When we consider constructivist teaching, or a constructivist approach to learning, what comes to mind? For me, I see Socrates standing not in the center, but to the side of his students.
I imagine him pondering their comments and questions, and carefully crafting questions of his own, which he contributes -- selectively. Most importantly, he doesn't lead, but follows the line of questioning of the students.
That's really what it's all about: being an questioner, an investigator side-by-side with your students. That doesn't mean we shouldn't have a solid lesson plan ready to go each day, but we should be ready -- and willing -- for the students to take the class into unchartered waters.
Let me give you an example from my own teaching experience. In an American Literature class I taught a while back, we had made our way through transcendentalism, stopping off at Henry Thoreau. Here, I had a few lessons on civil disobedience planned.
Day one, we watched a video excerpt on Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat, and read a passage from the play, "The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail." We created a class definition for civil disobedience and then we began to brainstorm times in history when people had defied a law -- or should have -- for the sake of what was right and fair. My plan was for all this to lead to group projects and individual papers on specific historical acts of civil disobedience in the U.S.
Then, the students began talking about racial profiling and wouldn't move on. I asked questions to clarify. I asked more questions. At this point, I abandoned the list I had assumed students would brainstorm (the right answers), and jumped on board with the direction they were heading.
Mostly African-American and Latino, my students began sharing stories of racial profiling from their own lives, and the lives of their families and friends. My eleventh grade class, the one right before lunch, made it very clear that day that they wanted to learn more about their rights and protecting themselves the next time the police pulled them over for questioning for no clear reason.
Constructivist teaching relies on the learners bringing prior knowledge, or schema, to the table. I could have stopped the conversation and said, "Let's move on," (code for, "Let's keep going where I think we should go") but then I would have lost them. Every time I have white-knuckled it and pushed my agenda, the students respond like this: a heavy, collective sigh, and slumping of the shoulders. In essence, they give up and give in. Can you relate?
Teaching students in urban schools has an added challenge. Many students from families struggling economically have few college grads in their neighborhoods and families to represent the benefits of education. So, they often are hungry to know why exactly they are learning something and how it is relevant to their own lives.
Let's go back to that class before lunch. After we cleared away all the misnomers around what the police can and cannot do, we read, analyzed, and discussed the Fourth Amendment and habeas corpus, looked at national statistics on racial profiling, and turned to the ACLU for their expertise.
We ended those couple of weeks with a culminating project where students grouped themselves according to interest. One group made a brochure titled, "How to Protect Yourself When DWB (Driving While Black/Brown)." Another group created a presentation poster on the history and statistics of racial profiling. My favorite project was an instructional video for police officers on how to build trust with the community.
Need I say it? I was a learner along with my students during those weeks. The students schooled me. When was time when you let go and let the students guide the learning? Please teach us!
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That's such a key term:
That's such a key term: active role. Yes! When we hold students accountable for their own learning, that is when the magic happens! Thanks for sharing!
Teaching the Fundamentals is Fundamental
Thanks for taking a moment to share the challenging experience you have had with your child's school. In no way does the inquiry model, or the constructivist learning model, ever, and I mean, ever, replace teaching the fundamentals (which often calls for teacher-directed instruction, especially in the lower grades.)
Notice that my students were required to read, analyze and synthesize primary documents important in U.S. history and government (the Fourth Amendment, for example.) Teachers have also shared in their comments here some outstanding models of inquiry learning -- and academic rigor -- in their own classrooms.
I'm very sorry to hear about this experience you have had with this specific school site.
Letting Go
I cannot believe that you all think that lower grade children can successfully learn from constructivist methods. This teaching has ruined our school district's math program. We have to teach our kids an entire math curriculum at home because they never learn any real facts from their constructivist curriculum. But, hey, I see they get to talk with each other about adding single digit numbers. And, they love drawing pictures and graphing.
Just keep letting go of your students. They can spend a bunch of time talking about things they have no fundamental basis or knowledge in. My kids will succeed because I am supplementing their education myself. Then, your constructivist curriculum will be praised for what a great job it did in preparing my kids for college.
I feel sorry for the kids who aren't getting a real education at home. How are they ever going to learn enough to get into college?
This constructivism is ruining our public education.
Constructive Teaching
What dismays me is that there are still teachers (as well as principals and superintendents) who do not know about constructivist pedagogy. No wonder we seem to keep spinning our wheels and develop standards and curriculula that are straight from the 19th century! BOTH for K-12, and higher education.
Constructivism with a Twist
You should look into modeling for Chemistry. It is constructivism with a twist. It is happening all over the country with great results, it started in Arizona, check out the website http://modeling.asu.edu/
Letting Go
My name is Shelley Dukat. I have been teaching first grade for five years. I am participating in blogging for my first time as a requirement for my Master's program. I definitely agree that it is very important and beneficial to student learning when teachers are willing to just 'let go' and have the students' insight, background knowledge, and interests guide a lesson or instruction. Yes, I think lesson plans are very important, but a teacher most be able to adapt from them based on the needs of the students. I find that when students have a chance to connect to what they are learning, they develop ownership and pride in their learning.
Letting Go
My name is Shelley Dukat. I have been teaching first grade for five years. I am participating in blogging for my first time as a requirement for my Master's program. I definitely agree that it is very important and beneficial to student learning when teachers are willing to just 'let go' and have the students' insight, background knowledge, and interests guide a lesson or instruction. Yes, I think lesson plans are very important, but a teacher most be able to adapt from them based on the needs of the students. I find that when students have a chance to connect to what they are learning, they develop ownership and pride in their learning.
Letting Go!
When I think of constructivism, I envision a room of students collaborating, discussing, questioning, etc. Where's the teacher? Well, sitting with or beside the students listening, discussing, questioning, etc., along with the students. This is the true "Democratic classroom".
This type of classroom is alive with learning, where students are collectively "constructing an understanding". The students are challenging themselves through a process of discovery with an intrinsic motivation in their quest for knowledge.
A constructivist classroom includes the student, as they take an active role in their education. Unlike, the "schooling" classroom where students remain in their seats and are not central to their education.
The moments where an educator can let go and let the students guide the learing is liberating. These personal experiences are learning experiences, for all - the students and the teacher.
Thanks for sharing and reminding me of those moments!
I'm currently an 8th year AP
I'm currently an 8th year AP Chemistry Teacher and have very much tried to take the constructivist approach in my classroom. However, I've found it quite difficult because students have very little prior knowledge with respect to chemistry and matter. Constructivism, I believe, may only be practical with particular subject matter. Though I'm sure there is some recall with respect to the subject, chemistry is so microscopic that very few students come into the class with any basic understanding of the science. However this is not the case with biology or even physics. All students have some understanding of cars crashing and balls falling, as well as organs functioning in the body. Nonetheless I continue to try and raise questions that help to guide my students in their road to discovery.
Letting Go
Someone once said, "It is better to be guide on the side than a sage on the stage." That has become my philosophy as a teacher. It has seemed to enhance my teaching experience. I agree that we need to be prepared with a meaningful lesson each day,but we also need to be able to let go when our students take a discussion in another direction.I teach high school health and have found that my best classes are the ones when the students take over the discussion.It cause them to dig deeper into the subject and it brings relevance to their learning. We just had a discussion yesterday on humor and its effects on the human mind. The discussion led them to conducting several different experiments of their creation on the subject. They are in the process of conducting those experiments now. It was not the direction I had planned on, but it has created in my students a desire to learn. Each day I go into class my first thought is what do they really need to know. Then I plan accordingly. Learning to stay on the side and direct their learning has been a great teaching tool for me.