CONSTRUCTIVISM: Principles

04/10/2023 by: Robina David Madriaga

CONSTRUCTIVISM

• Guiding Principles of

Constructivism


Goat, Cabbage and WolfA farmer needs to ferry a goat, a

cabbage, and a wolf across a river. Besides the farmer himself, the boat allows him to carry only one of them at a time. Without supervision, the goat will gobble up the cabbage and the wolf will not hesitate to feast on the goat.

How can he ferry all of them safely to the other side?


• Answer:

> The farmer ferries the goat over first. He returns and takes the cabbage. He deposits the cabbage on the other side and takes the goat back. He then leaves the goat and picks up the wolf. He ferries the wolf to the other side. Finally, he returns to pick up the goat again


• It is a learning theory.• Constructivism says that people

construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences.

WHAT IS CONSTRUCTIVISM


Guiding Principles of Constructivism

1. Posing problems of emerging relevance to

students


- Time versus Coverage- Learning for Transfer• Regular reflection and analysis of

personal perspectives on learning help to clarify and assess those perspectives and to align teaching practices in accordance with them.

- The Value of Changing One’s Mind


The nature of questions posed to

students greatly influences the depth

to which the students search for

answers.

--FIRST PRINCIPLE--


2. Structuring learning around “Big Ideas”

Most of us need to see the whole before we are able to make sense of the parts.


A. A teacher structures a unit around conflict (the big idea) around three wars, the Revolutionary, Civil and World War II.

- The teacher writes them on the board and asks students to reflect on what they know about each, to select two of the three, and to compare them by illustrating their similarities and differences. - Based on their choices she leads them to resources to answer their inquiry.


B. Students study the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and World War II separately and at different times (in other words, by the text) of the year. They memorize dates, important battles, and are tested on people important to each conflict.


See the difference?

• Traditional teaching focuses primarily on lower-order cognitive skills (memorization)

• Constructivist teaching focusing on higher order cognitive skills of analysis, reflection, and synthesis


1. fingers: hand 4. pencil : lead

foot: ______ coconut : ____

2. wedding : vows 5. Math: Algebra

funeral : ____ Science: _______

3. palm : hand

knuckle : ____


The ability of the teacher to foster interaction among students, mediate

the emergence of relevance and match curricular questions to the

student’s suppositions encourages the student’s search for

understanding.

--SECOND PRINCIPLE--


- Students points of views are windows to their reasoning.

- Everything is relevant from someone else’s point of view.

3. Seeking and Valuing Students’ Points of View


Seeking and valuing students' points of view means providing

opportunities for students to discuss, share and exchange ideas and

perspectives. This will deepen their content understandings, strengthen their

proficiencies in thinking and communication, and promote

collaboration.

--THIRD PRINCIPLE--


- This principle implies that teachers need to know the cognitive abilities of their students, and then design lessons that challenge these abilities.

4. ADAPTING CURRICULUM TO ADDRESS STUDENTS’

SUPPOSITIONS


• We don’t know what ideas are within students’ reach unless we do something specific to find out.

• Results driven education judges success not by the number of courses taken but by what students actually know and can do as a result of their time in school.

--FOURTH PRINCIPLE--


5. ASSESSING STUDENT LEARNING IN THE CONTEXT OF TEACHING


Rather than view assessment as a way to determine what is “right” or “wrong”, or as a tool to evaluate individual students, assessment is used as an entry point for intervention and planning on how to lead students to construct new understandings, knowledge and skills.

--FIFTH PRINCIPLE--

CONSTRUCTIVISM: Principles

Education

Transcript of CONSTRUCTIVISM: Principles