A New Way of Knowing Constructivism Gordon Brown George Mason University EDUC 800: Ways of Knowing

Not going to do the powerpoint Rather than model transmission/direct instruction I’ll use the minutes to model Constructivist methods and we’ll construct our knowledge of constructivism

K-W-L Starting with K-W-L Jot down 2 things you know about constructivism and 1 thing you want to know (accessing student prior knowledge, student generated inquiry/curriculum) And then an example—non-example activity: you may use the paper and peers as needed (active, cooperative, teacher as facilitator, etc.)

3 Salient Points: #1 Constructivism the learning theory, credited to Piaget, is not directly related to constructivism the teaching praxis In fact the theory applies to all methods of pedagogy whether they are based in behaviorism, the cognitive school, direct instruction, objectivism, etc.

Salient point # 2: response to critics Constructivism is not equivalent to maturationism It is rigorous In fact, if anything constructivist teachers, when employing the methods properly, work harder and interact with students more than teachers following other pedagogies

Salient point #3: Search for a defintion led to construction of one: Normal dictionaries, namely the current Microsoft Word Encarta Dictionary: English (North America) and Webster’s II from 2005, proved unhelpful. (The e-version of Encarta gave it as a Russian artistic movement of modern art in the 1920s, and Webster’s had no entry).

#3 continued As Davis wrote (1995): “Constructivism”—like “feminism,” “relativism,” “postmodernism,” and a plethora of other “- isms”—has been used as an umbrella term for a range of loosely related notions. As such, it has been subject to a variety of interpretations (see, for example, von Glasersfeld, 1984). Sweeping statements about “constructivist beliefs” are, therefore, inherently problematic.

# 3 continued So, using the collective knowledge assimilated through the research for this paper, let’s attempt to construct a concise definition of constructivism in the context of praxis. constructivism n. 1. (in praxis) An instructional framework, based on the theory of learning formalized by Piaget of the same name, that includes the following tenets and practices: students are active learners who are engaged in the process of constructing their knowledge; teachers are guides and facilitators who provide stimulating learning environments and pose questions; instruction is inquiry and problem based and often involves collaboration, cooperation and discussion; assessment occurs throughout the learning process, and assessment and evaluation are typically authentic and performance based; students and teachers reflect on any and all aspects of the teaching and learning process and these reflections significantly impact their learning process and products.

The paper took a practitioner—not a scholarly—perspective Not a study of the theory, theorists nor their bodies of works, such as, Piaget, Kant, Dewey Used sources that practitioners would use, such as, Wikipedia, thirteen.org and short journal articles that provided overviews and pragmatic classroom applications… …but checked references and closely read and analyzed a number of them, particularly the research and critiques, such as Kim, Kirschner, Sweller & Clark, Brooks & Brooks, etc.

Wear a hard-hat Construction sites result in buildings but can be dangerous and require scaffolding Remember balance and variety (see conclusion in paper) Proceed with caution and a deliberate, well- engineered plan