There are a number of differences between the traditional classroom and a constructivism classroom. Listed below are excerpts from a power point presentation that was prepared for a class assignment that explains the pros and cons and differences between the two types of classrooms.
traditional vs constructivist classroom
Traditional Classroom
- Student primarily work alone
- Curriculum is presented part to whole, with emphasis on basic skills
- Strict adherence to a fixed curriculum
- Curricular activities rely heavily on textbooks of data and manipulative materials
- Students are viewed as "blank slates"
- Teachers generally behave in a didactic manner,
- Teachers seek the correct answers to validate student lessons.
- Assessment of student learning is viewed as separate from teaching and occurs almost entirely through testing.
Constructivist Classroom
- Students primarily work in groups
- Curriculum is presented whole to part with emphasis on the big concept
- Pursuit of student questions is highly valued.
- Students are viewed as thinkers with emerging theories about the world
- Teachers generally behave as facilitators
- Teachers seek the student's point of view in order to understand student learning for use later on
- Assessment of student learning is interwoven with teaching and occurs through teacher observation of students at work and through exhibitions and portfolios.
10 basic guiding principles of constructivist thinking that educators must keep in mind:
- It takes time to learn
- Learning is an active process in which the student constructs meaning out of
- People learn to learn
- Learning involves language
- Learning is a social activity
- Learning is contextual
- The act of constructing meaning is mental
- Every one needs knowledge to learn
- Learning is not the passive acceptance of knowledge it takes work
- Motivation is a major aspect of learning
Pros & Cons of Constructivism
- students often like when they are part of the decision making process
- a higher level of thinking occures
- students like hands-on activities
- students feel a sense of ownership when hand-on learning occures rather then just being told something
- belief that learning is based on the students ability to discover new knowledge
- teachers may not take responsibility for poor learning
- may lead students to take a majority rules attitude rather then an individual approach to decision making
The idea of teaching in a constructavist manner is great in theory but may be difficult to impliment in practice
I really enjoyed this entry. Construtivist classrooms are certainly the way to go in this day and age! I liked reading about the pros and cons, even as times change it is important to remember that traditional classrooms do have some pros and have survived for this long for a reason.
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