Collaborative Learning Activity

What is a Mind Map?

Mind Map is a visual diagram of ideas and/or information about a specific subject

Mind Mapping works well with the Constructivist approach due to the fact that it allows the viewer to choose their own path through the information

Often used in brainstorming as a free thought process

Can be an individual or group process

Personal Mind Map

Gena Jean

Career

Family

Education

Hobbies

Favorites

Faith

Photograph

y

Reading

4 KidsHusband

of 20

years

MoviesMusic

Instructo

r

Business Owner

UTB

MCC

Example

Constructivism

Benefits

The active learning approach to learning is backed through scientific neurological findings such as dendrite growth, educational research, and anthropological studies.

Strong psychological foundations can provide detailed guidelines for the design of curriculum and classroom materials.

With a focus on problem-solving and critical thinking give provide a more much more focused training for educators and managers that extends beyond technical training.

Outcomes

The students will learn the necessary outcomes by working through projects and doing tasks that will teach them the necessary outcomes. This is done assuming that they have the necessary pre-requisite knowledge to achieve the level they are striving for and also that in doing the tasks, they will learn higher-level problem-solving skills.

The student’s confidence improves when they see that they are able to successfully complete the tasks through project based learning

Shift in Control

The goal is to shift the focus from the teacher’s words and actions to that of the learner and how successful they are at learning from their own actions

Instructor’s Role

Instructors take a back seat and become more of a guide in the learning process rather than a facilitator.

Instructors are very invested in a Constructivist learning environment – in fact it is often more work than an Instructionist environment

There are two main concerns for instructors in a Constructivist classroom: How to maintain control in the classroomHow to implement the transformation to a Constructivist classroom environment

Activities

Teachers need to make sure they are staying focused on meaningful tasks that are relevant to the lessons.

It is very important that the teachers ensure that students are provided with any necessary information and resources needed in order to complete their projects and other assignments.

Examples

When learning a science lesson on evaporation have the students participate in a supervised lab where they have to document how water is vaporized.

Give the students an out of class journal writing assignment at the beginning of the semester and have them turn it in at the end of the semester.

When teaching a lesson on fractions and percentages, rather than having a formal lecture, you could order pizzas for lunch, and as it gets dished up, have the students keep track of the mathematical changes.

Give the students a group project on a research topic and have them assign duties and responsibilities to each other for each aspect of the assignment.

Risks & Challenges

Not all students do well with this type of learning style

Learner maturity and ability to handle the responsibility

Prior knowledge of related information for lessons

Student access to necessary information

Assessment

Rather than just focusing on the output or product, the process is also taken into consideration when assessing using the Constructivist approach

There is a lot of attention given to where in the total process the learner is at the time of the assessment.

Assessment is an ongoing process, wherein the student’s point in the process is measured, but it isn’t a final assessment

References

Cennamo, K., & Kalk, D. (2005). Real world instructional design. (1st ed., pp. 73-74). Belmont, CA: Cengage

Gagne, R. M., Wager, W. W., Golas, K. C., & Keller, J. M. (2005). Principles of instructional design. (5th ed., pp. 72, 132-133). Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Gredler, M. E. (2009). Learning and instruction:theory into practice. (6th ed., pp. 15-217). Up Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Gunn, A. M., Richburg, R. W., & Smilkstein, R. (2007). Igniting student potential: Teaching with the brain's natural learning process. (pp. 60-61). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Lee, W. W., & Owens, D. L. (2004). Multi media-based instructional design: computer-based training, we-based training, distance broadcast training, and performance-based solutions. (2nd ed., p. 148). San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Reiser, R., & Dempsey, J. V. (2013). Trends and issues in instructional design and technology. (pp. 45-50). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

April 29, 2013