Introduction to Constructivist Lesson Planning
Constructivism is a philosophy of learning, which proposes that by reflecting upon our experiences we come to understand our world. An expansion of Constructivism philosophy now incorporates theories of teaching, education, and knowledge. “Constructivism has become education’s version of the ‘grand unified theory’”. (Matthews, 2000)
Much has been researched and written about Constructivism. While opinion varies from view-points such as trivial, radical and social (Dougiamas, 1998), the research is instrumental in the development of different educational strategies aimed at helping the educator create an effective constructivist learning activity.
Maggie Beers and Mary Wilson (Learning Resources Unit @ BCIT, 2003) created a quality summary of the “Best Practices” for creating a Constructivist learning environment that states:
Much has been researched and written about Constructivism. While opinion varies from view-points such as trivial, radical and social (Dougiamas, 1998), the research is instrumental in the development of different educational strategies aimed at helping the educator create an effective constructivist learning activity.
Maggie Beers and Mary Wilson (Learning Resources Unit @ BCIT, 2003) created a quality summary of the “Best Practices” for creating a Constructivist learning environment that states:
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Construction of knowledge
• Learning activities examine the learner’s own prior conceptions and relate them to the new knowledge. • The environment focuses on a problem, project, question, or issue, with various interpretative and intellectual support systems surrounding it. • Learners have access to resources for problem solving, such as information banks and discussion forums. • Learners are able to affect the environment in some way by manipulating something, such as constructing a product, manipulating parameters, making decisions. • Hypermedia and multimedia is used primarily as a medium for the learner to construct knowledge, rather than as a medium to deliver instruction. Process, not product • The learning process involves planning the goals, topics and relationship among topics • Learners access, transform, and translate information into knowledge through developing new interpretations and perspectives • Learners evaluate the quality and quantity of the assembled content • It is the process of constructing a perspective or understanding that is essential to learning; no meaningful construction (nor authentic activity) is possible if all relevant information is pre-specified • Permit feedback and revision of the knowledge base through reorganization and restructuring of more meaningful content Multiple perspectives • Forums for social negotiation and mediation provide learners opportunities to exchange perspectives and reconcile dissonant views. • Learners are provided with opportunities for collaboration. • Learners are able to reconstruct events by configuring a range of perspectives and points of view on a subjective reality. • Related cases represent the real life complexity of problems. Situated Cognition • Constructivist learning environments support question/issue based, case-based, project-based or problem based learning • Problems are interesting, relevant and engaging • All the contextual factors that surround a problem are described • The representation of the problem is interesting, appealing and engaging • The problem manipulation space provides a physical simulation of the real-world task Reflexive cognition • Students should be encouraged to become self-regulatory, self-mediated and self- aware • Instructors and learners examine personal beliefs, conceptions, and personal theories about the subject matter, teaching and learning • Learners are asked to articulate their inquiry based problem solving process • Learners are encouraged to think – ON action and think IN action to develop professionalism Cognitive apprenticeship • Students, instructors, and personnel who support the learning receive appropriate training. • Behavioural modelling of the overt performance and cognitive modelling of the covert cognitive processes assist learners in completing the tasks. • Coaching allows the learner to improve personal performance to reach a skilled level in task completion. • Scaffolding provides temporary frameworks to support learning and student performance beyond their capacities. Process-based evaluation • Assessment tests the learning outcomes. Assessment of skills involves using the skills, not describing them verbally. • Self-regulated learners assume responsibility for setting their own goals, determining their own strategies and monitoring their own learning. • Cognitive tools allow students to move beyond language to represent what they know in ways that are more highly structured and visual. • Multiple perspectives are included in the evaluation process. |
In addition, there are four models that educators may apply to ensure that they are creating a constructivist learning activity.
The first model is the Driver – Oldham Model, which leads well into a lesson formation.
The first model is the Driver – Oldham Model, which leads well into a lesson formation.
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The Driver-Oldham model five phases are:
(1) Orientation Phase - Students are motivated to learn a topic; (2) Elicitation Phase – Students make their ideas explicit through discussions, creation of posters or writing; (3) Restructuring Phase – Teacher and student clarify and exchange views through discussion, promote conceptual conflict through demonstrations and exchange ideas and evaluate alternative ideas; (4) Application phase – Students use their new ideas in familiar and novel settings; and, (5) Review Phase – Students are to reflect on how their ideas have changed. (Sunal, n.d.) |
Three additional models also may be used to create constructivist learning activities. These models have been mainly applied to science and mathematical areas of study.
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Driver ‘s Constructivist Instructional Model (CIM)
1. Identify learners' views and ideas (prior knowledge); 2. Create opportunities for the learners to explore their ideas and test their robustness in explaining phenomena, accounting for events and making predictions; 3. Provide stimuli for students to develop, modify and where necessary, change their ideas and views; 4. Support their attempts to rethink and reconstruct their ideas and views. Predict Observe Explain or POE (White & Gunstone, 1992) which involves: • Given a situation, learners are asked to predict and explain the next outcome; • Learners test their predictions and explanations by making accurate observations; • Check observations against their predictions and explanations; • If the observation is inconsistent with their predictions and explanations, then a search for appropriate explanation should be promoted; • New understanding should be reinforced through practice problems, questions and activities. Conceptual Change Model (CCM) (Posner et al. 1982) which is about learners' learning • To seek new understanding, there must exist a dissatisfaction with the existing conception; • The new concept must be intelligible (meaningful); • The new concept must also be plausible (reasonable); • The new concept must be fruitful (able to satisfactorily resolve the mental conflict or dissonance). |
A teacher friendly lesson format that help incorporated the principles of constructivism is the "FIVE E's of Constructivism". See the following link for more information.
Constructivist learning models have been applied to expand the subject
areas into the following WRITING lesson, which incorporates these ideals.