Tyler Gayheart
Alison McFarland
Antoinette Davis
Dear Readers,
My group and I came up with the following websites as it related to constructivism:
This article is based on constructivism and how it can be applied in the classroom.
Constructivism as it applied to children as they work in group activities.
This website describes books and articles that are great resources for understanding constructivism.
Antoinette, Tyler, and Alison,
ReplyDeleteThanks for a clear video clip on constructivism in practice in a preschool or kindergarten class. Consistent with constructivism, the students were allowed to explore the materials in unique ways, were given developmentally appropriate tasks, were given manipulatives to handle, and were allowed to work at their own pace in small groups. They were also given the appropriate language to describe the activity, and expanded that language as they were able. Vygotsky would approve of the social instruction and of the small group social interactions. Thanks for this great visual example.
Thanks for these! I really like the first link and its suggestion to make a scrapbook of constructivist ideas. That's such a constructivist way to learn about constructivism!
ReplyDeleteWe (Chris, Amanda, and I) also found that YouTube video about the constructivist classroom. One of our questions about it was whether or not we think the children actually learned anything. I like Caroline's explanation that they were expanding their skills and language in this exercise, but do you think they could have learned more? Was there maybe a better way to sort than the way they were, and should they have been directed to find that way instead of just going with how they decided to sort? Perhaps they were too young for something like that, but I'm having a hard time with the idea that constructivism seems to provide about how there is no universal truth and everyone can make their own meaning. I do think that everyone should make their own meaning with some things, but what if there is a better way to do it than what they came up with? Should we tell them? What do you and your group mates think?
Hi Caroline,
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you got to see the video clips. We chose these videos because it was a clear example of Vygotsky's theory on social constructivism. I enjoyed the videos because I thought that it was interesting to see the children as they worked together with their teacher on their assignments. In classrooms, I think that students should be able to work at their own pace because it will give them the time that they need to learn the information.
Hi Carly,
ReplyDeleteI think that students should be able to sort things out with the teacher's assistance. But we want to make sure that we give students a chance to explore before we help them towards the answer. I think that the learning process has many ways that students can learn however, we have to allow students to decide the best way that they can learn. We, as teachers, can make suggestions, but overall, we have to allow students to learn at a pace that they are comfortable with.
Really like the group work information! Great find!
ReplyDeleteWhoops, meant to type video-- Did you see all three videos that went with the first? Very interesting!
ReplyDelete