ECS 300 - 2013 Fall Semester Understanding Constructivism: Using it as a Model of Learning to Assist...

ECS 300 - 2013 Fall Semester

Understanding Constructivism: Using it as a Model of Learning to Assist in

Teaching

Understanding Constructivism: Using it as a Model of Learning to Assist in

Teaching

Warren Wessel

Faculty of Education

University of Regina

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What do you use to plan Lessons? What do you use to plan Lessons?

Clearly when you plan a lesson, you intend for your students to learn something!

It’s sort of a given, that you are not planning lessons so that learning does not occur.

What view/model of learning do you consult when planning your lessons?

ECS 300 - 2013 Fall Semester 2

Piaget’s Developmental LevelsPiaget’s Developmental Levels

Sensory-Motor- birth to 2 years Preoperational – 2 to 7 years Concrete Operational – 7 to 11 years Formal-Operational – 11 years and up The years are approximate – vary with

children and what is learned. The process is not as linear as it seems.


So What?So What?

The stages are fine – likely you have them nicely memorized – or not!

But what do they look like in children? How do you use them to plan your

lessons? Which levels are most likely in

secondary schools – Grades 9 to 12?


Sensory- Motor (birth to 2 years)

Sensory- Motor (birth to 2 years)

Direction by stimuli outside the mind Preverbal stage, no language Perception and identification of objects

What do they learn? Language – words, syntax, tense Moving – crawl, walk, climb Understand some words


Learning Model QuestionLearning Model Question

Does it appear that babies to toddlers learn by direct reception of knowledge from their parents and others in their world?

Can you tell them directly about language? Why not? What do you think?

Can you tell them to move directly? Why not? What do you think?


Preoperational (2 to 7 years) Preoperational (2 to 7 years)

Development of Language Static thought – no series of operations Some will be in K to Grade 2/3

What do they learn? Language Time – past, present and future. Letters, numbers - representation



Does it appear that children 2-7 years old learn by direct reception of knowledge from their parents and others in their world?

Can you tell them directly about language?

You can tell them to move in particular ways? Why now? What do you think?


Concrete Operational (7 to 11 years)Concrete Operational (7 to 11 years)

Performance of Operations – such as combining, separating, ordering, substituting, dividing, classifying and measuring.

How do these show up in what you can teach them in your subject area? What can they now do that they couldn’t do before?



Does it appear that children 7-11 years old learn by direct reception of knowledge from their parents and others in their world?

Can you coach them or teach them in different ways than younger children?

How do you think they are learning? Construction or direct reception?


Formal-Operational (11 years and up)

Formal-Operational (11 years and up)

Can now do lots of good stuff! Hypothetical-deductive reasoning, reflective thinking Propositional thinking, thinking about thinking Imagining, Abstract, non-concrete conceptual thinking Understanding probability Questioning ethics and morals Formulating theories

So what can students do now in your classes?



Does it appear that people 11 years and older learn by direct reception of knowledge from others in their world?

Can others directly transmit knowledge to our minds?

How do you think they are learning? Construction or reception of transmitted knowledge?


ConstructivismConstructivism

What do you know about constructivism?

Where can you use it in your teaching?

How do you think others use it in their teaching?



IntroductionIntroduction

Constructivism is used with so many meanings that understanding the intent of the term is often difficult.

What do you think the term means in education? Have you heard of constructivist classrooms,

constructivist learning, or constructivist teaching?

Are there other kinds of classrooms, learning and teaching?

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Learning as natural phenomenonLearning as natural phenomenon

Learning is a natural phenomena that occurs in humans.

It has been done naturally by each of us since birth and probably before birth.

The brain does it naturally as the result of evolution developing certain functions.

Normally we do not change the fundamental function of the brain.

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A 4 month old has learned much!A 4 month old has learned much!


And learns something new everyday!And learns something new everyday!



Learning as natural phenomenonLearning as natural phenomenon

Learning may be viewed as an observable natural phenomenon. We all have thoughts about learning. We all have experience learning. As well we think about how we learn.

What do you do when you want to learn something? You are learning to become a teacher – what do you think you need to know to become a teacher?

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A Theory of LearningA Theory of Learning

Constructivism can be seen as a theory used by educators to understand learning in people.

Why do you think we want a learning theory?

What possible purpose could it serve?



Learning and TechnologyLearning and Technology

Are 21st century learners different than 19th and 20th century learners?

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Lecturing - a reinterpretation

Lecturing - a reinterpretation

University classes and some HS classes are frequently taught by lecturing.

Viewing learning in lectures as reception by transmission is a poor description of the what happens.

We do not learn by direct reception of material transmitted by the instructor.

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Lecturing - once moreLecturing - once more

Almost no one (in my classes) was able to construct the knowledge during the lecture. The odd one could which the rest of us interpreted as having better receivers/recorders.

We all took notes and then went back to our desks and worked over the material until we understood it.

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Closing ThoughtsClosing Thoughts

Constructivism should be treated as a theory to explain learning in a manner analogous to atomic theory explaining chemical reactions.

Constructivism assists teachers in modeling student learning in their classes.

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More closing ideasMore closing ideas

All learning is constructivist. All teaching is constructivist if student

learning occurs. Not all instructional strategies are

equally successful in facilitating knowledge construction. The strategy depends on a wide range of things - learner, topic, prior knowledge, etc.

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