Constructivism, Constructionism, Socio-Cultural Theory and Powerful Ideas: Creating good technological lessons for an ESL classroom A Presentation by Debbie Kemp-Jackson for EDTC 625

Constructivism John Abbott on Constructivism Students create their own reality and learning environment Learning occurs when students can make a connection to their own reality and the environment

Jerome Bruner and Discovery Learning Jerome Bruner explains his theory Students create meaning out of their world and apply it to what they know or what they want to know

Bandura and Social Learning Theory Student learn from one another by: - Observation - Imitation - Modeling  His theory is a “bridge between behaviorist and cognitive learning theories”

Powerful Ideas (Papert)  Constructionism- This theory incorporates Learning by design Thinking with objects Powerful ideas Thinking about thinking  Papert describes powerful ideas as those which  “afford new ways of thinking, new ways of putting knowledge to use, and new ways of making personal and epistemological connections with other domains of knowledge” (Papert, 2000, as quoted in Bers, 2008)

Powerful Ideas, Part 2 Bers (2008) posits that according to constructionist theory, “new technologies can become liberators or incubators of powerful ideas.” (p. 24) Powerful ideas need to establish 5 types of connections: Cultural Personal Domain Epistemological historical

Powerful Ideas are: Content-specific- knowing something like a concept Process-specific- knowing how to do something Content-process- knowing a concept and applying it -Bers (p. 24) uses technological fluency as an example of a content-specific powerful idea because it incorporates “ability to use and apply technology in a way which is fluent to the user, like learning a language.”

Constructionism and Technology “Papert and his colleagues suggest that the best learning experiences occur when individuals are encouraged to explore their own thinking processes and their intellectual and emotional relationships to knowledge, as well as the personal history that affects their learning experiences.” (Bers, p. 27)

Constructivism, Constructionism, and Technology Technological tools used for educational purposes should allow students the opportunity to Construct their own reality Make a connection to their environment Include opportunities for modeling Connect the personal to real life Afford an opportunity to reflect on its uses Provide a method of feedback so students can connect their activities with its consequences

Technology and Language Teaching: ESL Students Technology has always had a place in ESL classrooms. Early examples are: Audio-cassettes used for listening/audio-lingual method Videotapes/movies for cultural presentations CAI- Computer-Assisted Instruction and Software such as Focus on Grammar software packages that accompany a textbook Web 2.0 tools- websites that accompany textbooks, teacher-produced websites for teachers/students  New constructionist/constructivist uses of Web 2.0 tools- student-created wikis, blogs, podcasts, digital movies, etc.

Technology and Language Teaching: ESL Students- some considerations ESL students have varying exposure and experience with technology, so early and frequent modeling is often necessary Teacher should function as mentors or facilitators; students create their own meaning and interpretation of the information to be learned Lessons should be engaging, hands-on and leave room for opportunity for the students to ask questions which they can themselves answer by exploration Students will need lots of time and opportunity to complete lessons. Lessons should incorporate all 4 skills- reading, writing, listening and speaking  Technology should be the tool, not the lesson itself

Suggestions for implementing Technology into ESL classrooms Begin with process-specific (the how to), then content- specific (theme) then combine the two into a content- process project Start with “controlled input” which models and guides students through a task Facilitate students as they to explore areas of interest Have students develop a topic/theme that they are interested in exploring Resist the urge to answer students’ questions- have them research/develop/construct their own answers Pair strong and weaker students together for peer-to peer mentoring

Suggestions, continued Focus on all 4 skills- reading, writing, listening, and speaking when creating lessons Encourage or elicit “powerful ideas” that students have constructed from their projects Have students share their projects/reflect on what they learned by doing the project Use suggestions/reflections to revise/edit lesson for next time Include teacher reflection on change in teacher role from “provider” to facilitator

Small Steps using Technology in the ESL classroom Create a class wiki in a writing class to model good writing or to have students edit/revise their own writing. Wiki for Intermediate Writing Class  Have students use a blog to discuss themes/topics that are being discussed in a reading class. Vary the assignments to make use of all 4 skills. Allow students the opportunity to post their own questions and to reflect on the blogging experience. Blog for an Intermediate ESL class

Ideas from Bers to encourage using Constructionist theory into ESL courses “Computers are not only a tool for documentation, but also a vehicle for thinking about thinking.” (p. 28) “Technology fluency is measured not by how much [students] learn with computers and how many new skills they develop, but by [students’] ability and confidence to use technology to create, design, build and program personally meaningful projects.” (p. 43) “Within the constructionist tradition, self-reflection and understanding of how knowledge is being constructed are not only goals for the teacher, but also for the learner.” ( p. 28)

References/Further Reading Bers, M. U. (2008). Blocks to Robots: Learning with technology in the early childhood classroom. new York City: Teacher's College Press. Bodie, B. (2008, October, 29). Jerome Bruner. Retrieved March 23, 2009, from YouTube.com Web site: Changelearning, (2008, January 31). Building knowldege: Constructivism in learning. Retrieved March 23, 2009, from YouTube.com Web site: Discovery learning- Bruner. Retrieved March 23, 2009, from Learning theories.com Web site:

References, continued Kretchmar, J. (2008).Seymour Papert & Constructionism. Research Starters Education: Seymour Papert & Constructionism Kretchmar, J. (2008).Social learning theory. Research Starters Education: Social Learning Theory Schmidt, L. (November 2008). How we don't learn. Leadership Social Development Theory (Vygotsky). Retrieved March 23, 2009, from Learning-Theories.com Web site: - theories.com/vygotskys-social-learning-theory.html#more-4