EDN 233 Chapter 8

What is constructivism?

Facilitate learning process by teaching in ways that make info meaningful and relevant to students by giving opportunities to discover or apply ideas themselves. Students discover things out for themselves.

How does Vygotsky’s Theory of learning and development connect with Constructivism?

Stresses the social nature of learning. Uses mixed-ability learning groups to promote conceptual change.

Student Teams-Achievement Division (STAD)

A cooperative learning method for mixed ability groupings that involves team recognition and group responsibility for individual learning. Teacher presents a lesson and then students work with their teams to make sure all members have mastered the lesson.

How do you earn points in STAD?

Students take individual quizzes. Quiz scores are compared to their own past averages, points are awarded on degree in which students meet or exceed earlier performance. Points are summed for teamed scores.

Jigsaw 2

Students work in 4 or 5 member teams. Each student being assigned a unique section, all students read a common text, & then each students receives a topic on which to become an expert. Students with same topics meet in expert groups to discuss then, after with they return to their teams to teach what they have learned to their teammates. Students take individual quizzes which result in team scores.

Teams-Games-Tournament (TGT)

Students play games with members of other teams to add points to their team scores.

IDEAL

I-identify problems and opportunities D-define goals and represent the problem

E-explore possible strategies A-anticipate outcomes and act L-look back and learn

scaffolding

Support for learning and problem solving. Giving students more structure at beginning of a set of lessons and gradually returning responsibility over to them to operate on their own.

Traditional problem solving

Carefully identifying the problem that needs to be solved, defining resources and info that are available, determining a way in which the problem can be represented, and breaking the process that lead to a solution.

What does research say about cooperative learning?

2 conditions must be met. Some kind of recognition must be provided to groups that do well so that group members can see that it is in their interest to help their groupmates learn. There also must be individual accountability, the success of the group must depend on the individual learning of all group members, not a single group product.

What is creative problem solving?

A process of generating and refining innovative, flexible, and effective solutions to complex problems.

Incubation

Avoid rushing to a solution, pause, and reflect on the problem and think through several solutions before acting.

Suspension of judgement

Consider all possibilities before trying a solution, brainstorming.

Appropriate Climates

Students feel like their ideas will be accepted.

Culture thinking

Incorporating thinking skills into daily lessons and classroom experiences.

4 key concepts for classroom instruction according to Vygotsky’s constructivist theory

social learning, zone of proximal development, cognitive apprenticeship, and mediated learning

schema

Mental networks of related concepts that influence understanding of new info.

How does schemata relate to constructivist theory?

Shaped by social interaction dialogue, helps students negotiate and refine schemas together.

Prior knowledge

What students already know, need to know it in order to understand something else.

Self-regulated learning

Students who have knowledge of effective learning strategies and how and when to use them.