Constructivism TIPR

Current Teacher Behavior

1. The Constructivist strategies I've seen the most in the classrooms I've observed would have to be Jigsaw-type activities or Reciprocal Learning like Literacy Circles. Some classrooms are very lecture-based and I struggled to find any constructivist learning strategies, but Jigsaw's are used to break up class material and have groups "specialize" in their topic with others and then break up and teach it to others. This effective strategy for learning by teaching is also used in the Lit Circle's I saw where students all read a text and had to prepare different aspects of it to share in a small group. The main tenets I see at play here are Structure, because the teacher does try to start and end collaborative learning with a discussion on how this information fits into the bigger picture of what they're learning, and probably Readiness, because she definitely has to adjust the concepts and lessons for their level of understanding.
When these activities were done well, elements of Vygotsky's theories in social constructivism were apparent such as the assisted learning through scaffolding like graphic organizers, and cultural tools for exploration such as chrome books.

Student Needs

2. Students need to be engaged with their learning, and truly believe that real learning is a process and not the final product they can present for a grade. If I had to identify what is missing from many of the social studies classrooms I've observed, it's the interest factor, and the opportunity to really question and ponder some of these topics. If that was allowed more often, and if students had the time to infer answers before being given the answers to remember, I think that would allow for more effective learning. As mentioned previously, I only saw these constructivist strategies in play just a couple times. Most of the time these students are being force fed history facts that don't engage students enough to cause the disequilibrium needed to encourage deeper thinking and sorting skills. If they can't find ways to truly assimilate or accommodate the new information through inquiry and exploration, the chances of that information sticking around long term is very slim. I wish I saw more spiral curriculum practices that revisit the new information more frequently.

Plans for your Lesson

3. The first thing I'd like to do is prepare the lesson in a way that allows for collaborative learning in groups. Instead of lecturing about the topic, I want the students to work in smaller groups with an objective in mind that will guide their research and learning. By discussing in small groups, and then having the opportunity to share their findings to the class, I hope they will be engaged enough to learn the material. I will also model the process for them so they understand what my instructions mean, and can therefore get right to work instead of trying to figure our what they need to do.