Journey Summary
This session is designed to help build an understanding of constructivist principles. You will reflect on and explore your own educational belief system, observe a constructivist classroom, and participate in a constructivist experience. When this session is complete, you will be asked to embrace the principles of constructivism as you revise or create an activity for your own classroom.
Curriculum-framing Questions
Essential Question
- How do people learn?
Unit Questions
- How might the use of constructivist principles impact learning?
Content Questions
- What are educational belief systems?
- What principles provide a general frame for constructivism?
- How does the eMINTS Instructional Model align with constructivism?
- What is the instructional role and learner role in a classroom based on constructivist principles?
Introduction
In a classroom based on constructivism, learners do not passively take in information. Instead, they develop knowledge by actively engaging in activities and experiences and through social interaction and collaboration, followed by reflection, as an essential part of learning. In this manner, learners actively create knowledge. By understanding the principles of constructivism, we can guide students as they actively participate in building their own knowledge base through inquiry-based, authentic activities.
Theory Behind Practice
All eMINTS materials are grounded in research-based best practices in K-12 education.
Digging Deeper
Agenda
- Opener: Penny for Your Thoughts
- My Educational Belief System
- Save Fred!
- Introduction to Constructivism
- Constructivism and the eMINTS Instructional Model
- Add a Little Constructivism
- Closer: A CLEAR Reflection
Classroom Visit w/Students
Ask your instructional specialist to visit when you are facilitating a constructivist activity in your classroom. Your instructional specialist may co-facilitate with you, assist as a second pair of hands, or observe and/or collect data on a topic of your choice. Afterward, spend time with your specialist reflecting on the experience.
Classroom Visit w/out Students
Ask your instructional specialist to assist with planning your activity that incorporates constructivist principles.
Share directions, photos, and a reflection of your constructivist activity with your facilitator. How did your activity connect with the eMINTS Instructional Model?
Agenda
Before the Session
- My Educational Belief System
- Introduction to Constructivism
During the Session
- Opener: Penny for Your Thoughts
- Save Fred!
- Principles of Constructivism
- Constructivism and the eMINTS Instructional Model
- Closer: A CLEAR Reflection
After the Session
- Add a Little Constructivism
Classroom Visit w/Students
Ask your instructional specialist to visit when you are facilitating a constructivist activity in your classroom. Your instructional specialist may co-facilitate with you, assist as a second pair of hands, or observe and/or collect data on a topic of your choice. Afterward, spend time with your specialist reflecting on the experience.
Classroom Visits w/out Students
Ask your instructional specialist to assist with planning your activity that incorporates constructivist principles.
Share directions, photos, and a reflection of your constructivist activity with your facilitator. How did your activity connect with the eMINTS Instructional Model?
This module is designed as a “flipped” learning experience. You will complete two hours of work outside of the face-to-face session providing you with the flexibility to learn on your own time and then bring your newfound knowledge to the training session.
During the training session, you will use the information you covered prior to the session to complete hands-on/mind-on activities. After this session, you will use all of your knowledge to create an activity for your classroom that reflects constructivist principles.
Find out more about Flipped Classrooms and what it looks like in K-12 Classrooms.
Images Courtesy of