Constructivism

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=Constructivism=

Theory
====Constructivism is the idea that “learning is an active process of constructing rather than acquiring knowledge, and instruction is a process of supporting that construction rather than communicating knowledge” (Duffy,Cunningham,1996 ,p2). Teachers then use this knowledge to build upon their lessons. “Teachers seek and value their students’ points of view” (Brooks, Brooks, 2009,pix). Teachers need to be aware of students’ perspectives on the material and use that as a point of reference in the lesson. “Classroom activities challenge students’ suppositions.” All students have preconceived notions of a particular concept they will learn in class. “In the constructivist classroom, however, student’s perspectives are the teachers cues for ensuing learning” (Brooks, Brooks, 2009,pix). Teachers use these cues to develop lessons that students can relate to. However, “Teachers pose problems of emerging relevance. Relevance emerges from the learner” (Brooks, Brooks, 2009, pix). Under constructivism, the teacher finds what will make the lesson relevant to the student and build the lesson from there. “Teachers build lessons around primary concepts and “big” ideas” (Brooks, Brooks, 2009, pix). This big idea concept calls for teachers to create units to help break up the information into sections students can understand. “Constructivist teachers offer academic problems that challenge students to grapple first with the big ideas and to discern themselves, with mediation from the teacher, parts that require more investigation” (Brooks, Brooks, 2009,pix). This investigation can be done through a variety of learning strategies. “Teachers assess student learning in the context of daily teaching” (Brooks, Brooks, 2009, pix). This step is important for the teacher to understand where the students are in their learning and to see if the student understood the material presented in class that day. “Under constructivism assessment is not seen as a separate component from normal everyday classroom activities. It is instead part of everyday instruction” (Brooks, Brooks, 2009,pix). If the teacher waits till the end of the unit to assess the students it is too late to go back and teach all the concepts in the unit over again. By assessing students each day the teacher can see how to modify the lesson the next day to reexamine the information covered. Many other learning theories have been created based on the theory of constructivism, including discovery learning theory, which can be found here .====

** T echnology and Learning**
====Under the idea of constructivism, teachers build on what students already know. When applying technology along with this theory, teachers can build on programs students already know and apply that knowledge to new types of technology. For example, students can build upon the knowledge learned in the classroom and apply it to project based learning, thus making it more interactive for the students. “Collaborative activities like group projects, simulations, and debates contribute to personal meaning” (Miller, 2009, p1). They can do this with project based technology components such as iMovies, Animoto, PowerPoint, Keynote, and Inspiration. “When teachers make learning interactive and collaborative by using a social constructivist, student centered approach to teaching and learning they assume the role of facilitator” (Miller, 2009, p4). This allows for the teacher to let students take control of their learning. Students can work collaboratively on the projects to help guide each other in learning the information. It also allows for students who are shy to have a voice within the classroom. “Some of those reasons are diminished in online classes, such as the embarrassment of speaking in front of a large group of classmates, or fears of the reactions of classmates that are usually non-verbal in nature. In the online environment, all students can have a voice and can be required to contribute to a discussion. Students often feel that it is easier in an environment where you are “faceless” and yet participation still can be a challenge” (Miller, 2009, p.5). Mandatory discussion boards, blogs or podcasts can be helpful in this situation.==== = = = = = = = = = =

Church Whisperer. (2009). [Image]. [] much-discussion.jpg from, http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g2699/is_0000/ai_2699000048/
====Duffy T. Cunningham D. (1996) Constructivism: Implications for the design and delivery of instruction. Retrieved on April 15, 2010, from http://iris.nyit.edu/~kkhoo/Spring2008/Topics/Cons/ConstructivismImplicatio ns.pdf====

Miller, A. (2009). Collaborating in electronic learning communities. Online Submission, Retrieved April 06,2010, from ERIC database.
