Constructivist Thought
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Transcript Constructivist Thought
A Presentation by Group 4 : Teachnologists
Steve Zurlnick
Heather Troncillito
Carol Tompkins
Jennifer Kinsley
Lisa Warren
What is Constructivism?
Learners use their prior knowledge to gain
understanding of a new concept.
To make sense of a topic/concept we use both prior
knowledge and new experiences to influence learning.
The History Behind Constructivism
Based off of social learning theories developed by
scholars such as Jean Piaget, Eleanor Duckworth,
George Hein, and Howard Gardener.
Scholars such as Berger and Luckmann also
introduced the concept of social construction of reality
where a human being must develop their own
understanding of our social world.
Roger Bybee used these theories to develop an
instructional model called the “5 E’s.”
A Classroom Guided By
Constructivism
Teacher is no longer on stage, but instead acts as a
guide while students facilitate their own learning.
Teachers use methods such as the 5 E’s where
investigations and activities are included under the
headings of each E which can be taught independently
or in sequence.
The 5 E's of Constructivist Learning
Engage
• Students make connections between past and present
learning experiences.
Explore
• Students work together to investigate the chosen
topic/concept while the teacher acts a facilitator and guides
the students.
Explain
• Students work in groups and support each other’s
understandings through communicating their individual
experiences. The teacher then introduces the vocabulary
(labels) surrounding the topic/concept.
The 5 E's continued. . .
Elaborate
• Students expand on the learned concepts by making
connections to their prior knowledge and the world in
which they live.
Evaluate
• Authentic assessments are used to determine if the
students have attained understanding of the
concept/topic. This may include rubrics, portfolios,
checklists, etc. The teacher then uses this evidence to
guide future learning.
Advantages and Disadvantages to
Using the Constructivist Approach
The advantages and disadvantages can be seen on our
mind map created on gliffy.com:
http://www.gliffy.com/publish/1625219/
Sample 5E Science Lesson Plan
For our science lesson on “Parts of a Plant” please
double click on the pdf document below to open it:
Resources
(2001). Miami Museum of Science. Retrieved February 25, 2009,
from Constructivsm and the 5 E's Web site:
http://www.miamisci.org/ph/lpintro5e.html
Hoover, Wesley A. (1996, August). Southwest Educational
Development Laboratory. Retrieved February 25, 2009, from The
Practice Implications of Constructivism Web site:
http://www.sedl.org/pubs/sedletter/v09n03/practice.html
Kickbusch, Ken (1996, June). Wisconsin Education Association
Council. Retrieved February 25, 2009, from Teaching for
Understanding: Educating Students for Performance Web site:
http://www.weac.org/News_and_Publications/education_news/
1996-1997/under.aspx