Chapter 2, Question 1 Group 1, 2, 3 & 4

Prompt

Simplistic Criticism While Baines and Staley’s stance that having the teacher as a facilitator is an effective method for instruction, their criticism of constructivism is far too simplistic. Research does indicate that using constructivist methods in isolation is not effective; however, it does not mean that all constructivist ideas and methods are “mindless” or “hegemonic”.

Balance of Methods Using any theoretical methodology in isolation would not be effective because variety of teaching methods, assessment, and instruction is the most effective.

Theories Below are some of the most famous constructivist thinkers and their theories John Dewey (Social Activism Theory) Albert Bandura (Social Cognitive) Lev Vygotsky (Scaffolding Theory) Jean Piaget (Theory of Cognitive Development)

Why Constructivism in practice is not all “Mindless” With research, it is clear that very little information from these theories promote the use of consistent teacher directed instruction. The following slides will provide brief information that demonstrates some of the useful elements of constructivism.

Social Activism Theory Individual growth comes from social experiences Promotes hands-on activities connected to real world issues Curriculum should connect directly to students’ interests

Social Cognitive Theory Learning comes from interactions Students learn from actions and observations Students learn through models (teachers and students)

Scaffolding Theory Supports learning through scaffolding, or helping children build on what they already know.

Cognitive Development Learning as a developmental process Promotes active learning Building on prior knowledge

Conclusion Although Baines and Stanley make the point that consistent use of constructivist methods can lead to overuse of directed instruction, they fail to see some of the useful constructivist ideas. Social interaction Hands-on learning Modelled learning Scaffolding There needs to be a balance of methodologies used