Title: The Constructivist Approach to teaching and learning
1The Constructivist Approach to teaching and
learning
- Cat Allen
- Instructional Technologies in Education
2What is Constructivism?
- A view of learning based on the belief that
knowledge isn't a thing that can simply be given
by the teacher at the front of the room to
students in their desks. - Students learn by fitting new information
together with what they already know - Learners are the builders and creators of meaning
and knowledge - Knowledge is constructed by learners through an
active, mental process of development
3Our many thanks go out toJean Piaget, 1896-1980
4- Piaget believed learning occurs by an active
construction of meaning, rather than by receiving
it passively. - He states," when we, as learners, encounter an
experience or situation that conflicts with our
current way of thinking, a state of imbalance is
created - We must alter our thinking to restore equilibrium
or balance
5- To do this, we must associate it with what we
already know - The developing child must build cognitive
structures through the use of .. - Mental maps
- Concept maps
6Concept maps help us begin with information we
are familiar with and branch out to build new
ideas.
7To further Piagets thinking....
- We must alter our thinking to restore balance or
equilibrium - To do this, we must associate it with what we
already know
8Piagets 4 Stages of Development are
- Sensorimotor stage (birth-2)
- Preoperational (2-7)
- Concrete Operations (7-11)
- Formal Operations (11-15)
- During all development stages, the child
experiences his/her environment using whatever
mental maps he or she has constructed so far. If
the experience is a repeated one it fits easily.
For example - http//www.coe.uga.edu/epltt/Piaget.htm
- Please visit this site for two examples relating
to Piagets stages of development (scroll down!)
9Lets move on, shall we? Can any one tell me one
reason why constructivism is important?
- Fosters critical thinking
- Creates active and motivated learners
- Students are able to learn through constructing
their own understandings - This approach frees teachers to make decisions
which enhance and enrich students development.
10How does the constructivist teacher make this
style work?
- He/she is flexible
- She/he creatively incorporates ongoing
experiences with real-life situations - Students work in small groups
- Students work individually
- Interactive activities become main focus (if
materials can be related to an interest of the
child, they are more apt to remember them)
11What does student-centered mean?
- The students are the center of attention, not the
teacher - Children are placed in groups, they work together
to find meaning - Each student takes on a different objective or
part of the assignment or project - They become experts on their subject
12- Students teach one another to become experts on
their piece of the puzzle - Together, as a whole, the group becomes experts
from one another - The teacher facilitator, guide on the side NOT
mentor in the middle
13What about the constructivist classroom?"Student
s should be presented with real life problems and
then helped to discover information required to
solve them" John Dewey
- As we now know, the environment is a
student-centered one - Students are empowered by a teacher who operates
as a guide on the side vs. a mentor in the
center or sage on the stage - Classrooms are structured so that learners are
immersed in experiences with in which they may
engage in meaningful
14- Inquiry
- Action
- Imagination
- Invention
- Interaction
- Hypothesizing
- Personal reflection
15Important roles of the Teacher
- Watching
- Listening
- Asking questions to learn about students
- Having the ability to observe and listen to ones
students and their experiences in the classroom
contributes to his other ability to use a
constructivist approach - A constructivist approach contributes to ones
ability to observe and listen in the classroom.
16In conclusion
- I believe in teaching through constructivism
because - Allows for students to become engaged with one
another - Cuts out the talking head
- Children learn through own experiences based on
their lives - Remember information down the road of life
instead of memorization
17Resources
- Piaget, J. (1977). The development of thought
Equilibration of cognitive structures. (A. Rosin,
Trans). New York The Viking Press. - Rosenblatt, L. (1978). The reader, the text, the
poem The transactional theory of the literary
work. Carbondale, !! Southern Illinois
University Press. - Smith, K. (1993) Becoming the guide on the
side. Educational Leadership, 51 (2), 35-37. - Zemelman, S., Daniels, H., Hyde, A. (1993).
Best practice New standards for teaching and
learning in Americas schools. Portsmouth, NH
Heinemann. - Twomey Fosnot, C. (1989). Enquiring teachers,
enquiring learners A constructivist approach for
teaching. New York Teachers College Press. - McNeil, L. (1986). Contradictions of control
school structure and school knowledge. New York
Routledge. - Mezirow, J. and Associates. (1990). How critical
reflection triggers transformative learning. In
J. Mezirow and Associates (1990), Fostering
critical reflection in adulthood A guide to
transformative and emancipatory learning. San
Francisco Jossey-Bass Publishers