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Role of the teachers
Constructivism philosophy of education
Constructivism philosophy of education
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The theory I find myself agreeing with the most is the constructivist approach because it is a balance between teacher and student. As a future teacher, I feel it important to have some say in the running of my classroom but I also want the students to feel it is also their classroom. The constructivist approach allows the teacher and students to work as a team but under the direction of the teacher. The teacher provides direction in how the classroom environment should be established, what content will be covered, and conflict resolution. The students are still given options to choose from in each of these category so they feel in control of the learning experience and environment.
Getting to Know Your Students
It is extremely important
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A constructive teacher realizes students should participate in creating classroom rules because they will be more willing to follow them. This also means that by “encouraging children to make classroom rules, the teacher minimizes unnecessary external control and promotes the development of children’s moral and intellectual autonomy” (DeVries & Zan, 2003, p. 67). I consider myself an autonomy-supportive teacher because I believe in involving “students in the process of learning by giving them choices” (Brophy, 1998, p. 130). This supports the idea of intrinsic motivation which is to get students excited about learning by giving them freedom to choose how they will complete an assignment. For example, when it comes to students giving a report on an assigned book, they will be given the choice of how they would like to share what they learned and choice of working alone or with other classmates. The method used to share what they learned could be a book report or a video that allows the student to be creative. The goal is for students to have the freedom to choose in a safe environment they help to create. …show more content…
Class meetings allow students an opportunity to solve group issues as a class under the direction of the teacher. The students gather in a circle and each one shares their observations of the problem, but not “how the problem made them feel . . . (or their) ideas for solving it” (Crowe, 2009, p. 178). Once everyone has shared their observations, each student has the opportunity to share their feelings and solutions. If they do not have something to share or do not feel comfortable sharing their opinion they say pass. They must all agree to a solution or at least be able to live with it. This is a great way for me, a constructivist teacher, to guide students in finding solutions to
Almost 100 years ago, Chicago saw its population double in a short span of time - the majority of the newcomers being foreign-born. There were also many Americans that were migrating into the city at this time. With large amounts of foreigners bringing with them their own set of beliefs and norms, ideological clashes and a lack of conformity was inevitable. Merton’s Modes of Adaptation comes into play here with foreigners coming to a new land and having to re-adapt. This can lead to increased rates of ritualism, retreatism, rebellion and innovation and this means an increase in crime rates.
I am a dreamer. I think outside the box. Creativity, warmth, and learning are values I hold dear. After examining the text, “Educational Psychology,” by Anita Woolfolk, Phillip Winne, and Nancy Perry, my beliefs and values hold most closely to the two central ideas of constructivism; the idea that the learner is active in constructing their knowledge, as well as the idea that social interactions are important to the learning process (2011). A philosophy is so much more than just ideas on paper. It affects the entirety of your interactions with students, as well as how your classroom is set up, two things that are very important to a high quality constructivist classroom.
1. a. The chapter is organized in a way that it is easy to follow and comprehend. The first page entails questions that the reader should consider as they read the chapter. It then goes on to give a general concept of constructivism and into more details as you read along in the chapter.
The way in which the body is viewed is a complete social construction, dependent on the society, history and wider cultural attitude of a given group. Social constructionism can be defined as the ways in which society, culture and history builds up and dictates social norms. It shapes the way we think, behave and interact with our environment. The social construction of bodies is, therefore, the way in which society ascribes significance to different parts of the body and influences our understanding of it as a whole. The social construction of the body feeds into and reinforces inequalities to a great extent, on a number of levels. Gender inequalities and the issues of racism and colourism are good examples of inequalities that are fuelled
Empiricists and rationalists have proposed opposing theories of the acquisition of knowledge, which appear unable to coexist. Each theory holds its own strengths but does not demonstrate a strong argument in itself to the questions, “Is knowledge truly possible?” and “How is true knowledge obtained?”. Immanual Kant successfully merged the two philosophies and provided a convincing argument with his theory of empirical relativism, or what some may call constructivism. His theory bridges the gap between rationalism and empiricism and proves that empiricists and rationalists each present a piece of the full puzzle. In order to truly understand Kant’s epistemology, one must first review and understand both empiricism and rationalism on an impartial basis.
Constructivism represents a paradigm shift form education based on cognitive theories. This concept assumes that learners construct their own knowledge on the basis of interaction with their environment. (Gagnon & Collay, 200?) The role of the teacher as a constructor of the learning experience to ensure authentic curriculum and assessment which is responsive to the skills, needs and experiences of the learner, within established curriculum framework and with the reference to the achievement of literacy, numeracy, retention and attainment of outcomes. Krause, Bochner and Duchesne (p.157) comment that “as learners interact with their environment, they link information learned through experience to previous knowledge, and so construct new understandings and knowledge.” Constructivism then inturn encourages Teachers and Learning Managers to recognise the value of prior knowledge and experiences that each child brings with them into the classroom, and help them (the students) build on their understandings of the world by providing appropriate learning experience plans.
Every teacher has a different method of teaching. The teachers that I have had in my school career have been no exception. In this way, each teacher has set an example for me, as a future teacher, to follow or not to follow as I see fit. With the examples from my teachers and in continuing my education, I am developing my own method of teaching. I plan to use a combination of teaching methods in my own classroom. My method will be an eclectic approach because I will be using components of more than one philosophy. I will be using essentialism, behaviorism, progressivism, and existentialism.
Individuals acquire their knowledge by organizing messages received and establish cognitions toward the reality by the most frequent and accepted information transmitted through interaction with the world. These cognitions are fundamental elements for social constructions. Social construction refers to the phenomenon in which certain objects and perceptions are created by the society. A social construct that appears to be natural and undeniable for those who believe in it does not necessarily represent the reality; therefore, remains as a social invention. Such notions could be varied throughout certain time periods and across different countries due to diverse cultures between societies. The core concept of social construction is that some objects are controlled by social factors, such as norms and culture, rather than by innate. One of these objects that is profoundly constrained and constructed by the society is
Constructivism has been a popular term used in education since the 1990s but can be traced back to a much earlier time than that (Maddux & Cummings, 1999, p.8). Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky are the two theorists who are closely linked to the development of constructivism. Over the past decade, education has seen an alarming increase in the number of students who are qualifying for special education services as well as students who are being labeled as “at risk” students. Having such an increase in special education the demand to find a teaching style that works best for students with disabilities has become extremely popular. An increase in popular terms and trendy forms of teaching instruction has developed in education. A popular “buzz” word that has invaded the educational world is Constructivism; even though constructivism is not a new term it does lack a concrete definition.
Together with the teacher and classmates, students are given the opportunity to speculate and question the world around them and the world awaiting them. Within small peer groups, for instance, students are encouraged to discuss, share, and compromise. The teacher is there to encourage this process, rather than to provide prescribed solutions. Similarly, the learning environment is collaborative and democratic, giving opportunities for all to speak their minds and receive feedback from peers as well as the teacher. This continuous loop of feedback, potentially positive or negative, serves as the means of assessment for problem-solving based instruction.
Considering student achievement based upon the classroom environment, research shows that teachers who use constructivism in their classrooms have students whose achievement is more significant than those who learn by using traditional methods. (Singh, Yager, Yutakom, Yager, & Ali, 2012) It has become vitally important in this age for students to construct knowledge and apply it to both social and scientific situations in the real world. Additionally, the job market has changed, and employers are looking for more in potential employees. There are numerous skills being sought after that center around independent problem solving, a skill that can be taught using a constructivist approach. (Lew, 2010)
Constructivism is a somewhat new, but up-and-coming ideology that is progressing through education. In order to properly understand constructivism, one must understand the history. Then, building upon the history one begins to understand its progression through education. Then, building upon that knowledge we can begin to see the applications of constructivism in the modern classroom. In the process of establishing the layout this paper, a method of constructivism, also known as scaffolding, was shown. Scaffolding is the process of establishing what a learner's base knowledge is and then teaching them in a method that relates and builds upon that. This leads into the broader idea of Constructivism, which the view of learning is based upon the learner produces knowledge and form meaning based upon their experience. ("Piaget's Theory of Constructivism", 2006)
Constructivism is a defined, when referring to the learner, as a "receptive act that involves construction of new meaning by learners within the context of their current knowledge, previous experience, and social environment" (Bloom; Perlmutter & Burrell, 1999). Also, real life experiences and previous knowledge are the stepping stones to a constructivism, learning atmosphere. (Spigner-Littles & Anderson, 1999). Constructivism involves the learner being responsible for learning the material and, not necessarily, the teacher (Ely; Foley; Freeman & Scheel, 1995). When learning occurs, the goals, values, and beliefs of the individuals need to be linked to the new data. Also, in constructivism, the person, who is taking in the knowledge, can somehow filter, amend, and reformat the information that he or she feels is important to the schema (Spigner-Littles & Anderson, 1999). A constructivist learner uses the creative approach to apply their own meaning to a topic using the social and cognitive circumstances around themselves (Bloom; Perlmutter & Burrell, 1999). A short and sweet summary of constructivism is "how one attains, develops, and uses cognitive processes" (Airasian & Walsh, 1997).
Now that I have seen three different classrooms as part of my practicum observations, I still believe that there are several acceptable approaches and no universally correct teaching methods. However, my thinking has changed because I have seen that everything done ...
My goal as a teacher is to improve my student’s education and help them grow knowledgably. I like to see students at different levels develop with each other and learn. I want to challenge the students and watch them grow to their highest level of education. Therefore, having the students in groups is the best educational strategy I like to use a lot. I want my students to have freedom with whatever creativity they want, and to allow them to express themselves at any time. With this freedom students will be able to experiment with likes and dislikes and be able to figure their weaknesses and strengths. Education is for everyone and it’s a right by low for all; teachers, on the other hand, should do their jobs very honestly and effectively.