In Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007), describe a teaching strategy, generating and testing hypotheses, that correlates well with constructionism. Building, or constructing meaning comes from problem solving. Students who are actively engaged in building a project or investigating problems have to problem solve. The students start with an idea, research, possibly experiment, and draw conclusions when they are generating and testing hypotheses. If the students are given choices about the subject and it relates to a real world situation, this sets up a meaningful context. The students should also have a choice in the artifact they produce to allow them to display their learning through their individual learning style preferences.
The authors of Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works also suggest using tools such as spreadsheets and chart making software to make the handling of data seamless. This frees up the students to spend time on drawing conclusions and constructing meaning from the data instead of spending too much time just collecting and organizing the data.
Kafai, Y. and Resnick, M. (1996). Constructionism in Practice: Designing, Thinking, and Learning in A Digital World. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=XaJiLh92ZCUC&oi=fnd&pg=PP13&dq =%22Kafai%22+%22Constructionism+in+practice:+Designing,+thinking,+and+...%22+ &ots=jYlgV1YVPs&sig=OHhtA0WaagJisui1wvmpneKWDiY
Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
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Great post. I love the way you broke this down and made it so simple. I think when we really look at constructionism, we find that this is a part of all of our teaching. We all want students to connect with what they are learning. We want them to make it their own so they remember it. What better way than to be actively involved in the lesson? Creating, building, thinking, sharing- all of these ways of being a part of the lesson help to build the artifacts that we take with us.
ReplyDeleteI am glad I am not the only one who was a bit confused. I also went out searching for more info. Once I started to understand it , it all fell into place.
ReplyDeleteYour post was very helpful, thanks.
Your simple, to the point explanation of constructionism is great! I believe that construcionism is something that should be a part of every classroom. Learning needs to be exciting, meaningful, and memorable for your students and having them construct their own artifacts is simply a wonderful approach. As the teacher, we step down and become more of a guide and not a lecturer. Whereas the students get a chance to take control of their own learning and this in return produces better results. Constructionism is great for any classroom... thanks for making it simple and easy to understand.
ReplyDeleteLori,
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point. Instead of being the one with all the knowledge to distribute, teachers really need to be the guide to help students discover meaning. I wonder how many teachers are intimidated by this idea. I was, in my first year as a full time teacher. I had accelerated and AP students, and felt if they knew more than I, I was not doing my job. That is not the point of teaching. We have to help students go beyond us. It is kind of like wanting a better life for our own children and wanting them to surpass our achievements.
Shannon,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! It makes constructionism easier to understand, especially when you pointed out that the root word is construct. That's it in a nutshell, they construct to learn. And I agree that some of the tools that organize their data will prove useful by giving them more time to actually work on their problem at hand.
Trina