Saturday, November 28, 2009
Constructivism in Practice
The constructivist theory is a very interesting theory. In college this was the only theory that we were taught, the college said that this is the only way teachers should be teaching. Well, as we all know there are many different ways of doing things. I think a great technology based project that utilizes the constructivist theory would be the virtual tour project that we just did. I would like to see students take a tour of a informational web site then construct a concept map diagramming what the web site has to offer. By doing this students are able to learn about the web site, technology as well as organize their thoughts into a visual model to help them remember the information.
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It is frustrating that educational experts and leaders in education do not really seem to always know what they are doing. It must be a relief to have Robert Marzano or some other educational expert actually working in your building and telling you what to do. Just like my students, sometimes I just want someone to tell me how to do it the right way.
ReplyDeleteI do not know that Constructionism is the be all, end all of good instruction. However, it seems to me that it is built around problem solving. It allows students to act like they would when they get a job; creating presentations for employers and clients, conducting scientific experiments and reporting on them, solving real world problems, etc. I agree that teachers should try their best to incorporate as much of this style as possible into their teaching.
Shileah,
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of taking students on a virtual field trip and having them complete a concept map. My district only allows two field trips per school year and only a small amount of funds can be allocated per grade level. With virtual field trips, the possiblities are endless and the students are guaranteed to be engaged and motivated. I like the visual aspect of such field trips. I feel that the majority of my second grade students are visual learners. Please share if you come across any good virtual field trip sites!
I was fortunate enough to go to a college that taught a variety of teaching strategies and theories. Although I like the constructionist approach, I do not think it is wise to limit one's teaching strategies. Some students may require the use of other practices to learn new concepts. One reason I am enjoying this class is that not only is it is a refresher for me on learning theories, but it shows me how to incorporate technology into each method. When I was in college most of today's technology didn't even exist and that was only ten years ago!
ReplyDeleteColeen