Letting Go in the Classroom

Rebecca,

I am a sixth grade teacher in a school district that is largely working class as well. I, too, have found that even at this young age, students do not have the desire to "learn for learning's sake." My students talk about finishing high school and going to college to get a job and help out the family.

Often in class, I do step away from the standards and textbook scripts to see where the path takes us. The subject matter has more impact when I relate it back to their lives and experiences. However, this constructivist approach can be challenging and is frequently frowned upon in my school. My principal would prefer that our focus be on raising test scores.

I too, agree that a constructivist approach can be very beneficial for students. I am currently teaching 3rd grade and it is my 4th year. I will admit, that I was very nervous to sit back and let things like this "happen" my first year of teaching. As I become more experienced and familiar with the curriculum, I find it much easier to be able to guide my students through discussions and love seeing that once taught how to, even 3rd graders can have meaningful discussions with one another. According to an article I read called "Becoming Expert Teachers" by Robert Garmston, having a deep knowledge of your content, a strong repertoire of teaching skills, and knowing how your students learn best are just three characteristics of becoming an expert teacher.

It amazes me how education has the tendency to cycle around. I remember when I was in my bachelor’s program there was a lot of talk of constructivism versus direct instruction. It seems this has been a topic of discussion for sometime. Personally, I think there needs to be a combination of both. I do not think there is a scared percent of either; rather, as professionals we need to be able to decipher when to use what technique and when. I once had a principal that truly believed direct instuction should take at least ninety percent of instruction time. However, I felt ninety percent was far too much for most of my classes. This approach teaches students to regurgitate what has been taught, and it does not teach students to think for themselves.

At the time when I was encouraged teach from this approach, I was in my first Master’s program. This program took a very unorthodoxed approach to education. Almost all we did was in a constructivistic manor. I had never experienced education in such a way; yet, I was very impressed and I learned more than I could have ever imagined. Still, through the program I learned two very important things. First, in order to teach from a constructivist approach one must understand the subject matter very well. Even though it appreared as though my professors allowed the class to guide instruction, it was obvious at the end that they were the master minds and they really were guiding us all along. Secondly but equally important, some students are not capable of a constructivist approach to learning. I have learned through personal experience some students are not ready for a student guided evironment—either because they have behavior issues or because they do not have the background knowledge necessary.

The unfortunate piece is that although I think many approaches to learning are beneficial, educators are influenced to directly guide instruction. This is obvious in our students inability to think for themselves. Most students expect teachers to spoon feed information. This is why so many children have a difficult time thinking for themselves. Would I like to teach from a constructivist approach more often? Absolutely! Do I commend you for beginning this discussion and sharing your insight. Yes! Hopefully, this will allow other teachers to find a need to use this approach more often in their classroom or to at least learn more about it.

Yvette
Master Student
Walden University

I'm glad to have read this final post because I was reading through them wondering how teachers reconcile the often strict demands of state and national standards with a constructivist approach. It doesn't sound easy, but at these posts offer some hope! I'm currently preservice so I have yet to grapple with this yet.

I am currently in a preservice program to become a high school English teacher (preferably 11th grade!) and I was curious as to whether you've used this approach with other literary works? Do you use alot of discussion in your classroom? I would think that's a pretty sure way to let students guide their learning, yes?

One of the best teaching/learning experiences I ever had with students began when my sociology students came to class furious because a lunch period had been cancelled leading to overcrowding in the two remaining periods. They wanted to picket the office! I asked whether they had any proof that crowding was harmful, as opposed to merely inconvenient. Immediately, they wanted to find out. I put aside my plans and we spent several weeks researcing and then creating a video that summarized their findings. Years later, former students I meet still label it their best class project ever.

Taught high school for 28 years. Writer of The Insprired Teacher: How to Know One, Grow One or Be One, published by ASCD. Currently an Instructional Coach from Grand Rapids MI.

Rebecca, This is a great post and like one of your commenters, I too worry that some of our teachers have not heard of constructivism...As a teacher deeply steeped in belief about the importance of constructivism, I just want to add to what you have already said: teachers still have to do some direct instruction, and know their students background knowledge, experiences with constructivist learning, and existing schemas for this to be successful. I have seen a lot of really horrid constructivist instruction (and done some myself, goodness knows!)--teachers MUST know their students intellectually and spiritually, and develop capacity around activist learning over time, for constructivism to reach its fullest potential!

Thank you!

Kirsten Olson
(author of Wounded By School)

I am a teacher at a school that implements the Project Based Learning method - where the students actively work on projects throughout the semester and learn the concepts by DOING with lessons on skills needed throughout. At first, many of my fellow teachers were skeptical, but all it took was seeing the students' faces as they embraced their own learning to quickly change their minds. The students we serve are under-credited, over-aged urban teenagers and they come alive when the material is relevant and given to them to work through. We are building their 21st century skills which are crucial for our population, given that not all of them will continue on to higher education.

When you see these kids who were never students to begin with light up because they are finally understanding material the traditional methods failed to communicate, it is priceless. They enjoy school, themselves and their successes in ways that make every day on the job a pure blessing.

Is it the best way? Maybe. Maybe not. But when I see them actively engaged in their own education and hear them talking about things they've learned three, four, five months later, I really don't care. It works for the population I serve, so in this instance, success is our most important piece of empirical data.