2. KEY PEOPLE
1.
John Dewey (1859-1952)
•Was one of the first major theorist to develop
an idea of Constructivism in a classroom
setting.
•He believed that knowledge and ideas only
emerged from a situation in which the learners
had to draw them out of experiences that had
meaning and importance to them.
3. KEY PEOPLE
1.
David Kolb (1939)
•He developed theory that attempted to
clarify exactly how different people learn by
integrating their concrete emotional
experiences with reflection
•He also believed that new knowledge and
skills are achieved through confrontation
among concrete experience, reflective
observation, abstract conceptualization, and
subsequent active experimentation.
4. KEY PEOPLE
1.
Jean Piaget (1896-1980)
• Piaget was a Swiss developmental
psychologist and philosopher
• According to Piaget, two major principles
guide intellectual growth and biological
development: adaptation and organization.
• Piaget believed that human beings possess
mental structures that assimilate external
events, and convert them to fit their mental
structures. Piaget's second principle,
organization, refers to the nature of these
adaptive mental structures. He suggests that
the mind is organized in complex and
integrated ways.
5. KEY POINTS
“each time one prematurely teaches a child something he
could have discovered for himself, that child is kept from
inventing it and consequently from understanding it
completely” – Piaget
Constructivists believe
•a child should create his or her own knowledge rather than simply
duplicating what is observed.
•when children act on their own they are forming permanent mental models,
when they are told facts they may only memorize them which is superficial
learning
•learning is a constructive process that depends on the knowledge and
experiences of the learner
6. KEY POINTS
Constructivist Teaching
•teachers minimize adult authority
•instead of lecturing facts, teachers provide experiences
and encourage experimentation and deep thought
•encourage students to participate in “public thinking”
because it helps teachers clear up misunderstandings
students may have
7. CLASSROOM IMPLICATIONS
[TEACHERS]:
1.
What the teacher does under this theory (with and without
technology)
•With technology
•Promote information literacy through online activities
•Create collaborative online projects that require students to use various forms of technology
•Make use of technologies for students’ benefits [i.e. virtual field trips, simulations, etc.]
•Without technology
•Provide different ways for students to explore w/ the teacher acting as a guide [facilitator, etc.]
•Focus on the learners/students instead of having the focus on themselves [the teacher]
•Use hands on materials as much as possible –and when appropriate
•Allowing students to work together and promoting reciprocal teaching
8. CLASSROOM IMPLICATIONS
[STUDENTS]:
1.
What the students do under this theory (with and without technology)
•With technology
•Utilize various technology to communicate and collaborate for assignments and projects
•Use classroom technology to enhance [construct] their individual learning [i.e. independent research,
virtual field trips]
•Scaffold other students less familiar with certain technologies
•Without technology
•Work in groups to complete assignments and projects
•Choose own learning activities
•Work at their zone of proximal development
•Scaffold each other
•Think publically [letting their answers/thoughts be known in class discussions]
9. THEORY IN OUR OWN TEACHING
After learning so much about constructivism from different
classes, we think that it is a great theory to use in classrooms.
Also, this theory is technology friendly, which makes it a bit easier
to integrate technology into the curriculum. This theory is really
student oriented (very hands on learning). This will help all
students of various types of learning styles.
10. SOURCES
Keengwe, J., & Onchwari, G. (2009). Technology and Early
Childhood Education: A Technology Integration Professional
Development Model for Practicing Teachers. Early Childhood
Education Journal, 37, 209-218. DOI: 10.1007/s10643-009-0341-0
Bergin, C.C., & Bergin, D.A. (2012). Child and Adolescent
Development in Your Classroom. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage
Learning.
Walter, M. (2012, May 7). Are You a Techno-Constructivist. Retrieved
from:
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech005.shtml
All images from Google
