Modern Constructivism TIPR
THE QUESTION: "Modern Constructivism: How does the teacher use modern constructivist techniques (e.g., discovery learning, inquiry-based learning, problem-based learning, etc.) to promote student learning? Be thorough in your coverage of the theory, addressing multiple concepts to demonstrate your understanding. Cite specific examples and be sure to include a reference in your response."
Modern Constructivism is rooted in Piaget and Vygotsky, but came from the learning theorist Jerome Bruner. The idea is to create an environment where students can have genuine learning and discovery through active exploration and active learning. I saw some of this in Mrs. O's classroom but I do believe it could have been built upon and expanded. Bruner establishes the way to build a constructivist classroom is to have a structure, readiness, intuition, and motivation. These ideas build on each other establishing the idea that if you have the first three items in accurately in place, the motivation will follow. Mrs. O seemed right in her spiral curriculum, it always seemed that the Beginning Theater students were truly being taught content at the correct stage between simplicity and complexity. This idea of spiral curriculum really seems to connect to Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development, making sure we aren't teaching things at to high of a complexity but are hitting the sweet spot to keep them motivated and engaged.
I related in a previous TIPR about the lack of student preparation and participation for the audition assignment. This day of observation is still in my mind as to what could have been done to establish a better learning experience. Students had been assigned to perform as if they were auditioning, with two contrasting pieces, spoken or sung. More than half of the students showed up to performance day unprepared. Their resumes did not fit the template Mrs. O had provided. From where I was sitting, the whole assignment had been a failure. Looking at this day with now a constructivist perspective, I feel overall the students were missing the idea of why and how in this assessment. The didn't have a structure as to where this assessment fit in the larger discipline. I also wonder if the assessment could have been designed with a more constructivist approach. The idea of a complex learning environment seemed touched upon because an audition is an authentic activity in theater content. Any performer will at some point need to audition. But beyond lecturing that this was something they would have to do some day, the authenticity was lost. By presenting the audition as a problem to be solved or possibly creating a collaborative learning experience students may have been more motivated or involved.
A more constructivist approach I did see in Mrs. O's classroom were model sets designed by her students for the upcoming musical. I didn't see how she implemented the learning, but the project was the idea that the students presented their own solutions for how to design the musical that was actually being done at the school. There was learning used to solve the problem and help generate ideas for how she would actually build and design the set for James and the Giant Peach. This was more project-based learning, which I believe technical theater lends itself to very well. Overall theater is more naturally a constructivist environment, as related in this article: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/they-do-call-it-a-play-raleigh-werberger. The idea is to remember students can learn as they go rather than us constantly imparting knowledge before they go and do.
Modern Constructivism is rooted in Piaget and Vygotsky, but came from the learning theorist Jerome Bruner. The idea is to create an environment where students can have genuine learning and discovery through active exploration and active learning. I saw some of this in Mrs. O's classroom but I do believe it could have been built upon and expanded. Bruner establishes the way to build a constructivist classroom is to have a structure, readiness, intuition, and motivation. These ideas build on each other establishing the idea that if you have the first three items in accurately in place, the motivation will follow. Mrs. O seemed right in her spiral curriculum, it always seemed that the Beginning Theater students were truly being taught content at the correct stage between simplicity and complexity. This idea of spiral curriculum really seems to connect to Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development, making sure we aren't teaching things at to high of a complexity but are hitting the sweet spot to keep them motivated and engaged.
I related in a previous TIPR about the lack of student preparation and participation for the audition assignment. This day of observation is still in my mind as to what could have been done to establish a better learning experience. Students had been assigned to perform as if they were auditioning, with two contrasting pieces, spoken or sung. More than half of the students showed up to performance day unprepared. Their resumes did not fit the template Mrs. O had provided. From where I was sitting, the whole assignment had been a failure. Looking at this day with now a constructivist perspective, I feel overall the students were missing the idea of why and how in this assessment. The didn't have a structure as to where this assessment fit in the larger discipline. I also wonder if the assessment could have been designed with a more constructivist approach. The idea of a complex learning environment seemed touched upon because an audition is an authentic activity in theater content. Any performer will at some point need to audition. But beyond lecturing that this was something they would have to do some day, the authenticity was lost. By presenting the audition as a problem to be solved or possibly creating a collaborative learning experience students may have been more motivated or involved.
A more constructivist approach I did see in Mrs. O's classroom were model sets designed by her students for the upcoming musical. I didn't see how she implemented the learning, but the project was the idea that the students presented their own solutions for how to design the musical that was actually being done at the school. There was learning used to solve the problem and help generate ideas for how she would actually build and design the set for James and the Giant Peach. This was more project-based learning, which I believe technical theater lends itself to very well. Overall theater is more naturally a constructivist environment, as related in this article: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/they-do-call-it-a-play-raleigh-werberger. The idea is to remember students can learn as they go rather than us constantly imparting knowledge before they go and do.
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