Home Sweet Home With Constructivism

Of all the learning theories circling the educational career, the constructivist/constructionist theory is where I hang my hat. Simply put this theory proposes that learning occurs as students construct knowledge/understanding from what they experience within the world. The coolest part of this theory is that it is a very hands on. This theory explains that learning is maximized as students actually create “artifacts” of what they are discovering, and that I why I love this theory. We create. Of all the learning theories that I have discussed this one is the most exciting because of its level of engagement. Music is without a doubt a creative content area and this also goes for my class. We spend a massive amount of time creating songs or rhythms which utilize what we have been discussing. As I have learned more about the constructivist/constructionist theory I have encountered many ideas for activities that correlate with it.

One idea that was suggested by Dr. Orey is to have the students create power point presentations of what they are learning in the class. We could go so far as to be very specific and require certain things in the power point to make it even more of a challenge. Perhaps the students must search the internet for images or even videos. In this case the power point is the artifact that the students create to gain a deeper understanding of what they are learning.

Another idea from Dr. Orey (Orey, 2001) is where the students are faced with a problem or project that requires them to gather information and construct an artifact which furthers their understanding. An example of this is a high school english teacher presenting the students with a project where they must perform a puppet show version of a single act from a Shakespeare play where the dialogue has been updated. To do this the students must search out the meaning of the words from their act, and then find synonyms to them. For this example the assignment is the problem, the searching for synonyms is the solution, and the puppet show is the artifact.

Still another example comes from the book Using technology and classroom instruction that works. In the 11th chapter the authors describe the idea of using spreadsheet software to compile, observe, analyze, and finally present their findings. In this example the spreadsheet is the artifact. Using a program like this allows our students to gain deeper levels of knowledge through the manipulation of factors.

For me this is the theory that, at least for now, I will be spending a large portion of my methods with. I love the idea of presenting a problem or project and then working with the students to find the solution. Honestly I may actually start asking questions that I want to know the answers to. Then with our new found information we can apply it, and create better music (the artifact) and deepen our level of understanding.

References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer).(2009). Constructionist and constructivist learning theories. [Motion Picture]. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore: Author.

Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology and classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.