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Constructivi sm Amanda Raker, Becky Pokrandt, Erin Vollmer
ConstructivismAmanda Raker, Becky Pokrandt, Erin Vollmer
Project Based Learning
0Organized around an open-ended driving question.0Student Voice0 Incorporate Feedback0Problem Solving0Creating Something New0Critical Thinking
Philosophers
0Lev Vygotsky, Jean Piaget, John Dewey 0All proposed that students could learn actively and
construct new knowledge based on prior knowledge or experiences.
0Social Constructivism- Vygotsky stressed social context of learning and interaction.
0Piaget and Dewey each believed that education involves shaping of learners from the environment.
Would you prefer learning with the project based approach or traditional
methods?
Reggio-Emilia
0 started by the schools of the city of Reggio Emilia in Italy after World War II.
Piaget's Preoperational Stages of Development
0Language development is one of the hallmarks of this period
0Children also become increasingly clever at using symbols
0Reggio Emilia educators believe that children have a hundred languages to express their realizations about the world
Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development
0Education that is based on…0collaboration0image of the child0role of the parents0role of the environment0project approach
Community
Vygotsky's Social Constructivist Theory
0Emphasizes the social contexts of learning0Knowledge is mutually built and constructed which
is the cornerstone of the Reggio Emilia approach.0The same group of students stays together for
three years0The teachers’ offices are all in one big office
Teachers as Facilitators in Reggio
0Guides, not directors 0Provide support for children to explore and
discover knowledge through a topic of their interest
0Every project is based on what children say and do
Teachers as Facilitators in Reggio
0No principal and no hierarchy 02 teachers per classroom01 atelierista, a person who is trained in
the arts0This allows for one teacher to be
observing and thus learning at all times
How many of you would be okay with me recording all of your conversations on camera
as well as taking notes?
Authentic Assessment
0Example- use of portfolios as opposed to formal standardized tests to assess children's learning.
IPS School 60/Butler Lab School
0Uses the project approach as much as possible0A Reggio inspired school
Cool fact- They only hires Butler grads!
To Sum it all Up…
Social constructivism is shown in the teachers' respect for the children's need
to generate their own questions and revisit their choices.
Five Guiding Principles of Constructivism:
1. Pose problems of emerging relevance to students.
2. Structure learning around primary concepts.
3. Seek and value students' points of view.
4. Adapt instruction to address student suppositions.
5. Assess student learning in the context of teaching.
How are these methods applied in the classroom?
Activity Time!
oObserve the objects placed on your table and write down immediate observations and thoughts pertaining to them. Do any of them make you think of a specific experience, organization, or emotion?
o Now use some of the objects to construct an invention or model that would help an individual or group of people. Be as creative as desired.
o Reflect on the placement and choice of the objects that your group chose. Does yours compare with other tables?
