I'm not sure if I'm answering this correctly, but here goes!
I recently made an Xcel spreadsheet at work for some monetary timelines for customers where one did not previously exist. I had to build on my knowledge of Microsoft Office, math, accounting, and even english to articulate items in the spreadsheet. Then I had to take the new information about the customer accounts and combine that new information with previous information to create a new spreadsheet for work.
Bueno. A fundamental premise of constructivism is that someone else who may have built the same kind of spreadsheet, for the same purpose, and with similar background knowledge, would have come to those understandings via a different "pathway" than did you.
The learning outcome was almost identical, yet the learning "journey" to that outcome was deeply contextualized in the personal experiences of each.
Well, I'm not super sure that I have this right, but --
Constructivism is concepts on how learning and knowledge are constructed. There are two leading theories: that it is constructed internally and individually (Piaget) and that it is constructed externally and in groups (Vygotsky).
Theory one looks at personal perceptions of experiences and internal processes as the basis of a human's knowledge.
Theory two believes that knowledge grows when people are subjected to outside influences (cooperative learning, for example).
I like movies. I became more interested in them more when I began to think about them more critically. Most people just go to the movies and do not see anything but the story and for a long time neither did I. For example, if you have seen the newer Tron movie, there is all sorts of biblical references in that movie. I thought I had original ideas but after typing my thoughts into Google I was not always alone in what I thought I figured out. Eventually I began to notice the subleties and nuances and it was a totally different expereince for me. It was like watching 2 movies in one. I would say that this is constructivism in that I built on my own knowledge base and took it to the next level. Nobody told me to do this, it just interested me. I told my some of my students about Tron and their eyes lit up because they never thought of it that way either. That type of thinking differently about something really engages students.
Now you're touching on an interesting element of the teaching experience. I am convinced that teachers must remain relevant to their students by being what I call "culturally literate." Having some knowledge of their current cultural contexts (Tron, Twilight, Hunger Games, etc) heightens one on the students' esteem meter. This is not being their buddy; but it is being able to converse with them "within one language register" (in the words of Ruby Payne).
I love watching nature shows, and learning about rocks and whales-- all that good stuff--- I recently used my knowledge to come up with a lesson plan on something we thought our classmate would know nothing about so I taught a lesson on the rock cycle.
I'm not sure if I'm answering this correctly, but here goes!
ReplyDeleteI recently made an Xcel spreadsheet at work for some monetary timelines for customers where one did not previously exist. I had to build on my knowledge of Microsoft Office, math, accounting, and even english to articulate items in the spreadsheet. Then I had to take the new information about the customer accounts and combine that new information with previous information to create a new spreadsheet for work.
Is this kind of what you were looking for? If not I'll regroup and try to answer differently!
DeleteBueno. A fundamental premise of constructivism is that someone else who may have built the same kind of spreadsheet, for the same purpose, and with similar background knowledge, would have come to those understandings via a different "pathway" than did you.
DeleteThe learning outcome was almost identical, yet the learning "journey" to that outcome was deeply contextualized in the personal experiences of each.
Well, I'm not super sure that I have this right, but --
ReplyDeleteConstructivism is concepts on how learning and knowledge are constructed. There are two leading theories: that it is constructed internally and individually (Piaget) and that it is constructed externally and in groups (Vygotsky).
Theory one looks at personal perceptions of experiences and internal processes as the basis of a human's knowledge.
Theory two believes that knowledge grows when people are subjected to outside influences (cooperative learning, for example).
...is that right? I hope so.
Not really one or the other, but BOTH. See my comments to Miran above.
DeleteI like movies. I became more interested in them more when I began to think about them more critically. Most people just go to the movies and do not see anything but the story and for a long time neither did I. For example, if you have seen the newer Tron movie, there is all sorts of biblical references in that movie. I thought I had original ideas but after typing my thoughts into Google I was not always alone in what I thought I figured out. Eventually I began to notice the subleties and nuances and it was a totally different expereince for me. It was like watching 2 movies in one. I would say that this is constructivism in that I built on my own knowledge base and took it to the next level. Nobody told me to do this, it just interested me. I told my some of my students about Tron and their eyes lit up because they never thought of it that way either. That type of thinking differently about something really engages students.
ReplyDeleteNow you're touching on an interesting element of the teaching experience. I am convinced that teachers must remain relevant to their students by being what I call "culturally literate." Having some knowledge of their current cultural contexts (Tron, Twilight, Hunger Games, etc) heightens one on the students' esteem meter. This is not being their buddy; but it is being able to converse with them "within one language register" (in the words of Ruby Payne).
DeleteI love watching nature shows, and learning about rocks and whales-- all that good stuff--- I recently used my knowledge to come up with a lesson plan on something we thought our classmate would know nothing about so I taught a lesson on the rock cycle.
ReplyDelete