In a Constructivist Classroom

8/9/2019 In a Constructivist Classroom

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In a Constructivist Classroom...

Student autonomy and initiative are accepted and encouraged. By respecting students' ideas and

encouraging independent thinking, teachers help students attain their own intellectual identity. Students

who frame questions and issues and then go about analyzing and answering them take responsibility fortheir own learning and become problem solvers.

The teacher asks open-ended questions and allows wait time for responses. Reflective thought

takes time and is often built on others' ideas and comments. The ways teachers ask questions and theways students respond will structure the success of student inquiry.

Higher-level thinking is encouraged.The constructivist teacher challenges students to reach beyond

the simple factual response. He encourages students to connect and summarize concepts by analyzing,predicting, justifying, and defending their ideas.

Students are engaged in dialogue with the teacher and with each other.Social discourse helps

students change or reinforce their ideas. If they have the chance to present what they think and hearothers' ideas, students can build a personal knowledge base that they understand. Only when they feel

comfortable enough to express their ideas will meaningful classroom dialogue occur.

Students are engaged in experiences that challenge hypotheses and encourage discussion.

When allowed to make predictions, students often generate varying hypotheses about natural phenomena.The constructivist teacher provides ample opportunities for students to test their hypotheses, especiallythrough group discussion of concrete experiences.

The class uses raw data, primary sources, manipulatives, physical, and interactive materials.

The constructivist approach involves students in real-world possibilities, then helps them generate the

abstractions that bind phenomena together.

These suggestions are adapted from In Search of Understanding: The Case for Constructivist Classrooms byJacqueline G. Brooks and Martin G. Brooks (Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and CurriculumDevelopment, 1993)


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ritten activities and exercises alone do not go to the heart of constructivism,

but books have laid the groundwork for this approach to learning. The basicwritings in this field are sometimes interesting and often illuminating, even

though they cannot "give" anyone constructivism. Teachers, however, can

use these works to build their own understanding of constructivism and its

place in the classroom. Here are some representative selections of

constructivist thinking and of useful guides to constructivist ideas.

As a philosophy of learning, constructivism can be traced at least to the

eighteenth century and the work of the Neapolitan philosopher Giambattista

Vico, who held that humans can only clearly understand what they have

themselves constructed. Many others worked with these ideas, but the first

major contemporaries to develop a clear idea of constructivism as applied to

classrooms and childhood development were Jean Piaget and John Dewey.

For Dewey education depended on action. Knowledge and ideas emerged

only from a situation in which learners had to draw them out of experiences

that had meaning and importance to them (see Democracy and Education,

1916). These situations had to occur in a social context, such as a classroom,

where students joined in manipulating materials and, thus, created a

community of learners who built their knowledge together.

Piaget's constructivism is based on his view of the psychological development

of children. In a short summation of his educational thoughts (To Understand

is to Invent, 1973), Piaget called for teachers to understand the steps in the

development of the child's mind. The fundamental basis of learning, he

believed, was discovery: "To understand is to discover, or reconstruct by

rediscovery, and such conditions must be complied with if in the future

individuals are to be formed who are capable of production and creativity and

not simply repetition." To reach an understanding of basic phenomena,

according to Piaget, children have to go through stages in which they accept

ideas they may later see as not truthful. In autonomous activity, children

must discover relationships and ideas in classroom situations that involve

activities of interest to them. Understanding is built up step by step through

active involvement.

The Russian Lev. S Vygotsky is also important to constructivism, although his

ideas have not always been clear to the English-reading public both because


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of political constraints and because of mistranslations. Some commentators

believe that Vygotsky is not a constructivist because of his emphasis on the

social context in learning, but others see his stress on children creating their

own concepts as constructivist to the core. Mind in the Society(English

translation, 1978) is a popularization of some of his ideas for an American

audience; also available is a collection of shorter works, The Vygotsky

Reader(ed. Rene van der Veer and Jaan Valsiner, 1994). Vygotsky believed

that children learn scientific concepts out of a "tension" between their

everyday notions and adult concepts. Presented with a preformed concept

from the adult world, the child will only memorize what the adult says about

the idea. To make it her property the child must use the concept and link

that use to the idea as a first presented to her. But the relation between

everyday notions and scientific concepts was not a straight development to

Vygotsky. Instead the prior conceptions and the introduced scientific

concepts are interwoven and influence each other as the child works out herown ideas from the generalizations that she had already and that have been

introduced to her.

References

Dewey, John. Democracy and Education. New York: Free Press, 1966.

Piaget, Jean. To Understand is to Invent. New York: Grossman, 1973.

Vygotsky, Lev S. Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological

Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1978.

The Vygotsky Reader. Rene van der Veer and Jaan Valsiner, eds. Cambridge, MA:Blackwell, 1994.

Since the groundwork of constructivism was laid several authors have added to it.The following recent works (of varying levels of abstraction) provide further insights

into constructivism and its relation to classroom learning. Most of these works havebibliographies that will be useful to those who wish to read more about these ideas:

Brooks, Jacqueline Grennon, and Martin G. Brooks. In Search of Understanding: The

Case for Constructivist Classrooms. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision andCurriculum Development, 1993.

Duckworth, Eleanor, Jack Easley, David Hawkins, and Androula Henriques. ScienceEducation: A Minds-on Approach for the Elementary Years. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum,1990.

Tobin, Kenneth, ed. The Practice of Constructivism in Science Education.Washington, DC: American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1993.


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Appetizing AdverbsSubjects

Arts and Humanities

English

Writing

Art

Grades

K-2

3-5

Brief DescriptionCreate a learning tool to aid students in their mastery of adverbs.

Objectives

Studentscreate a verb-adverb wheel to aid them in their understandingand mastery of the adverb concept.

Keywords

adverb, verb, parts of speech, grammar

Materials Needed

Each student will need the following materials:

a donut hole (purchased from a store or donut shop)8-1/2 inch oaktag circle3-1/2 inch construction paper circle

1 brad (paper fastener)crayons/markers

The Lesson

Are you looking for an "appetizing" way to introduce yourstudents to the concept ofadverbs? In this lesson, students usediscovery and observation as they create a yummy way to


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remember adverbs.

First, pass out to each student a donut hole. Before they beginmunching the donut hole, challenge them to brainstorm verbsthat tell how they might eat the donut hole. Write on a board or

chart the verbs that students share. For example, they mightshare verbs such as

chomped, chewed, bit, devoured, and so onNext, have students provide words that describe how they aredoing the action of eating the donut. Write those words on thechalkboard. For example, students might share words such asslowly, quietly, noisily, excitedly, and so on.Point out that the words that describe the action are calledadverbs.

Now that students know what adverbs are, challenge them toadd to the list they already provided.After students have finished eating their donut holes -- quietly, Ihope -- pass out an 8-1/2 inch oaktag circle, a 3-1/2 inchconstruction paper circle, and a brad to each student. Haveeach student imagine that the small circle is the center of thedonut.In the center of the 3-1/2 inch circle, have each student writeher/his name with a black marker.

Also on the smaller circle (around the student's name in thecenter), have him/her write four of the verbs that were listed onthe chalkboard. Students might write one verb on the smallcircle at 12 oclock, one at 3 oclock, one at 6 oclock, and oneat 9 oclock.On the larger circle, have students select and write some of theadverbs that describe the verbs.

Students have created a verb-adverb wheel. They can spin thewheel to create a variety of sentences. For example

Harry chomped hungrily/noisily/slowlyHarry devoured hungrily/noisily/slowlyHarry gulped hungrily/noisily/slowlyHarry feasted hungrily/noisily/slowlyAt the end of the lesson, offer students time to frost orsprinkle their donuts. They can do that by turning over theirdonuts to decorate the side that does not have the verbs andadverbs written on it. Watch as they turn their verb-adverb


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circles into appetizing-looking donuts to go with the appetizingphrases on the other side!

Assessment

Assess each "Appetizing Adverb" donut by checking for accuratelabeling of verbs and adverbs.

Lesson Plan Source

This lesson is adapted from and idea I saw in Mailbox magazine.

Submitted By

Laura Graham, Tri-City Christian School in Independence,MissouriEducation WorldCopyright 2007 Education World

02/15/2007


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Fortune Cookies Motivate Writing

Subjects

Language Arts

Grades

K-2

3-5

6-8

Brief Description

Students use fortune cookie fortunes as the basis for storywriting. Included: An art idea for creating a bulletin board.

Objectives

Students

create an original story that includes a beginning, middle, andend.

create an original story that includes an interestingcharacter(s), a good description of the setting, a problem,and a solution.

Keywords

fortune, fortune cookie, Chinese New Year, China, luck, writing,creative writing, Six Traits, setting, character


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Materials NeededM

a box of fortune cookies, pencils, papera

paper and pen/pencil

The LessonPrepare students for this lesson by reviewing the basic elementsof a good story. If you teach the Six Traits process, remindstudents of those traits of writing -- particularly word choice,voice, and fluent sentences. This activity might also be used toemphasize how a good story includes interesting character(s), adescription of the setting, a problem, and a solution.

Hand out to each student a fortune cookie. Have students opentheir cookies and read their fortunes. Tell them that the fortune is

the basis for today's writing assignment. They can interpret thefortune any way they like. Their stories must include certain factsabout the person who opened the fortune cookie and found thefortune they just read. List those ideas on a sheet of chart paperor an overhead transparency. Following are a few ideas studentsmight be required to include; feel free to adapt this list in anyway.w

Who opened to cookie to reveal this fortune? What sex is theperson? How old? What kind of job does s/he hold? Have

they family?tUnder what circumstances did s/he happen to receive the

fortune cookie? Where did s/he open it?f

How did s/he react to the words on the fortune? How did thepeople around him/her react?p

What happened later, and how did others react to that?Once stories are completed, have students edit or peer-editthem. (This might be done using a word processing program.) Ifyou are using a rubric, have students evaluate their own/peers'work based on that rubric.

Then display the stories for others to read. Students can createpaper fortune cookies and glue their stories. They might glue theactual fortune to the corner of the story page.Extend the Lesson Students might create a bulletin board todisplay their fortune-cookie stories with paper fortune cookies orfortune cookie decorations made from felt.
http://www.heartwoodethics.org/2-teaching/act_paper_fortune.asphttp://www.kidsdomain.com/craft/fortune1.htmlhttp://www.kidsdomain.com/craft/fortune1.htmlhttp://www.heartwoodethics.org/2-teaching/act_paper_fortune.asp


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Assessment

Create a rubric on which to students will be evaluated. (Thatrubric should be shared in advance of the assignment so studentshave a clear understanding of what you expect.) The rubric might

be based on the Six Traits of Writing, such as this example does.

Submitted ByVaReane Heese, Springfield Elementary School in Springfield,Nebraska

Education WorldCopyright 2006 Education World

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Home >Teacher Lesson Plans > Archives > Language Arts,Literature, Life Sciences> Lesson Plan

LESSON PLAN

Animal Diaries

SubjectsS

Language Arts
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LiteratureL

Animals

GradesG

3-536-86

9-12

Brief Description

Get kids excited about research by creating diaries of animals orinsects. The children's story Diary of a Worm, by Doreen Cronin, is aterrific tool for launching this lesson. Don't be fooled -- older studentswill enjoy listening to this fun children's book too!

Objectives

StudentsS

learn about an insect or animal and record simple notes as theyread.r

summarize key ideas.s

incorporate research into original writing.i

create original stories that demonstrate an understanding ofpersonification.p

apply rules of grammar, mechanics, and usage to their originalwriting.w

apply steps of the writing processa

cite sources by creating a simple bibliography (if grade-appropriate).c

use technology to locate facts (optional).

Keywords

diary, diaries, research, sequencing, sequence, note-taking,summarizing, creative, insect, animal, personification, writing processbibliography, citation, citing sources

Materials NeededM

Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin. This book, published byScholastic, is widely available in libraries. If your school or locallibrary does not have the book, you might ask your librarian tocheck with your state library system. Additional sourceshighlighted below.


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The Lesson

Begin this lesson by asking students if they have ever kept a diary.B

What did you include in your diary?WWhat might the diary tell someone who read it? Students might offerthat they/others often write in a diary about the events in theirlives, their feelings about what is happening, what they plan todo tomorrow, and their dreams for the future.

Read aloud to students from one of Diane Cronin's fun, factual books:R

Diary of a WormDiary of a SpiderYou might read the entire book, or you might

choose excerpts to share with your students.For this book, Scholastic also offers aF

skill-builder lesson ideas anda study guide to accompany the video of the book.

After reading, discuss what is unusual about this diary. What did youlearn about worms based on reading the diary?Next, it's time to introduce today's writing lesson. Challenge studentsto choose an insect or another animal that they don't know muchabout. (If each student chooses a different animal or insect, sharingthe diaries will be more fun.) Students will use the information theylearn to write a Diary of a(n) _____.Give students time to do some research to learn more about theanimal they chose. They might use encyclopedias, nature books, otherlibrary books, or the Internet as their source(s). As they read, theyshould record interesting facts about the animal. Young students willneed at least a few facts; older students might gather about ten factsto work into their Diary of a(n) ____.

You might have students copy facts about their animal onto note cards-- one fact per card. The cards will be easy to manipulate when it istime for them to organize their thoughts and writing.Once students have organized their facts, they can begin creating adiary "written by" their animal. Younger students might write one ortwo diary entries; older students might write several entries or more.When students have completed an edited "sloppy copy" of their diaryentries, they can transfer those entries into a "diary" book (foldedpaper). They can illustrate each entry.Older students might include a bibliography page on the back coveras a way to cite their research source(s).End the assignment by allowing students to take a "gallery walk" of
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their classmates' animal diaries. As they walk around the room theycan look through each other's books.Extend the Lesson

Have students share their diaries with students in another class.Older students would enjoy reading their diaries to youngerchildren.

Display diaries in the library along with Diary of a Worm so thewhole school can enjoy the stories.

Assessment

Evaluate students' note cards and final diaries. Observe students asthey read their own diary and as they listen to others. Assess thequality of students' grammar, punctuation, and word use. If you teach

older students, you might also assess the diary contents.

Submitted By

Mary Pat Mahoney, Holy Trinity Catholic School in Grapevine, Texas

Education WorldCopyright 2007 Education World

Originally published 03/16/2006Links last updated 10/31/2007

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