Myra/Dallis In Search of Understanding Blog Post

Introduction:
Making the Case for Constructivism:

Constructivism is the idea that people create their own meaning of new information by relating it to what they already know. It holds that people only retain information, ideas, and experiences that "transform" them or help create new ideas of their own or add on to ones they already have. That creation is called "construction" hence, "Constructivism."

Assumptions of Constructivism:

People only remember "useful" information--that is, "useful" for them in their lives or explain something they are personally curious about.

All people connect information to previous information in order to remember it. In other words, there are no "bits" of information...just a long chain of information that things can link to (or not). That's the visual conceptualization of the human mind in the constructivist perspective--a chain.

Learning and meaning cannot really be measured by most tests or assessments, especially "one-shot" multiple-choice tests. To assess learning, one needs a picture of how information is linked to other information.

Learning is a personal process that should help students do or remember things they want to do or know--even passing tests or doing "well" on homework does not indicate learning if it is not backed up by self-driven performances.

The Role of Teacher:

"In a constructivist classroom, the teacher searches for students' understandings of concepts, and then structures opportunities for students to refine or revise these understandings by posing contradictions, presenting new information, asking questions, encouraging research, and/or engaging students in inquiries designed to challenge current concepts."

Teachers should seek out their student's "points of view," as well as design assignments and activities that challenge students' previous ideas.

Relevance of topics comes from the student--teachers need to find out what that would be and foster personal meaning making.

Teachers distill information into "big ideas" that can be useful to their students, then design activities in which the details will come out. This helps students construct the picture for themselves. Think of it as putting the puzzle pieces around the border of a topic of study, then asking students to fill in the whole picture in the middle. The "big idea" is something to guide the students as they fill in the missing information, perusing a course of activity that interests them.

Teachers embed assessment into every activity, every day.
Students don't need to accumulate millions of facts but need to be able to interpret ideas through what they already know.

The American classroom is dominated by the teacher; students are expected to be receivers, not participants.

Most teachers use the textbook as the primary source of information that is disseminated to students, thus limiting alternative interpretations of information.

Student thinking is discouraged as teachers seek to supply information so that students will see the "right" answer.

School should be a time when students are encouraged to use their natural curiosity and enthusiasm to find meaning that is valuable to them now, not just at some distant point in the future.

Teachers should consider the developmental level of the student in how that student will make meaning from instruction.

The constructivist approach is explained in Chapter Two.

Constructivism:
looks for what students can generate, demonstrate, and exhibit
emphasizes big concepts
values student questions
relies on primary sources of data and manipulative materials
views students as thinkers with emerging theories about the world
allows teachers to behave in an interactive manner
seeks the students' points of view to see what students' ideas currently are
interweaves assessment with teaching
allows students to work primarily in groups

Constructivism allows students to pursue trails of their own interest and to find truths that are unique to themselves. It also acknowledges that truth is often a matter of interpretation.

Constructivism focuses on the learner, not on the teacher.

Question: Using what we now know of Constructivism, how would you create a Constructivist classroom?

To break down that big question here are some smaller questions or ideas to get you started with your answer:

1) Name a large concept in your discipline.

Example: Introductions and Conclusions frame our spoken ideas, and keep them organized.

From here, different things can happen:

2a) Think of an example of the "big idea" that is active in their students lives.

Example: Students often tell stories at lunch...ask them to think about how the stories begin and end.

2b) As they think, you may go over some explanation of the "big idea."

Example: Introductions get attention, and tell the intention of the story (humorous, informational, to garner sympathy, etc). They might also preview the major phases of the story or "plot points."

2c) Once students have thought of something that is relevant to them, have them share or further develop their idea and have them draw parallels.

Examples: Once students have the basic explanation of the introduction, have a student tell a story they recently told a friend and share it with the class. More likely than not, they'll preview their ideas before they explain them fully in the body, and summarize what they said before they conclude. These basic functions are "introductions and conclusions," respectively.

Ask listening students to listen for examples of how the student applies the principles of introductions and conclusion to share once story is over. This hopefully shows students that introductions and conclusions are something we use all the time--whether we think about it or not.

2d) Ask students to apply this knowledge in their own way by having them select their own activity.

Example: Some students may watch some sample speeches that you have previewed and had particularly good and bad introductions--students sort for themselves which are good and bad and emulate which ones they thought were good. Naturally, they'll discover Introductions and Conclusions gain attention, preview/review major ideas, and unveil/remind the audience of the main idea of the speech, making it seem sincere and organized.

3) Think of how you can evaluate each stage of the process as it is happening.
Example: You may notice that at each stage of the process, I ask for student participation and sharing--it is often on this basis teachers will assess the progress of their students. The only thing I take a grade on, however, is how they apply what they know in a real speech, preferably in both a format and on a topic that is interesting AND CHALLENGING for them.