Constructivism The Mad Scientists George Butcher

Key Theorists of Constructivism Jean Piaget Jerome Bruner John Dewey

Key Points of Constructivism Learning is best accomplished by doing, less focus on lectures Active learning is stressed over passive learning Social integrations are considered key to learning The student is pressed to form, and thus construct, the concepts of the instruction Jean Piaget stressed that different age groups develop different cognitive stages Jerome Bruner proposed participatory learning and with diverse class activities John Dewey suggested experiential and practical education

Classroom Implications for Teachers With technology The class should be a student laboratory Computers, calculators, the internet, and other diverse media should be available Without technology Encourage the students to formulate their own questions Use real world examples to promote conversations Assign collaborative activities and group work

Classroom Implications for Students With technology Utilize online tools for group coordination Use programs to prepare presentations Share things online that they have found interesting with their peers Without technology Devise hands-on experiments to demonstrate things taught in class Share personal experiences with others to promote social connections Think of ways that the class will impact their life

Additional Thoughts A very modern and effective method of teaching if done correctly Can overwhelm students who are not used to unstructured learning Instructions must be clear and expectations should be targeted to one or two points ConsPros Effectiveness CollaborationContext Confusion Planning

Time for a short quiz to test your understanding George Butcher ???????? ????????

INSTRUCTIONS You’ll be asked 4 short questions about the constructivist theory. Feel free to try again if you get one wrong! Best of all, you will not be timed or graded. Click to advance after a correct answer and click to retry the question. Try it now on the button below…

Question 1 Ideally, students should ultimately __________ when learning. a.Believe whatever the teacher tells themBelieve whatever the teacher tells them b.Construct their own understandingConstruct their own understanding c.Just do their own independent researchJust do their own independent research

Question 1 yes Exactly! As you might have guessed that’s why it was called constructivism in the first place!

Question 1 no Give that another try…

Question 2 Social interaction and group work is _________ when teaching. a.RequiredRequired b.EncouragedEncouraged c.Actively discouragedActively discouraged MmMm

Question 2 yes Sure. Having students work together is great, but as always some things that are best done individually.

Question 2 no That’s a bit extreme. Reflect on that and try again.

Question 3 True or false… In constructivism, lectures are the primary teaching method. True. False.

Question 3 yes That’s correct! Lectures are still used to an extent, but they are not the primary way constructivism would have a student learn.

Question 3 no That’s actually not quite right. Try once more.

Question 4 One of your students shows you an instructional game he found free online. You should _______. a.Tell him thanks but that video games are never instructionalTell him thanks but that video games are never instructional b.Assign it as homeworkAssign it as homework c.Review it for use as long as all students will have access to itReview it for use as long as all students will have access to it

Question 4 yes Yeah. Many games (physics games for example) are useful tools in helping kids construct their own intuitions on how things work. MmMm

Question 4 a no That’s not the best answer. Also stop being such a buzzkill.

Question 4 b no That’s a bit premature. What if costs money some students don’t have?

That’s it, you’re all done. I hope this has helped you with your understanding of constructivism. Who knew testing could be so much fun?

References Photos Cited: Slide 1- Slide 2a- Piaget-1-257x300.jpg Slide 2b jerome-bruner.jpg Slide 2c- Dewey jpg Slide 4- Slide amNL1rc0dgmo1_500.gif Works cited: (n.d.). Retrieved from Shelly, Gary B., Glenda A. Gunter, and Randolph E. Gunter. Teachers Discovering Computers: Integrating Technology in a Connected World. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.