This is a FREE service that provides students, classes, and schools world-wide opportunities to connect with each other through ePals School Mail, ePals School Blog and Classroom Match. It's a great way to participate in a global collaborative project. Get more information and take a tour of the available services at http://www.epals.com/
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Resource - Global SchoolNet
Looking for an online collaborative project? Global SchoolNet's mission is to help teachers find collaborative learning partners and appropriate projects. There are project based learning opportunities for every grade level and subject level. Tour their website at http://www.globalschoolnet.org/index.cfm
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Reflection/Resource
I found an article presenting the results of a study that compared teaching multiplication to 3rd graders using constructivist and traditionalist approaches. I was intrigued because the study involved 4 classes in 2 schools in a St. Louis area public school district (it didn't name which one though). The article only gave a few specific details on the lessons. It stated that the constructivist lessons were based on the three levels of representation by Bruner and the constructivist instructors used concrete materials first to introduce new concepts. The traditionalist approach involved teachers following the school district's mathematics curriculum and explaining procedures and students completed practice worksheets. By comparing the results of the pre- and post-tests the researcher found no statistical differences between the two groups of students in regards to their achievement of multiplication concepts and skills. Both groups improved their multiplication concepts and skills. I was surprised by these results but it was a small study involving only 71 students for 10 lessons. Would studying a larger group for a longer period show different results?
One thing that really stood out was a comment by the teacher using the constructivist approach. She felt that there were classroom management problems because the students were using concrete materials with which they were unfamiliar. She reported that the newness and change in routine casued the children to become more active than usual or desirable. I guess I question how a teacher could expect to just teach 10 lessons based on the constructivist approach and expect students to just "behave". The article in my previous post looked at constructivism as a culture, not just a fragmented collection of teaching techniques. Constructivist teachers need to immerse themselves in this culture. So is it beneficial for students to be exposed to constructivist based activities that are just inserted into a learning environment whenever a teacher feels like it or should constructivism be the classroom's culture?
Chung, I. (2004, Winter). A comparative assessment of constructivist and traditionalist approaches to establishing mathematical connections in learning multiplication. Education, 125(2), 27-278. Retrieved February 13, 2009, from Teacher Reference Center database.
One thing that really stood out was a comment by the teacher using the constructivist approach. She felt that there were classroom management problems because the students were using concrete materials with which they were unfamiliar. She reported that the newness and change in routine casued the children to become more active than usual or desirable. I guess I question how a teacher could expect to just teach 10 lessons based on the constructivist approach and expect students to just "behave". The article in my previous post looked at constructivism as a culture, not just a fragmented collection of teaching techniques. Constructivist teachers need to immerse themselves in this culture. So is it beneficial for students to be exposed to constructivist based activities that are just inserted into a learning environment whenever a teacher feels like it or should constructivism be the classroom's culture?
Chung, I. (2004, Winter). A comparative assessment of constructivist and traditionalist approaches to establishing mathematical connections in learning multiplication. Education, 125(2), 27-278. Retrieved February 13, 2009, from Teacher Reference Center database.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Reflection - challenges of constructivism
The article "The Challenges of Sustaining a Constructivist Classroom Culture", which I listed in the Phi Delta Kappan resources in my previous post, complements chapter 1.4 (Today's Controversies in Constructivism) in our wikibook. According to this author one of the main challenges is the teacher, mainly because the teacher has to change his/her background knowledge about teaching. Our personal histories (as students and teachers) involve experiences with traditional teacher-centered instruction. Also, constructivist instruction places new demands on teachers. Using the term "facilitator" sounds simple but actually it's much more complex than being a dispenser of knowledge. The constructivist teacher not only has to be familiar with the principles of the subject/topic being studied but also must be prepared for a variety of ways students can explore these principles. Teachers must also be prepared to respond to the needs of a situation by having a wide range of strategies to support their students' understandings as they engage in problem-based projects. For constructivism to be effective in a school/classroom there must also be major changes in the curriculum, scheduling, and in assessment. Constructivist instruction requires a big committment on the part of administrators and teachers. The author recommends observing how constructivism operates in other schools. Is anyone familiar with a St. Louis area school that has constructivist instruction?
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Resources - Phi Delta Kappan articles
Phi Delta Kappan is a professional magazine that I browse through every month when it's delivered to my library. I enjoy reading its articles because they seem more practical than those in some other educational journals. Yesterday I decided to search for articles on constructivism in past issues using Academic Search Premiere. The following 8 appeared interesting and I will comment on several of them later.
Airasian, P., & Walsh, M. (1997, February). Constructivist cautions. Phi Delta Kappan, 78(6), 444. Retrieved February 6, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
Baines, L., & Stanley, G. (2001, May). We still want to see the teacher. Phi Delta Kappan, 82(9), 695. Retrieved February 6, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
Baines, L., & Stanley, G. (2000, December). 'We want to see the teacher.'. Phi Delta Kappan, 82(4), 327. Retrieved February 6, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
Chrenka, L. (2001, May). Misconstructing constructivism. Phi Delta Kappan, 82(9), 694. Retrieved February 6, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
Funk, C. (2003, November). James Otto and the pi man: A constructivist tale. Phi Delta Kappan, 85(3), 212-214. Retrieved February 6, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
Hackmann, D. (2004, May). Constructivism and block scheduling: Making the connection. Phi Delta Kappan, 85(9), 697-702. Retrieved February 6, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
Maurer, M., Bell, E., Woods, E., & Allen, R. (2006, December). Structured discovery in cane travel: Constructivism in action. Phi Delta Kappan, pp. 304,307. Retrieved February 6, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
Windschitl, M. (1999, June). The challenges of sustaining a constructivist classroom culture. Phi Delta Kappan, 80(10), 751. Retrieved February 6, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
Airasian, P., & Walsh, M. (1997, February). Constructivist cautions. Phi Delta Kappan, 78(6), 444. Retrieved February 6, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
Baines, L., & Stanley, G. (2001, May). We still want to see the teacher. Phi Delta Kappan, 82(9), 695. Retrieved February 6, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
Baines, L., & Stanley, G. (2000, December). 'We want to see the teacher.'. Phi Delta Kappan, 82(4), 327. Retrieved February 6, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
Chrenka, L. (2001, May). Misconstructing constructivism. Phi Delta Kappan, 82(9), 694. Retrieved February 6, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
Funk, C. (2003, November). James Otto and the pi man: A constructivist tale. Phi Delta Kappan, 85(3), 212-214. Retrieved February 6, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
Hackmann, D. (2004, May). Constructivism and block scheduling: Making the connection. Phi Delta Kappan, 85(9), 697-702. Retrieved February 6, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
Maurer, M., Bell, E., Woods, E., & Allen, R. (2006, December). Structured discovery in cane travel: Constructivism in action. Phi Delta Kappan, pp. 304,307. Retrieved February 6, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
Windschitl, M. (1999, June). The challenges of sustaining a constructivist classroom culture. Phi Delta Kappan, 80(10), 751. Retrieved February 6, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Resources - teachertube videos
Take a break from reading and check out these short videos on teachertube.com. that show constructivist based lessons in an elementary classroom.
Bedley, T. (2008, October4). Constructivist social studies lesson. Retrieved February 5, 2009 from http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=d883a497732cc580f712
Bedley, T. (2008, March 12). Fantastic alternative for correcting daily math work. Retrieved February 5, 2009 from http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=9a9b0e535d990943cffa
Bedley, T. (2008, December 14). Peer review lab - Amazing engagement and critical thinking. Retrieved Feb 5, 2009 from http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=2701880b013f2fceae94
Bedley, T. (2008, October4). Constructivist social studies lesson. Retrieved February 5, 2009 from http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=d883a497732cc580f712
Bedley, T. (2008, March 12). Fantastic alternative for correcting daily math work. Retrieved February 5, 2009 from http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=9a9b0e535d990943cffa
Bedley, T. (2008, December 14). Peer review lab - Amazing engagement and critical thinking. Retrieved Feb 5, 2009 from http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=2701880b013f2fceae94
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Reflection - Constructivism & Multimedia article
I came across this article when I was using Academic Search Premiere and was intrigued by the fact that the author is on the faculty at Multimedia University in Malaysia and it focused on multimedia and constructivism. I requested the article last Sat. because the full text was not available through Webster's library and received it through e-mail Friday. As I began reading the article I became really curious about the school's name so I did some research and found the university's website http://www.mmu.edu.my/index.htm and became totally fascinated with the school. What an interesting place!
The article presents basic information about constructivism and reinforces the roles of the students and teachers. It reminds the reader that a teacher in a constructivist classroom is not the "sage on the stage" but "a guide on the side". The author also explains a six level multimedia development process. I was disappointed that this project was performed by students in a college level interactive multimedia course. I was hoping that it would show implementation with a junior high/high school setting. Also the author didn't mention until the 6th page of the article that Macromedia Director was the authoring tool they used in the class to create the multimedia projects. I'm not familiar with that program so I researched it and discovered it's now Adobe Director. After reading about it I think it would be too advanced for the students in my school. I would have also like to have more samples/examples of the projects created by the students in this course. There was only 1 page that showed 3 screens from one group's multimedia project.
Although overall I was disappointed in the lack of multimedia application for me, I found the general information about constructivism and using multi-media projects very useful. It reinforced that students enhance their critical thinking, problem-solving , and communication skills which is necessary for real-world situations. The more I read about constructivism the more I think about how it could be integrated in my school (grades 7-8). It seems that students need to be self-motivated in order to conduct the project research and need adequate background knowledge. My school has a very large ELL population and it's very challenging because often they get very frustrated due to their lack of vocabulary and background knowledge. Has anyone successfully implemented a constructivist activity/project in their classroom?
Neo, M. (2007). Learning with multimedia: Engaging students in constructivist learning. International Journal of Instructional Media, 34(2). Retrieved January 29, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
The article presents basic information about constructivism and reinforces the roles of the students and teachers. It reminds the reader that a teacher in a constructivist classroom is not the "sage on the stage" but "a guide on the side". The author also explains a six level multimedia development process. I was disappointed that this project was performed by students in a college level interactive multimedia course. I was hoping that it would show implementation with a junior high/high school setting. Also the author didn't mention until the 6th page of the article that Macromedia Director was the authoring tool they used in the class to create the multimedia projects. I'm not familiar with that program so I researched it and discovered it's now Adobe Director. After reading about it I think it would be too advanced for the students in my school. I would have also like to have more samples/examples of the projects created by the students in this course. There was only 1 page that showed 3 screens from one group's multimedia project.
Although overall I was disappointed in the lack of multimedia application for me, I found the general information about constructivism and using multi-media projects very useful. It reinforced that students enhance their critical thinking, problem-solving , and communication skills which is necessary for real-world situations. The more I read about constructivism the more I think about how it could be integrated in my school (grades 7-8). It seems that students need to be self-motivated in order to conduct the project research and need adequate background knowledge. My school has a very large ELL population and it's very challenging because often they get very frustrated due to their lack of vocabulary and background knowledge. Has anyone successfully implemented a constructivist activity/project in their classroom?
Neo, M. (2007). Learning with multimedia: Engaging students in constructivist learning. International Journal of Instructional Media, 34(2). Retrieved January 29, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
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