1. Amanda Raker, Becky Pokrandt, Erin Vollmer
Constructivism
Amanda Raker, Becky Pokrandt, Erin Vollmer

2. Project Based Learning
Organized around an open-ended driving question.
Student Voice
Incorporate Feedback
Problem Solving
Creating Something New
Critical Thinking

3. Philosophers Lev Vygotsky, Jean Piaget, John Dewey
All proposed that students could learn actively and construct new knowledge based on prior knowledge or experiences.
Social Constructivism- Vygotsky stressed social context of learning and interaction.
Piaget and Dewey each believed that education involves shaping of learners from the environment.

4. Video on 21st Century Learning

5. Would you prefer learning with the project based approach or traditional methods?

6. Reggio-Emilia
started by the schools of the city of Reggio Emilia in Italy after World War II.

7. Piaget's Preoperational Stages of Development
Language development is one of the hallmarks of this period
Children also become increasingly clever at using symbols
Reggio Emilia educators believe that children have a hundred languages to express their realizations about the world

8. Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development
Education that is based on…
collaboration
image of the child
role of the parents
role of the environment
project approach

9. Community

10. Vygotsky's Social Constructivist Theory
Emphasizes the social contexts of learning
Knowledge is mutually built and constructed which is the cornerstone of the Reggio Emilia approach.
The same group of students stays together for three years
The teachers’ offices are all in one big office

11. Teachers as Facilitators in Reggio
Guides, not directors
Provide support for children to explore and discover knowledge through a topic of their interest
Every project is based on what children say and do

12. Teachers as Facilitators in Reggio
No principal and no hierarchy
2 teachers per classroom
1 atelierista, a person who is trained in the arts
This allows for one teacher to be observing and thus learning at all times

14. How many of you would be okay with me recording all of your conversations on camera as well as taking notes?

15. Authentic Assessment
Example- use of portfolios as opposed to formal standardized tests to assess children's learning.

16. IPS School 60/Butler Lab School
Uses the project approach as much as possible
A Reggio inspired school
Cool fact- They only hires Butler grads! 

17. To Sum it all Up…
Social constructivism is shown in the teachers' respect for the children's need to generate their own questions and revisit their choices.

18. Five Guiding Principles of Constructivism:
Pose problems of emerging relevance to students.
Structure learning around primary concepts.
Seek and value students' points of view.
Adapt instruction to address student suppositions.
Assess student learning in the context of teaching.

20. How are these methods applied in the classroom?

21. Activity Time!
Observe the objects placed on your table and write down immediate observations and thoughts pertaining to them. Do any of them make you think of a specific experience, organization, or emotion?
Now use some of the objects to construct an invention or model that would help an individual or group of people. Be as creative as desired.
Reflect on the placement and choice of the objects that your group chose. Does yours compare with other tables?