I believe the constructionist theory is the most beneficial to students when used in the correct way. However, I also believe the use of the constructionist theory is not always a viable option in the classroom. In my high school each period is only 48 minutes long. This does not always allow for hands on activities that have the students produce an outcome. When it is possible I do like to give my students the opportunity to participate in different constructionist theory activities because as Dr. Orey talks about it is the best way to have students make the connections discussed in the cognitive theory. The use of the constructionist theory makes the cognitive connections necessary to file and recall information. The best thing about the constructionist theory is that it allows students to go beyond just recalling information to them really understanding what is going on and making the topic personal (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009).
One of the ideas from the reading that I liked was the use of an excel type program to collect and analyze data (Pitler, 2007). I have done this on a small scale with trying to get students to understand correlations. I have them collect data on two different topics such as height and shoe size. We use excel to enter the data and make a graph. Then we use the graph to test the correlation and make a line of best fit. This works well for students because they are able to make a hypothesis about the data, and then they can use the program to test the hypothesis and to see if they were correct or not. If the students are not correct they can see what does happen and make that correction in their thinking. Again, I like this method but it takes at least two days to accomplish and I do not have the time in class to use this method for every concept.
What I would like to do after what I have learned this week is try and come up with one project per quarter or unit that I can use the constructionist theory with. If I find the overall topic for that unit or quarter I can make a project that uses many concepts within the unit. This will not only give the students something concrete to produce, but show them that the concepts they are learning in each section of the unit are related to each other. This will not only give them a better understanding of the main concept, but it will also allow them to see that when the concepts are put together they become a very powerful mathematical tool. Making all of those connections will allow students to become better all around problem solvers and learners. Even though I do not think I can use the constructionist theory on an everyday basis, I do feel it is the most powerful theory we as teachers have to help students fully understand a concept.
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author. Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
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You bring up a good point about being restricted by time. My classes are around 47 minutes long, and it is very difficult to introduce an assignment, have students explore different ideas, come to a conclusion, and then bring it all back together in one class period. This time is decreased when we go to the computer lab because we have to walk to the lab, wait for everyone to log on and open the correct program or website, then wait for students to change computers because theirs is not working, and finally wait for everyone to settle down, so that I can introduce the lesson. Also, we need to stop early so everybody can save their work (if needed), log off, and then walk back to my classroom.
ReplyDeleteI have some lessons which take two days, but it is difficult to keep the students interested the entire time. I have found that creating mini-projects works best for my classes. On the first day, we go to the computer lab, I introduce the assignment, and the students work for the entire period. Then, the rest is up to them. I usually give them two more days to work on the project on their own. They can use one of the other computer labs during their lunch or study hall periods, or they can do their work at home. This way, they are still working and I am not wasting class time just to let them use the computers.
I too find it difficult to implement constructionist lesson into my classroom as well. The time constraint is a major issue when planning lessons for me. At least you get to see your students every day, I only get to see my students once a week for an hour and teaching one lesson can take up to four to five weeks. However, I like your idea of developing one lesson per quarter that focuses on the constructionist theory.
ReplyDeleteI am currently teaching at an Intermediate School (5th and 6th grade) where the students are on teams of two or three teachers. Typically they switch for Social Studiee, Science or Math and only have 45 - 50 minutes per subject. This can make it difficult to integrate constructionist theories into lessons in which students will produce artifacts that relate to their learning. Fortunately I have been able to work with my team teacher to adjust the schedule as needed to make the class periods longer so that it does not break up the lesson, and creates a meaningful and engaging experience for students that doesn't get interrupted. I understand that this is not a plausible solution for many high school level classes, but if possible is definetly one way to integrate longer constructionist lessons into the day. Also as you pointed out the text suggests using templates when integrating technology so as not to waste time teaching students the programs, and simply allowing them to fill in a template to come to conclusions on the data. By using templates it makes it very easy to integrate these lessons into a 45 - 50 min class period, especially as students get used to the various templates and how to analyze and interpret their data.
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