Group+7

Brooke B bbradl3@students.towson.edu Ashley Whalen awhale1@students.towson.edu Danielle Gradone- dgrado1@students.towson.edu Caitlin Miller- cmille29@students.towson.edu Shelly Guy- shellyflex@verizon.net

by: Brooke Bradley, Shelly Guy, Caitlin Miller, Ashley Whalen, Danielle Gradone
 * Constructivist Teaching​**

**__ Constructivism Learning Theory__**

Constructivism is the theory of knowledge and how people learn. Based on our own experiences, we construct our own understanding. “Learning, therefore, is simply the process of adjusting our mental models to accommodate new experiences” ([]).Within the Constructivst Theory there are a few major theorists. Some of which being; Ernst von Glaserfeld, Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner, and John Dewey. Construsctivism is a way of human though but is one of the three dividing categories of human history. As the third category, construsctivism is also known as postmodern or present day. This is where is "....relates to the discoveries of personal, and social realities (raskin)." "Because constructivism focuses on ways in which persons and societies create (rather than discover) constructions of reality, its adgerents often exhibit varying degrees of skepticism about whether persons have direct and accurate access to an external world (Raskin)." Constructivism is agrued as a simulus-response theory. Many theorist have argued for or agains this belief but this works hand-in-hand with the inquiry learning approach. The reason inquiry is important in this theory is because teachers must set up their lessons open ended, to pose a certain question for their students to explore.

The most crucial idea that comes from the constructivist learning theory is that learners construct knowledge for themselves. Most of the time constructivism is used during hands on inquiry. Main ideas of constructivism are, learners construct their own knowledge and they also construct their own knowledge through their experiences. These schemas are changed, enlarged, and made more sophisticated through two complimentary accommodations and assimilations. Asking questions and exploring are used to help the process of understanding. The teacher does not sit and give out excessive amounts of information. The job of the teacher is to work with the students to get them to think about the answers and come up with questions to access on their own. In this theory, since the students control most of the discussion, it is important that they are asking questions and coming to a consensus. If you give students an experiment, it is useful for them to explore first on their own, so they can understand by connecting prior experiences and knowledge. Students, who are not motivated, are not as quick at picking things up as other students, or who might be shy and timid will not benefit from this environment. However, students will learn to work together. Students will learn from each other, and help each other in the learning process. If a student is confused by something then he/she will be able to figure out a solution to a problem by suggestions from his/her peers.


 * Examples of How Technology can be Integrated into Classroom Instruction (for all grade levels...type of work would differ based on grade) **

1. Teachers make use of collaborative online projects, which allow for students to use technology not only to complete the project but also to communicate with group members. 2. Teachers utilize technology as a support for constructivist activities such as Webquest (webquest is a web based inquiry learning technique in which students work together in groups to divide assignments so that everyone participates in a group-assigned role) Here is more information on webquest [] This is a great learning tool for a Constructivist teacher, because it leads to collaboration among learners which is a key concept of Constructivist teaching. 3. Teachers can take "virtual field trips" in which they use the internet and a projector so that students can travel to different places and experience new things related to lessons. For example, if they are studying the life cycle of a worm they could watch the life cycle on a video from youtube. 4. Teachers provide virtual simulations of real experiences; typically cross curricular. 5. Teachers create activities that require online research as well as evaluation of digital information and have to determine whether the information is reliable. 6. Students can explore topics before learning about them, this promotes interactive learning and creates motivation for students. 7. Students can make connections to the real world by using technology to communicate and see how things work in different parts of the world. 8. Students can use online games and activities to further their learning experience and to help students with with varying learning styles understand what is being taught.


 * What would the instruction look like? What are the goals for instruction? What would the technology integration look like? **

Constructivism focuses on the teacher being a facilitator to learning. By that we mean that the teacher does not provide all answers, instead he/she guides the students and step in to help when necessary. In constructivist teaching, teachers encourage students to discover new knowledge on their own, and allow them to define new terms in a language that makes sense for them. It is common for a Constructivist teacher to start by explaining the main topic or goal of the lesson, guide the students on what they will be doing, let the students explore and come to their own conclusions, and then step in to adjust thinking or guide solutions to thinking. The teacher is crucial to providing motivation of learning for the students and for determining what the students will study. While it seems like a Constructivist teaching style might be easy, the teacher has to be extremely prepared and know how they are going to guide learning without being too influential on their thoughts. The goals for instruction would be to have the students be motivated, active learners; they should be able to come up with solutions with minimal guidance from the instructor. The technology integration would be very hands-on and would require collaboration between students in order to explore concepts.

What does a Constructivist Classroom look like? **
 * 

A Constructivist classroom typically will have an area for discovery in which students can explore.This is known as learner-center learning. There are often numerous posters and other colorful things that motivate children and get them thinking more deeply. The teacher would first pose an introductory question to the class, which will get the students brains thinking about how to explore this question. Once the activity is outlined to the students, the teacher will let the students freely explore how to complete the activity. After completion the teacher will allow the students to share their findings with the rest of the class as a way or reflection. Teaching in a learner-centered (constructivist classroom) allows the students more room for exploration and to use and create their own problem solving techniqures. It is usually set up so that students can interact with one another easily, so desks are often facing each other in groups to promote collaboration. The teacher will usually have paths between this groups of desks so that he/she can walk around and observe/step in when necessary. There are usually lots of manipulatives in the classroom which provide students with a form of exploration and hands-on activities. 


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