Constructivism: a Primer for Parents

Schools might tell you that Constructivism is the perfect teaching method. Be ready to debate that. (NB: Constructivism is the main gizmo inside of Reform Math.) (Bruce Deitrick Price / Improve-Education.org)

http://www.Improve-Education.org

Category:

Education

Tags:

• dumbing
• down
• sophistry
• teach
• k-12
• math
• arithmetic
• learn
• educate
• illiteracy

[1goldensmile]

How can I expect my students to function in the real world, using their minds and their thought processes to figure something out if I don't help them think on their own? "Figuring" something out is a process as you've read below under the example of Constructivism. It works, just face it; and the theory is growing so quickly that in another 10 years or sooner, it will be the only standard I will be told to teach by. Think outside the box.

[BruceDeitrickPrice]

To Goldensmile:

1) Retracing steps is an excellent technique for recovering lost objects and lost memories. But the knowledge is already in the brain, so your anecdote would seem to have no connection to Constructivism. Also note that the child learned the technique through Direct Instruction. "Retrace your steps." That’s teaching!

2) Suppose you want to teach a child that there are three oceans-- Atlantic, Pacific, Indian. How do you teach this information using Constructivism?

Bruce Price

[MsCezzie]

@BruceDeitrickPrice

I would pre-select useful and appropriate websites/books for them to discover this information themselves. Could have follow-up lessons on drawing maps,  presentations on which animals live in which oceans etc, with guidance and guidelines from the teacher, but no stifling rote learning. Children have access to correct information yet are able to discover it themselves. Kids won't learn anything if they are uninterested. Present it in a different way and they might be.

[BruceDeitrickPrice]

@MsCezzie

You are conflating "create new knowledge" with "discover new knowledge." The latter just means kids can do research. Didn't they always? But what you are describing is a school where no teaching takes place. It's all research all the time. Everything will happen very slowly.

"Stifling" is such a loaded word. Your comments are themselves a result of rote learning, are they not? You have learned the collectivist dogma. I suggest this is stifling for the young teacher.

[BruceDeitrickPrice]

Thank you. Also see "Guessing Is not Reading." (The broad theme across all subjects is that schools teach as little as possible, and then act as though children should easily be able to figure out/guess/construct the answers themselves. If children can't do this, then it's the fault of the parents. Or bad genes.)

[MsCezzie]

In summary: Each to their own but open your mind a little :-)

[MsCezzie]

- it's that the teacher is guiding them to the correct answer. The 'construct' part is about the meaning and method - if they are rugby mad and want to work out the answer to a maths problem using the scoring system in rugby, as long as it gets the right answer, that's fine to begin with. In the later years they will need to learn other ways of doing it but as long as it's efficient and you can see how they've reached their answer it's fine.

[MsCezzie]

they will LEARN whereas in my experience if you just ask them to write it out a bunch of times having tried to explain the concept on the board, they may be able to recite a bunch of numbers to you but they haven't learnt anything. Again, I'm sure you'll tell me of a thousand kids who are different, but there we go.

If constructivism is about letting the child live in their own fantasy world and make up the knowledge as they go along then I agree with you. But my understanding of it isn't that

[MsCezzie]

Why do people insist on labelling something "dogma" or "fad" or such negative connotations if they disagree with it? If you disagree, fine, everybody's entitled to their own opinion but if you label like that it makes you come across as very ignorant, though I'm sure you're not.

I've actually seen it work in practice - from changing my own teaching techniques - I learn from experience, unlike someone who rote learns. Eg maths - you introduce the times tables to kids using MABs or unifixes