Constructivism
I've spoken about the Behavioral Theory, so now I'd like to look at the Constructivist point of view. "As far as instruction is concerned, the instructor should try and encourage students to discover principles by themselves. The instructor and student should engage in an active dialog (i.e., Socratic learning). The task of the instructor is to translate information to be learned into a format appropriate to the learner's current state of understanding. Curriculum should be organized in a spiral manner so that the student continually builds upon what they have already learned." (Jerome Bruner) This is how we are encouraged to teach and its the way I think students learn best. The educator is to facilitate learning, while letting students explore and build onto what they already know.
Memory:
When one is learning something new, that information should be tied to already existing knowledge. In class the educator tries to connect information to what the student already know as it helps move the information from short term memory into long term memory. In addition the more one practices, the better one gets or remembers. For instance, give me a flute and I'm going to sound horrible, but the more I practice, the better I get. When one is doing math problems, doing addition one or two times is not going to put that knowledge into long term memory, it must be practiced. All of this is part of the constructivist view and helps teachers figure out how to best lead students.I've found difficulty with ESL learners. They don't always have the same experiences as we do. This is true for many instances, not always just ESL. If I'm covering something in class and I relate it to a BBQ then most people here in Texas are going to think outside, ribs, sausage, beans, potato salad, and such. However, as a friend of mine from up north and I discovered, this is not always the case. My friend's idea of a BBQ was hot dogs and chips. Wait...What? It's just a different way of doing things. The ESL learner comes from a different culture and they may do things a bit different. During my studies for my ESL certification, I came to a deeper understanding of this. We must tie into what students know to make the information relevant and get their attention. Lest what they hear falls into short term memory and is lost. Ask the ESL learner what it reminds them of, to tie to their prior knowledge. If you are trying to explain to me how something works based on football, then you've lost me, not everyone has the same understanding of things.
Processing time:
Also, we need to be careful as educators not to give too much information at a time. I've been in professional development many times and sometimes I feel that the contents of my brain just has no room left for any more information, one needs time to put that knowledge into long term memory by organizing and categorizing. This is very true for students as well, they need time to process what they have heard/learned to remember it or else its all forgotten.
This is where technology really comes in useful in the classroom. Instead of asking questions in class expecting an immediate response, students can think and reflect on the question/learned skill then reply online via social media, like blogging or edmodo, just to name a few.
As an educator it is imperative to understand how students learn and remember. It is in this way we can help them learn the best way possible for them.
Resources:
http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/constructivist.html
http://mediatechnologyeducation.pbworks.com/w/page/20692627/Constructivism%20in%20Education
Constructivism and Behaviorism, psychological theories that try to define how a student learns, are similar because they are both philosophies of learning. Both types of theorists study the environment of learning and natural surroundings of knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI like your point about ELL students. It hadn't really crossed my mind but they are every bit as important as the other learners. An effort to reach students through a constructivist lesson could inadvertently exclude ELL students and students from different regions. This needs to be taken into consideration and there should be a check for prior knowledge before diving headlong into a constructivist lesson.
ReplyDeleteI hate to say it, but there was much I didn't consider regarding ELL's, until I began my studies to take the ESL certification. I learned quite a bit just through study. So many of my ELL students are so sweet and quite, they just go with the lesson and don't always indicate they don't understand the prior knowledge we assume they have.
DeleteI think that using both constructionist and behaviorism is more an holistic approach to the structure of how a students learning from his or her environment. It is very apparent that student learn so much from their enivorment.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great point! I have also shared the professional development scenario whee oodles and oodles of information is thrown at you in a 2-4 hour time period. Every time this happens, I just think to myself, "is this how you would want us to be teaching our students"? Processing time is key not only for kids but for all individuals. Technology is such a great tool for allowing students to work and absorb information at their own pace. Furthermore, as students are able to pace themselves with technology applications, the teacher is free to work one on one with students who are having trouble.
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